Chance me for Creative Writing

[tsbna44]

Well I probably wrote similar to above - but since I wrote on your other thread b4 it was merged, I’m moving my response here.

OK - first off - there’s no top high school There are many that make that claim.

Secondly, that could be a hinderance at a school like Yale. For example, 38% of students are white - I don’t know your ethnicity but…things like first gen, URM status matter.

So your GPA may be low. Obviously, with the SAT (over ACT), you’d go TO. It’s not bad - but for Yale it won’t work.

Also, before picking letter writers, you need to see who they want you to get - Yale says this: Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies).

So the Journalism teacher should be out - and if you are doing a language teacher, a match/science would be best but a social science could work.

So - Rochester is not a safety. It’s not the reach of an Emory - but it’s a low reach.

Pepperdine is religious. While you are helping at church, none of your other schools are religious - is this ok for you?

Have you checked the NPC on each to ensure you can afford them? Va Tech (why Va Tech) - you will likely not get merit so you will be full pay. Can you afford?

Why not Iowa or Sewanee to stay close to home given the subject. Or Elon?

Money? Environment? Something else.

Of this list, I would say Pepperdine is a target and Va Tech is a bit more likely.

I don’t see a safety.

Good luck.

[angel737]

Thanks for all this information.
My family is definitely not wealthy. (I recognize that’s not the norm at that school haha)
I had no idea that some schools require rec letters from core academic subjects. Is that common?
I have looked at Iowa, and the religious aspect would work.
Do you have any recommendations for safety schools? I’d really love to go somewhere with a creative writing major (or a minor/concentration that’s still a strong program). I’m struggling to find schools with higher acceptance rates that still have strong creative writing programs.

[merc81]

For still further ideas, this site may be of interest:

Best Colleges for Creative Writing

As an opinion, several of the suggestions do not seem to be especially based on these schools’ creative writing programs, however.

[tsbna44]

You mean Pepperdine - religious. Iowa is public.

Yes, it’s typical - even if not stated like Yale did - but you’d get eliminated just for that potentially.

Make sure you can afford Yale or any private that meets need. Run the NPC.

[cam2932]

Since you’re in Tennessee, I would definitely add UTK and Univ of Memphis to your list. Both have excellent MFA programs and their undergraduate creative writing programs benefit from the strength of those. The faculty at both schools are excellent (especially in poetry) and they both have great lit mags and visiting writers/events throughout the year. Memphis sometimes partners with Rhodes to jointly host visiting writers–they recently had the current US Poet Laureate visit. Undergraduate students also benefit from schools that have MFA programs in that there are always lots of grad student readings to attend. Either option would be a great safety and you should qualify for merit at both.

Edited to add that I just took a look at Pepperdine’s Creative Writing program and I think you would be better served at either UTK or Memphis. Ideally, you want to find a program that has several tenure-track faculty members per genre, and Pepperdine does not.