Aspiring Medical Illustrator

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm an junior whose ambition is to become a medical illustrator. I know this requires essentially a double major and then graduate school, I have done a lot of research into this field (an episode of the Big Illustration Party Time podcast got me interested), and I'm really psycho and nuts about science and fascinated by the human body (particularly cellular processes) but not in any sort of manner that involves laboratory work, but I am having conflicting feelings about how I should go about pursuing this career path.</p>

<p>I really want to attend art school to study animation and illustration, but if I go to art school, then I don't know how I will fulfill the necessary experience in biology. My current top choice for art school is RISD as I could take summer courses at Brown, but I feel my GPA might be a bit weak (3.12 unweighted). And then what have I taken all of my AP classes for?</p>

<p>Also pertaining to the art schools: are prospective students allowed to send in digital art alongside traditional art?</p>

<p>I could pursue an alternative route by attending a school isn't an art school but still offers animation and illustration degrees (e.g. Carnegie Mellon), and take necessary biology courses, but I haven't really found a lot of colleges to my liking or that my parents would even consider me attending.</p>

<p>Academic Resume (as of fall 2010)
3.12 unweighted
3.35 weighted
SAT: haven't taken it yet.
volunteer work: minimal (about 20hrs)
Illustrator for the opinion section of the school newspaper (2008-present)
Attended CTY: 2006-09
President of the TP Art Club: 2008-2010
Vice-President of the TP Art Club: present
Science Olympiad: 7th-9th, 11th grade</p>

2

<p>Links of possible interest:
[Graduate</a> Programs - Association of Medical Illustrators](<a href=“http://www.ami.org/medical-illustration/graduate-programs.html]Graduate”>http://www.ami.org/medical-illustration/graduate-programs.html)</p>

<p>[Courses</a> - Biological & Pre-Medical Illustration](<a href=“Home • Biological and Premedical Illustration • Iowa State University”>Home • Biological and Premedical Illustration • Iowa State University)</p>

<p>[RIT</a> - Programs of Study](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/programs/program_detail.php?id=611]RIT”>http://www.rit.edu/programs/program_detail.php?id=611)</p>

<p>[Art</a> Degree Programs](<a href=“http://www.aug.edu/finearts/Art/DegProgs-Art/ArtDegreesPage1.html]Art”>http://www.aug.edu/finearts/Art/DegProgs-Art/ArtDegreesPage1.html)</p>

<p>[The</a> Cleveland Institute of Art | A professional school of art and design in Cleveland, Ohio | p. (800) 223-4700](<a href=“http://www.cia.edu/biomedical/]The”>2016 Biomedical Art Show | Cleveland Institute of Art College of Art | 800.223.4700)</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/714683-medical-illustration.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/714683-medical-illustration.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Look into schools like RIT because it’s a math/science school with a medical illustration concentration.</p>

4

<p>Check out the following article on scientific illustration at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM):
<a href=“http://www.smcm.edu/rivergazette/_assets/PDF/sept07/07-7-4-16.pdf[/url]”>http://www.smcm.edu/rivergazette/_assets/PDF/sept07/07-7-4-16.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>SMCM has a beautiful campus in a gorgeous location, with good academics. Note, this is not a Catholic college or an all women’s college. It is Maryland’s public “honors college” (compare to Virginia’s Wm & Mary).</p>

<p>They seem to have strong Biology and Environmental Science programs, which benefit from the school’s waterfront location (near the junction of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River). Art Professor Sue Johnson teaches scientific illustration. I don’t know if there are other faculty there in this field.
[Environmental</a> Studies Program: St. Mary’s College of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.smcm.edu/environmentalstudies/index.html]Environmental”>http://www.smcm.edu/environmentalstudies/index.html)</p>

<p>Examples of where illustration students have gone after St. Mary’s:
[Bug</a> Squad - Emily Bzdyk - Agriculture and Natural Resources Blogs - 47360](<a href=“http://ucanr.org/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm?tagname=Emily%20Bzdyk]Bug”>http://ucanr.org/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm?tagname=Emily%20Bzdyk)
[url=&lt;a href=“http://scienceillustration.org/bios.htm]Science”&gt;http://scienceillustration.org/bios.htm]Science</a> Illustration - Bios<a href=“see%20the%20paragraph%20on%20Katherine%20Oliveri%20Rizzo;%20note%20the%20importance%20of%20internships.”>/url</a></p>

5

<p>Iowa State has a good match for your stats. What is your home state and what can your family afford? And you really have barely a 3+GPA as a CTY attendee?</p>