Frequently Asked Questions
What if I haven't been writing long, should I wait before applying to the Writing to Heal Immersive program?
The level of writing experience doesn't matter as much as the quality/potential of your work and your ability to commit to the time investment of an intensive program. It’s also important that you feel ready to write and share your personal story with a group of trusted classmates, and ready to read and respond to their stories. Even if you are not admitted to the program the first time around, the act of applying to this and other opportunities is great practice to refine your application skills. But also, you might be more ready than you know (which is regularly the case for many students) and you might get accepted!
Do you have financial aid available?
Yes. For all of our programs there are scholarships/fellowships available. The application for these programs are conveniently included at the end of the program application itself for anyone who needs/wants to add that to their application. Usually scholarships/fellowships cover from 25% to 75% of tuition.
If I am accepted into the program, when is tuition due?
Usually tuition is due a week before the first day of class. However, payment plans are available. Typically, as long as a portion of the tuition is paid one week prior to class start, the remaining balance can be paid in installments with an expected payment completion by approximately the midpoint of the program.
I applied before and was not accepted into the program, or I was wait-listed. Should I reapply?
Yes! Most creatives (of all experience levels) need to reapply to opportunities multiple times before getting accepted, so this is a natural part of the process. Previous applicants are strongly encouraged to reapply, knowing that our work often improves over time, therefore our chances of success also improve over time. If you were wait-listed, it just means there were more qualified people than available spots; it doesn’t necessarily indicate a weakness in your application.
Is there an age limit or education requirement for applicants?
Nope. Any adult is welcome to apply, and there are no formal education requirements. While it's best that applicants have had some workshop experience exchanging work with peers/a group, the foremost focus is again on the quality of the work and the community-minded commitment levels of the applicant.
Do you have tips for a successful application in terms of the personal statement or writing sample?
The personal statement should demonstrate why you want to be a part of this particular immersive program and what you feel you can offer to the community. This is your opportunity to let yourself shine! Let your writing sample shine, too—send what you consider to be your most polished work, even if it’s incomplete (you can always note that it’s an excerpt from a longer work).
I haven’t taken Introduction to Writing to Heal or Writing to Heal I. Can I still apply?
Yes! Those classes are helpful steppingstones to the Writing to Heal Immersive Program, but they are not pre-requisites. If you have other workshop experience and feel ready to write and provide feedback on personal narratives in a supportive community, you should apply.
What if my adversity isn’t “traumatic enough” for the program?
In Writing to Heal, we look at the way an experience is expressed in writing, not at the experience itself. Students take this class because they have a personal experience that has affected them, and they want to write about it. No one’s experience is considered better or worse than anyone else’s, and judgment on someone’s experience or the people involved in it is not welcome. All you need to take this class is a desire to write about any type of personal experience that has affected you, and a willingness to take in other people’s stories.
Can I write in different genres in this program?
The Writing to Heal Immersive is a non-fiction program in which people write about personal experiences. That said, you can explore writing about those experiences in many different ways. We read and write some poetry in this program, and we also look at various non-fiction forms including memoir, personal essay, blog post, and op-ed. Sometimes students find writing about themselves in the third person, as a “character” with a different name, gives them just the narrative distance they need to tell their story. Options abound!