The AAMC provides insight into some of the characteristics that might make someone a competitive applicant to medical school, which can be applied to other health professions schools as well.

Good time-management skills. Are you able to balance many competing deadlines, keep focused, and prioritize when necessary to complete tasks on time?
Evidence of leadership. Are you able to demonstrate that you can lead a project or team?
Exposure to medically related environments. Do you have meaningful and sustained volunteer experience in a medically related setting, such as a clinic, nursing home, or physician’s office?
Exceptional communication skills. Are you articulate and able to communicate information clearly to people regardless of their backgrounds or experiences?
Evidence of compassion and respect. Can you point to experiences that show you are empathetic and caring?
Interpersonal skills. Healthcare today relies on skilled people from numerous health professions. Can you demonstrate that you’re able to work well in groups and teams?
Interests outside of healthcare and personal background. What are your qualities, hobbies, passions, and other personal attributes that will contribute to the medical school community and enrich its diversity?

You'll notice that metrics such as GPAs, admissions test scores, and grade trends are not mentioned above. This doesn't mean that professional schools do not consider these as part of holistic review. When it comes to metrics, there a couple important factors to consider.

Academic excellence is expected. According to AAMC data, the average GPAs and MCAT scores for MD medical school matriculants in 2022-2023 are as follows: Science GPA 3.68, Total GPA 3.75, Total MCAT 511.9. Additionally, based on data from the AAMC, the acceptance rate for applicants increases as GPA and MCAT score increase. To illustrate, the acceptance rate for applicants with total GPA of 3.79+ and total MCAT score greater than 517 is 84.2%.

While applicants with lower metrics do receive offers of acceptance, that acceptance rate drops significantly compared to applicants with higher metrics. The takeaway from this should be that all applicants must strive to maintain high academics.