While it is true that the number of applications filed this year is, I believe, about 7% less than last year...it is not necessarily true that getting into medical school is much easier. Just as the percentage of applicants accepted is increasing slightly, average GPAs and MCAT scores for those accepted students are also increasing.
So while the percentage of accepted applicants is increasing (I think this year, a first-time applicant has a greater than 50% chance of admission), the criteria for acceptance are getting more stringent all the time. This year, the average GPA for acceptees may well eclipse 3.6, and the average MCAT is getting very close to 10s on all sections, too. Also, significant clinical experience before application is getting more crucial all the time. Research can help you stand out, as well. Oh, and I almost forgot...don't forget to have a life while you're doing all this and get involved in some unique extra-curricular activities!
Of course, we should all feel relieved that applications are going down, rather than up to the near 48,000 that were filed in 1996. However, you've got to be committed these days to get that acceptance letter. Many of my interviewers this year have made the comment that applicants these days are much more qualified than they were years ago.
As future physicians, we should all feel glad that most of the slackers and gold-diggers have fallen by the wayside, too.
Hope this helps! Good luck to you if you're applying in the future.
