Creative Writing at the University of Oregon




	M.F.A. Program Degree Requirements How to Apply Teaching Fellowships F.A.Q.s Courses Faculty Reading Series Kidd Tutorial Newsletter/Press Alumni Supporting the Program Home	Frequently Asked Questions About the M.F.A. Program
		How many students are in the M.F.A. program? The total number of students in the M.F.A. program averages 24 each year. Admission is offered to, at most, six students in each genre each year. How large are the workshops? The limit is 15 students, but workshops are usually smaller. How many applications do you typically receive each year? We receive over 500 applications each year, but admit less than three percent. Is the January 15 postmark deadline for applications a firm deadline? Yes. The application, fee, personal statement, and writing samples must be postmarked by the deadline, or the application will not be reviewed. Other materials such as letters of recommendation and transcripts may trail in later, but if the file is not complete by the time faculty are ready to review it, it cannot be considered. What if I miss the January 15 deadline? You would need to wait and apply for the following year. Applications for admission are accepted beginning in October of each year. What is the admissions procedure? On what do you base acceptance? The faculty members read the writing sample first (but only if the file is complete). If there is interest in the sample, the faculty will then review an applicant’s entire file. At that point, they are especially interested in statements of purpose and letters of recommendation. What can I do to increase my chances of being accepted into the M.F.A. program? Submit your very best writing. Get letters of recommendation from people familiar with your creative writing and with you as a student. Make sure your application and all supporting materials are postmarked by January 15. Will I improve my chances for acceptance if I visit your campus? No. Some applicants do choose to visit the University of Oregon campus to help them decide if they want to apply to the M.F.A. program. As a rule, the Director of Creative Writing meets with applicants only after they have been accepted. The best time to visit is after we’ve accepted you. You can meet students and get a sense of the faculty and the environment, so you can make an informed decision about coming here. Is there any advantage to sending in an application long before the deadline? No. The faculty members begin reading the writing samples after the January 15 deadline. Can I apply in both fiction and poetry? Yes, however you must submit two entirely separate application packets with two applications, payment of two application fees, and two sets of all the other materials--one for fiction and one for poetry. Each packet must be complete unto itself as the fiction and poetry applications are reviewed by different committees. If admitted, students may only take workshops in the genre for which they were accepted. Can I send non-fiction writing samples in a fiction application? No. Though we teach some Creative Non-Fiction courses and encourage both fiction writers and poets to explore this mode, we offer only a fiction or poetry MFA and only applications to those genres will be considered. Can I send more than the required number of pages for my writing sample? No. Please limit your writing sample to 14 pages for poetry and 25 pages for fiction. Only submit writing samples in your chosen genre, fiction or poetry, but not both. Additional pages will not be read by the admissions committee. The writing samples must be double-spaced in a standard 12-point font with one-inch margins. Can I send materials not required by the Creative Writing Program? No. Please do not send extraneous application materials such as video cassettes, tapes, news clippings, chapbooks, etc. They will not be seen by the admissions committee. Also, do not send specialized file covers, bindings, or folders. The strength of your application lies within the required information; each will be reviewed and considered for admission on that basis of the required materials alone. Are GRE scores required for admission? No. If GRE scores are received, they will not be matched to the applicant's file. The committee members will never see them. Is there a foreign language requirement? No. Do my letters of recommendation have to be from college professors? The most useful letters of recommendation come from teachers familiar with your creative writing and with you as a student. Letters from other college professors, who may be familiar with your habits as a student and with your academic writing, for example, can also be helpful. Letters from employers, unless the work was directly related to writing, are less helpful to us. Do I need to include the letters of recommendation in my application packet, or can they be sent separately? The recommender may choose to give you the letter to include with your application packet or send his or her letter directly to the Creative Writing Program. Either way, each letter should be in a sealed envelope with the recommender's signature across the seal. The Graduate Teaching Fellowship application indicates that four letters of reference are required, while the Creative Writing Program only requires three. Can these letters be the same the letters of recommendation submitted to the Creative Writing Program, and if so, how many do I need, three or four? Only three letters of recommendation are required in total. The same individuals who supply your letters of recommendation for the Creative Writing Program may be listed on the Graduate Teaching Fellowship application form. A fourth reference is not required. Can I get advice from a faculty member regarding my application? No. Since we receive over 500 applications each year, the Creative Writing Program is not in a position to critique an applicant’s writing sample—or any other part of the application—before or after the process takes place. If you have questions about the effectiveness of your application, you should seek advice from those writing your letters of recommendation. What type of financial support or fellowships do you offer? The Creative Writing Program attempts to fund all admitted students with Graduate Teaching Fellowships (GTFs). Students with GTFs receive full tuition waivers (worth $13,734 in 2004-05), partial payment of student fees, health insurance, and a stipend of $9,314 per academic year. What does the Graduate Teaching Fellowship involve? In the first year, the Creative Writing Program awards M.F.A. students with GTFs teaching in the Kidd Tutorial Program or teaching undergraduate intro courses in fiction or poetry. No previous teaching experience is required for the GTF appointments. However, applicants will need to demonstrate their probable success as first-time teachers through their application materials and letters of recommendation. In the second year, most students apply for GTFs teaching composition through the English Department. GTFs teach one course per quarter. Training and support are provided. What other sorts of financial aid are available? A limited number of fellowships, scholarships, and awards are available through the Graduate School. Work-study assistantships, loans, and other forms of financial aid are available through the University of Oregon’s Office of Financial Aid. If I am accepted, can I defer my entrance into the program? Acceptance in the Creative Writing Program is for fall quarter only and cannot be deferred until winter or spring quarter. Deferment until the following year is only allowed under emergency circumstances. Can I transfer credits from another graduate school? Once an applicant has been admitted, only seminar credits may be transferred to apply toward the literature requirements of the degree. Workshop credits are never accepted as transfer credits. When will letters of acceptance be sent? Admission decisions will be made by mid-March. All notifications will be sent by mail. We will not discuss admission results via e-mail or phone. What is a profile of the successful applicant? Most successful applicants have strong, promising writing samples, an articulate, well-written personal statement, an undergraduate degree with a B average or better; undergraduate or community workshop study in creative writing; enrollment in several literature courses, often with a major in English; ease within the university environment and respect for university teaching; an interest in the Pacific Northwest with a strong desire to attend the University of Oregon. Return to top




		Creative Writing Program 5243 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-5243 Phone: (541) 346-3944 Fax: (541) 346-0537 crwrweb@uoregon.edu