Getting Schooled?

Some people think going to college is tough, hard, maybe even no fun at all. Want to know what I think is worse? Going to school for five years for something you realize in your last year that you don't want to pursue. (That was me, in case you didn't know.)

When I got out of college, I thought I would never want to go back. I was done with colleges and classes and all that stuff. I was going to get a full-time job and write, write, write! Or so I thought. The year (or so) after college was the time I've written the least. I can't really blame my new living arrangements (or can I?) or the fact that I work full-time for the first time in my life...

I minored in Creative Writing in school. One of the highlights of my time there. I loved going to my workshop classes, reading others' works and having my stories read and critiqued (and even better if it was liked, at least in part). But I thought that was all I needed. Another theatre friend also got into writing in college and she and I have been exchanging our writing. While it is helpful, I started to slowly realize that maybe I needed more. More of something. More time? More concentration? More group meetings? I didn't know. Even after hearing my friend talk about wanting to go to grad schools, I didn't know if it was for me. In fact, I wouldn't entertain the idea until a few weeks ago.

Yes, you read me right. I'm thinking about *Gasp* going to graduate school for Creative Writing. That is why I haven't blogged much. That is why I can't even think about spending hours reading everyone else's blogs. That is why I sometimes am having trouble sleeping lately. Graduate school seems so exciting to me, but there is so much to do just to get there. Here's my trouble...

I love children's and young adult novels. I think if I had my way, 8-9/10ths of everything I published would be in those genres. So, I have been searching for good programs that focus on that. Well, there are quite a few, but none of them are residency programs (meaning they are "low-res" and I only visit school once a semester for a week). That's fine, I could do that. Or, I could go to a school, possibly get a full-ride and then some. I wouldn't necessarily take children's classes, but some programs have some interesting (non-Shakespearean, edwardian, etc) classes.

So, not only am I unsure of where I want to apply to (I'm thinking between 5 and 8 schools), once I decide, I need to find professors to ask for recommendation letters, get transcripts, take my GRE, polish my writing, fill out applications, etc. It's a lot of pressure. And I guess I just let it all get to me this morning, because I was feeling discouraged and down about some of the schools I was looking at. I just don't want to get stuck in a program where people will look down at the type of things I write. I can write adult novels and stories, but I have my own style and I don't want people to think I'm inadequate. That makes sense, right?

Well, besides actually choosing the schools for me, I was wondering of my readers (Yes you, reading this right now), what are your thoughts on Grad school? Have you been? Was it for writing? Any schools you've heard great things about? Hey, even if you think grad school is a bad idea, speak up! I'd love to hear what you have to say. But before you answer, know this, I'm not looking to go into a program unless I have financial help (like tuition remission, stipends, teaching assistant positions, etc). Because, let's face it, getting a degree (MFA or otherwise) doesn't mean you'll earn back your tuition money like it does for a doctor or scientist, etc.

Happy Tuesday!