My son is interested in creative writing programs. I know most schools label this as an English major. He has been accepted at Univ of Michigan, and is waiting to hear from a number of other schools, including Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, and St. Olaf (a diverse group). Do any students or parents have insight to share regarding this major and the schools you (or your student) chose? Thank you!
I suppose I should add that I realize how many people don’t consider this a “viable” major. That’s not my main concern. Even though I initially expected him to go into science, I want to support his goals.
Your child could do well at any of them. I’d put Columbia and NYU at the top of a very good list. More important is the college itself. Where will your child fit best? what can your family afford?
Good questions. We expect he will qualify for significant scholarship money, so hopefully the bigger issue is where he is accepted and, of course, what is a good fit, as you suggest. I have heard wonderful things about the NY schools, yes, but I don’t know that he is a “big city” kid.
Some of these schools will offer you no aid because you’re out of state or you don’t have “need” as they determine that. Are you prepared to spend $55K at UMich because unless you have little income and few assets you’re not likely to get any aid? Columbia and NYU may determine that you have no need. Northwestern might offer you $20K in need-based aid if your income is below $160K but not below $70K. St. Olaf’s might be the best bet for merit aid. All these schools have a financial aid page with a “net price calculator.” You put in your family income and financial situation and you can get a pretty good estimate of what you’ll have to pay if your child gets admitted. There is a reduction in accuracy if you’re divorced, or a two-family household, or have significant assets, or own your own business/farm or more than one residence. Check the npcs out. I also suggest you widen your list to get some other LACs on there such as Oberlin, Hamilton, Colorado College, and Emerson and some other unis such as Cornell, Vanderbilt (lots and lots of merit aid for the exceptionally talented), WashU (similar), Wesleyan, and of course Iowa. There are many other good programs.
Thank you for the suggestions. We live in Michigan, so that helps. We will get some need-based help at most schools. Iowa is on his radar, as well. I have read the online articles about best creative writing programs, but don’t know whether to put too much credence in them because only so many students get accepted. What I mean is, I don’t want to presume only a small number of schools have truly good programs. He has received a great offer from Kalamazoo College, which has a growing reputation for writing, but it’s not on any “official” list.
I’d be more concerned about college fit than best major. Chances are he will change his major. Where will your S do his best work because if he wants to transfer you won’t get the kind of FA that goes to first-time college students? And have a list that includes only those schools you will pay for because he’s not going anywhere else. Again, fire up the npcs. Where he goes to school matters so little compared to what he does there. Yes, some of these schools will have better writing students and better post-grad networks than Kalamazoo. I always like a slightly larger program so that students have instruction in non-fiction, political commentary, screenwriting, etc., and have more than one person teaching these subjects; they may also have more majors to choose from if writing turns out not to be his gig. Having said that, Emerson, Oberlin, and Hamilton are very good, the latter two in many majors.
The scholarship K offers covers four years, which makes it more affordable than a state school. I agree with you that he may well change his major. I used to work at a university and our students changed left and right. Why do colleges offer more FA for first timers, if just to get them there? If so, why would they surmise a family can afford a change thereafter?
They offer upfront money to get the best high school seniors, and they offer little FA to transfers in part to keep students at their school. That’s a simple explanation.
There are schools that are the exceptions, but they are few. Generally speaking again, they are the least prestigious schools.
Let me begin by saying that I don’t know KC except as a good school that is trying to improve its reputation. Like any school, KC attempts to woo students away from UMich and other “better” schools in the region. When you see this happening, you ask what they’re not spending their money on: maintenance, facilities, salaries, libraries, career and educational counseling, health services, “new and splendiferous construction,” etc. For all I know, KC is a well-endowed school or a particularly well-off school that they can be more generous than their peers and betters with the best students. Or there’s continuous leadership there that has made merit awards their priority. Or there are alumni who just love the place and have deep pockets. You have to ask around. It’s very hard to change the prestige of an institution in under 15 years, and most college presidents these days are in office for about a half dozen years.
From the point of view of parents and students as consumers, it hardly matters where our children go but what they do when they get there. There are hundreds of American colleges where if the student reaches for opportunity after opportunity they will get an education that approaches the one they could get at their idea of a most prestigious college. What kind of kid do you have?
If schools only offer FA to students their first year, why calculate EFC? A number of schools he’s applied to are need blind, although that doesn’t always come to fruition.
Many schools are need blind, but they do not meet need for most or all students. That includes many publics. Also a lot of privates like NYU.
Only the freshman gpa and SAT are used to rank schools for US News and some other ranking systems so they get the best offers. And usually the aid is renewable for 4 years but merit based aid may have a gpa requirement.
I know some students that studied creative writing at Chapman College in So Cal. They got jobs at CAA for very low pay ($12 per hr), it is a dues paying job and entree to the entertainment industry so are hard to get. Unless you are going to try to be an agent you usually aim to get a job offer from a movie company. Of the two I know that went to production companies, one is working for a producer who got an Emmy from HBO series and has a ton of successful horror and other franchises. Gets to read scripts but is mostly a producer’s second assistant. Pay is still low.
I’m sorry, OP, I don’t understand your question or what it has to do with your second sentence.
I was thinking about schools that pledge to meet need after EFC. It seems they often don’t fully do that.
yes, each school gets to define what need is.
Let me go back to my initial question: Do you have insight to share about schools that offer a creative writing major?
Is DS thinking of taking a gap year? It’s awfully late to be thinking of applying to schools.
He already has applied and gained admission to a number of very good schools.
I’m aware of that, and it is why I’m asking. Why are you asking me to name other good creative writing programs if he is done applying?
I’m not asking that.
The OP asked, and I quote, “Do any students or parents have insight to share regarding this major and the schools you (or your student) chose?” I don’t know why CC users have a tendency to avoid the original question completely and give advice that no one asked for, but they do. If I had any information to offer you I would. Many schools have creative writing clubs that might be worth checking out if they don’t offer a specific major in it. If they don’t have a club for creative writing, your son can always start one!