Is this too "different" of a major for med school?

[Xypathos]

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Alright, so secretly I've always wanted to be an independent film maker and write code for web based games on the side, I love them both drastically but I don't want to do it for a career fully --- more of a serious hobby I guess, if that makes any sense.

However, I've always wanted to be a doctor since I was 8 years old and watched my grandmother die in a dialysis machine administered by a doctor that swore he'd never put her on it again as she clinically died on it then but was later revived. My commitment to medicine was recharged this year when I watched my father undergo numerous surgeries and his battle with Parkinson's and colon cancer.

I was recently accepted to Full Sail's programs in Film and Game Development --- I'm really likeing the idea, but afraid that it'll be too different and that medical schools, while they like non-science majors, they're afraid that I'll just be too far from normal to goto med. school.

I understand that if I goto Full Sail I'd still need to go to a community college or something to complete my premed requirements as far as the sciences go.

I am a NC resident and ultimately I want to attend UNC for med school anyway or perhaps ECU and do a residency in general surgery.

So ... am I going to end up screwing myself over if I goto Full Sail to pursue a background in Film and Game Development then onto med school?

X

 

[ADeadLois]

Alright, so secretly I've always wanted to be an independent film maker and write code for web based games on the side, I love them both drastically but I don't want to do it for a career fully --- more of a serious hobby I guess, if that makes any sense.

However, I've always wanted to be a doctor since I was 8 years old and watched my grandmother die in a dialysis machine administered by a doctor that swore he'd never put her on it again as she clinically died on it then but was later revived. My commitment to medicine was recharged this year when I watched my father undergo numerous surgeries and his battle with Parkinson's and colon cancer.

I was recently accepted to Full Sail's programs in Film and Game Development --- I'm really likeing the idea, but afraid that it'll be too different and that medical schools, while they like non-science majors, they're afraid that I'll just be too far from normal to goto med. school.

I understand that if I goto Full Sail I'd still need to go to a community college or something to complete my premed requirements as far as the sciences go.

I am a NC resident and ultimately I want to attend UNC for med school anyway or perhaps ECU and do a residency in general surgery.

So ... am I going to end up screwing myself over if I goto Full Sail to pursue a background in Film and Game Development then onto med school?

X

Absolutely not. As long as you explain your commitment to medicine, you'll be memorable to the adcoms as "the video game guy". It's always good to have a hook like that with your application

 

[RDood]

Follow your passions, and do well in it. Pick a major that you will excel in. Just make sure you have enough time to take all the pre-med courses, get some clinical experience, and do well on the MCAT.

 

[rajad10]

what kind of school is full sail?

 

[Xypathos]

what kind of school is full sail?

It's a school in Orlando, FL that focuses on the entertainment industry --- recording arts, entertainment business, game development, art design, computer animation, etc.

 

[rajad10]

i should've known that considering im an orlando resident for the past 14 years

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Sounds like you're thinking about attending a sort of vocational school for making games while doing prereqs at a CC? Pretty bad idea if you ask me... while everyone says to pursue your passions, most educated people will probably look down on a program offering a "degree" in something that is really not intellectual. For example, make-up and hairstyle "institutes".

If you want to do the Full Sail thing for 2 years then do comp sci at a 4 year university that would be a whole different story.

 

[RDood]

True. Is this a an actual college with other programs? Do they have a biology and chemistry department? I'd agree that 2 years there and then 4 years somewhere else is what you'd have to do. Long haul, but if videogames are that important to you...

 

[rajad10]

Sounds like you're thinking about attending a sort of vocational school for making games while doing prereqs at a CC? Pretty bad idea if you ask me... while everyone says to pursue your passions, most educated people will probably look down on a program offering a "degree" in something that is really not intellectual. For example, make-up and hairstyle "institutes".

If you want to do the Full Sail thing for 2 years then do comp sci at a 4 year university that would be a whole different story.

yea to go to a highly specific school like that might make people wonder why medicine is even on your mind...if you knew you wanted to be a doctor, chances are you wouldn't go to a school that has almost nothing to do with the career. it's a different story when people major in concert piano at their undergrad which also is a "pre-med" school. But to go into a specific vocational school like Full Sail a is risky and unadvised move, in my opinion.

