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teeninga

Jul 20, 2005, 8:12 PM

Post #1 of 39 (7627 views)
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International Students	Can't Post

Hello there!
I'm new to this website. I've really enjoyed looking through all the posts about MFA programs, since I am in the process of applying to different schools. My question regards international students and entrance into American Universities' MFA programs. I hail from Canada, but would like to apply to more schools than the two here that offer MFA's in creative writing.

Does anyone know if certain American MFA programs would be reticent to admit international students? Canadians can no longer apply to American low residency programs because homeland security has deemed it unsafe. (Does anyone else find that funny?) My list of US colleges so far: U of T @ Michener, University of New Orleans, Florida State & Cincinnati. My list is short because I am set on going somewhere that encourages playwriting, as well as fiction.

If anyone has any relevant information, I would love it if you could pass it on to me!

ddl

Jul 20, 2005, 8:48 PM

Post #2 of 39 (7622 views)
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Re: [teeninga] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Tina,

I'm in the MFA program at The Ohio State University, where a Canadian woman finished a degree last year. As far as I know, she didn't have any trouble with either funding or enrollment.

We don't have playwriting courses, officially, though. Friends of mine have taken screenwriting courses in the theater department, and I believe playwriting is also available there.

You might check out Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where I know playrwriting is available, as well as a relatively new MFA program at Georgia College & State University, which also has a playwriting concentration.

Best of luck,
Danielle LaVaque-Manty

In Reply To

Kaytie
Kaytie M. Lee

Jul 20, 2005, 9:05 PM

Post #3 of 39 (7619 views)
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Re: [teeninga] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

There were international students in my Master's program, mostly from Europe.

I think the writing programs themselves look for the best candidates, regardless of place of origin.

You may have further hurdles when you apply to the actual university. Many graduate programs require an applicant apply to the school generally before or during your application to the actual writing program. Admittance to the writing program is contingent upon the school admitting you.

This is how USC worked, anyway. You applied to both USC's Graduate School (an online fill-in-the-blank application, school transcripts, test scores, and a letter of intent are some of what it required) and to the Master of Professional Writing (writing samples, letters of recommendation, letter of intent). Once the school accepted you, the program could accept you. Getting in one didn't guarantee getting into the other, and I didn't receive an acceptance until both departments accepted my application.

The best thing to do is to call the programs you are interested in and ask about their admissions process since schools will be slightly different. This Homeland Security thing certainly throws a wrench in the works but still, each school will know how they handle it. Plus, you will want to know if there is an international student tuition rate and you might not qualify for certain forms of financial aid at every school. Definitely important things to consider, and not the kind of information that is always included in brochures.

Good luck,

Kaytie M. Lee Last Updated November 2008

teeninga

Jul 22, 2005, 12:56 AM

Post #4 of 39 (7586 views)
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Re: [Kaytie] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks ladies for the info! Kaytie, I will now definitely apply to the specific universities' grad schools as well as their MFA programs. I'll make sure to phone the colleges beforehand to work out specifics as well. I foresee some large phone bills in my future! So, does USC stand for University of South Carolina?

Tina Teeninga

Kaytie
Kaytie M. Lee

Jul 22, 2005, 2:44 AM

Post #5 of 39 (7581 views)
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Re: [teeninga] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi, Tina,

No, USC = University of Southern California, at least in my case. :)

USC has a great PhD program for Poetry and Fiction, and a separate Master of Professional Writing (MPW) program (slightly different than an MFA with strengths and weaknesses because of it) with Poetry, Fiction, Screenwriting, Playwriting, and Non-fiction classes. USC does not have an MFA in creative writing. I don't know whether the USC theatre department has a playwriting component to it or not--I think it does.

Los Angeles is a great place for theatre, though. There are dozens of small companies, little theatre spaces, and loads of talent of all kinds. In case you were wondering. :)

Cheers

Kaytie M. Lee Last Updated November 2008

fermat

Jul 22, 2005, 11:13 AM

Post #6 of 39 (7574 views)
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Re: [Kaytie] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

MFA programs regularly admit foreign students but bear in mind that US law discriminates against foreign students with respect to funding; essentially foreigners have no access to federal funds, and can only work after their first year (and only for one year). That means no federal loans, work-study opportunities, and the like. If you enter a program that gives you full or near-full funding, this isn't so much of an issue, but otherwise it can be frustrating, especially if there are work-study opportunities (like an internship at a magazine) that you'd like to avail of. Bottom line: go ahead and apply (I'd recommend schools that give a lot of funding to all, or at least to you), but be aware that you won't get much funding outside your school.

mingram
Mike Ingram

Jul 25, 2005, 5:20 PM

Post #7 of 39 (7541 views)
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Re: [fermat] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

There are several foreign students in the MFA program at Iowa, including one Canadian. As far as I can tell, the program is amenable to foreign applications, and they've received funding similar to everyone else's.

