It's episode thirtyone of Ask The Dean! This week, Dr. Scott Wright, Dr. Ryan Gray, and Rachel Grubbs answer your questions about taking time off to study for the MCAT, the relevance of SAT stores when applying to med school, the relevance of international degrees, how to decide if you need a postbac, how LORs may change due to COVID, and more!

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We cover the following topics this week:

0:00 Introduction
0:15 How do med schools view a onesemester dip in your GPA?
6:36 How do you know if you need a postbac to improve your GPA?
8:40 Is it a bad idea to apply at a med school where you've been hospitalized?
11:09 How do you know if your postbac GPA is high enough yet?
13:04 What do med schools think about taking AP credit for English?
16:12 If you do well in an SMP, can your low undergrad GPA still limit you?
17:52 How many semesters and credits do you need for a DIY postbac?
22:38 Do HS grades or SAT scores matter for medical school admissions?
26:18 Will requirements for LORs from doctors be changed due to COVID?
28:45 What's better: Fulltime formal postbac vs parttime DIY postbac?
31:55 Is it bad to ONLY study for the MCAT during your gap year?
33:57 How can I find clinical work as a premed during COVID?
34:42 What should you provide to your LOR writers to get a strong letter?
39:20 Does this student need a postbac with a 2.9 GPA?
42:13 Is it okay to stop my clinical work to study for the MCAT?
44:34 Will perfect grades in a foreign Master's degree help me at all?

Have you checked out our other Mappd video series, Am I Ready? Watch all our videos at http://mappd.tv!

Dr. Scott Wright has served as the Director of Admissions at UT Southwestern Medical School, Associate Dean at University of Texas at Dallas, and Executive Director of the Texas Medical and Dental Application Service (TMDAS)

Mappd is cofounded by Ryan Gray, MD and Rachel Grubbs. Dr. Gray is also the host of the Premed Years podcast and the author of the Premed Playbook series. Ms. Grubbs has been serving and advising premeds for 20 years at companies like The Princeton Review and Next Step Test Prep (now Blueprint MCAT).