Thanks for letting me know how your friend's interview went! Wow...the interview sounds like it can be just about anything. I'm impressed that your friend can answer off the top of her head. She's really smart.

CONGRATS!! You scored beautifully on your MCAT. Definitely give it a try if you have a unique story to tell!!

I heard once from a professor at JHU talk about one of their medical students' experience. He said that his gpa wasn't competitive with the usual average, but he received an interview from JHU. One of the questions asked by the interviewer was, "Why do you have a lower gpa?" The student told him that he works at a nightclub and go to school simultaneously, so he didn't have enough time to study. However, he says that by being at the nightclub, he not only met all kind of people and enhance his interpersonal relationships with co-workers and customers, but also became a wine professional.

After hearing that he knows a lot about wine, the interviewer pulled out a bottle of wine and poured a glass of wine for the guy. He took a sip, thought for a little while, and told the interviewer what approx. year the wine is, the history that goes along with it, where it came from and other detailed information. The interviewer was impressed by his knowledge and asked if he wanted to go out and sample some more wine later on. And THAT'S the story of how that guy got in JHU medical school!

Hopefully, this true story gives you a boost of encouragement to apply to medical schools in the U.S.! As long as you're unique, there's no reason why you shouldn't try applying.

As for my background, my GPA is only 3.13 and my first and only MCAT score is a 21 (I took it during the school year). The only thing that might stand out is my strong research background and a couple extracurricular activities. Since UJ requires MCAT score(s), I'm applying in case I get lucky. Otherwise, I know that I deserve not getting in. I've also applied to PUMS and UMW. So far, I got an interview invitation from PUMS.

If I get accepted by at least a medical school, I hope that other people like me will not give up on applying to medical schools just because their scores aren't competitive.