What is the GPA cutoff at most medical schools? And what can you do if you're worried about a low GPA number from your past holding back YOUR application? Today I answer these questions for a nontraditional premed chef!

If you find this video helpful, be sure to subscribe, hit that notification bell, and check out all our Meded Media podcasts at http://premedpodcasts.com.

This week on Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A, I'm talking to a nontraditional premed student who has worked as a professional chef and is in a PhD program right now. She has a 3.08 GPA from her first bachelor's degree. Her grades have mostly been good in her postbac and her PhD program, but she had some C's mixed in there, too (like back in organic chemistry).

We discuss:
• What you should look at besides just your final undergraduate GPA.
• How to reach out to medical schools and get past any GPA cutoffs.
• Talking to medical schools over the phone vs through emails.
• Why the TRENDS in your grades matter so much.
• How to tell your story in the application when you have academic struggles in your past.
• The role your MCAT plays when you have a weaker GPA.
• The difference between shadowing and clinical experience.
• How to document activities in your application as both shadowing AND clinical experience.
• How to explain if you're currently in another academic program while applying to med school.

I hope this episode gives you a fuller picture of what you should be thinking about when it comes to a low GPA in your past. It's not just about one number, but the full picture your trends show to the medical schools, along with the efforts you make in reaching out to explain your situation, tell your story, and build a relationship.

For more episodes of Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A, check out the playlist at    • Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A