Don’t forget you could go to Bama for less than UTK with your stats and they have some great programs related to your interest - like Blount Scholars - as a financial safety. Yes it’s in the south but well over half the students come from elsewhere including 1500+ from Illinois, 1500+ ftom NY/Nj combined, 1k from Texas and Alabama each. It might be a better fallback.
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It’s great that you have the option of having free community college for two years. That’s an excellent option to have if you have one within commuting distance of your family’s home. Once you’ve completed those two years, what then? In case you are not aware, most colleges offer less merit aid to transfers, and some schools that meet-full-need for first year students don’t do the same for transfers. Additionally, it can often be more challenging for students to find their social group and build their network when they transfer to a school with a largely stable student population, because those students have already had two years to building relationships together. People tend to be much more open to forming friendships when everyone is knew than when they already have an established social network.
I say this, not because community colleges don’t serve a very worthwhile purpose, but going to community college for two years and then a residential college for two years is a very different experience than attending a 4-year residential college. If May 1 comes around and you are committing to community college because it’s your only affordable option, how will you feel? If you won’t be happy and looking forward to the experience then I seriously urge you to consider adding some additional schools to your list (or letting us know which ones are on your list that you haven’t mentioned) where your odds of getting in and having everything cost $15k or less are higher.
@Mjkacmom’s post #18 and my post #30 have been the two most popular in this thread, as shown by others’ reactions. Both of them are dealing with scholarships and the steps you need to be taking to make sure you have financially feasible options. People on this board are emphasizing these points because we’ve seen really amazing students who strike out at their top schools or they didn’t come in affordable, and then have to use their “safety” option and they are far from thrilled at the idea. We don’t want that to be you.
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One of the more interesting aspects of Sewanee’s literature programs is the available minor in Shakespeare studies, which is mentioned in this article:
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College admission results update:
Accepted with highest academic scholarship: Denison, Oberlin, Bennington, University of Iowa
Wait-listed: Columbia, Emory, Kenyon (interviewed), University of Michigan
Rejected: Yale (SCEA), Northwestern (interviewed), Johns Hopkins, Princeton (interviewed), Stanford, Harvard, Brown, Williams
I knew I would receive many rejections because I applied to so many reach schools, but I am disappointed with rejections from certain hard target or reach schools (namely, Emory, Kenyon, Michigan, Princeton, Northwestern).
Currently, I’m exploring my options at the schools I was accepted to, although I won’t be able to make a decision until the FAFSA is released. I’m assuming I will be rejected at my wait list schools due to statistics. I would love any thoughts / advice / opinions!
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Don’t be disappointed - you gave it your all and you got into four fine schools. Forget the WL - sign up for them if you want but then get them out of your mind.
If you want big, Iowa becomes the no brainer. Denison and Oberlin - different but in the same state. Bennington is unieque.
The question becomes:
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Do you want big or small - if big, the answer is there.
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Can you afford all? In the end, you cannot go where you cannot afford.
FAFSA shouldn’t matter - for Iowa and the rest, it will give loan access. Your “need profile” should already be there from the CSS - the schools don’t need FAFSA to know your need as they won’t use it.
Good luck. And congrats - it’s great to “reach” for what you want. It’s their loss - and frankly, you will make your success not the schools.
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Congratulations on some very good acceptances 
Denison and Oberlin are closest to Kenyon in vibe and academic strength, though Oberlin is more liberal (or has more vocal students).
(I don’t think Iowa is similar enough to Michigan but if you wanted a large school it’s a good choice and I assume you got into honors too.)
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This is so awesome, congratulations!
All three private schools are CSS schools, so they should be able to present you with a financial aid offer even though the FAFSA is still having issues. Did you/your family run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) on the schools beforehand? How are the schools’ offers coming in as compared to the NPCs? Also, does merit aid stack with financial aid, or does it replace parts of the financial aid (this institution-dependent)?
Looking at the net prices for the privates, Denison and Oberlin do have have some net prices that are coming in below $15k, but what matters is whether your offer comes in below that point. I didn’t include U. of Iowa, because the net prices would have been largely reflecting in-state student pricing.
Bennington Net Price
Denison Net Price
Oberlin Net Price
Frankly, all four schools are great, particularly for someone who’s interested in writing. So I would narrow down the list by those that are affordable without any loans, followed by those that are affordable with federal loans only. If a school is not affordable with only federal loans, I would eliminate it. Additionally, I would have an extremely hard time turning down an offer that required no loans vs. one that would need loans. Unfortunately, the job market for writers isn’t the most lucrative, particularly in the early years. Thus, avoiding any debt at all is probably your best move, especially since all of these are terrific options for your interests.
