I’ve recently decided that I’d enjoy a career as a psychiatrist and from what I’ve read so far, the major you choose isn’t as important as taking and doing well in the required coursework for med school. Can I choose a major that’s entirely unassociated with the medical field (such as film) and still be taken as a serious med school applicant?
Film courses are very time consuming. It can be done but it would be a difficult route.
Ordinarily I’d say yes, your major doesn’t matter, but…
any fine arts degree program has requirements for numerous time-intensive projects that may not leave you enough time to develop your pre-med ECs or fit in all the require pre-med coursework. Also some adcoms may question the intellectual rigor of a film degree.
Lots of Music majors become physicians, I think academically a film major can fit in the pre-major subjects in their curriculums as well. However, the difference might be in the Medical ECs, you probably need to intern in the film major during the summer and winter breaks and will not have the time to perform those medical ECs when you are in UG. If you are determined after 4 years, you can take a gap year to make up the medical ECs and /or prepare for Mcat. But that will result in averse effect on the film career.
Thanks so much. This one gave me some hope!
@artloversplus: as med app process takes a year, wouldn’t at least two gap years be needed after 4 years of college to make up medical ECs and or prepare/take MCAT?
If he did not do any medical ECs during UG, he might have to take longer than one year to catch up. If he can concentrate on EC right after graduation and prepare for Mcat in the same time, he might be able to make it in one year. It all depends:
- What is his GPA and sGPA
- High Mcat, minimum 80%, the higher the better.
- Good exposure in medical profession.
There is also a possibility that he can apply med school after he is in film for several years and return as an non-trad, but that is out of the scope of this discussion.
He will certainly not be able to apply med school in his Sr. year UG.
In addition, OP, you should be aware of that for non-science majors want to apply med school it is a uphill battle. You are competing with science majors for those As in BCMP classes. One small slip, like two Cs and two Bs, your sGPA will not be med school worthy. I am familiar with NYU Tisch, film majors have a heavy load of work, you are allowed to take BCMP classes, but fitting the schedule and getting As is going to be a real challenge.