Colleges For Writing?

Hey all,

I’m planning on majoring in writing of some sort, such as Journalism, Screenwriting/Playwriting, Communications or Creative Writing. I’ve had my eye on NYU’s dramatic writing program for a while, but I want to know what other options are out there. What are some schools with great writing programs?

As for me, I have a 3.91 GPA and my SAT will probably end up in the mid to upper 1300s, possibly 1400. I’d like it to be on the west coast, but I’m open to other places as well. I’ve been published in my college literary magazine twice (I do running start) and I’m planning on putting on a play I wrote next year either at a professional theater or as a staged reading at a smaller theater. I also would prefer a more urban setting, but I wouldn’t mind rural either. Basically, I’m flexible.

Thanks!

USC has a terrific screen writing program. Kenyon is known as a writer’s school but is a miss on your other criteria. Emerson seems to attract journalism types and is in Boston. Wrong coast, but good on other criteria.

The descriptions for these writing programs would be worth reading through:

The 10 best American colleges for writers | USA TODAY College
http://college.usatoday.com/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers/

The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers | The Freelancer, by Contently
http://contently.net/2014/11/06/resources/10-best-colleges-creative-writers/

The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America | Flavorwire
http://flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america

Top 10 schools for writing: https://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-schools-for-aspiring-writers/

  1. U Iowa
  2. U Texas
  3. Johns Hopkins
  4. Brown
  5. U Washington
  6. Oberlin
  7. NYU
  8. UVA
  9. Columbia
  10. Emory

Top 10 Universities. Wesleyan may of interest.
https://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-universities-aspiring-writer/

For safeties look at Knox and Eckerd.
Denison would be a good match.
Run the npc on all universities you’re considering and being the results to your parents - don’t assume anything regarding their ability or willingness to pay till you’ve discussed costs.

UNC Wilmington has a highly-rated creative writing program and is home to the only publishing lab in the state of North Carolina.

One, OP, I would propose that since you have interests that range across different forms of writing that you might want to look at a more broad-based writing program. Journalism is very different from dramatic writing/screenwriting, for example. But if you were to find a department with a more general writing/communications program, you might be able to take classes and learn the fundamentals in both.

Two, I’d also say that many schools that are known as great schools for aspiring writers acquired that reputation because of their graduate programs in writing. That’s not to say that some of that doesn’t trickle down to the undergraduate program as well - a lot of it likely does. My point is merely that a lot of other kinds of schools - schools that don’t have MFA programs in writing - might be missing from a lot of these lists. Hamilton College in NY, for example, has been noted for its excellent writing programs, and it also offers screenwriting and playwriting courses. It’s a smaller LAC. (I do see Oberlin on the list up there, and Oberlin is noted for turning out many famous writers). There are also lesser-known places that may have fantastic writing programs that fly under the radar for whatever reason.

Other suggestions for you:

-Emerson College - a small liberal arts college in Boston that is focused specifically on writing, communication and the arts.
-Wesleyan University - in addition to a great writing program, they also have a great film studies program which might germinate some good opportunities to look at screen/dramatic writing.
-Colorado College - has a creative writing track. This would probably be better suited for a literary novelist, as there’s a heavy emphasis on studying the classics of literature as a foundation in writing.

Some West Coast schools you may want to consider:

Running Start sounds like you’re in WA (I work with WA state high school kids, almost all of whom are in Running Start). UW-Seattle has a major in cinema and media studies in their comparative literature department; you could also major in comparative literature with the cinema option, which is a more traditional literary approach to film studies. The Department of English has an English major with a creative writing option. There’s also a communications major!

In WSU’s English major, you can specialize in creative writing or in rhetoric & professional writing; WSU also has a professional writing minor. WSU also has the excellent School of Communication, with majors in communication & society, journalism & media production, and strategic communication (among others). WWU’s English major also has a creative writing emphasis and there is a communication science major as well.

Also consider:

-Whitman College (WA), with a creative writing minor
-Willamette University (OR), with a creative writing concentration in the English major

UC-Irvine has a great writing program, but is likely to be expensive if you are a WA resident. You might consider other universities in the WUE, though - several Cal State campuses, Colorado State, two University of Colorado campuses, and Portland State all participate.

When expanded, the articles cover a range of schools:

The 10 Best American Colleges for Writers" | USA Today

Emory
Hamilton
JHU
MIT
NYU
WUStL
UIowa
Columbia
UMichigan
Colorado College

http://college.usatoday.com/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers/

“The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers” | The Freelancer

Emory
Hamilton
JHU
MIT
NYU
Oberlin
Princeton
Sarah Lawrence
Sewanee
Yale

http://contently.net/2014/11/06/resources/10-best-colleges-creative-writers/

“The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America” | Flavowire

Princeton
UIowa
Brooklyn
Pomona
UHartford
Wesleyan
Sarah Lawrence
Oberlin
Williams
Vanderbilt
Smith
UMississippi
NYU
Colorado College
UChicago
Hamilton
Harvard
UIUC
Sewanee
Emerson
UT-Austin
Columbia
Vassar
Bennington
The New School

http://flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america