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evebecker

Mar 9, 2010, 9:09 PM

Post #2151 of 2528 (7584 views)
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VCFA, Lesley, Antioch, Pacific--looking for opinions [In reply to]	Can't Post

Trying to decide between VCFA, Lesley and Antioch. (Haven't heard from Pacific, yet.) Have been accepted to all in both fiction and CNF, and want to work in both genres. Very hard call. I like Lesley for its flexibility (may be able to work in both genres at any point--not just semester by semester), the fact that I can do a dual genre degree without adding an extra semester, the interdisciplinary component, and the location (closest to NY, where I live). Like Antioch for its focus on social justice--love this--and field work; its philosophy is a match for me. VCFA seems to get the biggest raves from alum, and has a blue chip rep. Location is a plus, too. All three seem to have stellar faculty. Wondering if anyone cares to weigh in. Two more considerations: 1) I am a secondary school teacher, and am very involved in supporting/teaching teacher-writers through CW workshops, professional development, writers' groups, etc. Thinking that Lesley's interdisciplinary component or Antioch's social justice focus and field work would go nicely with this. 2) I am an older applicant (52), and wonder if any of the schools I'm considering have more age-diverse (and just plain diverse) student bodies than others. Thanks for any info you can supply!

emjayroads

Mar 19, 2010, 10:36 PM

Post #2152 of 2528 (7424 views)
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Re: [ChoiceD] Anyone know about Carlow or Fairfield [In reply to]	Can't Post

I've been accepted to Carlow for Fiction and I've decided to attend. I would love to chat with anyone else planning to attend the residency in Ireland this summer.

evemorton

Apr 15, 2010, 8:23 PM

Post #2153 of 2528 (6989 views)
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Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello. I'm new to this thread. I have officially applied to Goddard, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado and am awaiting word. I am in the process of writing a critical essay for Spalding.

My first choice would be Goddard and second would be Spalding, when I finish and send in, my critical essay that is. Are there any current, future, or past students that are/have/will attend(ing)(ed) Goddard? My concentration at Goddard would be Screenwriting.

pongo
Real men bake bread.

Apr 16, 2010, 8:01 AM

Post #2154 of 2528 (6952 views)
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Re: [evemorton] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

Poetry: It's not just for sissies any more.

Difficult Listening, Sundays from ten to noon (Central time), at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

http://home.comcast.net/~david.m.harris/site/

evemorton

Apr 16, 2010, 2:32 PM

Post #2155 of 2528 (6901 views)
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Re: [pongo] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I graduated Goddard in '98. Do you have any specific questions? I can say right up front that I'm one of those people who just loved spending ten days of winter in Vermont, but not everyone shared that feeling.

I have actually chosen the campus in Washington instead of Vermont for the residencies. I don't care for snow too much...

Do you remember how long it took to hear back from Goddard on whether you were accepted?

Eve Morton

pongo
Real men bake bread.

Apr 16, 2010, 5:13 PM

Post #2156 of 2528 (6875 views)
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Re: [evemorton] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

It was a while back, but I think it was three or four weeks.

Poetry: It's not just for sissies any more.

Difficult Listening, Sundays from ten to noon (Central time), at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

http://home.comcast.net/~david.m.harris/site/

evemorton

Apr 16, 2010, 7:29 PM

Post #2157 of 2528 (6853 views)
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Re: [pongo] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

It was a while back, but I think it was three or four weeks.

Great! Thanks

Eve Morton

ahanridge

Apr 21, 2010, 1:59 PM

Post #2158 of 2528 (6712 views)
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Re: [evemorton] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

ahanridge

Apr 21, 2010, 3:27 PM

Post #2159 of 2528 (6691 views)
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Re: [shyanne777] Anyone know about Carlow or Fairfield [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Shyanne! I'm a current Spalding student. Next month will be my 4th of 5 residencies, starting my 4th of 4 semesters, and I'll graduate in May of 2011, since I'm enrolling in the longer "Spring Stretch" semester. I have loved my time at Spalding and am happy to answer any questions you might have of a current student.

Best,

Amy

In Reply To

I would love to try Carlow since you take turns going to Ireland for residency! The first site I used for research was the Association of Writers (guideawpwriter.org) I put my info in that I was looking for low residency programs and they came up with 37. I really want Spalding in Kentucky. I've read some of the faculty. But I have certain restrictions such as I work full time. Spalding has a 9 month semester from July to March where you can either take your residency in Kentucky or whatever country they are headed to in Europe that summer. You can complete it in 2 years but can take up to 10. If you want to take fall and spring semesters you can finish in 2 years.

