anyone applying for the workshop this year? any alumni with advice? this is my first year applying for anything this major ha
Hey @stilsh. I attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio in 2016 and would be happy to answer any of your questions.
I studied fiction, and overall I found the experience to be very rewarding. You should definitely apply!
Did you attend Session I or Session II? Is there much difference between the two sessions? Do students in the various forums (poetry, creative writing, etc.) have much interaction? Any application tips? Does the writing supplement carry the most weight?
I attended session I – the only difference is that the two sessions, for the most part, have different teachers. It doesn’t really matter what session you choose otherwise.
Yeah, totally! I got to know some poets/ creative writers really well because of all the outside activities and group writing exercises we did.
In terms of the application, obviously you should pick your best work, but you shouldn’t write something specifically for Iowa. If you already have a bunch of short stories ready (or poems, essays, etc), then just pick one you like that fits the length criteria. Edit very minimally. I’d worked on my story for a while beforehand, for my own personal growth as writer, not to impress some selection committee. The writing sample does carry the most weight by a long shot. I’m not even sure I remember what I said in the statement of purpose, and my transcript was good but not outstanding.
hi! i do have a bunch of stories that i’ve written in the past but instead of submitting only one story i want to submit parts of multiple, bc i write in different tenses and povs and when that happens my style changes i guess
and im still trying to decide who to put as my admired author for the statement xD lately i havent been reading as much as i used to though
will that work? a bunch of essays/stories instead of one long one? I have several I would like to submit, but would have to write a new long one for the 10 page submission and that may be forced. @fitzgirl22 …do you thing several 2-3 page stories would work instead of one long one?
Hey, I’m a 2016 alum from Session II (fiction)! IYWS was such a fun experience– definitely a lot of work outside of class, but it was manageable and I learned a lot.
@oak2maple yes several works would definitely be acceptable. I personally submitted a story, a poem and a novel excerpt.
Also, @stilsh it’s not absolutely necessary that you talk about an admired author in the statement. I just wrote about why I wanted to attend and talked about my experience as a writer and that seemed to work.
Oh and just a tip, the writing sample definitely counts for a lot but so does the personal statement. The first year I applied I wasn’t all that enthusiastic with it and I ended up getting denied. Then last year I tried harder on the statement and submitted a writing sample of equal quality and I managed to get in. So moral of the story, don’t BS the personal statement.
What about submitting something like creative nonfiction?
@hobowriter okay noted, thanks! also does teachers rec count for a lot?
@thelittleswimmer it says on the site that creative nonfic is fine
Hmm, that I don’t know… I assume as long as your teacher doesn’t hate you it can’t do any harm. I had the same recommender the time I got rejected and the time I got in, for whatever that’s worth.
There is an additional writing program in Iowa called Between The Lines
https://iwp.uiowa.edu/programs/between-the-lines/2017-between-the-lines
"In the summer of 2017 BTL will once again host its combined session, which unites students from Russia, Arabic-speaking countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and the United States. Focusing on Peace and the Writing Experience, the session will bring together young writers from diverse backgrounds to explore distinct histories, languages, and cultures while also approaching world literatures and writing as a dialogue that leads to empathy and a shared understanding of the human condition.
For two exciting weeks, participants learn from one another through creative writing workshops, global literature seminars, and special events featuring international authors, guest speakers, and cultural exchange activities. BTL is a small, structured program run by experienced staff of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, a UNESCO City of Literature and home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Participants live in university dorms with trained counselors—themselves writers—and are taught by a faculty of prize-winning poets and writers from the U.S. and abroad. By the end of each session, participants will have grown not only as writers but also as citizens of the world, becoming part of a tight-knit international network.
In a special second sesssion, BTL: Identity & Belonging, US-based Muslim and non-Muslim artists will come together for one week of intensice creative writing workshops, special seminars, and cultural exchange, with the purpose of answering questions essential to this time in the United States: What are the strongest, most central aspects of identity? What does it mean to belong to a particular grpup or place? How can literature address these questions?"
Does anyone have any idea how long “ten pages” should be? (in word count) Thanks~ 
@pavanavargas i asked the studio if there was a certain font and font size they preferred xD
I’m applying as a freshman this year, does anyone know the acceptance rate of freshmen?
For session selection: If I choose No Preference, will that give me a better chance to get into the program than selecting specific session?
@lovetohavefun the website says it doesn’t
i read it, but have hard time to understand the logic behind it. Suppose the top 100 students all prefer going to Session I, but Session I can only take 80 (as a example). Does the studio automatically offer a spot in Session II to the remaining 20 students ? or the studio will fill Session II with students who requested Session II even if the students may be less qualified than the 20 students mentioned earlier?
They say that equally qualified students apply to both sessions.
extremely late but does anyone know if you, as the applicant, can send your unofficial transcript in via Submittable? Or does it have to be your school?