Art majors and subjective grading...

[Mintcake]

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I'm going to major in fine arts at a regular university. Many of my friends and inspirations online go to traditional art colleges and I see how they grade; B's are the norm. Of course I'm going to work my hardest on all of my assignments, but if B's in my art classes bring my overall GPA down, will medical schools take my major into consideration? I plan on trying very, very hard to get A's in my pre-requisite courses, but you can't predict the future...

On a semi-related note, what's the lowest GPA of an accepted medical student you've heard of?

 

[aspiring20]

I'm going to major in fine arts at a regular university. Many of my friends and inspirations online go to traditional art colleges and I see how they grade; B's are the norm. Of course I'm going to work my hardest on all of my assignments, but if B's in my art classes bring my overall GPA down, will medical schools take my major into consideration? I plan on trying very, very hard to get A's in my pre-requisite courses, but you can't predict the future...

On a semi-related note, what's the lowest GPA of an accepted medical student you've heard of?

hello! i just graduated from undergrad as an art major, and i really glad that that was my choice.

you should know that art major requires a tremendous amount of work (the classes are def. work intensive), and balancing your major commitments and premed obligations can be challenging.

do you have any background/interest in the arts?

 

[Mintcake]

hello! i just graduated from undergrad as an art major, and i really glad that that was my choice.

you should know that art major requires a tremendous amount of work (the classes are def. work intensive), and balancing your major commitments and premed obligations can be challenging.

do you have any background/interest in the arts?

Really? All the threads I read about this were kind of old, so it's nice to see someone who recently went down this path. Yes, I know how intense it can be. My sister is currently an Illustration major at a traditional art school, and she's very busy (while also working part time.) I hear complaints of depression and overwork all the time from friends who go to schools like MICA, SCAD, and RISD.... I was hesitant to choose this major, partly because of the pressure, burn out, never feeling good enough, etc... but I've realized that this is my one thing that I can naturally grasp. If med school falls though, I've got plenty of backup plans, but I've finally decided that majoring in art isn't something I'll let myself regret.

... I kind of don't anticipate a university art major to be as intense as a traditional art school... but I'm not going to go in expecting it to be easy.

Of course I have a background and interest in the arts 😛 I've been drawing since I was 5 or 6, I've done paid commissions, and I've been interested in sculpture lately. For the most part, I'm a digital cartoonist (though I can draw realism. I firmly believe in having a strong base in realism.) I'd show you some pieces, but I prefer to keep my usual online identity separate on this forum...

How difficult was it for you? Could you fit all of the pre-reqs into your schedule or did you have to take summer classes? I was also considering just minoring...

 

[aspiring20]

Really? All the threads I read about this were kind of old, so it's nice to see someone who recently went down this path. Yes, I know how intense it can be. My sister is currently an Illustration major at a traditional art school, and she's very busy (while also working part time.) I hear complaints of depression and overwork all the time from friends who go to schools like MICA, SCAD, and RISD.... I was hesitant to choose this major, partly because of the pressure, burn out, never feeling good enough, etc... but I've realized that this is my one thing that I can naturally grasp. If med school falls though, I've got plenty of backup plans, but I've finally decided that majoring in art isn't something I'll let myself regret.

... I kind of don't anticipate a university art major to be as intense as a traditional art school... but I'm not going to go in expecting it to be easy.

Of course I have a background and interest in the arts 😛 I've been drawing since I was 5 or 6, I've done paid commissions, and I've been interested in sculpture lately. For the most part, I'm a digital cartoonist (though I can draw realism. I firmly believe in having a strong base in realism.) I'd show you some pieces, but I prefer to keep my usual online identity separate on this forum...

How difficult was it for you? Could you fit all of the pre-reqs into your schedule or did you have to take summer classes? I was also considering just minoring...

because art was my only major, scheduling was never a problem. but because i spent so much effort on my art and going above and beyond, my grades in science courses suffered as a result, and that's something i am regretting a bit.

but if you do major in art, you'll be VERY unique as an applicant. but being unique doesn't necessarily mean being better, so your other areas (sGPA, MCAT, ECs) also have to be strong.

and fyi, minors aren't worth much to med schools.

 

[Arijos0222]

I'm going to major in fine arts at a regular university. Many of my friends and inspirations online go to traditional art colleges and I see how they grade; B's are the norm. Of course I'm going to work my hardest on all of my assignments, but if B's in my art classes bring my overall GPA down, will medical schools take my major into consideration? I plan on trying very, very hard to get A's in my pre-requisite courses, but you can't predict the future...

On a semi-related note, what's the lowest GPA of an accepted medical student you've heard of?

Major in something you like and is intellectually stimulating to you. Don't worry about the grading. You'll get into medical school if you are determined enough, even if it means you take an extra year to get there. If you major in something you like, then you will be 10x happer going to school.

 

[Arijos0222]

On a semi-related note, what's the lowest GPA of an accepted medical student you've heard of?

And why would you look to be below average? This comment makes it seem like you don't have faith in your abilities.

 

[Mintcake]

@aspiring20: Ohh so you could fit in the pre-reqs while doing your major? Good.

@Arijos0222: Yes, art is interesting to me, I like it, and I could make a career out of it too. My second choice was/is psychology, but when I started to seriously consider attending as a psych major, I decided I'd rather be at the one school I applied as an art major to. I know I can always change it before my last two years though. Who knows.

I doubt myself because I thrive on structure, which I rarely had during my schooling. Now I'm hearing college isn't structured either. I could either get myself together and succeed or... fail. I doubt myself, but it doesn't mean I won't try my hardest to get the best grades possible. I know it's too early to think about failure, but sometimes I just want to know when I should just give up. Plus, it's a little inspirational. I don't want to be the lowest GPA acceptance, but if it turns out that way, there's hope. Usually I put the doubts out of my mind, but I thought I'd throw it in for insecurity's sake.

I don't know, I'm starting to think I just like to cause adversity for myself.

 

[Arijos0222]

@aspiring20: Ohh so you could fit in the pre-reqs while doing your major? Good.

@Arijos0222: Yes, art is interesting to me, I like it, and I could make a career out of it too. My second choice was/is psychology, but when I started to seriously consider attending as a psych major, I decided I'd rather be at the one school I applied as an art major to. I know I can always change it before my last two years though. Who knows.

I doubt myself because I thrive on structure, which I rarely had during my schooling. Now I'm hearing college isn't structured either. I could either get myself together and succeed or... fail. I doubt myself, but it doesn't mean I won't try my hardest to get the best grades possible. I know it's too early to think about failure, but sometimes I just want to know when I should just give up. Plus, it's a little inspirational. I don't want to be the lowest GPA acceptance, but if it turns out that way, there's hope. Usually I put the doubts out of my mind, but I thought I'd throw it in for insecurity's sake.

I don't know, I'm starting to think I just like to cause adversity for myself.

Stress is normal.

Just focus on the next step, not the the next mile.

You'll get there... Eventually 👍