Could I Apply To A Tier 1 School?

[potentialenglishgrad]

Hi! I'm a current undergrad student studying English with a Creative Writing track at a local university. I'm interested in looking into grad schools for Creative Writing.

I began undergrad at a community college in 2014 and had a bad start. Went through depression and failed a decent amount of classes during that. I made most of those classes up, and slowly brought my GPA back up to a 3.0 before transferring to my current university. Currently, I have 3.7 (at this school) that should be at least 3.8 by the time I apply for school in the fall (If I pick up an extra class this summer, I could manage 3.9 before applying).

In my current transcript, there are three of those failed classes visible from before I transferred. Two occurred in 2015 and the last in 2017. All three classes were math and Econ related, because early on I was a business major. All other grades on the transcript from then and now are As and a few Bs.

I was just wondering if someone could give some insight on my chances of being considered a good candidate, and maybe what I can do between now and the fall to help myself stand out? I got myself through most of community college by freelance writing and have been published in several print and online magazines (reviews, columns, articles), though nothing "story" related yet. I also have a large  resume of career work in social media management, writing, and production in the entertainment industry. And in these last two semesters at my current university, I've gotten very involved in on-campus clubs and organizations. 

Would any of these things help my chances? If I am applying for a Creative Writing, English, or related Masters program, what are the most important things that the college would look for?

I am of course interested in getting into the best program/school that I can manage, but am looking for some guidance from you all before I get my heart set on something that's out of my reach due to my grades. I really appreciate any advice you have. Thank you all in advance!

[feralgrad]

Welcome to the forum, PEG! Most MFA programs have a minimum GPA requirement between 3.0-3.5. Outside of that, your grades aren't important. Your writing sample is by far the most important part of the application, and it's what you should focus your energy on. The fact that you'll (assumably) have workshop experience is a major plus, and I'd encourage you to take your potential samples there.

Beyond your sample, you should be most concerned with your letters of recommendation and statement of purpose. Those materials show admissions committees your personality and what you'd bring to the community.

By the way, there aren't really tier 1 schools in the MFA world the way there are in other fields. It's generally advised to go where the funding is, rather than focus on a school's reputation. Since the MFA isn't a super marketable degree, avoiding debt will probably help you more than paying to go to Columbia.

[potentialenglishgrad]

8 minutes ago, feralgrad said:

Welcome to the forum, PEG! Most MFA programs have a minimum GPA requirement between 3.0-3.5. Outside of that, your grades aren't important. Your writing sample is by far the most important part of the application, and it's what you should focus your energy on. The fact that you'll (assumably) have workshop experience is a major plus, and I'd encourage you to take your potential samples there.

Beyond your sample, you should be most concerned with your letters of recommendation and statement of purpose. Those materials show admissions committees your personality and what you'd bring to the community.

By the way, there aren't really tier 1 schools in the MFA world the way there are in other fields. It's generally advised to go where the funding is, rather than focus on a school's reputation. Since the MFA isn't a super marketable degree, avoiding debt will probably help you more than paying to go to Columbia.

Thanks for the welcome! And for the info re: GPA and school reputations/funding. Such a relief to hear my GPA is in the clear. And this is the first time I look into anything like this since I was looking into undergrad schools in 2013 so I appreciate the advice!

I believe where I got the notion that I should focus on "top" schools was from a professor who is encouraged me to go for a Screenwriting MFA (screenwriting is what I focus on now as a hobby) and to aim for the top programs like USC because it has great alumni, is in the middle of the industry, and would be the best move for networking. But that's probably not the same for a general Creative Writing MFA? 

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what's good about getting an MFA? If it's not really marketable, what's the draw? For me, I'm applying because I'd like to do a more in-depth study in narrative techniques and storytelling than what I'm getting at my current school, but I can probably do without it. I'm also graduating almost debt-free from my current institution, so I thought getting into some major debt for grad school could be worth it. Is it? lol (Just looking for some more perspective here as I'm first gen and don't have any friends who are doing grad school.)

[feralgrad]

I don't know much about the screenwriting world, but it sounds like it functions pretty differently from creative writing. CW MFA programs are a great place to network, but you don't need to be in a big city or a well-known program for that.

The draw is exactly what you said: time to study writing intensively. The community and mentorship also attract people. It's 2-3 years to develop a novel-length manuscript with a bunch of other writers -- what's not to love about that?

Nonetheless, it's not worth taking on debt for in my opinion. I don't have undergrad debt either, and I decided paying for an MFA was a bad choice. Technically an MFA qualifies you to teach at the university level, but the academic job market is abysmal, even worse post-pandemic (I heard one user here describe the humanities job market as "post-apocalyptic," and I think it's much the same for our ilk). Many MFA alums work in publishing, editing, marketing, and university admissions -- by no means bad fields, although an MFA is a somewhat roundabout way to get there. You could also teach K-12 with an additional certification, and your MFA will net you a higher salary. So it's not useless by any means, but it's not a great investment. You're not likely to get rich with an MFA, and from what I've heard the debt can be suffocating.