MFA Programs?

Hello.

I'm sorry that until now no one has answered your question. I'm looking into MFA programs as well, though I fear mine is more of a pipe dream at the moment.

I'm moving this to Office Party where a lot more people will see it and perhaps (hopefully) give you some good info.

No offense to my friends here who do have MFA's but, well, what kind of job do you expect to get with a creative writing or an english lit degree? Sounds like you'd be staying in academia for all time. I know people who have MFAs in creative writing and they are bartenders who use their creative writing degrees to write stories that very rarely get published. I would suggest broadening yourself, maybe a M.S. in Journalism? (Not that I am biased since I am getting one. . .). Perhaps Public Relations or advertising? These will get you real jobs and perhaps leave you time to write.

Also, the thing about applying to grad schools is that you just have to throw yourself out there. If you want to get into USC's program, then tailor your application to their expectations. Oh, and start early. Applying for grad school is actually much more stressful than waiting for a reply or even being in the school. Good MFAs in creative writing: Columbia, Boston University, USC, Virginia, Iowa, Missouri and many more. . .

Good places for advertising or public relations: Virginia Commonwealth, Boston University (alright. . . I just happen to know these schools well, for some reason. . .)

Explore and have fun with it. Think about something that you may have not considered. (And get your letters of recommendation going as soon as possible.)

Does that help?

I'm looking into an MFA program as well. It's looking like Rutgers right now. I'd love to go to Boston University, but they would probably wipe their asses with my writing sample.

And addressing the issue of the MFA: it's your life, so seek any degree that you want. There are other jobs for MFA holders besides teaching. I've looked into it.

WerenCole said:

...I would suggest broadening yourself, maybe a M.S. in Journalism? (Not that I am biased since I am getting one. . .)...

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Hope you're not expecting to find work in the newspaper industry any time soon. Most are scaling back (in the US anyway), laying off seasoned reporters, while others are closing down altogether.

It's sad, but of course journalism covers a much broader range of prospects than merely newspapers.

My MFA was in film, so it's not quite the same, but...

My advice would be to achieve something in your chosen field before you go for that degree. Seriously. An MFA is much less helpful in breaking through the Catch-22s of media jobs than you'd think.

If you've already spent two or three years in the field you want - even if it isn't precisely in your dream job - then you'll have a much better idea of how to make the program work for you if you do decide to take it.

I'm also curious about MFA (Creative Writing) experiences.

If anyone could answer some of these questions, it would be a big help
for people researching programs.


--Did you go to school for an MFA? Why or why not?

--What school did you attend? When?

--Could you describe what the other MFA students in your
classes/workshops were like, especially in terms of:

* diversity? (age ranges? males/females? English majors?
What was the mix of different ethnicities, cultures, nations,
sexual orientations, religions, etc?)

* helpfulness? (constructive feedback? supportive? friendly?
challenging, stimulating, etc.?)

--What did you like best and/or least about your program?

--How helpful has the experience been for you?

--Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?
What would you do differently, if anything?


Thank you for your time. Anything you have to share on the
topic I appreciate, and I am sure others will, too.

I've heard that there are now some excellent low residency MFA programs out there for creative nonfiction. Pacific University in Oregon, comes to mind.

My views on these programs are a little less harsh than some of the others above. While I don't think an MFA degree is going to necessarily land someone a great job in the media, I do believe that this type of degree is especially useful when going for grants to support your writing (some pay in the 10K and above range). An MFA also looks more impressive than a B.A. on a letter to an agent when trying to find representation for a literary work (with genre work, I doubt it makes much difference). However, no number of degrees will sell your writing if it isn't what an agent or an editor is looking to buy.

Finally, while an MFA is no longer the terminal degree in creative writing (a few programs out there do offer Ph.D's), combined with a strong publishing record, it could land a writer a teaching position at a smaller college or university.

Hope this info helps!

Claudia

http://www.claudia-okeefe.com

Cybernaught said:

I'd love to go to Boston University, but they would probably wipe their asses with my writing sample.

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I think you'd be surprised at how receptive they are. It does not hurt to throw out an application (except for the $70 or so for each one) and the rewards could be great.



Now Silver King, my friend, the way I see it is that I had no choice. It was either hope to publish my novels and make a living that way, or stay as a chef for the rest of my life. Well, I really did not want to stay a chef. There are jobs outside of the newspaper biz, yes. The thing that they teach in journalism school these days is that you have to know how to do everything. Blog, write news stories, columns, shoot and edit video, know how to put stuff on the web. It is about creating content in a versatile fashion and knowing what to do with it. I feel bad for a lot of the old school reporters who are behind the times on the technology front (which they really are. . . embarrassingly so) that when this wave of journalism students get out they are going to be the ones who are getting the jobs because they can do everything.

That being said, there was no way I could have learned this stuff on my own and make it worthwhile. I mean, I probably could have learned it, but the great thing about Boston University is that it is a top 5 (to 7) market and it is extremely well connected. I have made so many connections in the industry after only a couple months that I should be set to go when I am done.

And I am finally doing what I always wanted to do. Write about sports (and still try to find time for my fiction).

Newspapers are dying but the media is not. The business model may be a touch outdated, but I feel they are starting to turn the corner on that a little bit. Maybe by the time I am done in a year it will be springing forward once again.

Can't go on forever, can it?

WerenCole said:

I think you'd be surprised at how receptive they are. It does not hurt to throw out an application (except for the $70 or so for each one) and the rewards could be great.

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Thanks for the vote of confidence, Weren.

Cybernaught said:

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Weren.

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Hey, look at me. I was mildly astonished they let me in. Surreal even. You want to go? Just give it a shot. As my late sports journalism professor would say "100% of the shots you don't take, don't go in." (Jack Falla).