NYU or UPenn for Aspiring Writer

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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<p>It's a week before I have to officially decide where I'm going to school, and I've hit a wall in choosing between NYU and the University of Pennsylvania. My entire life I've wanted to be a writer, but I don't know if I want to write Fiction or Plays/Screenplays.</p>

<p>I've been accepted to the Dramatic Writing Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts as well as the College of Arts and Sciences at UPenn. Which university would be better for an aspiring writer?</p>

<p>Here's what I THINK I know so far: If I choose NYU I'll be immersed in Playwriting/Screenwriting and I'll have the opportunity to make publishing connections in NYC. Conversely, if I choose Penn I'll have access to the Kelly Writers' House and I'll have the prestige an Ivy League education.</p>

<p>Which university would open up more opportunities for a CAREER in writing, not just a degree? Would literary agents and theater/screen producers be more impressed by NYU or Penn?</p>

<p>I'm worried that if I attend NYU I'll miss my only chance on an Ivy League education, and that if I don't make it as a writer I'll have nothing to fall back on. However, I worry that if I attend Penn I'll be "playing it safe" as a writer, rather than diving headfirst into the competitive world of New York City. I also worry that if I attend Penn I'll get stuck as an English major with nothing but a "concentration" in Creative Writing, and my love for writing stories will get shoved aside just like it was in high school. Whereas at NYU, I'll be thrust into the Dramatic Writing major with very few general education requirements.</p>

<p>NYU also seems to have more opportunities for all forms of writing (Playwriting, Screenwriting, and Fiction) while at Penn I can't even find a single Playwriting CLASS. (I have no interest in Poetry). At the same time, I know there are thousands of kids who would love to attend school at an Ivy League, including myself. I love UPenn, and the idea of turning down their offer of admission makes me want to throw up.</p>

<p>While I don't believe a person can be "taught to write," I do believe it's important to hone one's skills and to make the necessary connections for publication as early as possible. Where do I go to school?</p>

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<p>If your descriptions of the programs are accurate NYU hands down. </p>

<p>Where do Penn grads end up who want to be dramatic writers?</p>

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<p>There are a lot of great writers who have attended Ivy League schools. Think of Thomas Pynchon at Cornell or Allen Ginsburg at Columbia. Honestly I think it’s more helpful as a writer to get an intense course in 20th century drama, reading O’Neill and Brecht rather than to participate in another writer’s workshop. On the other hand, there are people I know who went to SUNY Purchase to focus on writing drama and are now writing for HBO. Your odds of success as a dramatic writer however are not that great and a Penn degree is a tremendous fallback in case it doesn’t work out. Think of it this way - if you work your butt off at either school and have a 3.8 GPA you can bail out and go to Harvard Law School from Penn and have a cushy job the rest of your life, but if you fail at NYU you might be servicing lattes at Starbucks. Anyway, if you already have “proven success” (meaning, you’ve already written plays that have been performed, and you’re insanely confident of your abilities), then NYU might be the way to go, New York would be a better place. But Tony Kushner went to Columbia, not NYU, if that’s your model. Have you heard of Harold Prince? He’s a Penn alum active in theater. Reach out to him and ask.</p>

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<p>You said it yourself, the thought of turning down Penn makes you feel sick, so go to Penn. You can always do a masters at NYU in creative writing or dramatic writing later on, once you have a better idea of what exactly you want to do.</p>

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<p><a href=“The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost | Poetry Foundation”>http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Read the Robert Frost poem. </p>

<p>Take the riskier road - the one less traveled by. </p>

<p>Live a life worthy of writing about. </p>

<p>Go to NYU and experience all it has to offer YOU. </p>

<p>Every writer needs to spend some time living in Greenwich Village! </p>