Gertrude Said:

What's a good graduate school for MFA in Creative Writing?

We Answered:

The most prestigious program, hands down, is at U Iowa--called the Writers' Workship. The alumni have won 16 Pulitzers, and alumni include Philip Roth, Jane Smiley, John Irving, John Cheever, Marilynne Robinson (Gilead), Michael Cunningham (The Hours), John Berryman, W.D. Snodgrass, Louise Gluck, Kurt Vonnegut (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Iow… You're not guaranteed to be famous if you go there but...you chances are substantially higher.

Other top schools for Creative Writing MFA: Boston University, UC Irvine, Cornell, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Florida State, UVA, U Michigan Ann Arbor, Brown, and Columbia.

Willard Said:

should i go to film school for screenwriting or grad school for my MFA in creative writing?

We Answered:

Definitely the MFA is a top-tier creative writing program. Choose an MFA program where you will have the opportunity to also learn some screenwriting. Look for a screenwriting course in the program and for someone with a screenwriting background among faculty.

Louis Said:

Is it a waste of time to get MFA creative writing at grad school after already having a BFA in the subject?

We Answered:

If you have not succeeded in being published outside of student publications and a year of sincere effort has passed since you earned the BFA, an MFA will probably not improve the situation. If your work has been commercially published, analyze how a particular MFA program or programs would enhance your career.

Herman Said:

Can you get a BA in one thing and attend grad school for something else?

We Answered:

You make total sense - I had the same questions you did when I was in school...answer is, it depends! Let me give you a couple of examples...

I am a recent journalism graduate (high five to you!) and am planning on going to grad school for something totally different - College Student Personnel. Basically I would work in the administration at a college, in housing, or as an academic adviser. My undergrad was considered liberal arts, and so is College Student Personnel (creative writing and film studies would be too.)

It depends on the program you are going into. Some programs may require certain prerequisites. In my case, I am able to get into the CSP grad program with the degree I already have. However, let's say I wanted to get my Master's in Physics. The physics grad program would have certain requirements - that I have taken a certain amount of high-level math and science (which in turn would mean my undergrad would be in a hard science area.) Could you imagine me in a Master's physics program? I would be a hot mess! So, certain programs like Physics, Math, etc. have certain prereqs, b/c if they didn't, people would be in that program who had no idea what they were doing, and be totally unprepared.

So in your case, I would say creative writing is something that makes sense with your journalism background. They prob would be ok with that (you might have to submit a portfolio of your clips/writing or other things like that.) As far as film studies, I would think you would be ok there too, since it is liberal arts as well. I would check the admissions requirements of the grad school you are thinking about. Just ask yourself, does the grad program I am thinking about make sense for someone with my major? Good luck!

Doris Said:

What should I do, Physics or Creative Writing?

We Answered:

No matter what anyone else tells you , you need to figure it out for yourself which field you are more interested in and would want to do for the rest of your life.

Allan Said:

What should I do in grad school, Physics or Creative Writing?

We Answered:

Are you sure you want to go to grad school? What are you going to do with a graduate degree? If you want to teach college, keep in mind there are many, many more people with PhDs who want to teach than there are jobs for them - I have a friend finishing his PhD in physics this year and fighting for a job that pays 28k a year teaching college. You'd make twice that with a bachelors in physics going into industry. A graduate degree doesn't mean you'll necessarily make more money or get the job you want, and it's a ton of work (more so in physics than writing).