MFA Blog

Dear Friends,

While searching MFA blogs, I found this: MFA Chronicles. The blog covers multiple topics but includes contributors from various MFA programs like Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, and other (non-fully funded) schools.

Best,

R.P.

Top Fifty (according to S.A.)

Dear Friends,

If it means anything, here are Seth Abramson's Top 50 MFA programs ranked by votes about funding, selectivity, and more on Poets and Writers.

Worth a glance.

Warmly,

R.P.

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge

Three-year program

Funding: LSU fully funds all students accepted to the program, offering teaching assistantships, enhancements, and supplements and a tuition waiver for out-of-state students as well as an excellent health insurance package. The stipends are - $16,500 if entering with a B.A. and $17,000 if entering with a MA. The assistantship includes tuition exemption as well as the health insurance. MFA candidates at LSU who have teaching assistantships teach only one class a semester. The MFA program offers opportunities to gain editorial experience by working for our many magazines and publications. The New Delta Review and The Southern Review.

Tuition per semester: $2 547.70 (residents) or $6 904.70 (non-residents); about 6 semesters to graduate/complete 42 hours of course work plus 6 hours of Thesis Research

Faculty: James Bennett, Rick Blackwood, Lara Glenum, Moira Crone, Femi Euba, Rodger Kamenetz, Mari Kornhauser, Bret Lott, Laura Mullen, David Madden, James Wilcox

Application (Deadline Jan 29)

• Statement of purpose: 500 words about yourself and your interests, your research and reading interests, and your experience as a teacher (if any).
• Official copy of transcript with an undergraduate minimum GPA of 3.2
• General GRE score (minimum of 600 in Verbal) Graduate Dept. Code: 6373
• Three letters of recommendation
• Paper application
• $25 application fee
• Separate list of undergraduate courses, descriptions, and grades
• Fiction manuscript consisting of no more than 20 pages; Poetry manuscript consisting of 8-10 poems

Admission: N/A

Website: http://www.lsu.edu/creativewriting/

Blog: http://lsumfa.blogspot.com/

Deadlines, 3-Year Programs, and Manuscripts

Dear Pre- and Post-MFA Friends,

The Stegner deadline is coming up on Dec. 1. And in case you have a book-length manuscript, consider sending it to these contests:

Iron Horse

Ohio State Press

For all those applying this fall/winter, I hope MFA applications are going smoothly. If I can say anything about the economic climate and such, it might be a good idea to apply for 3-year programs that have equal and full funding. These include ASU, U of Florida-Gainesville, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, and TX-Michener.

Again, just a reminder about how important fully-funded schools are. I just don't believe in wording like "if applicants want to apply for a fellowship" or "stipends can result up to." Who doesn't want money to support them while they live? And I just don't believe in receiving less than $12,000 an academic year for support. I know we're capable and resourceful people--but shelter, food, and healthcare are non-negotiable.

Warmly,

R.P.

Arizona State University

Arizona State University-Tempe

Three year program

Funding: Currently, all students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a 2-2 load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend, just over $12,500 per year. Graduate students with assistantships must enroll for a minimum of six credit hours each semester.

All full-time MFA students are currently offered Virginia G. Piper Fellowships for each of their three years of study, based on satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements. Two Theresa A. Wilhoit Fellowships, one in poetry, one in fiction, provide the benefits of a Teaching Assistantship without the teaching responsibilities for one semester of the third year. Wilhoit Fellowships are administered by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. Graduate College fellowships and a small number of Research Assistantships provide other sources of funding. RAs are not typically awarded for the first year. Other prizes available.

Tuition: $3068 for six hours per semester or $6136 per year for a resident; $5,096 for six hours per semester or $10,192 per year for a non-resident.

Faculty: Sally Ball, Jay M. Boyer, Norman Dubie, Beckian Fritz Goldberg, Cynthia Hogue, T. R. Hummer, T. M. McNally, Melissa Pritchard, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Alberto Alvaro Rios, Jeannine Savard, Peter Turchi

Application (Deadline Jan. 15):

• Online application
• A personal statement including your writing background, intended area of specialization, a brief self-evaluation of recent work, and goals.
• 3 Letters of recommendation
• Personal resume or CV
• Three (3) copies of a manuscript sample: 20 pages of poetry, 30 pages of prose, or both.
• Official academic transcript

Website: http://www.english.clas.asu.edu/cw-apply

A Talk

I can't stress how important it is to apply to programs that give funding and health insurance. There are so many reasons to be financially smart about your MFA list. For one, unless you have have inherited millions or won the lottery it's no small feat to pay back student loans for an MFA with an MFA. It doesn't make sense to come out of an art program with $80-100,000 in debt. You're not going to be a doctor or an engineer with a lucrative position. You're going to be a writer. Most poetry or fiction prizes pay $1,000. The Pulitzer pays $10,000. The NEA and Guggenheim more, but know your odds.

As an artist, you should be given time and money to write (and in some cases teaching experience to prepare you for a job post-MFA). You shouldn't be paying a school so that you can write. In short, let grants, donors, the undergraduates at the given institution-- or rather, their parents pay for you to be there.

Worrying about how you're going to feed yourself or pay for a doctor's visit is no way to live. It's not conducive to writing. You need to have a decent place to live, good health care, and delicious food that you take pleasure in eating (don't try living on sandwiches, then toast because your lunch meat runs out, then cereal because the bread has run out). Take care of yourself.

And if somehow, you've already applied to programs that don't have great funding. Then somehow, you only get into two very poorly funded schools, just know that you don't have to pick one. There's always next year.

More Money

As far as websites show, these are the schools that have increased their fellowship/stipend/funding:

Johns Hopkins University
Washington St. Louis
Purdue