Chrysalis Academy Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 So . . . just dipping a toe in over here for the first time. Dd is a rising 9th grader, and just now, out of the blue-ish, mid-vacation, she's started asking a bunch of questions about college. And colleges. We've spent a lot of today researching great creative writing programs. So I thought I'd ask a couple of questions: 1) Anybody have a kid in a creative writing program/major/specialization? Any recs for great schools for this? 2) Anybody familiar with any of the following schools, particularly their CW programs, English departments, how homeschool friendly they are, or anything else? University of WA University of Iowa Vanderbilt Cornell Emerson Wesleyan Hamilton Emory 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I have heard fantastic things about the writing program at Iowa. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Dd's best friend was accepted at the young writers' program at Iowa this summer. She said it was the hardest but best two weeks of her life. I think you and Shannon should look into it for next or a subsequent summer :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Yes, we're definitely eyeing Iowa, and the young writer's program would be a great way to check it out, as well as an amazing experience in its own right! Thanks. Anybody have a kid at any of those other schools? I'm also interested in hearing about the school's climate, personality, etc. Are they big party schools? frat schools? sport schools? We're kind of looking to avoid places where that's the major social emphasis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 If you go to collegedata.com, you can find out the percentage of men and women involved in fraternities and sororities to get some idea of that (at the bottom of the campus life tab). For instance, Vanderbilt shows 54% of women and 32% of men participate, Emory is 30% and 28%, Iowa is 19% and 14%. That tells me it's likely that sororities will have a bigger impact on the campus social life of women at Vanderbilt than at Iowa, but it wouldn't be as big an issue as somewhere like Washington and Lee, where 81% of women and 77% of men participate in Greek life. This data isn't reported on all schools. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*LC Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 A couple of those are on the top 100 party school list. However, I know non-party people who went to some of the schools and loved them. So, I wouldn't rule something out just because it is on this list. 1 Tulane UniversityNew Orleans, LA Show details 2 University of GeorgiaAthens, GA Show details 3 West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV Show details 4 Miami UniversityOxford, OH Show details 5 University of IowaIowa City, IA Show details 6 University of Texas - AustinAustin, TX Show details 7 University of WisconsinMadison, WI Show details 8 University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA Show details 9 Howard UniversityWashington, D.C. Show details 10 Ohio UniversityAthens, OH Show details 11 Providence CollegeProvidence, RI Show details 12 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL Show details 13 Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN Show details 14 Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX Show details 15 Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA Show details 16 Penn StateState College, PA Show details 17 Clark Atlanta UniversityAtlanta, GA Show details 18 Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA Show details 19 University of DaytonDayton, OH Show details 20 Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN Show details 21 University of Michigan - Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI Show details 22 Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL Show details 23 Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY Show details 24 University of KansasLawrence, KS Show details 25 New York UniversityNew York City, NY Show details 26 Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LA Show details 27 Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI Show details 28 Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH Show details 29 University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL Show details 30 University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL Show details 31 University of Colorado - BoulderBoulder, CO Show details 32 College of CharlestonCharleston, SC Show details 33 Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY Show details 34 University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa Crosse, WI Show details 35 Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, NJ Show details 36 George Washington UniversityWashington, D.C. Show details 37 University of FloridaGainesville, FL Show details 38 University of DenverDenver, CO Show details 39 Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX Show details 40 Arizona State UniversityTempe, AZ Show details 41 University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA Show details 42 University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC Show details 43 East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC Show details 44 University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA Show details 45 University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA Show details 46 University of DelawareNewark, DE Show details 47 Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA Show details 48 San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA Show details 49 University of Wisconsin - OshkoshOshkosh, WI Show details 50 University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA Show details 51 University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR Show details 52 Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS Show details 53 Georgetown UniversityWashington, D.C. Show details 54 Rollins CollegeWinter Park, FL Show details 55 Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA Show details 56 California State University - ChicoChico, CA Show details 57 DePaul UniversityChicago, IL Show details 58 University of MissouriColumbia, MO Show details 59 Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA Show details 60 Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX Show details 61 Bowling Green State UniversityBowling Green, OH Show details 62 Florida A&M UniversityTallahassee, FL Show details 63 Washington University in St. LouisSt. Louis, MO Show details 64 Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT Show details 65 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC Show details 66 Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, CO Show details 67 Boston UniversityBoston, MA Show details 68 Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA Show details 69 Brown UniversityProvidence, RI Show details 70 University of California - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA Show details 71 Eckerd CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL Show details 72 Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI Show details 73 SUNY OswegoOswego, NY Show details 74 University of Massachusetts - AmherstAmherst Town, MA Show details 75 University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL Show details 76 The New SchoolNew York City, NY Show details 77 Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA Show details 78 Johnson & Wales UniversityProvidence, RI Show details 79 University of MississippiUniversity, MS Show details 80 Rice UniversityHouston, TX Show details 81 Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA Show details 82 Columbia UniversityNew York City, NY Show details 83 Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IL Show details 84 University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD Show details 85 Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX Show details 86 University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN Show details 87 University of RichmondRichmond, VA Show details 88 University