Iowa has a separate MFA degree program in playwriting. You can take classes in the playwriting workshop as a fiction or poetry MFA candidate, or go for a dual degree (though the dual degree may take an extra semester or so, I'm not sure). For the dual degree I imagine you'd have to apply separately to the playwriting program, but I don't know for sure. Just that there's at least one person in the program doing that (a decision he made, I believe, after his first semester there).

Mike

faerie

May 21, 2009, 7:51 AM

Post #8 of 39 (7394 views)
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Re: [mingram] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi everyone! I'm also new here and I'm an aspiring fiction writer from the Philippines. Since a lot of the books I read and love are published in the States, I'm really interested in studying for an M.F.A. in Creative Writing in an American university. I was just wondering if anyone knows of any programs open to international students? Would my status as an international student impact on my application and my chances of getting full funding?

I'm planning to email the individual schools as well to pose my question but any additional info would be a great help, especially for people who are currently studying for their M.F.A. I'm hoping to apply for the school year 2010- 2011 but I'm trying to do my research as early as I can, as I may need more time to get requirements like certified transcripts and TOEFLs ready. =)

Thanks!

P.S. Sorry for riding onto this thread! Thought this would be the most appropriate place to ask since I don't think we can create new threads =)

pongo
Real men bake bread.

May 21, 2009, 9:31 AM

Post #9 of 39 (7387 views)
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Re: [faerie] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

I don't know of any programs that aren't open to international students. As to funding, that would probably vary from school to school, but you probably wouldn't be able to get a government-backed student loan. Not backed by our government, anyway.

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suzhounese

May 24, 2009, 1:16 AM

Post #10 of 39 (7303 views)
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Re: [pongo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Have you considered a low-res program? There are quite a few international students in my program, but funding is a problem. The cost is far less than a traditional MFA and you could work during the year. Vermont Studio Center has a 1 month fully funded fellowship in the summer for Asian students, so you could consider applying there as well. They will also cover your travel expenses.

OldScribe2000

May 25, 2009, 6:17 PM

Post #11 of 39 (7215 views)
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Re: [teeninga] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm in the same situation on the other side of the border. I'd like to apply to the University of British Columbia, but I'm worried about financial aid. I have so many questions about how funding would function.

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faerie

May 26, 2009, 8:38 AM

Post #12 of 39 (7181 views)
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Re: [suzhounese] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi suzhounese, thanks for the advice! Will definitely look into the Vermont Studio Center summer program. =) As for the low-res programs, haven't really looked into it yet although I think I looked at the full res MFA/s because there are quite a number of programs that have great funding (tuition remission, plus stipends) - funding unfortunately, has to be my top priority because I have friends from here who studied in the States that had the hardest time getting part time jobs.

faerie

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insertbrackets

May 29, 2009, 9:34 PM

Post #13 of 39 (7097 views)
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Re: [faerie] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Faerie,

For questions of funding, I will refer you to this site:

http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/2009/01/creative-writing-mfa-rankings-2010.html

It has an excellent breakdown and ranking of the best funded programs in the country. No schools I know of discourage international applicants though it seems that the University of Iowa, Indiana University, and the big New York schools (NYU, Columbia) seem particularly open to accepting students outside of the country.

Hope this helps.

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pablo

Aug 18, 2009, 6:48 PM

Post #14 of 39 (6398 views)
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Re: [insertbrackets] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey all, I am a prospective international applicant too. Applying for the academic session 2010-2011. I did a good amount of research this year and wrote to a lot of US universities. Most of them replied very positively and said admission will be based on the application packet, not on the nationality. Almost all of them said academic record and GRE is not the benchmark to judge an MFA candidate and the writing sample is the most important thing. Regarding funding, a lot of universities provide full funding to anyone admitted. So I am pretty relieved.

gg.scholastica
Gena Goodman

Aug 18, 2009, 10:38 PM

Post #15 of 39 (6375 views)
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Re: [pablo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey pablo, are you applying in poetry, fiction, non-fiction? Are there any particular schools you're looking at closely right now? I know UNLV prides themselves on their international approach... though I'm fairly certain each program bends over backwards for some level of experiential & (hopefully) stylistic diversity.