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This.
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Fully agree! If only one school is financially viable, I’ll go there. If no schools offer me aid without loans, I will attend an in-state school I have been accepted to.
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Your mature perspective and attitude will take you a long way. Best of luck to you moving forward!
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As an alternative opinion, it seems reasonable to borrow a moderate amount of money to fund something as important as a college education.
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For a creative writing major where there are suitable and affordable alternatives?
I’d disagree - but understand your point.
Outcome wise I can’t imagine the “where” will matter…regardless of those with great reps.
I guess some will depend on the desired outcome of OP - what’s their end goal in doing this major and do they plan to supplement it with a minor or double that might be more “real world” usable.
I have a kid double majoring - but neither in anything real world usable. While she’s had two internships, the future scares the crap out of me.
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The where matters a lot in creative writing because you depend on 1° professors’contacts (more than the career center) 2° peer ability (you want actual peers) 3° breadth of offerings (lots of writing has to be done, in a lot of contexts - it’s not just poetry or novels).
That has to be tempered with cost, in that debt should be minimized.
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Fair points - but perhaps the student can get career outcomes from each school - to see where these grads end up.
Sometimes even the highest rated have struggling students in certain majors.
Iowa has an easy to use, but not interpret, dashboard. I clicked on creative writing - but if it doesn’t appear that way, you can click under majors.
I laugh at the one that says pizza maker…that’s just one…most seem relevant although relevant to OP, I don’t know. There’s a lot of editors or editorial assistant type and really various other roles. Of course, we don’t know if the major was a solo major or a double.
Hiring Data & Reports | Pomerantz Career Center - The University of Iowa (uiowa.edu)
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Creative major, yes, but studying English and Italian as well. I would love to write, but understand that poetry often does not pay the bills. I plan to teach. Therefore, I’m looking for a school that offers literary connections, writing organizations and internships, and a solid literary education. Hope that is helpful!
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I would definitely talk to each school about your goals - especially if teaching - to ensure they can meet your goals.
I’d also consider licensing - where do you want to be?
For some states, it may be easier to go to school in the state you want licensing. Others it may not matter.
I don’t think any schools offer internships per se but yes, an Iowa likely has more connections to them than a UTK or UTC given their strength in the field. But it’s not to say you won’t have similar success from either.
But I think it’s fair for you to speak with a professor / department head at each and every school to determine if your desired path is something attainable from them.
Also, are you sure all offer Italian? I can find French, German, and Spanish on Denison’s website but not Italian - other than study abroad. Perhaps I’m wrong (they have a Modern Language page) - but I’d make sure all have your major, etc. Even a Benington - when I go to Italian, only a class from 2022 pops up - so I’d double check the curriculums at each school. If some don’t have - easy to remove !!
Good luck.
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S19 did exactly that. He plans to write, but also got a master’s for teaching (graduating this May). He’s been teaching at a high school as part of his degree requirement, and loves it. And, he’s been offered an opportunity to start on his PhD and teach at the college while he does that. He’s waiting for contracts to come out to make a decision, but he’s a success story. You just have to grind and put in the work.
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Were you rejected from Kenyon College and the University of Michigan–or wait-listed at those schools ?
In my opinion, your results should have been better, but it helps if you know what certain schools are seeking when reviewing applications.
As I noted before, you almost certainly would have received a near full ride at Ole Miss’ new BFA program (Ole Miss has a well established MFA program and the MFA profs would have been your instructors. Ole Miss’ BFA program seems focused on all forms of writing including poetry–which you mentioned above). I also wanted to discuss USC with you, but did not receive any reply.
Did you have a neutral party review your applications ?
Did you submit a portfolio / completed written works ? Do you understand what programs are looking for when reviewing portfolios ?
Were your interviews with Kenyon, Princeton, & Northwestern requested admissions office interviews or optional alumni informational interviews ?
I encourage you to read a bit about the late Charles Krauthammer. He was a very talented political writer for the Washington Post and the National Review; if you understand his attributes, then you should understand your results to the extent that any of your work product affected your admission results.
FWIW I have several relatives who are published authors. At least 3 of them earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism at Columbia. All do well financially. Consider that program.
If financially feasible due to merit scholarship awards or other financial aid, Oberlin, Denison, and Iowa might be great options for you. Are you motivated by the environment at any of these schools ?
In my opinion, it is important to be in an environment of highly intelligent, motivated, hard-working peers. If you feel this way, then search for your best match.