creative writing MFA statement of purpose?

[greenpenquills]

hi everyone, my name is alana. this year, i'm applying to three MFA programs in creative nonfiction: university of arizona, university of new mexico, and university of iowa. i've been obsessing over my writing sample for the past couple of months. i've workshopped parts of it, showed it to family and professors, all that good stuff. i feel like i'm

Comments

[mysticblossom]

Earlier this week I gave my SOP draft to my adviser, who told me that my reasons listed for wanting to attend grad school were very generic. Even if you don't have generic reasons, it's still very hard to write. So I sat down and thought about why, really, I want to attend an MFA program. The problem is that unlike an MA/PhD tract, an MFA program's emphasis is on writing, which, let's face it, you can do anywhere, anytime. So what you need to do is get into what an MFA program will do for you that just taking a couple of years to work on a novel on your own won't. And I don't think there's anything wrong with getting into personal reasons for wanting to write, but that's just my opinion. It really depends on how you word it in the actual essay.

[greenpenquills]

yeah, maybe i should just write something, not thinking about what i should say or what they might think. then, from there, i can tailor it. because at this point, i can't get anything down because i keep censoring myself.

[mysticblossom]

That's basically what I did. Just keep in mind that they're going to receive hundreds of SOP's that all amount to, "I want to attend your MFA program because I like writing." You want to talk about what you'll bring to the table that another candidate might not, and what you really and truly believe the program will do for you. Be honest, because you won't get far by worrying about what they'll think :)

[greenpenquills]

my biggest difficulty in writing the SOP is whether or not to include my struggles with chronic anxiety and depression since a young age. the reason i want to go to an MFA program in CNF is to write a memoir about these things. two of my essays in the writing sample brush on it (there are scenes of me in therapy as a child), so it almost seems silly to not say that those experiences are what i want to write my memoir on, right?

[acommonreader]

I am at Iowa, and adore their Creative Nonfiction program. It is rather sensational, and duly renowned. It may be worth noting - as I have, in living with and coming to be friends with several of its writers - that the program comprises people with many different backgrounds in writing, many of which do work in the personal or lyrical essay, yes (which we often think of as "classic" Creative Nonfiction), but many have also had their work published in the New York Times, or worked in editorial or writing positions in some branch of journalism

[greenpenquills]

thanks for sharing what you know about the program at iowa. i agree that creative nonfiction is a great field to study in and i'm really excited to be on that track.

[royalewcheeze]

I majored in creative writing at the University of New Mexico. :) great program. What faculty are you looking to work with?

[greekdaph]

A good SOP rule of thumb, I think--though, alas, one much harder to follow in an MFA application where you're not tasked with articulating a specific research project--is to avoid saying anything that any applicant could say. Focus on what makes your SOP different from all the other ones in that pile. The material that's not unique is the material that runs the highest risk of being cliched and/or boring

[aviation_]

I found this helpful:
WORDS TO AVOID USING WITHOUT EXPLANATION

[juicy_eli]

Great!