MFA in Writing for Children: Which program is the best?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>I am considering pursuing an MFA in writing for children. I want to write young adult novels for children and want to enter an mfa program. I am not doing it to become a teacher, but to focus on my writing and build connections so that when I shop my stories to agents I have a small helping hand out of the slush pile so my manuscripts will at least be read! (Please no arguments for or against attending an MFA in the first place--I have already made up my mind :)). I am an IVY league graduate and this will be my first graduate degree. I have saved up money to pay so that is not an issue. My main concern is that there are limited programs in writing for children, and I am not sure what their reputations are. These are the schools I am considering for a MFA in children's writing:</p>

<ol>
<li>The New School (NY)--2 yrs Full Residency</li>
<li>Simmons College (MA)--1 yr Full Residency</li>
<li>Vermont College of Fine Arts (VT)--2 yrs Low Residency</li>
<li>Hollins University (VA)--Several Summers, Low Residency</li>
<li>University of British Columbia (Canada)--Low Residency</li>
</ol>

<p>As far as I know, these are the only MFA programs that focus on writing for children. I don't know how to decide (assuming I will get in!) which one I would be happy spending money to attend. To be honest, the only two schools I have ever heard of are the New School and Simmons. From a lay person's perspective, the New School seems like the most prestigious to me. None of these schools are tremendously high ranked schools though and some have undergraduate programs that don't even rank. The only exception is the University of British Columbia which is apparently top 20 in the world. However, I am a US citizen and I don't think it has much name recognition in the US. Correct me if I am wrong. I am concerned about reputation of the program I graduate from. I know this sounds obnoxious, but if I am going to spend 40k, I want my degree to be from the best program out there. </p>

<p>I am concerned with How the literary world views these programs. Since publishing is a long term goal of mine, I am curious which programs are well regarded by agents/publishers/readers. I also may one day want to work at a literary agency or in a publishing house either as an editor or doing something else. Again, I am wondering how publishers will view the different degrees. </p>

<p>I would appreciate any unbiased attempts at ranking them in terms of prestige. Which one has any famous faculty/graduates. Which (from people with inside knowledge) is the most highly regarded in the writing world for writing for children? WHY? Some are full residency and some are low residency. They all sound cool, but I want the most academically rigorous/prestigious program. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>This is not my field. In fact, you may want to find a more humanities-oriented board to post on to ask this question. The Chronicle of Higher Education boards would have people more educated on this, but they’re academia-focused, too.</p>

<p>I would say, though, that a low-res program is very unlikely to give you what you need. The best way to form those connections you seek is to be in the face of people in the field on a regular basis. Low residency programs also tend not to be as academically rigorous as full residency programs. I’m willing to bet that the New School and Simmons programs are far better for what you want to do than those three low-res programs.</p>

<p>However, I did poke around the Internet a bit and the Hollins program seems well-respected, and their graduates somewhat well-published. However, this seems of interest to you:</p>

<p>M.F.A. students will ground their creative work in the scholarly study of children’s literature. M.A. students may concentrate solely on the study of children’s literature as a genre which has received far too little scholarly attention in the past, or may take up to half their credits in creative writing. It is Hollins’ firm belief that any scholar of literature benefits from the experience of writing, and any serious student of writing must study closely the best works of others.</p>

<p>So you may want the MA since that seems to focus more on actual creative writing, whereas the MFA is more about scholarly research into children’s books and literature.</p>

<p>Being in a city like New York or Boston will also give you access to the cultural events and workshops/meetings that you need to make connections.</p>

3

<p>Hi Brooklynmayden,</p>

<p>Actually, since you want to write, it’s the MFA you’d want, since an MA focuses more on the academic study of children’s lit, as opposed to the MFA, where the focus is on creative writing (you also have to study lit, but more from a craft perspective, not a straight-on lit perspective).</p>

<p>I’m an Ivy league grad, I’m in my second year in an MFA in children’s writing program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I work in children’s publishing, so I do have some background in this. Hollins is also very good. Simmons is good, but they’re more noted for their MA, not their MFA program.</p>

<p>In the publishing world, the most prestigious kid lit MFA programs are the Vermont College of Fine Arts and The New School. I only applied to VCFA because, personally, I feel it’s the best (it’s the oldest and most established one), because I could continue to work full-time, and because it’s reasonably priced. </p>

<p>I’ve made the most wonderful friends during my visits there and just can’t speak more highly of it. I LOVE my program and even with my publishing connections have made a great deal more, even with the low-res structure. Agents and editors visit campus, and the advisors are there to offer up their contacts to their students. </p>

<p>If you do wind up applying, I’d say the best programs are VCFA, The New School, and Hamline, which I feel is coming up with its great instructors (like Anne Ursu and Gene Luen Yang).</p>

<p>If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to email me. It’s my username plus aol.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>What’s the down-low on summer writing conferences/workshops? Any recommendations? Also, for an aspiring YA novelist.</p>

5

<p>For any aspiring novelist, I recommend joining The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI): [SCBWI</a> | Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators](<a href=“http://www.scbwi.org%5DSCBWI”>http://www.scbwi.org) </p>

<p>SCBWI provides a wealth of information and sponsors great conferences, both locally and internationally.</p>

6

<p>I second the recommendation for SCBWI. I’ve known some people who did MFA’s at Vermont and were very pleased. Please be aware, however, that getting an MFA does not necessarily increase your likelihood of (traditional) publishing. You will learn a lot and it may lead to publication, but I know of several who got MFAs from various institutions and it seems like the percentage of really successful published writers is not necessarily higher among those with MFAs. That being said, if I didn’t need to work so hard and spend most of my money on my kids’ education, I’d love to go through an MFA program. Also, check out Highlights Foundation. They have some lovely short programs.</p>