Good luck with the applications!
-GG

pablo

Aug 19, 2009, 11:07 AM

Post #16 of 39 (6335 views)
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Re: [gg.scholastica] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thank you for telling me that gg.scholastica, i checked their website just now. I am applying for fiction

pablo

Aug 19, 2009, 11:09 AM

Post #17 of 39 (6334 views)
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Re: [pablo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am looking at programs that dont need the GRE :-) But yeah, since I cant risk it I am also applying for other programs but I am sending my applications to only those that provide funding in any form -RA, TA, Fellowhisps - to all incoming students. Do you know any other programs other than Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona, Columbia (to which I am not applying in any case!), that have waived the GRE? Thank you for the wishes!

bighark

Aug 19, 2009, 11:37 AM

Post #18 of 39 (6331 views)
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Re: [pablo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi, Pablo,

Here's a tool for you from the website of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs: http://guide.awpwriter.org/.

For the most part, you'll find that "studio" programs are the most likely to not require the GRE, but feel free to search the entire listings.

Most of the listings will post their Application Requirements, and it's there you can see whether the program requires the GRE.

Hopefully this will make your research less of a wild goose chase.

Good luck!

pablo

Aug 19, 2009, 11:40 AM

Post #19 of 39 (6328 views)
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Re: [bighark] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey bighark, thank you! I would visit the FAQ page of each program to know if they need the GRE! It has been a wild goose chase, really! Aha. Thanks a ton! what are studio programs by the way? But anyway, i will google the term.

bighark

Aug 19, 2009, 12:00 PM

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Re: [pablo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Basically, studio programs focus on the task of writing and workshopping with little in the way of required courses in literature or theory.

Iowa is traditionally considered a studio program.

Research programs involve a bit more rigor in terms of academics. In research programs, you'll still write and produce a creative thesis in order to graduate, but you'll take graduate-level classes in literature.

For an example of a research/studio program (to use the AWP designation), look at the University of Notre Dame. There you'll see that program requirements include a certain number of credit hours in literature in addition to workshop and thesis.

pablo

Aug 19, 2009, 12:02 PM

Post #21 of 39 (6320 views)
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Re: [bighark] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks! The GRE is a dreadful exam - especially for someone like me who though he had left maths in high school and now it comes back to haunt me.

FreakingOutInBd

Aug 23, 2009, 12:31 AM

Post #22 of 39 (6241 views)
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Re: [pablo] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Pablo,

I'm also an international applicant, also hate GRE :-)

Have you narrowed down your list of schools yet?

lostleaf

Dec 24, 2009, 12:18 PM

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Re: [FreakingOutInBd] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi, looking at the dates i guess you must have already finished the apolication by this time. I'm also an international student who will apply next year. I'm from China. It seems to me that not many international students are accepted to MFA in creative writing;at least I don't know any Chinese who either study it right now or is going to apply for it. It freaks me out a bit. Is it still pretty much a language problem? It must be really difficult for us with English as a second language to compete with native speakers. But we also have our adbvantages, right?

writer's block, http://lostleaf328.blogbus.com

Zuleika Dobson

Dec 24, 2009, 2:36 PM

Post #24 of 39 (5029 views)
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Re: [lostleaf] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

Lostleaf, I was hanging out with 李翊雲 recently--if it's any hope, she is from Beijing and ended up doing an MFA at Iowa. However, she was already getting a Master's in another discipline (radiology I think) and ended up with two MFAs in Fiction and Non-Fiction. Although it's her second language, she writes only in English... and now she's got a PEN/Hemingway.

But for everyone else in China... I feel like it's not so much a language problem as it is them not really being aware of MFAs. I know some poets and artists in Beijing and they pretty much just study their craft at college. From what I'm led to believe though, it seems that if any Chinese writers do apply for MFAs, they always apply to Iowa.

"Every spectator is a coward or a traitor."

jamie_mu

Dec 24, 2009, 2:37 PM

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Re: [lostleaf] International Students [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Difficult, yes, but not impossible. For example:

http://english.ucdavis.edu/people/directory/yiyli

http://www.futurepoem.com/bookpages/madscience.html

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