This thread is EMBARRASSING. The OP simply wanted advice about being a competitive applicant. My God, reading through this post is... What happen to people just giving advice and leaving it at that? Why the animosity all the time? It's pathetic how premeds treat each other (or maybe people in general). As long as we all can be successful, why do we have to act like crabs and pull the other person down just to achieve our goals? Y'all say that y'all want to be doctors and you are altruistic, but look at how you treat each other on a forum. If you act this way behind closed doors, then that is your true character and maybe you should think about other fields. Leave the doctoring to people with actual humanity. What's wrong with people these days? I'm disgusted!