College 3 by 5: Three Things About Five Colleges

Small Colleges for Creative Writers

by Emily Standish

Students who love to write can thrive on college campuses that feature small classes, close relationships with professors who are also published authors, and deep involvement with campus literary publications. Here are five colleges that are known for their ability to engage and develop student writers. Some colleges offer a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, others offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, www.kenyon.edu
• The Kenyon Review, quarterly literary magazine is one of the most respected publications of its kind, featuring the best new poetry, essays, and short stories of emerging writers. Students may work as associates that organize literary events, interview writers, and assess manuscripts.
• The Kenyon-Exeter Program takes students to the University of Exeter, England, for a semester  to study the literature and culture of England, supplemented by tours to Stratford and London.
• By the numbers: 33% Admit Rate; Mid Range ACT Scores 28-32

Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR, www.lclark.edu/
• Poet William Stafford spent most of his teaching career at Lewis & Clark, which has one of the oldest creative writing programs among colleges in the west. Six literary publications plus a journal that publishes original student plays are produced on campus.
• Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Grants sponsored by the Dean’s office enable students to work with professors in a variety of literary endeavors.
• By the numbers: 66% Admit Rate; Mid-Range ACT Scores 27-30

Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, http://www.slc.edu
• Regardless of a student’s major, and even though students take only three classes per semester, intense “writing across the curriculum” continues for the first three years.
• Writing majors benefit from the campus proximity to New York City for internships in which students can use their writing training in schools, publishing houses, small presses, journal productions, magazines, and nonprofit arts agencies.
• By the numbers: 61% admit rate; Standardized test scores not accepted for admission

Sewanee: University of the South, Sewanee, TN, www.sewanee.edu
• Located on 13,000 forested acres on a hilltop, this liberal arts college with Episcopal foundations produces the oldest literary quarterly in the US, The Sewanee Review, and hosts the Sewanee Writers’ Conference each summer.
• Any student, regardless of his/her major, can earn the Certificate in Creative Writing noted on their transcript by completing three seminars in creative writing, and a capstone project.
• By the numbers: 61% Admit Rate; Mid-Range ACT Scores: 26-30

Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA, www.susqu.edu
• The Department of English and Creative Writing supports seven student literary publications, some of which are produced by The Writers’ Institute that brings authors and literary events to campus.
• The new minor in Publishing and Editing is one of the only of its kind in the US. The Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors (FUSE) was founded by the Writers’ Institute as a network for student editors and writers and their faculty advisers working on college literary magazines.
• By the numbers: 73% Admit Rate; Mid-Range ACT Scores: 23-28

Other small colleges with big writing programs include Agnes Scott College (GA), College of Wooster (OH), Denison University (OH), Goucher College (MD), Hollins College (VA), Marist College (NY), Mills College (CA), University of Redlands (CA), Roger Williams University (RI), Ursinus College (PA), and Wheaton College (MA)

Sources: Fiske Guide, The College Finder (Antonoff), Creative Colleges (Loveland) and college websites.