For students aspiring to fi nd the writer within, there is no better time to study creative
writing in college. Creative writing has gained immense popularity on campuses over the
past few decades. There are more programs than ever before, and as a result, more options
to explore in your college search. When deciding whether you want to focus your
college studies on creative writing, ask yourself these questions:
■ Why do I want to be a writer?
■ What kind of writer do I want to be?
These questions, in addition to research into different programs, will help you fi gure out
where you ultimately want to study.
Types of Creative Writing Programs
Traditionally, creative writing programs have been part of English departments at colleges
and universities across the country. But in recent decades, creative writing has expanded
as a discipline and is now offered at many more institutions. Today, there are several different
degree plans that a student can consider when seeking college training in creative
writing. The fi rst is the most traditional route, which is declaring an English major and
taking creative writing courses as part of that major. This usually means pursuing a bachelor
of arts (BA) in English with a concentration or emphasis in creative writing.
A second option is a bachelor of fi ne arts (BFA) in creative writing. Fewer colleges offer
this degree plan. The curriculum at these schools may still require a student to take literature
courses, but they are often designed slightly differently than an English course offered
in a traditional English Department. Many times, the courses approach the studying
of literature from a writer’s perspective and teach how to use this knowledge to enhance
the students’ writing. Creative writing programs offering the BFA sometimes are separate
from English departments and usually have their own faculty.
A few schools offer a combined BA in English and creative writing or literature and
creative writing. The availability of such a degree plan often refl ects a departmental philosophy
that they want to place equal importance on each part of the curriculum—writing
and literature.
If you have other academic interests outside of creative writing, double majoring in another
fi eld is always an option. Because creative writing is an artistic discipline that is most
closely aligned with academic studies (in other words, there is no performing requirement
that requires rehearsals or time required in an art studio), it’s probably one of the
more logical choices of disciplines that can be combined with other majors.
The most common tracks in creative writing programs are fi ction and poetry regardless of
the degree offered. Many schools offer courses in creative nonfi ction and screenwriting.
A small number of colleges may offer a specifi c concentration in creative nonfi ction or
screenwriting at the undergraduate level, but it’s more common to concentrate in these
specifi c areas in graduate MFA programs.
If you are interested in journalism, some colleges that offer courses in creative nonfi ction
writing also group journalism classes within that program rather than in a separate journalism
degree program. This is most common at liberal arts colleges and small universities.
Writing Portfolios
At most colleges and universities that offer a BA in English with a concentration or emphasis
in creative writing, preparing a portfolio is usually not required for admission.
However, some of these institutions may require a portfolio before you can declare a
major for acceptance into the creative writing program. It is important to investigate the
writing portfolio requirement at each school you are considering because it varies from
school to school.
You may fi nd that you do need to submit a creative writing portfolio for either admission
to a BFA program or for acceptance into the creative writing program at a school where
you’ve already been accepted. Normally, portfolio requirements include the submission
of at least 10 pages of your best work. The material you assemble for the portfolio should
represent the genre you are most interested in studying. Of course, if you are interested
in studying multiple genres, you may want to ask if it would be appropriate to submit a
fewer number of samples from each genre.
Remember that once you start taking creative writing courses in college, honing your
craft as a writer has only just begun. At some institutions, students must have a minimum
grade to advance to the next level of creative writing workshops.
“We want to make sure students in creative writing workshops really want to
be there,” says Jim Daniels, director of the creative writing program at Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
What to Expect in a Creative Writing Workshop
“What exactly is a workshop class?” you may ask. In college creative writing programs,
intermediate and advanced level classes are often called workshops because
the students are involved in handson activities. Typically, most of the class
time in these courses is spent reading and evaluating each student’s writing. Classmates
bring several copies of their writing assignment—whether it is a short story, collection of
poems, a portion of a novel, an essay or a play—to class on a specifi ed date. The class assignment
is then to read everyone’s work and come to the next class prepared to discuss
each student’s writing and provide individual feedback.
Of course, sharing writing among other classmates can be intimidating at fi rst.
“You have a fearful opportunity to improve your writing,” comments Danny Clifford,
a senior creative writing student at the University of Arizona. “A lot of the work that is
shared consists of your innermost thoughts.”