of the ArtsPhiladelphia, PA Show details 89 Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX Show details 90 Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA Show details 91 University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN Show details 92 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA Show details 93 Duquesne UniversityPittsburgh, PA Show details 94 Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI Show details 95 University of ArizonaTucson, AZ Show details 96 SUNY Buffalo State CollegeBuffalo, NY Show details 97 North Carolina A&T State UniversityGreensboro, NC Show details 98 SUNY CortlandCortland, NY Show details 99 Western Illinois UniversityMacomb, IL Show details 100 Clemson UniversityClemson, SC Show details 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Rose - Hamilton has a preppy/fratty environment. Welseyan is more hipster/intellectual. Nice campus. No merit aid, though. If you happen to be one of those who will not get financial aid, but can't afford $65,000 a year, you may want to only look at schools that offer merit aid. Some of the schools on your list do not. Just a heads up before you head down this path! I am not familiar with creative writing programs firsthand, but... Of course, I know about Oberlin's culture etc. :) If interested, let me know! Kenyon is a beautiful school in the middle of nowhere. Not a good fit for us, but I believe it is known for writing. How about Colorado College? Dh went there for undergrad... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Ds wanted a creative writing degree and Iowa isn't too far, so we checked it out, along with several other schools. What seemed like the best advice I got about it was to do your undergrad somewhere else and go there for their CW master's program. That was known as the real strength of their program. Ds decided he wanted to stay local, so our investigations ended early. Being in the mid-west, Iowa was definitely considered the best by everyone we spoke to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 Rose - Hamilton has a preppy/fratty environment. Welseyan is more hipster/intellectual. Nice campus. No merit aid, though. If you happen to be one of those who will not get financial aid, but can't afford $65,000 a year, you may want to only look at schools that offer merit aid. Some of the schools on your list do not. Just a heads up before you head down this path! I am not familiar with creative writing programs firsthand, but... Of course, I know about Oberlin's culture etc. :) If interested, let me know! Kenyon is a beautiful school in the middle of nowhere. Not a good fit for us, but I believe it is known for writing. How about Colorado College? Dh went there for undergrad... Ahh, yes, we probably do fall into the doughnut hole. How does one find this out? I mean, whether you would qualify for need-based aid? My sense is that those of us who live in really high COL areas are at a disadvantage here if they look at wages alone. Our wages may look high, but there isn't a house for sale in our county for under $500,000. So the mortgage eats up most of it, along with high costs for everything else. I will definitely add the merit aid/no merit aid to our criteria list, thanks for the heads up. I know a bit about Oberlin from knowing people who went there, but would love to hear more. My impression is that it might be an environment that is a good fit for dd, for sure. Never heard of Kenyon, I will look it up. And yes, Colorado College is on our list too - I'd love to hear more about it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Look for the Net Price Calculator on a college's website. There's usually a link somewhere under Admissions or Financial Aid. You might need your latest tax forms. And a stiff drink or chocolate for after :eek: :lol: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 Look for the Net Price Calculator on a college's website. There's usually a link somewhere under Admissions or Financial Aid. You might need your latest tax forms. And a stiff drink or chocolate for after :eek: :lol: :lol: sounds like I should wait till vacation is over to tackle this task! Thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 I've been looking (no reason ;))) at fully funded MFAs and Syracuse comes up in my general neck of the woods...there's at least two amazing writers that teach there but again this is the grad program. That might be a way. Find a favorite current writer and see where they teach. I've read everything one of the Syracuse profs has written... It's a moot point for DS as he is still hoping for one of the British schools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Ahh, yes, we probably do fall into the doughnut hole. How does one find this out? I mean, whether you would qualify for need-based aid? My sense is that those of us who live in really high COL areas are at a disadvantage here if they look at wages alone. Our wages may look high, but there isn't a house for sale in our county for under $500,000. So the mortgage eats up most of it, along with high costs for everything else. I will definitely add the merit aid/no merit aid to our criteria list, thanks for the heads up. I know a bit about Oberlin from knowing people who went there, but would love to hear more. My impression is that it might be an environment that is a good fit for dd, for sure. Never heard of Kenyon, I will look it up. And yes, Colorado College is on our list too - I'd love to hear more about it! Rose - I always say that if you make a household income of over $150,000, they expect you to pay full price. Sad, but true. I make way, way, way! less than that and ds's school offered me not one penny (although he has a $21,000/yr scholarship). They expect me to afford $33,000/year. It was shocking when my first went through this; now I just remind myself that these are private schools. They are for those who can afford it. It is most certainly not a right. So - I became smarter. We pulled all non-merit schools off the table (no need to deal with the heartbreak of getting in and not being able to afford it). That eliminated MANY schools, especially those in the most desirable areas. Do note that my kids wanted small liberal arts schools. Many wonderful schools in the midwest offer merit aid, so that they can pull kids in from the east and west coasts. Then, I looked at all those who offer merit aid and only considered the ones that offer a large amount of aid to a decent amount of kids. Some schools are known to be generous. This Kiplinger link is what I used and proved to be fairly accurate. Be sure to use the tool at the top to list only liberal arts schools, private and public schools. Oberlin was a perfect match for ds. If I can describe the environment and student body, it would be welcoming, loving, enthusiastic about life. Most kids have so many interests; many have double/triple majors. These are kids who want to change the world. These are kids you want to have coffee with and chat for hours. Just so kind and interesting and unpretentious. Kenyon has a different vibe. My impression is that many come from private schools (like Oberlin) but you feel it among campus. You feel the money. The campus is gorgeous (they have a "Harry Potter" dining room) and the town is, well, super tiny. Kenyon has frats and is more sports-oriented. Kenyon has great essay prompts on its application. When ds applied, one was (paraphrased) - "On the edge of old maps, there was a saying, 'Here be dragons.' What is your map and what does it say on its edge?" Colorado College (dh's undergrad) has a block schedule. Students have one class every 3 1/2 weeks. This either works. Or doesn't. Dh's experience was so long ago that I'd hate to share them (he liked it though). I assume they still have frats. I believe the town gown relations are poor. Town is very conservative I think. The acceptance rate is much lower now than ever before. My kids didn't apply there, so I don't know much about this school. Edited August 24, 2016 by lisabees 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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