There are people who believe that liberal arts colleges have inherent advantages. For one perspective on this, check out the following article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/l-jay-lemons/the-gold-standard-the-powerful-impact-of-residential_b_4633443.html
@mountaingoats…yes, she will need some financial aid to attend Kenyon or Mac. If she were to apply ED at either, isn’t there an ‘out clause’ that allows her to not attend if the financial aid package isn’t sufficient? Anyone know how that works, and does that allowance to say no differ from school to school on ED?
If you really look closely at the course catalogues for Mac and Kenyon, as i just did, you may be very surprised by what you find. A student at Mac will have as many, if not more opportunities to be in creative writing class as one at Kenyon. Mac teaches various genres – although not all are offered every year, with planning, a student can take each one desired.
Please note that at Kenyon, students are required to submit a writing sample before being admitted to upper level creative writing classes. At Mac, they are not. I’d check into how easy it is – or is not – to be admitted into the writing classes at Kenyon if i were you, OP!
At the same time, i wouldn’t pick any school because it has a superstar author. You don’t know how good that writer is at teaching, editing and nurturing other writers. That person may very well be great in the classroom, but it may also be that someone who is not as well-published might actually be a fabulous teacher.
here’s the link to the student publications at Mac – perhaps take a look at it and see what you think about the writing quality and opportunities: http://www.macalester.edu/lifeatmac/
ED is not binding if upon acceptance the financial aid terms are insufficient. They usually are a bit better than the calculators.
There is no difference from school to school in terms of refusing an ED acceptance for financial reasons.
I suggest that before you apply you have a discussion with the financial aid office regarding your calculation and get comments. Please remember to submit all the financial requirements when you apply, not after.
You can browse online to get further perspective on desirable colleges for future writers:
The 10 Best American Colleges for Writers / USA Today
The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers / The Freelancer
The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America / Flavowire
USNWR also has a subcategory, “Writing in the Disciplines.”
a note on creative writing…my daughter and I attended a lecture by a visiting author when we were visiting a (top 50) LAC. His advice: if you want to be a writer, DON’T major in creative writing…Writers need experiences to draw from more than anything. So it seems like the splitting hairs of “which school is better for writing” doesn’t need to be the top criteria for choosing a college. The school that will support all of your interests (those you know about and those you don’t yet) and where you will be involved might be the school that will best fill you with experiences you need to be a good writer.
I respect this writer’s advice, @WhataProcess. But aren’t there structural elements of, say, playwriting that can be taught? Prose fiction? Poetry? The creative writing major itself may not be what is important to an aspiring writer, but the electives within it – or within a great conventional English department – can establish the disciplined foundation that may be necessary for effective creative expression. I agree that the overall fit of a college is extremely important, but there’s no reason why this primary consideration cannot be combined with more specific research.
Incredible helpful information, on all fronts. Thank you very much.
Numerous writers have said similar things. In fact, one writer said simply “The best way to learn how to write well is to read great literature.”
Creative writing is a skill to be developed, not a subject to be learned. It is mostly up to the student/writer.
In addition, I would be a little worried about a program which forces a student to write poetry, for example, when that student has no interest in poetry. Writers have a wide variety of styles and methods. Thus, students should explore Creative Writing programs with great care. A program might be a poor fit, even if otherwise laudable.