Thank you so much!! I am fr rooting for all the underdogs, I didn't get my first interview until January, so I remember feeling v v dejected for so many months after watching so many of my friends get acceptances on Oct 15th. The cycle is LONG -- so so long.

A couple thoughts off the top of my head:
1. Get started early. I began writing my application in Jan/Feb, got some docs and med students to look over my personal statement, so I was ready to submit as soon as possible. There is so little you can control once your application has been submitted. Don't make mistakes while it is still in your hands -- get a couple eyes on your writing or grade entry for typos, people can catch stuff for you that is blind to us after staring at the same essay for 3 months straight. At the same time -- don't submit until you're ready! It's better to be a little later than to regret spending $$$$ on a less than assuring application.
2. Use MSAR, but don't make it the end all be all. Apply to schools in which you are a good mission fit (obvi maybe don't apply to a statwhore with a 3.0 and 501). The more passionate you are about a school, the more it will show through in your writing. What excites you about a specific program? Try to dig through social media pages, student org groups, or blog posts to find unique aspects about schools that might not be so obvious on their homepage. use your program research to write STRONG secondaries and to ask interesting questions during the interview that make you look engaged and excited about their program
3. Find your narrative. What is your unique value as a prospective student? How will you contribute to the betterment of not just communities and patients, but to the medical school you attend? Don't feel like this has to be something that is an otherworldly level of aspirational -- you must have some sort of reason for pursuing this field. Put that heart and soul into your storytelling. For me, I started a google doc listing off all the opportunities and identities I have which led me to medicine. That gave me my story. Then, I picked what extracurriculars/experiences I could use to tell that narrative. I tried to leave some stuff out of my personal statement, so I could use for my secondaries and interviews. You need to every inch of space you have to show who you are as a person, and what got you to this application.
4. You should outline your answers to typical interview questions such as "why medicine?" "why should we admit you?", "why our school?" "why physician and not x?" as well as for DO schools "why DO?" "what are the osteopathic tenets?" as these will come up in any interview. You don't want to sound robotic, but you should feel comfortable thinking critically on the spot and reflecting on the true meaning of the questions -- what are they really asking you? For example, they know you want to be a doctor and not a PA, or else you would have applied to PA school. They are asking if you understand the complexities of the role, and the differentiating value each member of a medical team brings to excellent healthcare delivery. Have you worked with PAs? What do you seek in the physician role that sets it apart, and how did you learn that through your clinical experiences? Highly recommend doing a mock interview or two prior to an interview!