The Top Four

After deliberation I have narrowed down my potential colleges to four - one or two of which I will be applying for in the next week or so.  The bottom four colleges are ones that I like but the date for spring application has passed and so if it comes to it, I would have to start them in summer/fall.  I'm putting them on the back burner for now as I do have some pretty high hopes for the four that I've selected for further study.  PMC is about $6,000 per semester ($12K per year); CC is about $5,650 per semester ($11,300 per year); QU is about $6,300 per semester ($12,600 per year); and Naropa is about $12K per year.  All of them (unless I'm wrong) offer some sort of scholarships/fellowships/grad grants or some kind of financial assistance.  I get a really good feeling from all of them, hence my indecision.


PINE MANOR COLLEGE: (Oct 15)

• FAQ Overview
• Tuition and Fees
• Application Deadlines
• Apply

CONVERSE COLLEGE in SPARTANBURG (Oct 1)

• FAQ Overview
• Tuition and Fees
• Residency Overview
• Application Deadline and Procedures

QUEENS UNIVERSITY of CHARLOTTE (Oct 15)

• FAQ Overview
• Admission and Tuition
• Apply

NAROPA UNIVERSITY (Oct 1)

• Program Overview
• Costs of Programs
• Apply
• Deadlines

*Honorable Mentions*

VERMONT COLLEGE of FINE ARTS (Aug 15; Feb 15)

• FAQ Overview
• Tuition and Fees

UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE (Aug 1; Feb 1)

• Applying
• Program Overview

LESLEY UNIVERSITY (Sept 1; March 1)

• FAQ Overview

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE: (Sept 1; March 1)

• Program Overview
• Tuition
• Financial Aide

I am going to call the top four universities/colleges tomorrow and ask about financial assistance, cross genre studies, letters of recommendation, letters of intent, total cost (any extra fees for residencies), and what sorts of things will help my chances of being accepted.  According this month's issue of Poets & Writers: PMC does not rank in selectivity and it ranks about 13th in fellowship placement.  Converse does not rank in selectivity either but does not rank at all in fellowship placement.  Queens is a bit better in ranking for fellowships (9th) but it is also on the upper end of selectivity (7th) which is not necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't make my job any easier either.  Naropa does not rank in fellowships but it does rank in selectivity, toward the lower end (18th), however, so it is not quite as intimidating. As for application fees: PMC - $50; CC - $40; QU - $45; and Naropa - $60.  It is feasible to apply for two, but a good deal of my selection will depend on the phone calls.  I need some assurance that I have a chance at more financial help than just what FAFSA based loans promise me.

On another note, I just learned something kind of interesting.  The first two college picks on my list (PMC and CC) are women's colleges.  The MFA programs, however, are co-ed, but the fundamental institution is for women only. I hadn't really ever thought of applying to a women's  institution but it is beginning to appeal to me.  I know that there will be males in the MFA workshops, etc, but it's kind of a charming notion to go to a women's college.  The other two colleges are co-ed but have an overwhelmingly large female student body.  It seems that no matter which one I pick, I will most likely be surrounded by a majority of like minded women during the residencies.

I've also decided to check out University of Alaska at Anchorage because I keep seeing it popping up as a great program and all but the website is kaput.  I figure it couldn't hurt to give them a call and just see if they still even have an MFA program and what sort of perimeters it has.