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luukhoi

Sep 6, 2008, 12:44 AM

Post #326 of 427 (5942 views)
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question about Columbia workshops [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about applying to Columbia for fiction.
Quick question for Clench Milion and other Columbia students, past and present.

Clench had said:

"I guess I should also say that, agian due to the variety and amount of classes offered, it should not be too hard to get all your classes at night if you were so inclined. There are a few classes that start at 10 or 11, but most are more like 4 or 5 and there are enough classes after 5 that you could probably have them all at night if you needed."

My situation is the opposite: I work evenings and nights, and would love it if I could take Columbia classes in the mornings and afternoons. I understand, from the website, that Columbia students can take seminars and master classes in the mornings and afternoons--but what about the workshops? At what time do the (fiction) workshops usually end? If I'm lucky enough to get accepted to Columbia, can I arrange it so that all my classes, workshops and all, end at about 4 PM or 5 PM?

Thanks for any help you can give me.
Khoi

p.s. Can you also confirm that at Columbia (for fiction) a student takes 1 workshop per semester=4 workshops in all?

Raysen

Sep 6, 2008, 9:15 PM

Post #327 of 427 (5886 views)
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Class scheduling [In reply to]	Can't Post

luukhoi brought up an interesting point.

Would a regular fulltime MFA student ever be forced to take night classes at Columbia? Call me a coward but I don't see myself walking around at night at Columbia, unlike, say, Iowa City or Ann Arbor or Fort Collins or Charlottesville. Having said that, I've never visited Morningside Heights or the Columbia campus, so I really don't know.

Clench Million
Charles

Sep 7, 2008, 5:56 PM

Post #328 of 427 (5841 views)
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Re: [luukhoi] question about Columbia workshops [In reply to]	Can't Post

Gah! My message got erased, so here is the quick version.

Luukhoi,

Yes, 1 workshop per semester, four workshops total.

No, you won't have any problem taking workshops in the morning or afternoons. They are spread throughout the day.

I think I was wrong in that quote of mine. Most classes are probably in the afternoon (starting between 12 and 4), not at night. Not sure what I was thinking. The classes are spread pretty well out through the day and there are enough options that you should have on problem taking all early classes or all late classes.

Raysen,

See above, you shouldn't have any problem with scheduling.

I'd add, however, that NYC has long been rated the safest major US city. The crime rate is very low, it isn't the 70s anymore. I'd avoid parks at 3 am, but otherwise you shouldn't have a problem. Morningside Heights in particular is very safe and Columbia police officers patrol the area all around Columbia. Crime really shouldn't be a worry for NYC schools these days.

Good luck with everything!

Raysen

Sep 8, 2008, 12:08 PM

Post #329 of 427 (5792 views)
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Re: [Clench Million] question about Columbia workshops [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks, Clench, for all things Columbia!!!

DylanTaiNguyen

Sep 15, 2008, 4:57 AM

Post #330 of 427 (5691 views)
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Slightly Off Topic: having both an M.A. and an M.F.A.? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello everyone,
In 1996, I received an M.A. in Fiction from Boston University (a degree that's now been changed to an M.F.A.) The thing is: I want to go back to school, specifically to get an M.F.A. at Columbia, also in Fiction. Am I crazy? Probably. But I feel that I still have so much MORE to learn, and I've been craving a literary community, and time to write, and more advanced craft classes....

Also, in 1994, I was accepted to Columbia, but got no funding whatsoever. B.U. gave me a teaching fellowship. Still, Columbia was my dream school all along.

My question: will the Columbia admissions committee think that I'm out of my mind? Will they somehow discriminate against me because I already have an M.A.? For the record, I did fine at B.U. The program was simply too short for me. One-year: four workshops. It seemed that I blinked, and it was over. Like a summer love affair. Also, I went to B.U. straight out of college. I think I'd get so much more out of the degree now that I'm in my mid-thirties.

Actually, I've done some research, and I've discovered that Z.Z. Packer ("Drinking Coffee Elsewhere") has both an M.A. from Johns Hopkins and an M.F.A. from Iowa. And one of the Columbia professors, Lucy Brock-Boido has two Masters degrees as well. So I think my situation is not unheard of.

But I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can give. Based on your insider's view, would the Columbia professors give my candidacy serious consideration? Might they disqualify me somehow? Or is my situation a lot more common than I realize?

I hope that the committee will see my decision to get another creative writing degree as evidence of my passion and my willingness to continue learning. The (sort of) problem is that I'm a very very slow writer. I don't want them to think that I'm semi-retarded or something. ;-) In the past 12 years, I've published only 3 short stories. That's awfully slow. I'm not ashamed of this fact, though, because I've also been working as an entrepreneur, a job that allows me only about 1 hour of writing time a day. Do I bring all this up in my application? Basically, it all boils down to the fact that I want to keep learning, but I don't want the committee to feel that I'm all washed up, or that I don't have a burning drive to write.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

Dylan Nguyen

Clench Million
Charles

Sep 18, 2008, 10:45 AM

Post #331 of 427 (5591 views)
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Re: [DylanTaiNguyen] Slightly Off Topic: having both an M.A. and an M.F.A.? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Dylan:

That is an interesting question and I don't know the answer. I don't see any reason to think that Columbia would be more or less likely to accept someone with an MA than any other program.

Which is to say, maybe you should move your question to the Choosing an MFA thread or another more general thread and see what the community at large thinks about MFA programs accepting people with MA degrees.

My gut feeling is that it wouldn't make a huge difference and, in fact, you probably could simply not tell the programs you apply too... but I don't know.

Good luck with everything!

CalBoy

Dec 23, 2008, 10:49 AM

Post #332 of 427 (5446 views)
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Re: [Clench Million] Slightly Off Topic: having both an M.A. and an M.F.A.? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Are there any Columbia MFA students or alumni around? Apart from wanting to know how you've found the program, I have some specific questions I'd like to pose. =]

Raysen

Jan 13, 2009, 12:39 AM

Post #333 of 427 (5323 views)
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Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

After much deliberation this past fall, I decided against applying to Columbia. It doesn't need another celebrity than the one (James Franco) already on campus. It's funny how Columbia went from #1 on my list at the beginning of summer to dropping out entirely by November. I think all the anti-Columbia sentiment convinced me. As my s.o. says about me time and time again, "You're too weak-willed."

__________

Jan 13, 2009, 1:29 AM

Post #334 of 427 (5315 views)
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Re: [Raysen] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

After all this talk, I'm going to be severely disappointed if you turn out to be some cast member from like the Real World - Road Rules Challenge Season 20. You better deliver!

(Current theory: Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond).

six five four three two one 0 ->

NickMcRae
Nick McRae

Jan 13, 2009, 7:12 PM

Post #335 of 427 (5227 views)
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Re: [Junior Maas] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

We established this before. Raysen is Anthony Michael Hall from "Sixteen Candles." Har har har.

NM

"You got a song, man, sing it. / You got a bell, man, ring it." - Robert Creeley

Nick McRae
nmcrae1@gmail.com
http://nickmcrae.com/

Raysen

Jan 13, 2009, 8:22 PM

Post #336 of 427 (5203 views)
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Re: [NickMcRae] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

And also "The Dead Zone" TV series on cable.

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 3:27 PM

Post #337 of 427 (5130 views)
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Re: [Raysen] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

If you are a celebrity and have a bit of money to spend, I would strongly consider Columbia. I'm lucky enough to have some financial support and I think the courses, faculty, master seminars etc. are the best that's out there. Plus, who the hell wants to teach intro composition a bunch of pseudo-intellectual college students? You get a hell of a lot of value from CU, and if they threw in a partial or full tuition fellowship, the debt load wouldn't be that hard. Especially once you consider the increased financial aid the second year. I say go for it. Besides, to be oh so tacky about it - but you know this is true - why gamble with your career going to some cow college in shitsville?

(This post was edited by JarvisHTR on Jan 14, 2009, 3:31 PM)

Raysen

Jan 14, 2009, 3:31 PM

Post #338 of 427 (5125 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

The love is gone...

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 3:42 PM

Post #339 of 427 (5119 views)
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Re: [Raysen] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Where did you do your undergrad? I know it feels like you're being financially raped, but seriously James Woods, Samuel Lipsyte, Ben Marcus... you only live once! But hey, I'm not going to talk you out of it. I don't want you snatching my slot.

umass76

Jan 14, 2009, 3:47 PM

Post #340 of 427 (5111 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

the courses, faculty, master seminars are the best that's out there. Plus, who the hell wants to teach intro composition a bunch of pseudo-intellectual college students?...I say go for it...why gamble with your career going to some cow college in shitsville?

LOL

there's no one more provincial than a New Yorker

S.

(This post was edited by umass76 on Jan 14, 2009, 3:49 PM)

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 3:47 PM

Post #341 of 427 (5109 views)
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Re: [DylanTaiNguyen] Slightly Off Topic: having both an M.A. and an M.F.A.? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I know a bit about fine arts MFA admissions and some schools are reluctant to take on students who have an established practice, just because they've already found their voice and wouldn't benefit as much from their instruction. If you can make a compelling argument why you need the MFA then it sounds as though your work is up to par.

Raysen

Jan 14, 2009, 3:48 PM

Post #342 of 427 (5108 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Speaking of James Woods, did you know that James Woods the actor did his undergrad in engineering at MIT?

Garry Shandling also studied Electrical Engineering at Arizona (or ASU).

Al Jarreau studied psychology (or something) at Iowa.

Whasserface Laura Linney did her undergrad at Juilliard and I don't even think she's a good actor.

Amazing...

Anyway, JarvisHTR, your coveted Columbia slot is safe from me.

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 3:57 PM

Post #343 of 427 (5100 views)
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Re: [umass76] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Who says I'm a New Yorker? Anyway, I'm being facetious but I don't think paying tuition for a great program is such a bad idea. I made enough coming out of undergrad to support myself and pay my off my student loans in a writing field. And Raysen, James Woods (or is it Wood? I never remember) went to Oxford. EDIT: I skipped over the 'actor' bit in your response.

(This post was edited by JarvisHTR on Jan 14, 2009, 3:58 PM)

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 4:01 PM

Post #344 of 427 (5095 views)
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Re: [Raysen] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Raysen, have you ever posted on AutoAdmit? If you have, I think I know who you are. You should tell everyone, it's funny.

Raysen

Jan 14, 2009, 4:14 PM

Post #345 of 427 (5079 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

I don't know what AutoAdmit is. I am only Raysen, no one else.

JarvisHTR

Jan 14, 2009, 4:18 PM

Post #346 of 427 (5072 views)
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Re: [Raysen] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Someone else then. Never mind. Good luck!

PS: UMASS76: Iowa is nothing to be ashamed of.

NickMcRae
Nick McRae

Jan 14, 2009, 8:54 PM

Post #347 of 427 (5024 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Raysen is not someone else. He is Anthony Michael Hall from "Sixteen Candles."

Looks like I'm going to have to make a "Raysen is Anthony Michael Hall" thread if I'm ever going to quit telling that joke.

NM

"You got a song, man, sing it. / You got a bell, man, ring it." - Robert Creeley

Nick McRae
nmcrae1@gmail.com
http://nickmcrae.com/

JarvisHTR

Jan 15, 2009, 4:24 PM

Post #348 of 427 (4932 views)
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Re: [NickMcRae] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

Damn, Anthony Michael Hall got old.

Raysen's admitted to being a celebrity, and now he's being coy about it, so we know he can't keep it bottled up for long. The name could be a clue. (Ray, Raisin, etc.) She/He's most likely around 28, give or take a few years. Macaulay Culkin is about the same age, wrote a poorly reviewed novel in 2004, is surprisingly smart, lives in NYC and could probably use a career boost. No BA, but that isn't an absolute ding.

And can we stop with the Columbia-bashing? Aid isn't great there, no shit, it says so on the website. Who gives a fuck? If you are into meticulously-crafted sentence structure a la Gary Lutz, Gordon Lish, Lipsyte etc. why would go anywhere else? Can we talk about the program itself and not the most boring parts of it (i.e. admissions and aid)?

(This post was edited by JarvisHTR on Jan 15, 2009, 4:25 PM)

v1ctorya

Jan 16, 2009, 11:41 AM

Post #349 of 427 (4862 views)
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Re: [JarvisHTR] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Can we talk about the program itself and not the most boring parts of it (i.e. admissions and aid)?

I can tell you that as an undergrad my writing/film sections were taught by the MFA peoples. Both the guy TAs I had were hawt (hormonal undergrad, that's what I remember about them first). One went on to marry rich, the other to work on the show Monk. They both, for the most part, knew their stuff. They liked that while a two year program, you could stay for up to five (note, this was in the late nineties, don't know how much has changed since then). Yes, money was an issue, but if you look at the list of graduate accomplishments, they're pretty much up there.

Also, the campus is great. There are lots of quiet corners to write, lots of sculptures to inspire. The lipschitz is amazing over the law library. The documentary about it being brought to Columbia even more so.

Putting aside (mine, and many peoples) number one concern about money, it does have a lot to offer.

JarvisHTR

Jan 16, 2009, 1:14 PM

Post #350 of 427 (4828 views)
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Re: [v1ctorya] Columbia [In reply to]	Can't Post

I did my undergrad there too, in the School of General Studies. You must have graduated recently. When I was there it was all adjuncts teaching. But beautiful and rich MFA students doesn't sound too bad! Are you applying? I like that they have such a big class size, I feel there will be more students like me, writing realistic prose with a vague international sheen to it.

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