How Do I Choose an MFA in Writing Program?
Posted on Tue, Jun 19, 2012 @ 08:13 AM
You can read all the brochures. You can surf through the website. You can talk to admissions counselors. Even visit during a Residency or Open House.
But no matter how much information you process, nothing takes the place of talking to current students in the MFA programs that interest you. Here at Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing student Patrick Ross is a frequent blogger about his experience getting his MFA (as well as his committment to pursuing his creative endeavors). Short of being here in Montpelier, Patrick's series of archived posts come as close as anything can to describing what it feels like to be here, a kind of boots-on-the-ground, students-eye, up close and personal view of the highs and lows of a typical 10-day writing residency.
"Here at the Residency," he writes last January, "everyone carries a 13-page schedule printed on garish pink paper. It is our crutch. None of us know what day it is, either day of the week or day of the residency. We just look at what’s next and go to it. Thirteen pages sounds like a lot, but in fact it is a model of brevity when you consider how many activities are occurring here. "
You can follow Patrick's ongoing journey towards his MFA here.