<p>AHH, I really want to go to Iowa this year! This may be slightly out of context, but uh, how do you subscribe to a thread?</p>
<p>Hey I am by no means a great writer, nor have I really ANY experience, but I like to write. That sounds kind of stupid and nonsensical, but here’s my deal: I like writing, but I also have a ton of work to do at home, and on weekends my time kind of slips by because I also really love making Call of Duty montages and sleeping. Oh yeah I’m collegeconfidential material /sarcasm. But in all honesty I want to develop my writing because I know I’m above average and I might be able to work with that. The problem for me would be if I had to talk out loud and analyze crap when I’m not very experienced. I’m pretty introverted and I have trouble putting stuff into words easily… so analyzing might be tough for me if you catch my drift? </p>
<p>So before I apply, would you say everyone there is really experienced and if not, then would it be a good fit for a beginner writer who wants to learn and grow rather than perfect? I didn’t really see if you had to apply and if so what was the rate of acceptance, but I felt pretty welcomed by the website…</p>
<p>Also, if I were to apply and get in: what sort of writing would be a good fit. I would love to be a great sports writer one day because I love sports and I can formulate some good opinions and put it into words, but I’m not a novelist just because fiction can be so broad… And I don’t like writing make-believe I just like reading it when I have time;)</p>
<p>I am the parent of a 9th grader who loves to write (poetry and fiction). She is a strong writer and an excellent student. She is looking to spend several weeks this summer just writing. Program prestige is irrelevant–she wants a friendly, supportive environment, with good faculty and a chance to write with peers in a beautiful place. She has applied to Interlochen and is planning to apply to Putney and Walnut Hill. Does anyone know about these programs and if so, what can you tell us? Any other suggestions? FYI, she is too young for Iowa and Kenyon; UVA off-line for this summer. Any information and experiences would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>loves2write- Although I don’t know much about Walnut Hill, a friend of mine did Interlochen a while back and really enjoyed herself. Putney seems great, and it’s in a lovely part of Vermont, for sure! I don’t know if you’ve considered it, but the Teen Ink summer writing program was one I really, really enjoyed- it’s held in New York city, and I know my parents were concerned about safety, but once they saw how vigilant the staff were they definitely didn’t think it was a problem. You have three hours of class in morning, roughly the same amount of writing time in the afternoon, then activities like Broadway shows, visits to the NY Times building, museums etc. It was a fantastic atmosphere, and I’d definitely recommend it!</p>
<p>thanks allylale–yes, we looked at the Teen Ink NYC program, which looks great, but she wants to be somewhere rural this summer; she is a nature gal. Did your friend tell you anything about what she loved at Interlochen? Are you considering another writing program, and if so, what ones?</p>
<p>She didn’t mention many specifics, but I think she had mentioned before she went that she could pick a few different options? Sorry I can’t be of more use! This year I’m potentially applying to Kenyon, Iowa, Center for Creative Youth, Alpha and then SOCAPA (for photography.) Good luck to your daughter, I hope she has a great summer :)</p>
<p>Need some advise - my son applied to four creative writing workshops :</p>
<p>Iowa
Kenyon
Sewanee
Bard</p>
<p>I know that Iowa and Kenyon are highly respected and competitive. I am not sure how Sewanee is rated and Bard was the “safety”.</p>
<p>Both Bard and Sewanee have rolling admissions. And, Iowa and Kenyon won’t send out their acceptance letters until end of March and early April.</p>
<p>He has gotten into Bard and they say they would like to hear back with in a week. Should we let them know we are not going to decide until April or do we just say nothing and sit on it? I assume Bard and Sewanee make their admissions notices before Iowa and Kenyon on purpose. I would think they are used to hearing this.</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Last summer, I applied to writing programs at Bard, Lake Forest, and Lewis & Clark, in addition to Kenyon and Iowa. I got into the first three that I mentioned, but as you mentioned before, Kenyon and Iowa did not respond yet, which of course were my top choices. I picked one of the first three, and wrote asking for additional time until I heard back from the other two programs, and they agreed. They just asked that I let them know as soon as I heard back from either Kenyon or Iowa.</p>