As i said i have several personal issues I must take into consideration besides the intellectual program itself. I need something rather close - I'm in GA and KY is closer than LA or VT. I work full-time and have several disabilities which is why I would want to stretch out my semester to 9 months. But you can change back and forth from 9 month semesters to 6 months. I feel as though some schools treat the students as though they are youngsters and have tight rules, which is fine. But at my age and with my issues I need a LOT of flexibility in a school.

I am changing careers also as I already have a masters in counseling but writing has always been my dream so before i get any older (i'm 55 now) i WILL live out my dream.

I just wanted to let ya'll know that AWP has some good information on low-residency and on campus schools you might want to check out.

Take care.

evemorton

Apr 21, 2010, 3:51 PM

Post #2160 of 2528 (6677 views)
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Re: [ahanridge] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I'm a current Spalding student in Fiction. I'm enrolling in my fourth of four semesters and attending my fourth of five residencies next month. I absolutely love Spalding! I've learned so much, have published short stories and won prizes and published literary criticism solely attributable to the skills and confidence I've developed at Spalding! Ask me anything! Warmly, Amy

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello, thanks for replying to my thread. I am having trouble writing the commentary for entrance into the Spalding program. Are there any hints you can give me? I have sent in everything for review but the commentary on a piece of work. I am writing the commentary on the District 9 screenplay. Hopefully that is okay but I've been out of school since 2002 and haven't written a commentary in ages.

Thanks so much.

Eve Morton

alamana
Jennifer Brown

Apr 21, 2010, 3:59 PM

Post #2161 of 2528 (6672 views)
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Re: [evemorton] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

Just a thought--If I had to do a commentary like you have to do I would probably look at Chabon's book of essays called Maps and Legends. There is one in there about Cormac McCarthy's The Road that is particularly interesting.

Be regular and orderly in your life, that you may be violent and original in your work. -- Flaubert

http://www.jenniferkirkpatrickbrown.com

ahanridge

Apr 22, 2010, 9:20 AM

Post #2162 of 2528 (6604 views)
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Re: [evemorton] Goddard, Spalding, Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado [In reply to]	Can't Post

Oh, my main hint would be to not panic. I remember worrying over my essay, and you should make it as good as you can, but don't worry too much. I think the whole point of it is to show your skills in analyzing a work, your critical thinking skills, your ability to construct and support an argument, and your ability to express your thoughts clearly and persuasively. If you're really stuck on something, too, don't hesitate to contact the program. I've always found them so helpful, whether I'm stuck or confused about something. And I'd add the suggestion to analyze a work you love. That's what I did. I think if you're responding to a work you absolutely love, then your passion for it will reflect in your essay and it'll make the essay stronger.

Best, Amy

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello, thanks for replying to my thread. I am having trouble writing the commentary for entrance into the Spalding program. Are there any hints you can give me? I have sent in everything for review but the commentary on a piece of work. I am writing the commentary on the District 9 screenplay. Hopefully that is okay but I've been out of school since 2002 and haven't written a commentary in ages.

Thanks so much.

go4phan

Apr 22, 2010, 1:04 PM

Post #2163 of 2528 (6569 views)
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Re: Looking for Grads & Students of Low-Residency MFAs [In reply to]	Can't Post

I was wondering if any current and former students of low residency mfa programs could detail what a typical semester/program looks like. What was your average semester workload? How did you like working with particular faculty? Name of institution would be nice, but not necessary.

Thanks for any info!

pongo
Real men bake bread.

Apr 22, 2010, 1:46 PM

Post #2164 of 2528 (6558 views)
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Re: [go4phan] Looking for Grads & Students of Low-Residency MFAs [In reply to]	Can't Post

Somewhere upstream I've written at length about Goddard and my experiences there, but here's the quick recap. I had to read and annotate about 15 books per term, plus keep up with creative work, plus do two short critical papers and one long one (the long one about 5,000 words) by the end of the program. At Goddard we also had a teaching practicum, self-organized, and the paper summarizing that.

In four semesters I wrote all those critical pieces, plus the first draft of a novel, plus one story. I liked working with some faculty better than others, but was not unhappy about any of them. After the first term, I worked with my first choice each semester, and my first-semester advisor was a jewel (Paul Selig, now the lead faculty for the program).

Poetry: It's not just for sissies any more.

Difficult Listening, Sundays from ten to noon (Central time), at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

http://home.comcast.net/~david.m.harris/site/

jaywalke

Apr 22, 2010, 2:16 PM

Post #2165 of 2528 (6544 views)
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Re: Looking for Grads & Students of Low-Residency MFAs [In reply to]	Can't Post

I graduated from Queens in January.

A typical semester:
- read 12-20 books
- write short responses to 2-3
- write 6 submissions of up to 25 pages (Mine were primarily short stories.)
- write 12-18 critiques (line notes and commentary) of other students' submissions

Additional graduation requirements:
- give a seminar on a critical or craft topic
- write a short critical paper on the same topic
- thesis
- public reading

The program director had several suggestions for faculty, based on the work I'd submitted with my application, but he was also open to requests. In the end, he picked two and I picked two, and all were great.

jlgwriter
Jeanne Lyet Gassman

Apr 22, 2010, 2:29 PM

Post #2166 of 2528 (6540 views)
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Re: [pongo] Looking for Grads & Students of Low-Residency MFAs [In reply to]	Can't Post

Like David above, I think I've described my low-res experience somewhere in these threads. But I'll give you a quick overview of my time at Vermont:

1st semester--Required to submit 5 packets to my advisor. Each packet consisted of approximately 25-30 pages of creative work (in this case, my novel and one short story) and two critical essays (about 3-5 pages). The essays were about what I was reading. I read 10 books and wrote ten essays. Packets were due approximately every 4 weeks.

2nd semester--Same requirements as above, but I worked with an advisor who wanted me to finish a draft of my novel, so my packets were MUCH larger. I think I wrote over 200 new pages on the novel and revised the first 200 pages. I also read something like 17 novels but still wrote only 10 critical essays. The workload was a mutual decision between me and my advisor.

3rd semester--Wrote my critical thesis (approx. 38 pages) and wrote and revised two short stories. I still had packets due every four weeks, but the emphasis was on the research and revisions of my critical thesis. I also wrote informal comments in my cover letters on my reading.

4th semester--Finished a solid draft of my novel as my creative thesis (all 95k words!). I had an advisor who generously accepted about 65 pages in every packet. I also drafted and presented my graduation lecture and prepared an excerpt from my novel to read at graduation. I continued to read and comment on my readings in cover letters to my advisor. In the 4th semester, your packets focus on your creative thesis and your lecture.

Final tally:
2 finished short stories
a novel ready for submission to agents (doing that now)
3 short stories in draft form needing revisions
a critical thesis that I'm planning to revise and submit for publication
a reading list that included 79 books plus various articles

Be aware that most people may start a novel while in the program (if that's something they're working on), but few complete it. No one expects you to do that. I entered the program with specific goals and pushed myself (and my advisors) to reach those goals. I wanted to come out with a better knowledge of the craft (definitely got that), a novel close to ready for submission (got that), and some solid short stories under my belt (got that). That was a pretty ambitious plan for two years, but I have no regrets. In fact, I'm delighted with the results.

Jeanne
http://www.jeannelyetgassman.com
http://jeannelyetgassman.blogspot.com

http://www.jeannelyetgassman.com
http://jeannelyetgassman.blogspot.com

edwriter

Apr 23, 2010, 2:55 PM

Post #2167 of 2528 (6465 views)
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Re: [go4phan] student workload [In reply to]	Can't Post

Just to add to and hopefully clarify jaywalke's comment: When I was at the same program (2001-03), the six submissions were divided this way: two 8-25 pp. submissions for workshop during the residency week, and four (one per month) for each semester's online component. Critiques were similarly apportioned: You'd have to write a bunch of them for the residency (in my experience, usually 9-10), but then only 8-12 over the next four months, depending on whether you were in a 3-person or 4-person online workshop (I was always in a 4-person group). At the time, there was very little quality control for the critiques. I was delighted to hear that after I graduated the program instituted critique policies and training.

Similarly, there was very little monitoring of the reading assignments, which as I recall ran about 15 books, max., before each residency. I'm told that that, too, has changed, and that the response papers receive more attention now. With one exception--an instructor recommended a short story for me to read in response to some dialogue we'd had about one of my submissions--none of my four semester-long faculty required/suggested any other reading outside of the residencies.

Some people clearly worked very hard, some people did not. I'm never popular for saying so, but it's the truth. As it may well be elsewhere.

Best,
Erika

Quiet Americans: Stories
http://www.erikadreifus.com

Amy Peterson

Apr 26, 2010, 8:29 PM

Post #2168 of 2528 (6352 views)
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Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi. I am new to the Speakeasy and have read all the posts since January, 2007. I have not seen anything about Seattle Pacific University. With "Image" journal as their publication, and their summer residency at the Glen Workshops in New Mexico, this is the program I am currently most excited about (at the risk of being outed to Spalding and Hamline). If someone has attended SPU more than three years ago or has attended more recently but not posted here, I'd love to hear from you.

Part of Seattle Pacific's appeal is the fact that I will have until October to apply for the March, 2011 residency. I am 38 and recently returned to school to finish my undergrad. Officially, I will not finish that until August, even though I could have gone through grad ceremonies in May and would have been listed as a grad at that time. Weird, I know. I am in fact not doing the mortarboard thing and simply hoping to put together an amazing writing sample during the summer.

