Things I Wish For/Schools

I wish the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) still came in a book form, even though this does save paper (and saves having to throw it out later).

I wish the MSAR had a fancier user interface. I'd like to be able to click on a link to read more about a school, but still have access to the search functions to start a new search without having to click the "Back" button or "Back to search results" link. At least the MSAR lets me view school information on a separate tab....but tabs tend to pile up after a while. It's inelegant, I say! Inelegant!

I also wish it would list each school's requirement for letters of recommendations (like, X number of letters from a science professor, X number from non-science, additional letters, etc...Because even though it's pretty standard, some of them vary by a teensie bit. It's much easier for a staff of, say, 10 people to look it up on a school's website for everyone, than it is for tens of thousands of people to look up the same information for their own use. Just sayin, it would save a lot of collective hours.

I also wish the American Medical College Application Service was set up to be more like a spreadsheet, or a Microsoft Access database. I'd like to just hit "Tab" key to move through different entries and add all my Work/Activities information on one distinct webpage, instead of clicking "Add another Work/Activity" 10-15 times to add all my info. It's not that I'm lazy (even though I am lazy), I just like things to be practical. I like to do things with the fewest number of steps so I can focus on more important things. 


I wish for a lot of things, though. 


I'm finalizing my list of schools. I'm debating whether to apply for a Canadian school...I know next to nothing about them, but maybe if there's time, I'll look into them. I think I have a good number of "back-up" and "in-my-range" schools, based on my gpa and test scores. My list is too long for my comfort. It's both expensive, and I may not have enough time to give every secondary application the time it deserves. There are a few that I am rather "meh" about, but feel like I should apply because my scores fall within their ranges. 


I have some time to mull over the 1-2 schools that I may/may not keep, since I'm still waiting for a few people to proofread my essays, but I'm hoping to submit soon. Argh. It's tempting to think that, once I submit it, I can go "woohoo it's done!!" But in reality, I've only just started.