<p>So, I would have your son try to e-mail the director at Bard and respectfully ask for more time. The worst they can do is say no, and then you’re in the same position that you’re in now.</p>
<p>That said–if the choice comes down between Kenyon and Iowa, I would up going to Kenyon and it was absolutely amazing. My writing grew SO much, and I loved the school so much that I wound up applying early decision there, and am now attending in the fall!</p>
<p>earthandsky - thanks for the advise. I am going to consult with my son. But I agree with you about just ask. I am sure they get this request all the time since it seems like everyone applies to Kenyon and Iowa and then some others!</p>
<p>Hi Cal1983! I’ve applied to Kenyon and Iowa, and I’m intending to apply to Bard as well. Because it’s rolling admissions until May, I thought I’d wait until April. Is the process long, and should I get started now? Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>That is what we should have done! No the process is not long - they only want an essay on words that have inspired you. My son wrote something relatively short if I recall correctly. Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>As for other summer programs, I’m not sure what my safeties are. It’s a pity that UVA isn’t doing anything this year (not that UVA would be a safety). Can anyone suggest good writing workshops, for which admissions are still open and which aren’t too hard to get in?
I have very little faith in the Columbia/Summer@Brown type of money-grubbing programs.</p>
<p>I’m bumping this thread up because I’m wondering the same thing as Sesquipedalians.</p>
<p>I think many of the programs have closed by now, but maybe not the ones on rolling admission- Teen Ink’s deadline definitely hasn’t passed and I think Sewanee might be rolling?</p>
<p>At the moment, my only options are Columbia’s program and Bard’s.
Hearsay that Columbia’s is a party program and the absence of any hearsay at all about Bard makes me feel kind of uncertain. I will probably apply to both, but does anyone have any advice about this?</p>
<p>Yeah, littlepenguin, I actually went to Columbia last year. I met some nice people (and I’m still in contact with a few), and I loved being in New York, but beyond this, most definitely not worth 6000 bucks. I don’t recommend applying unless it’s your very last option.
Thanks allyale and thecomedian, I’ll look into your suggestions! Keep them coming though, because I’m still undecisive :D</p>
<p>Which course did you take? I heard the introductory writing workshop there is meh but the advanced workshop is actually phenomenal.</p>
<p>I would be a commuter, so it’s much cheaper for me. Still, my parents are afraid of wasting money because we don’t know anyone personally who has attended the program. At the same time, they’re wary of sending me to programs like Bard or others with rolling admissions because many set aside those programs as “safeties.” I’m not sure how much useful feedback I can get there.</p>
<p>I took the Introductory class, but I had friends in the Advanced classes who completely agreed with me. We were generally good students, and I’ve heard several times that at Columbia’s program, “you get out as much as you put in”, but I put in a fair amount of work (considering it was the summer and I was in NYC), and I got very little out. I suppose the aspect of the workshop which helped my writing develop was simply the fact that I was actually practising everyday, but other than that, the instructors weren’t inspiring, the students weren’t either dedicated or motivated, and although I had fun, I didn’t learn very much. The worst part was probably the evaluation, which I got three months after the end f the program: three quickly penned lines, and completetly pointless. This pretty much validated how crap Columbia was, but I may be just a teeny bit bias because of the eval. </p>
<p>I understand where you’re coming from with Bard though, because I have the same problem. Of course, I want to do a program primarily because I love writing, but I want it to be good. Bard, just by reputation, doesn’t approach Kenyon’s/Iowa’s standards.</p>
<p>Ok - my son is three for three. He got his acceptance to Kenyon today in the mail. He had already been notified by Bard and Sewanee. Kenyon does not need their forms back until April 15th - so that means we can wait to hear from Iowa!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son!
Are the letters sent through email/snail mail? If it’s the latter, it’ll probably take a while longer for me to here back from either Iowa or Kenyon because I’m an international applicant.</p>