Did anyone else apply to Arkansas for playwriting?

[LordQuas]

It's my number 1 at the moment, but I haven't seen anyone bring it up on here. Is there something not so great about the program?

[Gamb1t]

Well, I have some experience with this program (not as a student but as a collaborator).  I attended a different Arkansas university, and I applied to many playwriting MFAs before ultimately deciding to accept an MA/PhD offer instead.

That being said, they have a history of making strange acceptance choices.  For example, if you are from Arkansas I wouldn't hold your breath.  They typically do not accept in-state applicants for any of the MFA programs in creative writing.  There have been exceptions, but those exceptions in recent years have usually had some pretty obvious motivations behind them in the form of publicity, money, or simply notoriety.

There has also been some strangeness with their acceptance rotation (the number of people they accept each cycle and the frequency of those cycles).  This has led to some issues fulfilling the promise of providing opportunity for fully-produced work like is supposed to happen. A colleague who recently finished the program there ended up being disappointed and feeling misled when comparing the amount of produced work which he was granted an opportunity compared to how it was sold to him when choosing a program. 

All that being said, the program has turned out some great work in recent years, so I am sure it is--like most grad programs--a "your mileage may vary" sort of environment.  Either way, good luck with it all.