#DIY: Ph.D. Creative Writing Application Process

PhD Application

Jun 9

When I first decided to pursue a Ph.D. Creative Writing degree, I had a lot of doubts and fears about the possibility of getting accepted, especially due to transitioning from one program to another. Throughout my undergraduate and even master’s, I lacked confidence in my ability. However, my strong desire to work with students on their writing and to watch them make progress, and grow was what motivated me to go ahead. Also, I am a disorganized creative writer with a short attention span and I knew that being in an academic environment that already has its own set goals will help keep me on track.

After being sure of my decision, I had to figure out how to navigate the application process myself. Out of my small-big circle then, I did not know anyone who was pursuing or applying to Ph.D. programs, except one of my colleagues at work. Now that I think about it, I could have had a chat with him about what the process was like for him but I was very nervous to do so. Anyways, as I was finishing my MFA degree, I informed my professors that I was planning to apply to get a Ph.D. degree and they were very open and honest about how tasking, demanding, and difficult the application process and the entire journey of the program is. While I appreciated their level of support, in a way I felt like they were discouraging me from applying because I did not have a lot to show in my portfolio. As a creative writer, you are expected to have some significant publications at the very least (this is something I will go into detail some more in other blog posts).

This blog post is mainly about the steps that I took in finding and applying to various schools to earn a Ph.D. Creative Writing degree, especially since I am in my second year and rounding up my coursework (another topic for another post). I submitted my application during my opt as an international student here in the United States. Another thing to note is that there are not a lot of universities that offer a Ph.D. Creative Writing program here in the United States. They either offer it as a literature or English program. Finding one that suits my interest in balancing scholarly work with creative work, took a lot of research.

Research #1 – Word-of-mouth from professors at my university in New York, Long Island University. My MFA creative writing professors shared their experiences with me and gave me a list of potential universities that will be beneficial for me like the University of Southern California. Although, I ended up applying to none of the schools on their lists. They also told me to do a google search to find out what schools offered the creative writing program and to know more about the application timeline.

Research #2 – After I graduated from the MFA program, I did a google search which is not exactly helpful because it does not provide a long list of universities offering a Ph.D. in creative writing so you have to keep narrowing your search keyword and it takes a lot of time. However, through google, I found websites such as New Pages, ProFellow, EuroEducation, and Poetry.onl. From these websites, I created a list of ten to fifteen universities that I would apply to and went directly to the universities’ program websites. Rather than relying on information from other sources, I would encourage going to the universities website where you get enough information about their resources, location, who they are, their mission, and vision statements. It is on the university program’s website that I studied the list of admission requirements, expectations to earn the Ph.D. degree and requirements, what scholarships or fellowships are available, the curriculum, the professors, and other graduate students.

Research #3 – From my list of fifteen universities, I narrowed it down to seven universities. The reason for this is I went to the faculty and graduate students page of each university website and searched them on various social media platforms, google, or their personal websites to learn more about their experiences, what they have to offer, and their specialization in the program. Doing this also helped me to understand what the community and support system are like for each university. Some of the universities I ended up applying to are the University of Southern California, Illinois State University, and Texas Tech University.

After my research, the next step was for me to put together my portfolio and other application documents. As an international student, the process is normally longer but it was not for me because I earned my MFA from an American university so, it was more like a transfer that I was doing. Below is a list of documents that you will need if you are applying to the Creative Writing Program:

College Transcripts (BA and MA or MFA required). For some universities, you can get both your MA or MFA and Ph.D. together at the same time. This is something you want to pay attention to when applying.
GRE. Some schools have canceled this from their admission requirements, but there are still schools here in the United States that require you to submit this. For example, Texas Tech university does not require GRE anymore.
IELTS or TOEFL. This is highly recommended and essential for international students applying to any undergraduate or graduate school. For some universities, you need to score at least 80 on the TOEFL English exam in order for you to be considered for the program.
Curriculum Vitae or Resume. Make sure that it is the updated version of this document that contains your recent education, professional experiences, publications, awards, etc.
8-10 page critical writing sample for all applicants. This varies from university to university. There are some universities that exclude this for creative writing students. But if you are applying to the English or Literature program, this is an important part of the application process.
Creative Writing Sample. Depending on your specialization, the requirements might be different. Some universities require ten poems for poetry applicants and 15-20 pages for long and short-fiction writers.
Statement of Purpose. This should outline your interest in the graduate program of the university. It should also include your research interests, current project, and what you hope to achieve during your stay at the program and after the program. “Why have you chosen to apply to our graduate program?” is simply what they are asking for. Below is an excerpt of my own statement of purpose.

My part-time job tutoring college students in both their academic and non-academic writing prompts reformed my perspective on how I can use this craft to impact mankind and the societies around me. It is one of my motivations to acquire a Ph.D. in Creative Writing, and it fuels my pursuit to teach other young writers. Applying to the Texas Tech University’s Ph.D. Creative Writing program is a perfect fit for me to intensively develop my reading and writing skills, and to know how to apply theories to research and creative activity. The department will give me the opportunity to learn from professors like Marcus Burke, author of “Team Seven” at Texas Tech University…

Letters of Recommendation. These letters are sent by the recommenders directly through the university’s Graduate school application portal through a prompt generated by the system. For mine, I reached out to the wonderful professors I worked with during my MFA program and my boss at work because I was also looking forward to becoming a graduate part-time instructor. As a writing tutor then, I thought it would be wonderful if they learn about my writing and my relationship with the craft through my work as well. When they are submitting the letters of recommendation, I advise you to remind them not to give you access to it. This will only create more nerves for you. Trust that they will do their best to recommend you for the program.

Before starting the application, I put together my documents for each university based on their requirements including reaching out to my recommenders, John High, Louis Parascandola, and Donald McCrary—awesome people. This made it easy when I started the application because all I had to do was upload the documents. After submitting the application documents, I encourage you to check in with your recommenders to make sure that they have uploaded their applications because sometimes the request notification might be sent to their spam folder or their email addresses unreachable.

Lastly, during your application process, some things you might want to check out, especially the universities you have an interest in are:

Funding and Stipend – Make sure that this is available to you, especially as an international student because Ph.D. programs and graduate schools are expensive. Some programs offer teaching positions to their incoming students to offer them stipend, tuition, and fee waivers. In my own case, I am currently a Graduate Part-time Instructor teaching First-Year writing at Texas Tech University.

There is a specialization in Creative Writing. This is important if you are a creative writer like me.

P.S. This applies to most graduate schools. Be prepared for the work, the fun stuff, and the commitment that comes with the Ph.D. program (mentally and physically).

Are there any specific questions for me? If you are currently in a Ph.D. Creative Writing program, what was the application like for you? You can share your experience in the comment section, even if you are still an applicant. I would love to hear from you.

Here is the link to my current university’s department of English website: