This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

These are the Best Colleges for Writers

If you are a serious writer, you may want to join a college that will enable you to whip your craft into shape.

Basically, when it comes to writing, there are two opposite thoughts. Some people think that a real writer doesn’t require a writing degree orat least a humanities degree. Others believe that successful writers
emerge from a “writers’ college.” This article highlights colleges that provide the best writing opportunities for high school students that aspire to sharpen their writing skills.

  • Emory University

Located in Atlanta, Georgia, Emory University is a great school for any aspiring writer. The university has a beautiful weather, campus and great resources. It has great lecturers, guest lecturers and alumni.
Its creative writing program provides workshops that span over numerous genres including fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting and creative non-fiction writing. Julian Whitaker and Amy Ray, a
songwriter, are some of the famous alumni of Emory University.

  • Hamilton College

Hamilton College is located in Clinton, New York. This college is popular not just for the wide breadth of its English majors and quality of its coursework but also for its writing center. It allows students that
major in English instead of massive essay writings practices to concentrate on creative writing or English literature. Its creative writing program provides workshops and courses in fiction, poetry, playwriting, and creative non-fiction writing. Famous alumni writers from Hamilton College include Terry Brooks and
Samuel Hopkins Adams.

Find out what's happening in Lincoln Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • John Hopkins University

Most John Hopkins programs are the best nationally. The English department of this college boasts about its history of producing distinguished and well-received writers. Although the college offers creative
writing courses, it focuses more on literature education, critical analysis and literary writing. The university aims at improving the writing skills of its students. It provides a great workshop setting
for students. Located in Baltimore, Mary land, John Hopkins University is a great option for students that want to master their understanding and control of the English language. Dan Ahdoot is a
famous alumni writer of this university.

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT has a great reputation for computer science, technology and engineering courses. Thus, many people don’t think about it as a great school for aspiring writers. However, this institute offers a unique and extensive writing program that has not only produced great writers, but also prepared them for the competitive, harsh job market for English graduates. Perhaps, what makes its writing program unique is the fact that its English department is split into two separate programs. Its writing program instructs students to become not justcreative writers, but also science writers and digital media experts. Today, the University boasts of a dynamic faculty of essayists, novelists, translators, poets, historians, biographers, scientists and engineers. While pursuing a creative writing program, students are encouraged to specialize in a sub-discipline and a
social science, art or humanity course. This creates a well-rounded, practical and extremely unique experience for students at the university. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Being alively cultural hub, Cambridge gives students an awesome experience during their life at MIT. Dolph Lundgren, a famous screenwriter, is an alumnus of MIT.

Find out what's happening in Lincoln Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • New York University

In addition to its progressive coursework and acclaimed faculty, the location of New York University makes it an undeniably exciting learning institution. This university gives students an awesome experience because they live at the heart of a great city. While studying at New York University, students are surrounded by parks, historical landmarks and museums. This combined with the variety of the English concentrations that are offered at the university including English education and a creative writing program makes the university unbeatable. Additionally, the university graduate creative writing program is among the most prestigious writing programs in the world. It is ranked among the top five creative writing programs in most publications. The quality and variety of courses make New York University one of the best colleges for aspiring writers.

Although a university writing degree may seem like the surest path to a prestigious writing career, it’s possible to excel in writing without a university education. Some successful and legendary writersare college dropouts that taught themselves to write. An example of such writers is Ray Bradbury, the famous writer of the Fahrenheit 451 classic novel. Ray barely completed high school and he was not even interested in attending college. However, he started writing at the age of 11 on butcher papers and eventually sharpened his writing. Others include Maya Angelou and Mark Twain.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?