ali888
Dec 10, 2008, 8:22 AM
Post #3 of 8
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Re: [insertbrackets] Ohio State University MFA
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I am currently a fiction student at OSU, and I love it here. I have a lot of friends on the poetry side, and they seem very happy with the faculty. Here is some info about the program:
-Everyone who gets in is funded, either with a fellowship (you don't teach your first year), or with a teaching assistantship. The funding is pretty average, but totally livable here in Columbus.
-The faculty is excellent. The poets are Kathy Fagan, Henri Cole, and Andrew Hudgins. The prose writers are Lee Martin, Michelle Herman, Erin McGraw, and Lee K. Abbott. I haven't had all of these teachers personally, but the ones I've interacted with have been great!
-We're on the quarter system, which is fast-paced, but means that you are very productive in workshop, and get to take a good mix of classes. You're required to take a couple of literature classes, but there are a lot of really great course offerings.
-The atmosphere of the MFA program is VERY encouraging and supportive. The students are friendly and get along well, and there are a lot of opportunities to share student work. Mother Tongue, the student-run reading series, happens multiple times a year in a very cool, cavernous bar, and that's always fun. There are also more formal readings for students and faculty a few times a year. We have also had great visiting writers (Amy Bloom did a week-long workshop last year, and Sue Miller is doing one this winter).
-OSU is big enough that there are A LOT of artsy things going on at any given time. For example, the art gallery on campus (the Wexner center) has had a huge Andy Warhol exhibit this fall, which is pretty great. There is also a cartoon research library!? Just a lot of interesting stuff.
-Artsy-minded peoples also have a really interesting option: the interdisciplinary MFA minor: http://gisfa.osu.edu/ Basically, you can take classes in another arts discipline that you might be interested in. It's helmed by Michelle Herman, who is awesome.
-The Journal, the OSU literary magazine, is also staffed by MFA students, some of whom get course relief.
-Columbus is a very livable city. It's fairly cheap, with a good arts scene (the Short North neighborhood is very cool), a good bus system, great coffee shops, and friendly people. I'm originally from the suburbs of NYC, lived in the city for a while, and I love Columbus so far.
I am a big supporter of this program. I love it here. The quality of the work by the faculty and students is excellent. Alumni tend to publish well, and many have secured great teaching jobs. Here is the alumni page:
http://english.osu.edu/programs/creativewriting/alumni.cfm
I hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat!
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