Here are some ground rules to follow when taking your fi rst college writer’s workshop:
1. Treat others’ work with respect.
2. Give other students comments about specifi c areas of their craft that are
not working, rather than saying what you don’t “like” about it. Individual
tastes vary, so what you don’t like is not appropriate feedback that should
be shared out loud. A good critique means that you look for areas where
the writing technique can be technically improved.
3. Try to take constructive criticism gracefully. People in the workshop
care about writing, and like you they want to improve their writing as well.
Remember that many times you will walk away from the class with new
ideas about how to improve your writing that you may have not previously
considered.
Finding a Writing Community
It is important to fi nd a sense of community in a creative writing program. Students
in creative writing programs often form very close bonds because they share their inner-
most thoughts through the writing workshop review process. Students share parts of
themselves through their writing, which requires a great deal of trust, an element that can
become the foundation for deep friendships. Evaluating relationships between students
and creative writing professors is also important.
There is no better way to fi nd out if a writing community truly exists on a campus than
visiting the school. A brochure can tout faculty members, literary conferences and a visiting
writers’ series, but this may not necessarily refl ect what the writing life on campus is
actually like.
“Things going on outside of the classroom often infl uence what goes on inside the classroom,”
explains Daniels of Carnegie Mellon.
Evaluating Creative Writing Programs
After you’ve visited campuses, talked to faculty members and students at various schools
and discussed college options with your parents, it’s time to take a close look at each
institution you are seriously considering. It may seem that many of the creative writing
programs look alike from afar. Hopefully, the campus visits have revealed elements of
the various programs that will help you narrow down which campus might be the best for
you. Here are some questions to keep in mind when you are in the last stages of making
your fi nal choice. You may want to make a list and compare notes side-by-side for each
school. The answers might reveal where you should ultimately enroll.
Coursework. Whether you are looking at BA or BFA programs, consider
how the major is structured. How many introductory and advanced writing
courses will you take? How many different genres are offered? How
many traditional English literature survey courses and seminars will you
need to take? Are independent studies in creative writing available? Is a
thesis required, and can it be a creative thesis like a novel, play or a collection
of poems or short stories?
Faculty. Are the faculty well-known writers? Will you be taught by them
or graduate assistants? Have faculty won writing awards? Do they have
master’s degrees in writing (MFA) or doctoral degrees (a few institutions
in the country now offer Ph.D.s in English with creative writing emphases,
which is a somewhat new development in the discipline)?
Visiting writers. Do visiting writers teach on campus or do they only give
readings? Who has been a visiting writer? How often are they on campus?
Internship opportunities. Does the department have connections with local
newspapers, magazines or publishing companies to help place students in
internships for possible writing-related careers?
Publication opportunities. What kinds of publication opportunities are available
to students? Is there a student literary magazine or newspaper? Are
there writing contests?
Alumni. How many alumni have become published authors? Have they
gone on to successful careers as writers or editors? Have they been successful
in other fi elds like teaching, journalism, law or higher education?
Creative Writing and the “Real World”
Like other artistic disciplines, many people wonder what creative writing students will
do with their degree once they get into the “real world.” Some creative writing programs
have connections to writing-related internships in which students may participate during
their course of study.
For example, Carnegie Mellon is unique in that Carnegie Mellon University Press publishes
more fi ction and poetry than any other university press in the nation. Consequently,
the university press relies on student interns to do a signifi cant amount of work that
requires a great deal of responsibility on their part. This gives students opportunities to
gain experience in their craft as well as published work to include in their resumes when
they graduate.
“A question a lot of people ask is, ‘What am I going to do with a degree in creative writing?’”
says Daniels. “The answer is ‘Just about everything.’ At Carnegie Mellon, our
alumni have done everything from becoming a lawyer to being a rock star—everyone
seems to be using writing in some way.”
This is not at all surprising to Daniels because in his view, “Every occupation needs
people to communicate.”
So to quench any fears about what you are going to do with that creative writing degree,
remember that having good writing skills can help in almost any professional fi eld. Also,
many writers have day jobs until their careers take off—so it is likely you’ll be using your
writing in other ways besides writing the great American novel…at least at fi rst.
Source: Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
