I’m making a difficult college decision right now, and the quality and nature of these schools’ English departments might be a breaking factor. Insight into either program, as well as the creative writing program at either school, is welcome. I’ve heard that CU lets undergrads take their excellent graduate courses, so that’s a turn-on. Is that as great as it sounds to me, and does WM do anything similar? Thanks.
For more info about my decision in general, see my other Q “Debt for Cornell?”
Comparing undergraduate departments isn’t easy. USNEWS rates undergraduate professional schools (e.g. business), but only graduate departments (e.g. Physics). Graduate study is quite different from undergraduate, so I’m not sure that is the best proxy. A number of LACs are quite good at English and creative writing and they would be ruled out.
Perhaps, if you haven’t already done so, you could take a look at the classes in the catalog, the background of faculty, etc. That might be helpful in part. You might also contact admissions to see if they have someone you could talk to associated with the department.
Thanks thanks for the tips, I hadn’t checked the catalogs yet and will do so.
The only way to find out is to visit each and that will make easier decisions.