<p>[Virginia</a> B. Ball Creative Writing Competition | Interlochen Arts Academy High School](<a href=“http://academy.interlochen.org/content/virginia-b-ball-creative-writing-competition?utm_source=ica&utm_medium=brochure&utm_term=mar2010&utm_campaign=iaa_cw]Virginia”>http://academy.interlochen.org/content/virginia-b-ball-creative-writing-competition?utm_source=ica&utm_medium=brochure&utm_term=mar2010&utm_campaign=iaa_cw)</p>
<p>This contest offers a scholarship for Interlochen Academy; I sort of half-applied by polishing off a strong Poetry portfolio and a very weak (so weak that it had an inaudible voice and plot) Prose submission. Of course, I didn’t place into the finalists, but it was a good try. I really liked the premise of the contest; Interlochen seems to be a great fit for me. It’s just that my writing skills are…eh. They still encouraged me to apply, though-should I? The deadline is February 15.</p>
<p>What about you guys? Anyone else who entered the competition?</p>
<p>Wait, it says that it ended.</p>
<p>Yep 
the deadline was December 15, but you can participate next year! I set up the thread to share thoughts/reflections, etc.</p>
<p>So I just found out that I’m a finalist for this…but I kind of applied on a whim don’t know that much about Interlochen… Any other finalists out there?</p>
<p>The site says that there can be up to 25 finalists…as for finding out more about Interlochen, you can start by searching old threads on this forum and going to the Interlochen website :-)</p>
<p>I got an email yesterday that I’m a finalist for this. Apparently, everyone who applied is invited to apply to the school itself, regardless of finalist status. The school seems really great, but it’s pretty expensive, somewhere around 40k a year. I think if writing is something you take extremely seriously and is something you can definitely see yourself doing for the rest of your life, then definitely apply! I’ve heard the financial aid packages they give are really great; a friend has almost 30k in financial aid alone.</p>
<p>Congrats yasminwrites! Wasn’t the email so nice? I loved how they gave us feedback on what they liked about our submissions, especially since so few contests do. Are you planning on taking the next step and applying? I think I want to, but first I need to convince my parents…
Also, the school is actually more expensive than that. I think its closer to 50K than 40.</p>
<p>Congrats to you as well! It really was! I know a few others who were finalists and I love how each email was clearly written for the person it was sent to, as in, they didn’t make a template and send it out. From what current Interlochen students have told me, just by being finalists, we’re automatically accepted into the school, now it’s just a matter of whether we win the scholarship money or not. I’m definitely going to send in the financial aid paperwork and all that, but I’ll have to think really long and hard about whether I’m going to attend, if I don’t win. </p>
<p>I’m a junior now, and would be going to Interlochen as a senior. I’ve already been to three high schools and a fourth would just be too much change. If I end up winning, and I get a good financial/merit aid on top of the 30k, I’ll definitely attend, but I’m not going to strain my parents financially for my last year of high school. I’m going to get my financial package and see whether I’ve won before I bring it up with my parents. Telling them that I want to go to a prestige art school in Michigan that cost 50k will sound a lot better if most of that 50k is paid for.</p>