Class Description
The MFA personal statement can be one of the hardest tasks of a writer's career — not because the form is complicated, but because it asks you to articulate something most writers have never quite put into words: why you write, what you want from a program, and what you're bringing to the table. This crash course is designed to make this process less daunting.
We'll have an honest conversation about what admissions committees are actually looking for in terms of content, and what tends to get in the way of an otherwise strong statement. We'll cover practical matters of length, structure, and tone, and then we'll get to work. Much of our time together will be devoted to drafting, with an opportunity for immediate feedback. Writers will leave with a working draft, a to-do list, a clear plan for moving forward, and resources to support the rest of the application process.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.