I've tried to avoid commenting on this thread.
1. I love my current program
2. Implying a lack of hard work (unlike you) was the reason I matched near the bottom of my list is wrong. Step 1/2 both over 270, honors in every course/clerkship/subI, junior AOA, multiple first author pubs in both ENT and other specialties. I got a ton of interviews, interviewed at 15, with most "top" programs represented as well as regional schools.
3. Match day was hard for me because I looked at where I matched and knew it wasn't because of "how hard I worked". I either interviewed poorly or had letters that were bad (unlikely with the number and quality of interviews I got).
It came down to my personality. I've always struggled with social anxiety and likely came off as a jerk in a 15 minute interview. I was frustrated and upset because it's like my work didn't matter. Every doubt I had about myself was confirmed. I still feel terrible about it. It wasn't about not going to prestigious program X or feeling purposeless like OP, the match felt like a referendum on my personality which said to me, "You can work as hard as you want, you'll always struggle because you're an unlikeable person."
