just wondering.
If you mean poetry writing, that falls under creative writing, for which many of these schools would be excellent:
The 10 best American colleges for writers | USA TODAY College
http://college.usatoday.com/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers/
The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers | The Freelancer
http://contently.net/2014/11/06/resources/10-best-colleges-creative-writers/
The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America | Flavorwire
http://flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america
Kenyon would be one school that comes to mind. You can read through the articles for others.
Sarah Lawrence is also excellent for writing, but it has a very unique vibe.
Wesleyan has its own press label:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/spotlight/wesleyan-poetry.html
John Hopkins is well regarded.
I’m not sure how other schools work but I believe once at Princeton you have to apply and be accepted into a Creative Writing Workshop and later can apply to write CW Thesis. So it’s not a guarantee.
Kenyon
Sewanee
U of Iowa
Bard
Vassar
Hamshire
Hamilton used to tout its writing overall but I’m not sure about its poetry
Mt. Holyoke
Barnard
Columbia
NYU
Smith
This question tends to produce the same handful of elite northeastern and midwestern schools every time, most of which have been mentioned in the posts above. There are, however, many colleges with superb writing programs, some of which are less popular on CC – Warren Wilson and Hollins among liberal arts colleges, for example, or U Oregon and U Houston among larger schools.
I recommend beginning instead by pondering what you want in a college in terms of size and location, what you can afford (how much merit and/or financial aid will you need?), and where your stats (GPA and test scores) make you a competitive applicant.
You don’t have to be a small lac to find good poetry instruction and talent. They do have a history of being supportive. But find your favorite contemporary poets and see if they teach. And see where. Or see where these poets where educated originally. Probably a safe bet
Vanderbilt currently has Lorrie Moore teaching
Bard currently has Neil Gaiman
MIT currently has Junot Diaz teaching
Berkeley currently has Vikram Chandra teaching
@Dustyfeathers Good research!!!
Also look for schools where authors known for writing poetry teach.
University of Limerick.
If you are seeking a liberal arts education, most colleges will not offer a “poetry major”. Rather you would major in English and specialize in creative writing or critical study of poetry or both. Remember that the world of poetry is VAST and if you are certain you want that to be your focus, you should think about things such as time periods - for example, does have 3 professors focused on renaissance era poetry and drama and no one working in the modern era? Look at schools who have published poets on the faculty, a healthy range of creative writing classes, faculty who have published critical studies on poets or poetic movements that interest you, and where undergrads have access to small seminars. Also, some schools (Wesleyan is one) have not only a university press that publishes poetry (and where you can intern) but might also have a writing conference or event for professional writers where you can intern/work/meet published writers.