Biomedical
Communications - Students - FAQ
1.
What kinds of people apply to the program and get in?
2.
May additional courses be taken from a junior college to meet
requirements?
3.
What computer courses do you recommend?
4.
What should I put in my admissions portfolio?
5.
For my portfolio, should I send slides, a CD, or a DVD?
6.
Why did some of the current students choose this program?
7.
What kind of equipment will I need, and how much will it cost?
8.
What are my options for housing?
9.
Do I need a car?
10.
How much should I budget for living expenses?
11.
Where can I leave my kids?
12.
Can I work and go to school at the same time?
13.
How hard are the med school classes?
14.
Tell me about the entertainment in Dallas.
15.
What do students like about the UTSouthwestern campus?
16.
Do the students hang out together outside of class?
17.
Can you tell me about the University insurance plan?
18.
Tell me about the thesis project.
19.
What's the job market like after graduation?
20.
What is the AMI?
21.
What type jobs are available to graduates of the program?
22.
What can I expect in a starting salary after graduation?
1.What
kinds of people apply to the program and get in?
People who
can draw and who have some education in biology and science can
apply to the program and be accepted. This means that artistic
biology majors and scientific art majors have been accepted straight
out of college. Some students are more comfortable in art and
others in science. Both types of students have been successful.
It also means that pharmacists who have taken art classes over
the years have embarked on a second career in medical illustration.
A typical student is talented, hard working, and curious about
the world, but there is no typical background, age, race, or gender.
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2.
May additional courses be taken from a junior college to meet requirements?
Yes, as long
as the school is accredited, the courses will count. However,
you may want to check with the program director before taking
science classes.
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3.
What computer courses do you recommend?
We recommend
classes in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, but any classes
in computer drawing and painting techniques, two-dimensional or
three-dimensional, would be helpful. Classes in website design
and construction would be of use as well. While these classes
are recommended, they are not required. The first semester of
the program introduces you to almost all the software you need
to learn. Computer courses are recommended, however, because absolute
ignorance of computers is a handicap to getting a running start
in the program.
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4.What
should I put in my admissions portfolio?
Whatever
you want! Be sure to include examples of your unique abilities,
things that you have won awards for, your best pieces. Don't stick
pieces in without a reason. Choose carefully and think about how
each piece best recommends you for the program (be creative).
Feel free to include 3D work, too - it shows a good range of experience
and talents.
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5.
For my portfolio, should I send slides, a CD, or a DVD?
Any of the
above is adequate. A CD or DVD might make life a little easier
for you as far as portfolio organization, but choose whatever
media is most comfortable for you and reflects most positively
on your work.
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6.Why
did some of the current students choose this program?
The current
students chose UT Southwestern for a number of different reasons.
Some said that they really liked the facilities and resources
on campus. The students often do projects in their illustration
classes and then actually see them used in the science classes.
During the second summer, students do an internship in addition
to their class work. The internship provides an opportunity to
experience the type of work that might be available after graduation
and to work outside of the department. Students really appreciate
the opportunity to make connections in other departments and doing
outside projects. Also, the fact that the program equally stresses
learning computer art and traditional illustration methods attracts
students.
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7.What
kind of equipment will I need, and how much will it cost?
The department
has most of the bigger equipment you will need - computers (PC
and Mac), scanner, printers, drafting tables, taborets, lights,
digital camera; however, you will need to provide consumable art
supplies (e.g. pencils, papers, pen nibs, styluses and ink, erasers,
etc.) The instructors will tell you exactly what you need to purchase
for each particular class. Later on, you may want to buy a computer
or other equipment for your home studio, but it's not required.
If you are in the market for a new computer right now, you may
want to wait and see what type would be better for you. Some of
the current students have Macs and some have PCs. Also, you should
budget at least $100 each semester for art supplies; be sure to
ask about student discounts!
Useful links:
www.journeyed.com
www.apple.com
www.gateway.com
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8.
What are my options for housing?
There are
apartments built and owned by UT Southwestern near here. To learn
more visit www3.utsouthwestern.edu/campushousing. There are also
some apartments where a number of the current students live that
is equally close to campus. Visit www.inwoodonthepark.com to learn
more about them. Call the graduate school to ask around at 214-648-4699.
Other than that, you can call apartment locators to help you find
a reasonably priced apartment in the area. You can also call the
student phone at 214-648-5354 to find out if the apartment complexes
they recommend are any good. Students have been able to live far
away, even as far as Waxahatchie, and still get to class, but
that's pretty inconvenient. I would recommend sticking to Dallas
in the beginning. You can move to Irving later if you hear the
suburbs calling your name.
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9.
Do I need a car?
In a word:
Yes. The public transportation system in Dallas is not what it
could be, nor is anything centralized.
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10.
How much should I budget for living expenses?
The average
student here pays about $1500 a month for basic living expenses
(e.g. food, utilities, gasoline, apartment). This can vary depending
on where you live and what extra expenses you incur (car repair,
entertainment, etc.). Student loans and grants can help you make
ends meet.
Useful links:
www2.utsouthwestern.edu/stuaff
www.UTSouthwestern.edu/biomedcom
www3.utsouthwestern.edu/campushousing
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11.
Where can I leave my kids?
There is
a day care called First Step Learning Centre on the first floor
of the building here in Exchange Park (we are on the tenth floor).
Their number is 214-352-8608, to learn more about their facilities.
The UT Southwestern
- UTD Callier Child Development Program is also available for
child care. Visit their website at www.callier.utdallas.edu/preschool.html.
