I have always loved acting. I feel like with an acting major during my college years I can wake up everyday and enjoy what im doing. Also im really intersested in displaying messages through film and want to make movie some day. also I hate writing essays I can do math and science but essays take me so long and I rarely do well so although I enjoy history it probably won’t be a good fit and I want to be creative and think more artistically. I also really want to be a doctor so this seems to be a good fit, do med schools accept bfas, is it possible to do a bfa acting and pre med requirements. How is the rigor of a bfa program.
You can ask your questions about BFA programs in the Theater/Drama subforum
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/
From what I know about BFA programs (nothing first hand, but D2 had two friends in BFA programs–one in studio art/print-making, the other in vocal performance), you won’t be able to take your pre-med requirements concurrently with your acting studies. In part, because BFAs are often offered at stand alone art schools. (At least that was true for both of D2’s friends). Art schools do not offer many (or any) of the traditional science classes.
Also consider that both theater classes (with required rehearsals and practices) and the laboratory science classes required for med school admissions are intensely time-consuming and it may be quite difficult to balance both. Add in the ECs expected of pre-med students, and I think it’ll be quite difficult to fit everything you want to do into 4 years.
Even if you do your BFA studies at a traditional college (not an arts school), as student in the college of performing arts, you may not be eligible to take courses in the college of arts & sciences. This is something you will need to ask specifically about when you start picking out colleges.
BTW, if think that a career as a physician won't require *lots* of writing--you're wrong. Aside from the 2 expository writing classes required as pre-reqs, pre-meds write literally dozens of essays as part of the application process. Science classes in college and med school classes also require writing reports and term papers.
The ability to communicate well and effectively in both speaking and writing is one of the key skills that med school adcomms look for in med school applicants.
It sounds like you’re still in high school. I suggest that you do 2 things:
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talk to people you know from your acting experiences who attended BFA programs to see how time-intensive the program is
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Have you done any volunteering at clinical sites (hospitals, nursing homes, camps for disabled children, etc)? If not, you probably should. This will help you decide if you want to spend your entire future being around the chronically ill, the disabled, the mentally ill, the debilitated elderly and their families–which is really what being a doctor entails.
If med school is really the goal, a BA in theater or something similar at a traditional college/university (i.e. not an art school so that you can easily take the pre-med pre-reqs) while performing in school plays will be a much smarter/easier route than a BFA.
Im an upcoming sophmore. I don’t think ill graduate on time but I think I need more time any way. starting August 5 im going to be interning with a clinic that specializes in natuaral medicine. If I must I can write but its not in partically a strong skill so history or humanities wouldn’t work but I can write need be.I also think I have other interest besides chemistry and biology eventhough I have I enjoy the scienCES also. I go to a tradtional university with a bfa program. I was really wondering how rigorous Theatre too and if there would be time for both, but a part of me thinks if your working really hard in something you like is better than an easier way it something you don’t but then again if I can’t focus on the science I won’t do Theatre.
A BA in acting would give you the chance to pursue acting and still get the pre-reqs to do medical school in the future. If you go for BFA, you will need a post-bacc which can be expensive and time consuming.
My daughter is in a BFA program in a flagship university. She could take prerequisits for medical school (bio, chem, math) as her core class requirements and electives if she wanted to (on, how she doesn’t want to!) but it would be tight scheduling them all in. She has 65 credit theater and dance course requirements, plus all the regular core courses required by college of arts and sciences -language, math, 2 writing courses, state history or government, science, history, etc. Some students will test out of these (math or language) or get high school credit for them, but most take the 65 theater and dance credits and then take ~50 courses to meet the other requirements or pick up a minor. There are also study abroad programs people are trying to fit in. Last semester several students were in a special Shakespeare troupe that involved traveling around the state, and most of them took only theater department classes so they could be excused to travel. It really wouldn’t have worked if you had a bio class with a 4 hour lab.
I can see talks point maybe I should go for ba Theatre emphasis in acting it will make for a lot more felibility to take the pre reqs. Do y’all think a Theatre major is too time consuming to do both. I was thinking Id rather be in rehearsal three hours a day and spend the rest of the time studying science. Than more science electives and more essays. Also I think I will enjoy Theatre the most
There is no rush, do your best in college and target all As in all classes. Take some science classes and do some medical ECs to test the water. If you find medicine is still for you, then you can do a post bacc to make up those science credits. Some times if you are really good, you can get in a SMP.
Almost impossible to get a BFA and get all the prerequisites in 4 years. Too many conflicts in scheduling and BFA programs are pre professional. Lots of studio time and rehearsals. A BA is quite possible but you will take different classes than the BFA students for the most part.
P.S. Most BFA programs have 15+ hrs of major classes each semester on,y giving you space to take maybe one science with lab each semester.
The problem that I see is that a BFA requires a lot of outside classroom obligations, and Premed does as well, so there would be a conflict.
That said, my son now has two housemates that were former Div I football players (one from Oregon and one from Auburn). Neither were able to apply to med school after junior year. One did a post bacc and the other did a SMP.
These things can be done, but often not in the traditional way.