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List of All U.S. Colleges with a Creative Writing Major

Writing has been my passion practically since I learned to read in kindergarten. I would write stories about princesses and my family dog, Gansett. When it came time to look at colleges, I was set on attending one with a strong creative writing program. Ultimately, I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars.

Today, colleges across the country offer creative writing as a major. Because writing skills are essential for a wide range of careers, and because most curricula emphasize broad liberal arts competencies, a degree in creative writing can set you up for success in numerous fields, whether you want to be an editor or a lawyer.

Interested in majoring in creative writing? Learn which schools offer the major and what to look for in a program.

Overview of the Creative Writing Major

Creative writing is about more than spinning tales. For your major, you’ll generally need to pursue a curriculum grounded in literature, history, foreign language, and other humanities courses, along with distribution courses, if the college requires them.

Most creative writing majors must participate in workshops, in which students present their work and listen to peer critiques, usually with a certain number of advanced courses in the mix. In some cases, colleges will ask you to specialize in a particular genre, such as fiction, poetry, or playwriting. 

To succeed in creative writing, you’ll need to have a tough spine, in order to open yourself up to feedback from your classmates and instructors. You may need to give readings in public — if not as an undergraduate, certainly during your career. Of course, a passion for creating is essential, too, as is a willingness to revise your work and learn from the greats and your peers.

A creative writing major opens up doors to many careers, including journalism, content marketing, copywriting, teaching, and others. Even careers that don’t center around writing often have a strong writing component: you’ll need to write reports, deliver presentations, and so on.

Some writers go on to earn an MFA, which will help you hone your craft. It’s also often a prerequisite for teaching creative writing at the college level.

What to Look for in a College as a Creative Writing Major

Published authors on faculty.

Many world-renowned authors have another claim to fame: professorships. Writers who have taught their craft include (among many others):

• Maya Angelou (Wake Forest University)
• Colson Whitehead (many colleges, including Vassar College and Columbia University)
• Stephen Dixon (Johns Hopkins University)
• Viet Thanh Nguyen (University of Southern California)
• Eula Biss (Northwestern University)
• Toni Morrison (Princeton University)

Be aware that as an undergraduate, you may not be able to learn from the greats. That’s why it’s important to look into which courses these faculty teach before you have dreams of being mentored by Salman Rushdie — who is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU.

Genres Offered

While many schools that have creative writing majors offer fiction and poetry courses and tracks, there are some niche genres that could be more difficult to find. If you’re interested in playwriting, for example, you won’t find that at every school. Before you decide on a program, be sure it includes the genres you’d like to explore further, whether that’s flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or something else.

Workshopping Opportunities

The core of most quality creative writing curriculum is workshopping. This means sharing your work in your classes and listening to your peers discuss and critique it. While this may sound intimidating, it can do a lot to help you hone your work and become a better writer. Look for colleges that make this the bedrock of their curriculum.

Showcasing Opportunities

Are there opportunities to present your work, such as college-sponsored readings where undergraduates can participate? Or, perhaps the school has a great literary journal. At my school, students could submit their plays and have them performed by fellow students. 

List of All U.S. Colleges With a Creative Writing Major

What are your chances of acceptance.

No matter what major you’re considering, the first step is ensuring you’re academically comparable to students who were previously accepted to the college or university. Most selective schools use the Academic Index to filter out applicants who aren’t up to their standards.

You’ll also want to demonstrate your fit with the school and specific major with the qualitative components of your application, like your extracurriculars and essays. For a prospective creative writing major, the essay is particularly important because this is a way to demonstrate your writing prowess. Activities might include editing your school’s newspaper or literary journal, publishing your work, and participating in pre-college writing workshops.

Want to know your chances of being accepted to top creative writing schools? Try our Chancing Engine (it’s free). Unlike other calculators, it takes your individual profile into account, including academic stats and qualitative components like your activities. Give it a try and get a jumpstart on your journey as a creative writing major!

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Fans go sicko mode on travis scott after old college essay about kanye west appears online.

The Houston rapper had a lot of love for Ye's G.O.O.D Music, whom he would later sign to.

By Armon Sadler

Armon Sadler

Hip-Hop Reporter

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Travis Scott is the internet’s current target for jokes after one of his alleged old college essays surfaced online. The 33-year-old rapper wrote about Kanye West ‘s G.O.O.D Music label and its signees Kid Cudi and Big Sean .

Common Says He Turned Down These Classic Kanye West Beats

Travis Scott's 2009 college essay about G.O.O.D Music, Kid Cudi & more trolled endlessly online pic.twitter.com/M3BXJCk8aU — HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 27, 2024

Neither Travis Scott nor the university have confirmed whether this essay is real or not, but internet users didn’t need the truth to let their jokes off. “This mf had no choice but to be a rapper he stupid as hell,” one fan wrote on social media. “College…?” one fan asked while another speculated that he wrote the essay five minutes before his class began.

While a major in English clearly wasn’t Scott’s forte, he seemingly manifested his future success with the contents of this essay. He signed with G.O.O.D Music in 2012 and has been one of Kanye West’s constant collaborators in the ensuing years. He also worked with Kid Cudi on numerous occasions and at one point, the duo even promoted a joint album which was later shelved .

Travis Scott also recently appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s March 2024 collaborative album We Don’t Trust You . He was featured on “ Type Sh*t ” alongside Playboi Carti and “Cinderella.” In January, he joined 21 Savage on “Née-Nah” from his latest album American Dream . The 10-time Grammy nominee also joined Tyla on the remix to her popular record “Water” in November 2023 and “Aye” from Lil Uzi Vert’s June 2023 album Pink Tape . Listen to Utopia above.

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