Creative Writing--SUNY Binghamton or Texas A&M

[Amalia222]

Okay, so I was just told I am "very near the top" for the short list at Binghamton, so I don't know about funding yet, but I am trying to decide which school I prefer if I get an offer. (if they don't offer me funding, this issue will be moot, because Texas A&M is offering me tuition waiver + stipend for 4/5 years)

Texas A&M and Bing. are both in small towns, both quiet, both relatively small, "intimate" English departments.

Bing's English dept. is ranked #58 on the US News and World Report Rankings, Texas A&M #63

Texas A&M just started offering the creative dissertation within the last couple of years, so it's quite new, but I am a good fit for the department as far as my academic specialization (transnationalism, 20thc. world lit) Also, heavy emphasis on teaching, which is what I want to do. Bing. has more emphasis on creative writing, which can be problematic, if you think about preparation for the job market, but good, when you think of having more time to write. Bing. doesn't do transnationalism as a genre, but they do 20th c. and postcolonialism, which often amounts to the same thing.

Both have a literary magazine, both have a slew of published writers as faculty or former students.

Helllllp! Anybody been to Binghamton who can comment? I've talked to former students at Texas A&M, but I'm curious about Binghamton, since they have very little info on their website.

[acetylcoa]

Hey Amalia, I'm not too familiar with the Bing. program but I am also a PhD admit to TAMU for Hispanic Studies. I would go with TAMU not only because of the generous tuition waver and stipend, but because it is a fiscally sound university with deep pockets in their library system. I learned during my recent visit that basically any book a TAMU student asks for is purchased by the library within a month.