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12.
Can I work and go to school at the same time?
It's not
recommended, even part time, since the rigors of the program leave
little time for anything else. A paid student assistantship is
sometimes available to individuals during the second year; it
reduces some of the burden and allows one to buy supplies for
professional life. Doing freelance medical illustration is discouraged,
because you won't have time for it and the client mayrip you off
because "you're only a student".
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13.
How hard are the med school classes?
To succeed
in the med school classes, it's important to have good study habits
- prepare beforehand for each class, review each day's material
promptly, and keep good notes for test preparation. Also, getting
to know and study with your anatomy tank mates and other medical
students is helpful. The med school classes (anatomy, cell biology,
embryology) are information intensive, but the material itself
is no more complicated than what you have encountered in your
science prerequisites. Tutors and study groups are available if
you want extra help, and the professors are more than willing
to assist you however possible.
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14.
Tell me about the entertainment in Dallas.
Dallas, like
most large cities, has a great deal of entertainment. There are
concerts every weekend, museums, a zoo, aquarium, gardens, parks,
and hiking trails; clubs, broadway shows, restaurants, movies
(regular and independent theaters), sports games (the Cowboys,
the Stars, the Mavericks!), etc. Every year there is the giant
State Fair of Texas, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and
lots of special interest festivals and conventions. If you don't
mind a short (hour) drive, there is an enormous antique show and
flea market in Canton on the first Monday of every month, or there
is the dinosaur state park in Glen Rose for hiking. And don't
forget Six Flags! The Student Affairs office often sells student-rate
tickets to local activities and events-it's a good deal.
Useful links:
www.UTSouthwestern.edu/studentcenter
www.sixflags.com
www.dallaswestend.org
www.ondaweb.com/deep_ellum
www.dallassymphony.com/index.php
www.dallascowboys.com
www.dallasstars.com
www.dallasmavericks.com
www.cvb.com
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15. What do students like about the UT
Southwestern campus?
The campus
is huge. Our department is at Exchange Park, which is a shuttle
ride away from South Campus where the science classes are held.
Students seem to like to be in the small tight knit group of people
and facilities surrounded by the larger campus. There are plenty
of activities on campus that medical illustration students participate
in such as intramural sports (ie. softball, badminton, tennis,
and basketball). The student center also offers popular aerobic,
workout, and yoga classes.
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16.
Do the students hang out together outside of class?
Each class
meshes differently. There have been classes that spend all of
their time together outside of class. There have also been classes
that attract a wide range of personalities and people that don't
have much in common. Regardless, the small and fast-paced nature
of the program makes it difficult to have stressed relationships
with the people that you see all day everyday, and everyone becomes
close whether or not they hang out in their spare time.
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17.Can
you tell me about the University insurance plan?
The University
has an adequate student insurance plan, including on campus clinic
and pharmacy. Dental and vision are also available separately.
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18.
Tell me about the thesis project.
Required
for graduation, the thesis project brings together all of a student's
scholastic experience in order to fulfill two goals. First, the
thesis project should be an example of biomedical communication.
It should aid the flow of knowledge from the source (doctors,
researchers, scientists) to the audience (laypeople, students,
residents). Second, the thesis should be an example of technical
expertise, raising the bar for what medical illustrators can hope
to accomplish.
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19.
What's the job market like after graduation?
Excellent.
Whether you choose to free lance or take an institutional job,
there is plenty of work available for medical illustrators. You
will be able to talk to possible employers from around the country
at the annual AMI meeting, as well as set up interviews when you
are close to graduation. In addition, in the spring semester of
your second year, you will take a management course where you
will meet illustrators from the area working in different specialties
and learn how to promote yourself and set up your business with
regard to tax laws and legal issues. There is a great deal of
diversity in the field, from traditional drawing and inking to
computer animation and film. The hard part will be deciding what
you like to do best.
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20. What is the AMI?
The AMI is
the Association of Medical Illustrators, the professional society
for medical artists. To learn more, their website is www.ami.org.
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21. What type jobs are available to graduates
of the program?
Four major
career fields exist in medical illustration: textbook, editorial,
medical-legal, and pharmaceutical. Textbook is just as it sounds;
you're doing illustrations for doctors or publishers that will
be printed in a book or monograph. Editorial means you're illustrating
scientific concepts for magazines and newspapers. Medical-legal
refers to illustrations made for an audience of jurypersons in
order to explain some facet of a medical suit, usually a malpractice
case. Pharmaceutical means you're illustrating the usefulness
of a particular drug or instrument, and sometimes designing the
advertising materials like brochures and posters as well. Obviously
these are very simplified categories and there's more to each
of them than is explained here. Other avenues are open to graduates
based on technical expertise gained through the program, such
as graphic design, website construction, or animation. The biggest
question after graduation is not what you'll be doing, but how
and where. Entry-level jobs in large institutions housing a medical
illustration department used to be plentiful. Now it's far more
likely that you'll be working as an independent contractor after
graduation, although some think the pendulum is beginning to swing
back to the illustration department side. Examples of places that
the members of the class of 2005 are applying to anatomical charts
companies, The Journal of American Medical Association, and the
Mayo Clinic.
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22.
What can I expect in a starting salary after graduation?
A graduate
working for a large institution or small company can expect to
make $35,000 to $45,000 a year. The numbers for those working
freelance are harder to average as there are many arrangements
of part-time salary and part-time freelance, but one would expect
someone taking only freelance jobs to make one third greater than
any pure salary job in order to pay for overhead, insurance, etc.
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