Every year more students enter the realm of college, many of those as Creative Writing majors. Before attending, it’s necessary to understand which university has the best undergraduate creative writing program for their individual needs. All students can use different methods to decide which school is right for them; one way is to look at the College Board’s information on each university which includes tuition rates and available majors. Their website which has multiple search tools that will help any student find an academic match.
Another beneficial source for researching a future residence of study is US News and World Report’s annual rankings list. Some say the rankings are biased and weigh too heavily on the school’s reputation, but they still hold useful information about each university. Five of the top four year universities in California on the Board’s 2010 ranking are described here.
California Creative Writing University
Stanford University is ranked number four on US News and World Reports Best Colleges of 2010. It’s a private co-ed university in a suburban setting with 6500 undergraduate students. Sixty four percent of them hail from out of state and 87% achieved a high school grade point average of 3.75 or greater. The posted tuition price for both in and out of state applicants is currently $37,380.
Their English department’s creative writing major is called English with a Creative Writing Emphasis and the two available concentrations are Prose and Poetry. It’s a 13 course major that’s very popular; because of this popularity, prospective creative writing students must enroll in the courses through a course lottery. A few helpful resources and unique sports teams include the writing center, an on campus daycare, water polo, squash, and judo. Essays are required in Stanford’s admission application.
Southern California’s Top Creative Writing Programs
University of Southern California in Los Angeles: Ranked number 26, this is also a private coed school, but Los Angeles is an urban area. Fifty three percent of the student body had a high school G.P.A. of 3.75 or more. The cost of tuition and fees is $39,274 for in and out of state applicants, but 77% of them are awarded financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants. USC’s English Major has an Emphasis on Creative Writing and consists of 10 major courses. Popular activities on campus include contributing to their literary magazine or student newspaper, visiting the writing center, and joining the skiing, boxing, or equestrian teams. A personal statement is required in the admission application.
Pepperdine University in Malibu: This private liberal arts college ranks at number 58 on the list. It’s affiliated with the Church of Christ and is coed; Malibu is a suburban area. They have a Creative Writing major and recommendation letters are a required admission application supplement. Current tuition and fee pricing is at $37,850 for both in and out of state applicants and the student population with a high school G.P.A. of 3.75 or higher is 51 percent. Model U.N., non-tackle football, and handball are among the available extracurricular activities.
University of California San Diego in La Jolla: US News and World Report has ranked this university at number thirty five. It’s public, coed, and in the suburban city of La Jolla. Eighty percent of the students had a high school G.P.A. of 3.75 or greater. Tuition is $8,798 for California residents while students from outside of the state pay $31,467 annually. Diving and crew rowing are two sports on campus; a personal statement is required from each applicant.
University of California Riverside in Riverside: Here is another public, coed University of California in a suburban area, but it’s ranked number 96 on the list. Only 18% of its students obtained a high school G.P.A. of 3.75 or higher. The in state cost of tuition is $8,507 and the out of state or international cost is $31,178 each academic year. One helpful resource the college offers is personal counseling and two sports teams are bowling and table tennis. All University of California campuses have a common application so prospective students may indicate their campus choices on a single one.
Earn a Creative Writing Degree
A few things that College Board says to keep in mind are the location, size, mix of students, academics, extracurricular options, and facilities that will vary between schools. One thing that should not be a deciding factor is the posted cost of the tuition; this can always be reduced by acquiring financial aid, scholarships, or working. For creative writing students, it is also important to think about any portfolio pieces that may be required before admission.
Sources: College Board's College Matchmaker tool. 9/5/2009.
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