We're all different, but this is how I approached the admissions process:
I figured that the average premed already have high GPA, high MCAT score, gazillion extra-curricular activities, etc. Other applicants also have many years of experiences in various fields, especially if they're non-traditional students (a professor of mine with a PhD and a LOT more exposure/clinicals applied at the same time!). Knowing these, can I improve my stats so I can stand out? Also, what characteristics do I have to set me apart from the rest of them? If I don't have such characteristics, how can I can achieve them? What have I experienced in my whole life that others haven't yet? Other med schools have a similar question in their secondaries: "What can you bring to our school?" I treated each part of my application equally, always looking at various ways to improve them. I read books, watched YouTube videos, read forum pages, etc. I worked on my MCAT/GPA numbers until I had above average. I figured that the BA-MD students, students who have connections, and others who have special circumstances skew the average stats down, since they only have to meet minimum numbers, so the accepted students (not counting the BA-MDs/etc) must have above average stats (this was just my thoughts and not necessarily supported by evidence). When I volunteered, I made sure to be a leader whenever possible. Once I figured out what made me special, I highlighted them within my application. While many students can write a personal statement in an hour, I worked on mine for a month with dozens of edits 'cause I knew it was my way of selling myself to the adcoms - adcoms read these in under 5 minutes, and it can even be a tie-breaker. Both of my interviewers said I had one of the strongest personal statements, and it made them excited to interview me, especially 'cause they already knew that English my third language. When I got the interview invite, I studied/prepared 4-6hours a day for a month, getting familiar with interview etiquettes and most kinds of questions any interviewer can throw at me, as well as going through a couple of mock interviews. I studied for the MCAT for three months, so what's another month to prepare for the interview? Again, I read books, watched videos, spoke with a bunch of students who were accepted, etc.
Good luck! If you were interviewed, then you're already one of the top candidates for UNM (you scored much higher than 1500+ other applicants!). If you were rejected this year, give yourself some time to grieve. This (premed to med school, etc.) has been an intense experience, and you deserve to be angry and cry if have to. But don't give up! It took me the better part of a decade to get where I am, so don't lose hope! Figure out how to improve on ALL parts of your application and apply to other schools (where your characteristics/personality may fit better; be sure to come back to NM though to help repair the damage caused by Boozana Martini). PM me for questions.
