hi, i’m a sophomore who just got accepted to the interlochen summer academy’s creative writing program but i’m having doubts since the payment is so high and they have a really narrow commitment window… the experience seems really cool but how competitive is it/what’s the class size? i’m still waiting on many other program decisions too and basically everything depends on the financial aid i can get. can anyone offer advice?
Congratulations. My son also just got in. He is definitely going. I don’t think it is very competitive as there is a huge number of kids going each summer (I thought I read 2500 total) but it is educational and at the same time a fun summer experience. It is very long and very expensive, I agree.
Hi! I’m a sophomore too, and I just got into interlochen. I keep finding either super positive or super negative reviews, and I have no idea which to believe. It’s also super expensive, and I don’t know whether to wait and see what other programs I get into, or to just take a chance. PM me if you figure out any reliable sources, or just want someone to compare reviews/freak out with!!!
hey avocado, i can’t pm you bc i’m too new 
but i’d love to compare writing programs! i’m pretty much declining interlochen, the cost is just massive along with the uniforms/travel (my family is low income so i doubt we could even pay the down payment). i’m guessing interlochen is just really enjoyable like a lot of creative summer experiences are, probably not the most selective.
i just got into sewanee so if the aid’s good i may be attending, but i’m also trying for iowa, kenyon, and bard yww. u can contact me by email or instagram i guess?? lmk if u want my contact info 
@beiurre Yeah! I’d love to discuss. I’m for sure not going to interlochen but looking at other ones right now a little. Hmu with that contact info!
congrats! same
should
be fun
Hi I attended Interlochen in my freshman year! It was a very good experience and my writing blossomed a lot during a very short period of time. From what I understand it’s not very competitive for the regular programs (I attended both the regular program and the institute and was told the novel writing institute was competitive). It was a worthwhile experience but if you do end up going please take advantage of all the fun opportunities at camp! The workshops ranged from around 7-10 kids, so pretty tiny (although I know the program has expanded since then so I’m not exactly sure what it would be now). Anyways let me know if you have any specific questions!
its really fun
@AvocadoOptemist my email is isabellelvym@gmail.com and my IG is @isabllelu !
same, i’m trying to figure out what to do with sewanee. i don’t want to commit and have to pay a fee if i have another opportunity after the commitment deadline. but then again everything’s uncertain with coronavirus
Hi @beiurre I see you posted back in February, and your plans may have changed since then, but thought I’d answer based on my own daughter’s experience at Interlochen, last summer. She also chose the Creative Writing concentration, though she came to Interlochen with many other interests as well.
If you are primarily looking to build a writing portfolio with an eye toward college admissions, Interlochen is probably not the best fit. My daughter had additional goals – she was considering applying to the Academy for year-round admission and wanted to see what it was like, first – so in that sense we considered the experience worthwhile. She came to the summer program with some pieces she hoped to workshop and get professional input on. It wasn’t quite that type of experience, and she felt there was not very much actual “work” involved.
There are many wonderful aspects to the Interlochen program – please don’t consider this a negative review by any means – but if you are a serious creative writing student looking for real academic value, you might Google “online creative writing courses” and find a group that better fits your goals as well as your budget. Before the virus hit, my daughter was looking into our local community college, which offers open writing workshops, and is reasonably-priced; that is another cost-effective route for high school students.
Good luck!
Hi! Did your daughter’s summer experience at Interlochen help her decide about applying to the academy? What did she wind up doing? Thanks.
Hi, just curious if anyone attended the Interlochen creative writing program in 2021? Any recent feedback?