Top 20 Colleges for Aspiring Writers
Get the latest ranking of Top 10 Schools for Aspiring Writers 2016 here.
What will you do with a creative writing major? Prepare for the skeptics—a creative writing major is not for the faint of heart. If you’re serious about your craft, you’ll need a creative writing program that will whip your writing into shape. We’ve uncovered programs with reputable alumni and faculty, scholarship opportunities, inventive writing courses and thriving literary magazines. We’re talking programs so exclusive they often require a manuscript application. No school can guarantee you’ll be the next great American author, but these ten will get you pretty damn close.
10. EMORY UNIVERSITY
Flickr user Riahi
You better gear up if you’re looking into the creative writing program at Emory University in Atlanta. On top of a standard application requiring reasons for applying to the program, students must submit a manuscript to secure a spot in the advanced poetry and prose courses. The select few who do get accepted can apply for the Grace Abernethy Scholarship just for being a creative writing major. If you decide to pursue playwriting, you’ll thrive with Emory’s unique joint Theater Studies major. See ya on Broadway.
Related Read: Attention, Writers: 3 Books You Need to Read
Bring your passion for words to your dorm room with the writer collection:
If you love to write, and you want to focus your college career on perfecting your craft, consider the following majors:
- English Major
- Communication Studies Major
- Languages and Literature Major
- Creative Writing Major
- Journalism Major
- Public Relations Major
- Marketing Major
In each of these majors you will flex your writing skills. Tired of just hearing "show vs tell" and ready to start showing? Consider the creative writing or fiction writing path. There you'll learn the art of developing characters and writing short stories, plays, poems and novels. The English and languages and literature majors focus on analyzing novels, nonfiction and varying forms of literature. Whereas in journalism, you'll improve your ability to connect with sources and report on news and events. As for marketing, public relations and communication studies, you'll learn to use the written word as a promotional tool. Each major connects to specific career paths, however all majors emphasize writing, an invaluable skill for any job. Research each major and follow your heart, or in this case, your pen.
Every writer's journey involves mentors and guides along the way. As an aspiring writer, these three books will keep you company on the winding road ahead. Add these key resources to your growing library.
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser
Total: $10.22
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
By Stephen King
Total: $11.99
The Writing Life
by Annie Dillard
Total: $11.84
At College Magazine we're always seeking talented student writers to join our team and get published. We have an entire training program dedicated to helping aspiring writers uncover their voice. We tackle the following common writing habits:
- Conversational writing versus formal writing
- Concision
- Active vs passive voice
- Repetition
- Sentence length variation
- Show versus tell
If you're interested in applying, send your resume and writing sample to [email protected]
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*Updated April 6, 2016 to include information on majors focused on writing and helpful resources for aspiring writers.
