How can i make my medical school application stand out and what will give me the 'edge'?

The answer to this lies in the title. Do something other people haven’t done and for this we need to think outside the box. Medicine is extremely competitive; there must be a reason you've worked so hard and want to pursue this career path. Admission teams will be used to hearing things like ‘ I have a passion for science’ or ‘I want to help people’. Of course these things are true for yourself, you wouldn’t be making an application if they weren’t, but don’t use them as you’re only motivations. Demonstrate how much you've thought about this and why you are best suited to this field compared with other subjects. To do this you really have to analyse your motivations, allow yourself to be critical and research the world of medicine, pharmacy and health. Talk about the future and what role you want to play in it. This means knowing in 10 years time where medicine will be and why that excites you. This way you haven’t only demonstrated you truly know medicine, and why you want to do it, but you are ambitious and motivated to be a part of its future. Your work experience will play an enormous part in your application and it is a crucial element of landing an interview. To make yourself stand out show you have gone the extra mile to truly understand, and gain skills, in all areas of medicine. Whilst the conventional experiences such as working at a GP, in a hospital or volunteering in a care home are your 'bread and butter' and are invaluable, do something that will make the universities impressed. This means creating your own opportunities. Maybe you could start an after school club where you teach children about their diet or oral hygiene. Perhaps you could start a walking group for retired citizens to promote physical exercise and mental wellbeing. Analyse the area in which you live and think about what you believe could be improved or where you can have an impact. Involve local businesses; families and councils, the organisational skills and experiences you will gain from this will be invaluable when you start medicine. If universities know you identified an issue, analysed it, strategized a solution and implemented a project, by collaborative means they will be seriously impressed. After all, if you create your own opportunities you will stand out because they’re just as unique as you are.