creative writing university
Which university should I go to for creative writing?
Please list some schools that are known for their creative writing programs, and that are reasonable in price.
Here’s my completely subjective, take-with-a-grain-of-salt list:
Iowa, Syracuse, Arkansas, FSU, Arizona, UC Riverside. Lots of others. University of Houston.
The single best source for asking questions like this are the Speakeasy message board at Poets and writers: http://www.pw.org/speak.htm. There you’ll find lists aplenty, including a lot of armchair quarterbacking about costs, quality, etc. You also should check out Tom Kealey’s book “The Creative Writing MFA Handbook,” which talks at length about how to choose schools and how to get in.
You want to consider a few things before you apply. First, how badly do you need funding? Many programs cover tuition and pay a very small stipend (usually around 10-12K a year) to have grad students teach their freshman comp classes. Columbia has an excellent program, but unless you happen to have an extra $100K lying around, don’t even bother applying, because that’s what you’ll need to cover tuition and the costs of living in New York City. From what I’ve heard, Iowa funds maybe half of its students. FSU, where I’m currently entering my third year MFA in fiction, funds almost every student. So do Syracuse, Arkansas, and many other programs.
Second, is the program right for you? If you’re a highly experimental fiction writer — which I am not — FSU may not be right for you. Brown has a reputation for supporting avant garde writing, as did a few other schools that I didn’t bother looking at (because I knew they wouldn’t be right for me).
How do you feel about the faculty? Who would you like to work with? The best question you can ask when you interview at a program is “How is it like to work with so-and-so?” Ask other students, ask the head of the program, and finally, if you can swing it, ask so-and-so herself. You may just find yourself invited into so-and-so’s already-overenrolled workshop.
Other questions: small program or big program? If your program admits only six students per year, you’re going to be hearing a lot of the same feedback workshop after workshop. On the other hand, larger programs can feel too impersonal or competitive.
The last thing you want to look out for is the quality of the student that graduates from that program. Say what you will about Iowa or Columbia, but students from those programs tend to publish very well. Beware the program with the illustrious faculty whose students never seem to publish anywhere. That may be a sign that the faculty are treating the program as a kind of extended summer camp for themselves, and not supporting their students particularly well. Or, just as bad, it may mean that the program doesn’t yet attract the quality of student it deserves. In workshops, you’re going to learn a lot from your fellow students — I know I have. Try to find a program that attracts the best students possible.
Last advice: attend the absolutely mammoth AWP Conference. There you’ll find students from almost every program, and they will usually be more than happy to answer your questions over beer. Or wine. Or vodka.
This is a long post, I realize, but it’s a complicated question, and it merits a thorough answer. But do check out some books on the subject, and the Speakeasy message board. You’ll find better answers to you questions, and may end up corresponding with someone who is actually attending the program you’re interested in. Good luck!
Journalism and Creative Writing at Winchester University
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