Summer Creative Writing Programs 2018

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
1

Hey everyone, I am a current sophomore in high school and I have been looking into residential creative writing programs for high school kids for a couple of months now. There’s really not too much information in regards to reviews on programs like Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, Kenyon College’s Young Writer’s Workshop, etc. I have a boatload of questions, and I would love to start a thread up for 2018.

I have been looking into applying for Kenyon, Iowa, and Sewanee, but they are all very expensive. I know a few offer financial aids, but I’m not sure I would qualify for financial aid because my family isn’t low-income, but my parents definitely cannot afford to pull $2,000+ out of their pockets to send me away for a week. I was wondering if any writing programs offer significant financial aid even to more middle class families, or if any offered merit-based scholarships? I have yet to convince my parents to let me go to a program and it would make my chances a lot better if I got a good scholarship.

TL;DR: I’m looking into residential summer creative writing programs for high school kids (specifically Kenyon, Iowa, and Sewanee). It would be nice if someone could tell me about their time at any of these programs. Also, do any of these programs give financial aid to middle class families or merit based scholarships?

Any additional information would be great.

2

Two thoughts:

  1. Financial aid is designed to allow students whose families truly cannot pay for the program tuition to attend. Very often, families can pay for the tuition, but they can't pay for it and maintain their usual spending patterns. This can be a touchy subject, but I know from close observation that many families who have more than enough resources to pay in full for summer programs claim they don't, simply because they maintain a certain lifestyle that uses their discretionary funds. Find a way to objectively determine whether you would qualify for financial aid and, if not, which parts of the family budget can be cut back or eliminated to pay for a summer program. Your parents may or may not work with you on such a research project. Sometimes if parents have a special situation, explaining that on a financial aid form can make a difference.
  2. Consider also that you have to get accepted into the program to qualify for financial aid. If you've not evaluated the likelihood of acceptance, some of this might be irrelevant. There is no harm in applying either way. You'll learn something simply from that process. You can't be sure you will or won't be accepted, but it's worth considering.
  3. Many students have jobs or regularly earn money on a casual basis by working on farms, babysitting, doing yard work, or something else. Some students give everything they earn to their parents so that there will be enough food in the house. Others spend their money as they wish. It sounds as though you may not have considered earning the money yourself or at least paying for part of the tuition and asking your parents to pay the rest. If you don't have to work to help support your family, then work to save money for the summer program. You can also sell things you don't need and ask your family and neighbors if they'd like to donate anything you can sell to raise money for this effort.
  4. You can create your own summer program as an alternative to the programs you listed. Offer to do clerical or other work for a teacher or college instructor in exchange for them mentoring you in creative writing for the summer. Or, organize a group of local students who pay a carefully selected instructor to meet them in a coffee shop during the summer for an ad hoc creative writing program. You can also do this online with Google Docs so that nobody has to even leave their home. I know you want a residential experience, but someone has to pay for it and if your family is deemed able (but unwilling) to pay, then you'll have to consider other options. If you want to create a residential program, consider your options. Does someone you know own a vacation home? Would parents of friends host such a program in their own home? You have options.