Then why not VCU which is the state’s most creative school - has a minor plus MFA?
He reached out to his AO at the University of Richmond almost 2 weeks ago now and so far no word from them! He’ll check his spam folder after marching band rehearsal today. That’s what I was thinking too - that the program might be so small that they may have removed it? If S26 doesn’t see an email, I am going to urge him to call. Thank you!
VCU is too urban for him unfortunately. He prefers suburban/rural - your typical college campus with green spaces.
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If looking at App state, he could check out Watauga Residential College (alongside the Honors college).
UNC Asheville would be a safety so not sure it’s more interesting than his current safeties but it’s been known as a very creative place located in an “artist colony”. They have Creative Writing as an English track and an Honors program. However I do think his list is well-balanced so an extra safety isn’t needed unless he likes the setting better (in fact, his adviser is right he may have a shot at Princeton) 
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Speaking of super-elites with strong creative writing and close to NoVA… is urban-ness also the reason he’s not lobbing an app at JHU?
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We suggested JHU and he shrugged his shoulders, much like when his counselor suggested Princeton. JHU, I’ve heard has a great creative writing program along with Brown, but their NPC puts them over our budget unfortunately.
More regional but Marshall is suburban, nice campus and cheap. And has the major.
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What difference does it make if they call it a major or a minor???
W&M requires 120 credits for graduation with 15 credits in the core. A History major requires 33 credits, an English major require 36. So, that leaves 48-51 credits for other courses. The fact that the Creative Writing minor requires only 20 credits doesn’t men that a student is limited to 20 credits. A dozen Creative Writing courses are offered. If a student took them all, he would have 36 credits in Creative Writing, which is the same number of credits as is required for an English major. There is a senior thesis required in Creative Writing. There is also a Creative Writing Honors Program, which includes an intensive year long project in the study of Creative Writing. It may not be called a major, but it seems to me that a student can do a lot of study in Creative Writing at William & Mary.
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I’m not familiar with in-state admissions because I am out of state, but both UVA and W&M are excellent excellent excellent schools for the price you will pay. There is a reason UVA can charge almost $80k with absolute zero merit aid and still fill a third of the school with out of state students. A W&M degree got Jon Stewart creative writing gigs.
Mary Washington has a strong history & political science program and seems to fit with his other choices. Dickinson, Gettysburg, Susquehanna all similar sizes and locations and all give aid. Carlisle more of a town than the other two.
Thank you so much for highlighting those aspects about W&M’s major requirements/major, minor credits/creative writing honors program. I appreciate how you allowed me to look at it from that perspective and made me dive into their programs. Thank you! I will communicate all this with my S26 to get him excited about W&M.
Thank you, @overlyinvolveddad @fiftyfifty1 . We are blessed with good in-state options here in VA. Very grateful for that.
I had no idea! Thanks for the info! Mary Washington, Dickinson, and Gettysburg were on his list. I’m not sure why he dropped them. Definitely worth re-visiting/re-considering as he finalizes his list. Susquehanna is on his list! Thank you so much!
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With respect to your son’s interest in creative writing, these sites are more descriptive than some others that might be available:
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Here is a random list of contemporary best selling and most acclaimed American writers and where they went to college. See if you can detect the pattern:
Margaret Atwood - Harvard
Michael Chabon - Pitt
Don DeLillo - Fordham University
Robert Dylan - Greenwich Village University
Jennifer Egan - Penn
Brian Evenson - Brigham Young University
Jonathan Safran Foer - Princeton
Jonathan Franzer - Swarthmore
John Irving - University of New Hampshire
Stephen King - University of Maine
Rachel Kushner - UC Berkeley
Juhmper Lahiri - Barnard
James Patterson - Manhattan University
Thomas Pynchon - Cornell
Nora Robert’s - School of Hard Knocks
George Saunders - Colorado School of Mines
Danielle Steel - NYU
R.L. Stine - Ohio State
Anne Tyler - Duke
Ocean Vuong - Brooklyn College
Alice Walker - Sarah Lawrence
Colson Whitehead - Harvard
Diane Williams - Penn
Karen Tei Yanashita - Carleton
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I know you mentioned a budget of under $50k, but your son totally sounds like a Hamilton kid. That place is filled with pleasant and collaborative learners and my son was engaged with both the history and writing departments and had a great experience. They are generous with need based aid, so it might be worth running the calculator just to see. The music scene there is great with tons of student lead ensembles in addition to a symphony orchestra and a brass choir. It has a vibrant campus life and is located in a beautiful part of NY State.
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Thank you. I appreciate seeing a mix of very selective to not-as-selective schools. It’s suggesting that it’s less about which school, but more about having many opportunities to write. That’s what I’m taking away from your list.
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Thanks for that suggestion! I will look at the NPC. I’ve heard many great things about Hamilton but not sure why S26 didn’t mention it. I will share this with him. Thank you!
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[quote=“TheMonaLisa, post:33, topic:3694222, full:true”] I appreciate seeing a mix of very selective to not-as-selective schools. It’s suggesting that it’s less about which school, but more about having many opportunities to write. That’s what I’m taking away from your list.
[/quote]
Exactly. You got it!
Plus, don’t underestimate the importance of life experience. You have to have something to write about.
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Honestly, one can write anywhere. I hope the student finds a mentor wherever they go, that inspires them.
I’m guessing the school name matters little - great writers come from everywhere.
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