<p>Hi!</p>
<p>The last thread on this isn't active anymore, so I figured a new one would be good. :] What programs are you applying to? Where have you gone? What are considered really good programs (other than U of Iowa, UVA and Kenyon)?</p>
<p>Have one of our students looking at the writing programs at Duke Univ., both via Duke TIP and via their summer institute that offers a couple of writing programs.</p>
<p>Heard of another one called, I belive, Reynolds and looking into that.</p>
<p>T</p>
<p>We’ve been doing some digging and finally settled on blueprint. They have Creative Writing at UCLA, GW, Lehigh and Stonehill. We like the mix of workshops and prep but finally decided on Lehigh this summer. Good luck!
[What's</a> Your Passion? | Blueprint Signature Summer Programs](<a href=“http://bpsummerprograms.com/academics]What’s”>http://bpsummerprograms.com/academics)</p>
<p>Thanks Anita and Taben! Unfortunately, I don’t have the money for those types of programs. I was wondering if anyone knew any competitive, application-based programs that would award financial aid or merit aid to eligible applicants. Thanks! :D</p>
<p>Interlochen does, I think.</p>
<p>Ooh I applied there! Does anyone know just how competitive UVA and Kenyon are, and especially in terms of Kenyon, how much do they look at grades when deciding applicants?</p>
<p>Agreed, Blueprint kills it… if you can afford it! Our daughter was with MAC last summer and had a life-changing experience.</p>
<p>bpsummerprograms.com/content/blueprint-creative-writing</p>
<p>I went to the duke creative writer’s workshop, it was really rewarding in my opinion. You meet a lot of insightful writers. The instructors were really good and nice too! (:</p>
<p>this is only for 18 and above, but Clarion and Clarion West are the most prestigious summer camps for sci-fi writers. their alumni have won a ridiculous percentage of hugo/nebula awards.</p>
<p>[Clarion</a> Writing Program](<a href=“http://literature.ucsd.edu/affiliated-programs/clarion/index.html]Clarion”>http://literature.ucsd.edu/affiliated-programs/clarion/index.html)
[Clarion</a> West](<a href=“http://www.clarionwest.org/]Clarion”>http://www.clarionwest.org/)</p>
<p>clarion west has neil gaiman as an instructor this year!!</p>
<p>D applied to U Iowa, Kenyon and Sewanee…should hear back by around April 1! Has anyone attended any of these? Or does anyone know how selective they are in relation to each other? We know someone – great student and avid writer – who got turned down by Kenyon last year.</p>
<p>Iowa: last year there were 600+ applicants, and they accepted 132
Kenyon: accept rate is 1/3</p>
<p>U Iowa and Kenyon are equally the most prestigious summer young writers programs in the country. Actually, U Iowa might be the tiniest bit more prestigious because of their MFA program. From what I’ve heard, Sewanee is great. </p>
<p>I applied to Reynolds, Kenyon, UVA, Interlochen and Ithaca. I’ll hear back from all of them of March 25th. :]</p>
<p>Well, they all sound great. So for U Iowa, if they accept a grand total of 132 for two session, is each group split into @60-70 students? That’s small! Or each it 132 for each session. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure it’s 132 is the total amount of students accepted, and it’s broken into 60-70 students for each session. :] Same to you!</p>
<p>My D went to the Iowa Young Writers Studio last summer and had an amazing experience (she also got into Kenyon but chose Iowa). There were 66 kids in her session, I think. One difference between Kenyon and Iowa is that at Iowa you focus on one genre (fiction, poetry, etc.) and at Kenyon you don’t specialize. They both sounded fabulous, honestly. My impression is that they definitely look at your writing, but do not heavily consider grades in the application process. Good luck to you all!</p>
<p>Daisychain – thanks! That’s important to know. Is Sewanee in the same league or not? It surprises me that Kenyon looks mainly at the writing…since they dramatically limited the size of the writing sample to 300 words! That’s not much to look at, frankly. I really assumed they were going for grades and teacher recs. The Iowa application left the writing sample much more open ended. Sewanee did as well.</p>
<p>RedC - My understanding is that Iowa and Kenyon are perhaps the most well known (and consequently the most competitive to get into), but there are many strong programs, including Sewanee and UVA, that also offer great experiences. There’s no way that grades could have been the determinative factor in my D’s case, so I assume the decision must have been primarily based on the writing and the teacher rec. Or that if they like your writing and recs, problematic grades won’t disqualify you.</p>