<p>$21K or full tuition Goucher
$30K/yr Ursinus
Possible full tuition or full ride, Pitt, UDel, Rutgers
25k/yr or full tuition Tulane
Full tuition UNC Asheville
$17K/yr U Iowa (OOS)</p>
<p>If you were choosing from among the above, and if the student were also admitted to UNC-CH (OOS), Hopkins, top LACs, and Ivies but with minimal FA, where would you send them if finances mattered and student's goal were an MFA writing program?</p>
<p>Iowa’s writing program has a great reputation. $17K must be close to full tuition.</p>
<p>University of Iowa without a doubt especially if the student stayed at Iowa for the masters program…</p>
<p>*$21K or full tuition Goucher
$30K/yr Ursinus
Possible full tuition or full ride, Pitt, UDel, Rutgers
25k/yr or full tuition Tulane
Full tuition UNC Asheville
$17K/yr U Iowa
*</p>
<p>Can you clarify? What do you mean when you write:</p>
<p>$25k per year or full tuition Tulane?</p>
<p>Are you saying that you’ve got a $25k merit from Tulane? If so, that’s not full tuition. Or maybe I’m not understanding how you’ve written your info.</p>
<p>And…are you instate for Iowa???</p>
<p>The MFA at Iowa only admits 1% of applicants and Iowa’s undergrads have no advantage.</p>
<p>Already have $25K/yr from Tulane and may be awarded full tuition. Have been awarded or eligible for some of the other scholarships mentioned.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, you will want to check room and board charges for your schools, which seem to be less in more rural areas.</p>
<p>So, you are instate for Iowa? So, the $17k is a near full ride?</p>
<p>Estimated COA for everything after scholarships would be about:</p>
<p>$18-20K for Iowa (OOS) and Ursinus
$14K or $28 for Tulane
$3K or 15K Pitt, UDel, Rutgers depending on scholarship level
$14K or 33K for Goucher depending on scholarship level
$14K for UNC-Asheville
$28K/yr Kenyon after scholarship
$37K for UNC-CH</p>
<p>For the highly selective need-based colleges, possible COA will be $45-50K/yr. For example, Hopkins, Wesleyan U…</p>
<p>If the student is admissible at Ivies, the thought of having him or her spend four years among less challenging peers isn’t very appealing.</p>
<p>If the family can consider $45-50K, then the cheapest options would be financially alluring, but somewhat pricier options should be swing-able.</p>
<p>If the passion is creative writing, then that calling would benefit greatly from association with other talented, passionate writers.</p>
<p>If all of the above is true, then Kenyon is an outstanding option. Kenyon is to American writing and poetry what Notre Dame is to American football. The students are at least near-Ivy if not Ivy-level in ability; that should be especially true in the English Dept. And the price tag is halfway between the bargain options and the full-pay privates.</p>
<p>It also doesn’t hurt that it’s cited from time to time as the nation’s most beautiful campus.</p>
<p>Yes, student is Ivy admissible, but not a fan of academic/competitive stress in self or others. </p>
<p>The merit options also have honors programs and housing. Wouldn’t that help with the less-challenging-peer issue?</p>
<p>I like Kenyon, also, if a more direct route to MFA at Iowa is not a given… I don’t know or have knowledge if the writing programs at many of the Ivies are “superior” to Iowa or Kenyon. I’ve never believed that top notch programs (nationally at other colleges/unis) have any superiority in terms of the majors class to those that matriculate to Ivies unless of course (LOL) you “wanna be” an IB banker.</p>
<p>Also, at the state U’s, graduation in 3 years or a double major is possible with AP credits, which adds more value to those choices. Education credentials might be a good Plan B if a funded MFA does not work out. Unfortunately, Kenyon and some of the others do not offer education.</p>
<p>Agree ^^S1 was quite serious about English/writing as he prepared for college 4-5 years ago and we talked at length about the benefits of the public school relative to his APs, teaching credentialing etc. giving him some breathing room both from a credit perspective and a potential career perspective. He is now a senior and headed in a different direction but those options were there for him had he chosen that route.</p>
<p>I’m an Ursinus grad. I love my school and the English profs. I don’t doubt your son would find challenge and opportunities at Ursinus, however, the department is small. If he doesn’t click with a prof it will be tough. The flip is also true - if he does connect the opportunites can be great. IMO the best prof at Ursinus in the English department is a very specific personality. About half the folks I know have an immediate love or hate for the prof. </p>
<p>For schools like Ursinus and Goucher, the decision cannot be finances alone. He must meet with/e-mail with some profs. </p>
<p>All that said, for anyone pursuing a master, $3k tuition at Pitt or Del would win out (I’m not a Rutgers fan - too many I know have taken >4 yrs to graduate)</p>
<p>Longhaul, PM’d you for prof’s name. Thanks!</p>
<p>There’s not going to be a direct MFA route at Kenyon either? So Iowa not having one direct route is not a big deal… in both cases it will look great to have attended the program and while I could be wrong, the MFA application would be based in large part on the writing portfolio. </p>
<p>I don’t know how much a year will be a stretch for you, only that money is a “concern”. But if Kenyon would give need aid as well (if you qualify, same for Iowa) then I would go with either, as both are top top top CW programs. Spending less on Iowa wouldn’t mean “recieving less” I should think.</p>
<p>Is Iowa’s undergrad CW as well regarded as the MFA? I don’t know how to find out about that. It can’t be anywhere near as exclusive as their grad program.</p>
<p>MFA admission is only by portfolio–it doesn’t matter where the UG writing was done.</p>
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<p>Studying writing at Kenyon is like studying business at Penn/Wharton. I don’t think the graduates of either program have concerns regarding grad school acceptance.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the other programs, but I live a few miles from Goucher and I do know that its creative writing program is very well regarded. They also offer an MFA in creating writing. I know lots of kids who go there and they are all really enjoying their time there. The study abroad program is excellent.</p>