So, after thinking I’d made my final choice of schools, I now want to add Texas State University to that list. As of my lunch break, I’m completely sold on the school’s MFA program. Here’s why:
1. Texas State is in San Marcos, TX. At first, I thought, where the hell is that? Who cares? BUT, after a quick Mapquest search, I found that it’s only 34 minutes driving time from Austin, by far the coolest town in Texas. Which means if I got into Texas State (and assuming I didn’t get into UT Austin), I could a.) live in Austin and commute to school or b.) live in San Marcos, but party/see live music/hangout in Austin. This is the same sort of setup Greensboro offers and that I liked – school set in a small town with easy way of life (read: affordable), but within driving distance of more culturally interesting places (Greensboro is only an hour from Chapel Hill – music capital of NC – and about 2 hours from Charlotte.)
2. Texas State publishes one of my favorite online literary magazines, Front Porch Journal. I could perhaps work as intern or as a staff reader, thus furthering my editing career.
3. The funding at Texas State is good. Out of 50, 30 students in the program have some form of assistantship. And after reading what they look for in T.A. candidates, I think I have a chance of actually getting chosen for one, despite my horrible GRE scores.
4. The faculty profiles bode well for the school – Iowa grads, Fulbright scholars, NEA fellowship winners, and other accolades. Also, there are visiting writers (Charles Baxter, C.D. Wright, George Saunders, to name a few) who specifically are put in place to do Q&A’s with MFA students and read through their manuscripts.
5. You get to minor in another genre.
6. Overall, I really like the tone of the program on its website. It’s nice that they have all the forms you need on one page, and that the director walks you through what makes their program special. There’s also a long FAQ page. I really appreciate this as an applicant. And there’s that gut feeling coming into play again – this time telling me that this school would take care of me if I were to go there.
Anyone else have any thoughts/experiences on Texas State’s MFA?