 

[musiclink213]

What about going to a liberal arts college and majoring in video and film there? This way, you can still do the whole film making thing, but also take your prereqs from a 4 year college, and take upper level classes if you want.

 

[jocg27]

I agree your best bet is do this first, then go to a 4 year college, don't do this and do your science classes at a community college, it just kind of looks like you're doing too much and halfassing everything. Take your science classes at the best school you can.

But don't be discouraged from doing it completely...If you go about it right, it can help you be remembered, and is a pretty unique thing to bring to the table. I can't really tell from your post, but are you thinking about combining the interests at all? It might be an interesting angle to take...I have no idea, really, just shooting from the hip, but filming documentaries about health policy, as far as film, or developing laparoscopic durgery techniques and equipment as far as game development. I don't know enough about it to have any idea how you'd go about it, but it's something to think about I guess. Don't make it the total centerpiece of why you're going to med school and the kind of physician you'll be, people (esp admission committees) won't like that -- you should go to med school to be a doctor, not a renegade filmmaker or some other hybrid you invent yourself (this is why md/jd programs aren't really the greatest idea ever). But that said, if you can effectively combine some interests and contribute something new to the class, why not?

 

[Dr.TobiasFünke]

You can major in anything you want... but you still need to get your pre-recs done at an institution with a respectable science department.

 

[akademiks1989]

Doesn't your school have to be an accreditted undergraduate university?! If so, I would check up on this school, because it seems like it wouldn't fit that category.

 

[Xypathos]

Just to answer some questions that were raised:

Full Sail is accredited by ACCSCT, which isn't one of the preferred regionally accredited schoools. It's more so used by technical colleges --- Digipen, ECPI, Everglades, Westwood, etc.

They offer BS degrees, and the Game Development includes courses past Calculus in mathematics, English and Humanities courses but yes, no courses are offered in Biology, Chemistry, etc. Except for physics, which they offer courses in as well.

Their students have gone on to work in rather high places --- i.e. the director of Saw II was a Full Sail graduate, they've had five film students within the past 3 years sell screenplays and land jobs with major movie companies. Their film department was recentled ranked as one of the top 5 in the nation alongside NYU and UCLA by Unleashed Magazine. Rolling Stone ranked Full Sail's music department as one of the top 5, alongside Julliard and Berklee.

They've had numerous students win grammys and other acolades.

Yes it's more of a technical school as opposed to academic, but from what I've read and the reviews of the school featured in the Rolling Stone, NYTimes, WA Post, etc it seems to be one of the most highly ranked technical schools that exist.

Anyway, it was just an idea but ultimately as most will say, it comes down to what I want and what I feel is best for me.

X

 

[Centinel]

It seems possible that the credits from Full Sail would not be accepted by most medical schools because, as you mentioned, it is not accredited via the normal regional process. If you are still seriously considering Full Sail, it would be prudent to call UNC Med, and perhaps others, to speak with an admissions officer about Full Sail specifically.

 

[future doc???]

i think you should call the schools you wanna go to and see what they think about it. hopefully theyll accept your math and physics credits from full sail adn rather than taking your pre-reqs at valencia (the local cc) try taking them at ucf (which by the way, they were just awarded a med school set to open either in 2008 or 09).

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

While the major doesn't matter (our class has art history, music, film, everything), don't go to Full Sail. Doing all the prereqs at a CC will just bring you down, and some places will completely overlook you. Not necessarily fair, but that's how things happen. I'm sure you can find something fun to do at a 4 year school. Full Sail is really freaking expensive too.

