Application Deadlines
The following are semester application priority deadlines:
- For Summer 2013 - April 5, 2013
- For Winter 2014 - September 1, 2013
The MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program reviews applications as they are received, so you may submit your application whenever it is ready. Please allow 4–6 weeks for your application to be reviewed.
Admissions Criteria
Admission to the MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program is based primarily on the quality of original work submitted by you and the judgment by the faculty committee that your goals are compatible with the program’s design and ideals. You must also hold a bachelor’s degree. In rare and special cases, we admit writers who have not earned an undergraduate degree. Such candidates must show evidence to the Admissions Committee of exceptional academic, literary and/or publishing background. Please contact the Admissions office for more information
Application Materials
You may request an application form sent by mail, or access the application form online. To be considered for admission, you must submit the following:
- 20–25 pages of middle grade prose, 20–25 pages of young adult prose, or 2–3 picture book stories (you may apply in one or more genres). Each manuscript should be typewritten, single-sided, double-spaced, numbered in the lower right-hand corner, and in Times Roman 12-point font.
- An essay (2-3 typed, double-spaced pages) in which you address the following questions:
• How long have you been writing seriously?
• What previous study have you done in writing and children’s literature?
• Is there any additional experience that seems particularly relevant to your
application?
• Are you prepared to use direct criticism of your work?
• What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of your writing?
• Do you foresee anything that might prevent you from devoting 25 hours per
week to your study or from corresponding regularly with your faculty
advisor?
More than transcripts or letters of recommendation, the essay gives us some
understanding of your experience with writing and criticism, your goals for
work in the program, your readiness to work in the low-residency format,
and the appropriateness of your admission.
- A critical essay (3-4 pages, double-spaced) that demonstrates your abilities as a reader and critical thinker. This sample may be a critical work that you have written previously for a class or you may write a short essay on a literary work you’ve read recently. We strongly encourage applicants to submit a piece on children’s literature. The essay should in some way engage questions dealing with the writer’s craft, central ideas, and/or the relation of the writer’s work to your own. Please reference the Critical Essay Resource page before submitting an essay.
- Two letters of recommendation and official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework sent to the Admissions Office.
- A $75 non-refundable application fee (payable to Vermont College of Fine Arts).