Amy Peterson

Apr 26, 2010, 8:39 PM

Post #2169 of 2528 (6348 views)
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Letters of Recommendation [In reply to]	Can't Post

I was an English major with an emphasis in creative writing during my BA in the early 1990s. I quit my senior year due to family issues. I have now returned to finish and will complete my BA in Interdisciplinary Studies at another unknown university in August. I have started the process of applying to Seattle Pacific University, because I can apply in October for the March residency there. If that does not come to fruition, I have also started applications to Spalding and Antioch for summer 2011.

Because I have not been in a writing program in 15 years, and because my current classes are mostly online or were half semester (we take 2 classes in half a semester instead of 4 classes in a whole semester) it has been difficult to form close relationships with professors. Plus, I'm only going to be at this school a year to finish some requirements and finally earn my BA.

My work is mostly commercial writing and editing jobs, and by their nature, I have shorter term relationships with my clients, who obviously could not attest to my creative writing skill anyway.

I have many admirers of my plays and short fiction. However (a) my plan is to study creative non-fiction; and (b) none of these people has any particular academic credentials.

I did secure a letter of recommendation for a different sort of fellowship program from a writer with a very famous grandfather, and consequently last name, who runs a very prestigious short story contest. We have struck up a friendship on Facebook. I didn't get the fellowship, which is just as well, and serves as evidence that I know cheap name dropping won't get me in. Would it seem like cheap name dropping if I asked her to provide a letter? Not having much of a writing community right now, who else might I ask?

Swamp Thing
Jim Ryals

Apr 26, 2010, 11:36 PM

Post #2170 of 2528 (6316 views)
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Re: [Amy Peterson] Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

and your point is?

too long; did read

still asking

(This post was edited by Swamp Thing on Apr 26, 2010, 11:38 PM)

Amy Peterson

Apr 26, 2010, 11:43 PM

Post #2171 of 2528 (6313 views)
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Re: [Swamp Thing] Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

First post: Anyone been to Seattle Pacific? Impressions?

Second post: who would write letters of recommendation when undergrad writing professors, etc. are unavailable?

pongo
Real men bake bread.

Apr 27, 2010, 8:23 AM

Post #2172 of 2528 (6287 views)
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Re: [Amy Peterson] Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

When I applied, I had been out of college for a couple of decades and couldn't count on professors remembering me. I went to a couple of people who knew me and some of my thinking about writing -- that is, people with whom I had discussed writing quite a bit -- and who had some credits as writers to give them credibility. I'm not sure either of them had ever seen anything I'd written other than an online post.

Poetry: It's not just for sissies any more.

Difficult Listening, Sundays from ten to noon (Central time), at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

http://home.comcast.net/~david.m.harris/site/

alamana
Jennifer Brown

Apr 27, 2010, 8:40 AM

Post #2173 of 2528 (6282 views)
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Re: [Amy Peterson] Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'd also been out of school for many, many years when I applied to MFA programs. I had someone I'd been in a writing group with write me a recommendation. I also had two teachers from online workshops I took with Gotham write them for me (one of them even volunteered without my asking).

Be regular and orderly in your life, that you may be violent and original in your work. -- Flaubert

http://www.jenniferkirkpatrickbrown.com

Swamp Thing
Jim Ryals

Apr 27, 2010, 11:46 AM

Post #2174 of 2528 (6256 views)
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Re: [alamana] Seattle Pacific University [In reply to]	Can't Post

My last post was obnoxious and odd because I don't remember typing it. Anyhow, I want to apologize for it.

Jim

evemorton

May 3, 2010, 3:40 PM

Post #2175 of 2528 (5860 views)
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Accepted to two colleges...lol...now what? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey all I have been accepted to Goddard College and Seton Hill...Yay for me! But now I've got a choice to make. Goddard's tuition is higher than Seton Hill's. Also, I would be concentrating on screenwriting for Goddard and prose (science fiction) for Seton Hill. I believe my strength is in screenwriting and my weaker talent is prose...so should I concentrate on my weaker talent or accent my strengths...now I know that Goddard will definitely find some weaknesses in my screenwriting, of course, but I know that I am much better at writing screenplays than I am at writing prose. I enjoy both, even though I have trouble completing a novel and have completed two full-length screenplays but if I want to make a career out of my writing should I focus on novels or screenplays? Which one will I end up selling is my point?

Choices, choices, choices...lol

Anyone out there been to Seton Hill? Would love to hear from you. I've heard from some regarding Goddard but would love more info on the college if possible.

Thanks so much,

Eve

Eve Morton

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