 

[ebsameer]

While the major doesn't matter (our class has art history, music, film, everything), don't go to Full Sail. Doing all the prereqs at a CC will just bring you down, and some places will completely overlook you. Not necessarily fair, but that's how things happen. I'm sure you can find something fun to do at a 4 year school. Full Sail is really freaking expensive too.

yeah, i was just about to say that. I don't mean to put down any ambitions you may have, but attending Full Sail (paying the tuition) means you're very much into said technical field. I'm not much of an expert, but taking your courses at a CC all while paying huge amounts of monies for Full Sail would make you appear very sidetracked (in terms of wanting to pursue a seperate career). Majoring in Film/Game Design would be a hobby; attending 4 years of Full Sail would be more of a career choice.

Plus, I bet by the time you graduate from FS, you'll be very much into Film & Game Design.

 

[SRK85]

What I don't get is people who want to major in a non-science but go for medicine. Isn't hard to take all the science pre-reqs for medschool as well as take courses for that major. Whats the point?

 

[musiclink213]

What I don't get is people who want to major in a non-science but go for medicine. Isn't hard to take all the science pre-reqs for medschool as well as take courses for that major. Whats the point?

Because this is the one chance you have to focus in something that interests you, but not something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Besides the regular prereqs, you'll never need your science major for anything. What good does being a bio major and taking botany or marine bio have to do with med school? Absolutely nothing. And it isn't so hard to take the prereqs. Most majors are designed to give you time for core classes and electives. Throw in a couple summer classes if you need to. Although I was a biochem major, I managed to take at least 1, more often 2, sometimes 3 non-science classes a semester, so I would imagine for a non science major, it would work for them in much the same way.

 

[SRK85]

Because this is the one chance you have to focus in something that interests you, but not something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Besides the regular prereqs, you'll never need your science major for anything. What good does being a bio major and taking botany or marine bio have to do with med school? Absolutely nothing. And it isn't so hard to take the prereqs. Most majors are designed to give you time for core classes and electives. Throw in a couple summer classes if you need to. Although I was a biochem major, I managed to take at least 1, more often 2, sometimes 3 non-science classes a semester, so I would imagine for a non science major, it would work for them in much the same way.

True but it seems kind of hard considering you need take all the core classes, as well as classes for pre-med, as well as classes for that major. Its possible but seems it would take a lot of classes. Maybe its just me since im afraid I wont be able to get pre-med reqs as well as my major reqs done in 3 years.

 

[Testy McAterson]

Alright, so secretly I've always wanted to be an independent film maker and write code for web based games on the side, I love them both drastically but I don't want to do it for a career fully --- more of a serious hobby I guess, if that makes any sense.

However, I've always wanted to be a doctor since I was 8 years old and watched my grandmother die in a dialysis machine administered by a doctor that swore he'd never put her on it again as she clinically died on it then but was later revived. My commitment to medicine was recharged this year when I watched my father undergo numerous surgeries and his battle with Parkinson's and colon cancer.

I was recently accepted to Full Sail's programs in Film and Game Development --- I'm really likeing the idea, but afraid that it'll be too different and that medical schools, while they like non-science majors, they're afraid that I'll just be too far from normal to goto med. school.

I understand that if I goto Full Sail I'd still need to go to a community college or something to complete my premed requirements as far as the sciences go.

I am a NC resident and ultimately I want to attend UNC for med school anyway or perhaps ECU and do a residency in general surgery.

So ... am I going to end up screwing myself over if I goto Full Sail to pursue a background in Film and Game Development then onto med school?

X

i support it 🙂 i love biology--love it--but in retrospect, i wish i'd majored (or double majored) in anthropology or dance. i say do it. it'll help you stand out in the applicant pool, too...

 

[musiclink213]

True but it seems kind of hard considering you need take all the core classes, as well as classes for pre-med, as well as classes for that major. Its possible but seems it would take a lot of classes. Maybe its just me since im afraid I wont be able to get pre-med reqs as well as my major reqs done in 3 years.

Your major reqs dont need to be done in 3 years. Your prereqs don't even need to be done in 3 years, just by the time you graduate. Although it's beneficial to have your prereqs done before you take the MCAT, but you dont have to. And you can use some of your prereqs for core classes, and depending on your major, you can use those classes for core classes also. So it's totally doable. Major in whatever you want, otherwise you'll have a miserable four years.