Taking mostly art/easy classes senior/junior year?

[smileyfacegirl27]

Hey all
So I'm a Bio major, thinking of adding a Studio Art Minor. I would be taking 7 art classes in my last three semesters of college. Would having this many "fluff" courses all together look bad to adcom's, especially if all I have left to take is a few random humanities? I've done all my med school prereqs so far and only have 4 Bio classes left to finish my major. Everything else I have to take other than bio will be 3 humanities/history classes to finish up my gen-ed's.

I'm worried that my junior and senior years would look like I'm slacking off or not challenging myself in my coursework, especially if my schedule looks like "2 art + 2 100-level humanities + 1 bio class". Would it be better to not do a minor and take fewer art classes/choose a different minor that I'm interested in? Has anyone done something like this before?
Thank you for any input/suggestions!

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[AttemptingScholar]

They won't care that much. ADCOMs are not stupid and will likely understand that you needed to take art classes for an art minor. Make sure your bio classes are harder ones, not easier ones, you'll be fine.

 

[DokterMom]

You might also be underestimating the difficulty of studio art classes... Unless you're a 'quick producer' you may find that they're time sucks and/or that college-level art demands more than you think.

 

[Goro]

You might also be underestimating the difficulty of studio art classes... Unless you're a 'quick producer' you may find that they're time sucks and/or that college-level art demands more than you think.

Having been a fine arts minor myself, BINGO!

Plus, even with a studio art class, you can still get hit with essay requirements, like "Review of the Marc Chagall show at the Met" or "Discuss the role of the Hudson River school on 19th Century American art".

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I actually swung my multiple art classes as a "most meaningful" activity on amcas and was asked about it in almost every interview. Lots of adcoms love to see a well rounded applicant!

You should consider getting an extra rec letter from an art professor if possible, could add extra depth to your app!

 

[DBC03]

Are we talking fine art major or art history major? Because fine arts will be extremely time consuming (but completely worth it). Good luck!

EDIT: as a side note, I took a few classes over the summer so I could study architecture abroad (as an architecture minor). I was the only engineering student who took an entire semester away from engineering. It was completely worth it!

 

[futuremdforme]

It sounds like a really interesting thing to talk about at interviews!

 

[tiramisucheese]

You might also be underestimating the difficulty of studio art classes... Unless you're a 'quick producer' you may find that they're time sucks and/or that college-level art demands more than you think.

Yuuuup. Was a music major in college. While our classes were certainly easier than the sciences, I was in class NONSTOP. Seriously...8am-10pm when you take into account rehearsals, practicing, and classes. My art major friends had similar schedules.

 

[smileyfacegirl27]

Are we talking fine art major or art history major? Because fine arts will be extremely time consuming (but completely worth it). Good luck!

EDIT: as a side note, I took a few classes over the summer so I could study architecture abroad (as an architecture minor). I was the only engineering student who took an entire semester away from engineering. It was completely worth it!

Fine Arts! I would be taking mostly painting and ceramics classes (6 studio classes), since those are the ones I'm most interested in. I would have to take one upper level art history course as well though

 

[DBC03]

Fine Arts! I would be taking mostly painting and ceramics classes (6 studio classes), since those are the ones I'm most interested in. I would have to take one upper level art history course as well though

Have fun! You will be in studio all the time. But it will be worth it!


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[rolliespring]

Art minor here, too.

I drew a picture for my interviewer during my interview. Result: accepted.

 

[Dox4lyfe]

Followup question: what about taking classes you're interested in (intro bme, robotics, intro to sculpting, html, macroecon, etc.) that tend to be easier but aren't for any defined major or minor? Bad or no impact?

Asking because I'll be done with my major requirements by mid junior yr and can take whatever after that.

 

[rolliespring]

Followup question: what about taking classes you're interested in (intro bme, robotics, intro to sculpting, html, macroecon, etc.) that tend to be easier but aren't for any defined major or minor? Bad or no impact?

Asking because I'll be done with my major requirements by mid junior yr and can take whatever after that.

I took only 1-2 science classes my senior year and it was really just research credits and a writing class for my thesis. Rest of them were art and unrelated classes (intro to game design, web design etc.). I also took a martial arts class because why not.

As long as you have the class requirements, good stats and good ECs I don't see why it would impact your chances.

 

[tiramisucheese]

Art minor here, too.

I drew a picture for my interviewer during my interview. Result: accepted.

Hah, I love this! So I should whip out my clarinet during interviews, right?

 

[Evie]

Art major + bio major here from a top art school coupled with it's own medical campus (was aiming for medical illustration at the time). Combining these two were hell and wouldn't recommend it unless you're serious about producing quality work.

 

[Evie]

Oops, I hit 'post reply' too early. What I really wanted to say was whatever you do, don't pile up a bunch of studio courses with mid-high level bio courses. You could pull somewhere around 40 all -nighters per semester creating art which isn't good for the hard science exams. I remember all the top art students were those who pulled the most all-nighters and the best bio students were those who maintained 8 hours sleep/night. Being dubbed the 'weird art student' got attention from other bio students and I always tell them the same thing when they asked what studio courses to take. If you're good at memorization (which came natural to them anyway), ALWAYS go for art history for that easy A, and for God's sake avoid anything that has 'art foundation' in the course title unless you truly enjoy gluing **** together until 5am.

 

[McSurgeon]

Hey! Art History/Art major here! Definitely take some studio classes if that's what you're interested in! Completely agree with the above posts though that they will be very time consuming, so time management is definitely key! Also, I wouldn't necessarily call these "fluff" classes either. Just because you complete a project and turn it in on time doesn't mean you'll get an A. It's all 100% subjective to what the professor wants/likes.