This sankey is for you. I got my first acceptance yesterday in an absurdly grueling and drawn-out cycle after applying the first possible day the primary came out last year. This year has been an absolute wild ride after receiving 3 II's --> waitlists and proceeding to lose my mind over the past couple of months and begin working on reapplication.

But then, yesterday, I unexpectedly got off at my top choice school of those 3! Also wanted to say that outside of a strong GPA, there was truly nothing exceptional about my application when I submitted:

~430 clinical hours ( + ~1500 projected during a gap year job)

~300 non clinical volunteering

~800 research w/ 1 poster

~540 tutoring

~700 leadership

~60 shadowing

You see all these crazy hours and truly remarkable applicants, and I just wanted to give my perspective as a somewhat "mid" applicant that there is still hope for you my fellow warriors. Please keep the faith and be kind to yourselves, believe me that I know exactly how it feels and how painful this process can be. Keep your chin up my goats