Arizona State University

Arizona

Arizona State University

Three year program

Funding: Currently, all students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a 2-2 load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend, just over $12,500 per year. Graduate students with assistantships must enroll for a minimum of six credit hours each semester.

All full-time MFA students are currently offered Virginia G. Piper Fellowships for each of their three years of study, based on satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements. Two Theresa A. Wilhoit Fellowships, one in poetry, one in fiction, provide the benefits of a Teaching Assistantship without the teaching responsibilities for one semester of the third year. Wilhoit Fellowships are administered by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. Graduate College fellowships and a small number of Research Assistantships provide other sources of funding. RAs are not typically awarded for the first year. Other prizes available.

Tuition: $3068 for six hours per semester or $6136 per year for a resident; $5,096 for six hours per semester or $10,192 per year for a non-resident.

Faculty: Sally Ball, Jay M. Boyer, Norman Dubie, Beckian Fritz Goldberg, Cynthia Hogue, T. R. Hummer, T. M. McNally, Melissa Pritchard, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Alberto Alvaro Rios, Jeannine Savard, Peter Turchi

Application (Deadline Jan. 15):

• Online application
• A personal statement including your writing background, intended area of specialization, a brief self-evaluation of recent work, and goals.
• 3 Letters of recommendation
• Personal resume or CV
• Three (3) copies of a manuscript sample: 20 pages of poetry, 30 pages of prose, or both.
• Official academic transcript

Website: http://www.english.clas.asu.edu/cw-apply

A Talk

I can't stress how important it is to apply to programs that give funding and health insurance. There are so many reasons to be financially smart about your MFA list. For one, unless you have have inherited millions or won the lottery it's no small feat to pay back student loans for an MFA with an MFA. It doesn't make sense to come out of an art program with $80-100,000 in debt. You're not going to be a doctor or an engineer with a lucrative position. You're going to be a writer. Most poetry or fiction prizes pay $1,000. The Pulitzer pays $10,000. The NEA and Guggenheim more, but know your odds.

As an artist, you should be given time and money to write (and in some cases teaching experience to prepare you for a job post-MFA). You shouldn't be paying a school so that you can write. In short, let grants, donors, the undergraduates at the given institution-- or rather, their parents pay for you to be there.

Worrying about how you're going to feed yourself or pay for a doctor's visit is no way to live. It's not conducive to writing. You need to have a decent place to live, good health care, and delicious food that you take pleasure in eating (don't try living on sandwiches, then toast because your lunch meat runs out, then cereal because the bread has run out). Take care of yourself.

And if somehow, you've already applied to programs that don't have great funding. Then somehow, you only get into two very poorly funded schools, just know that you don't have to pick one. There's always next year.

More Money

As far as websites show, these are the schools that have increased their fellowship/stipend/funding:

Johns Hopkins University
Washington St. Louis
Purdue

And Now You Know

Acceptances and rejections are out. There may be a few that haven't notified yet. As far as Hopkins, the poets were notified at least two or weeks ago and the fiction side was notified a week ago. Congratulations to all acceptances!

Tidbit

As far as I know, the Writing Seminars faculty at Johns Hopkins have started reading manuscripts. I have no other information but there was a stack of applications on the department administrator's desk, or so I heard. So they're being logged in.

It seems that the aesthetics of most of the poetry faculty lean heavily towards formalism. Many of the MFA poets write or have been trained in writing in verse, etc. This is no surprise as Mary Jo Salter is now one of the leading professors in the program. It's always important to know the aesthetic tastes of the faculty.

Good luck!

Little

Last year, when I applied for MFA programs, I remember:

1. Telling myself that I wouldn't get into an MFA program (psyching myself into disappointment so that I wouldn't despair later... though I probably may have anyway)

2. Checking MFA blogs and sites obsessively

3. Feeling deliriously confident that I would be chosen and then sinking into a cloudy muck of deflation

Everyone is waiting.  It's a good idea to give the departments a call in late Jan or Feb if any of your material is missing from the application bundle. But don't worry-- I really mean this-- don't freak out even if something is missing.  I was accepted into Johns Hopkins in April despite them not being able to find my GRE scores (name mishap).  The important thing is your writing.  You've come this far, don't lose hope.  Don't forget to treat yourself to something nice and warm this winter season. Take care of yourselves. Eat well, get rest, and keep writing.

The Waiting Game

I hope that you're all enjoying the holidays. There may be a few MFA programs that have a January deadline. Be sure to mail it in on time! For most the process is over and for a few, there are still packets to be mailed. 

The important thing is to take a breather, read a good book over the holidays, view A Christmas Story at least once this Christmas (it's on 24 hours, after all), and get plenty of rest. Because when the holiday passes, you'll be back into writing.

Congratulations if you're done. I'm cheering you on if you're not.  The waiting begins. Don't forget to check your status online or give the schools a call once mid-January rolls around to make sure that they have all your materials. Avoid calling them during the break-- they'll be slow, mail will be slow, your file will most likely not have been sorted and organized yet, and the administrator may be grumpy from the flood of calls/emails. 

Have a happy holiday!

Warmly,

R.P.