For Michigan State University, current students that are interested in the creative writing minor must go through an application process prior to being accepted into the program under The College of Arts and Letters (CAL).
The current cohort application closes on Mar. 6, 2024 and can be found here along with more details, specifications and requirements of the minor.
In order to submit your application, you need to complete a writer’s statement to submit along with a writing sample of your choosing that aligns with the track you want to take. The options are fiction writing, creative nonfiction, poetry, and scriptwriting. You can view the specific classes you need to take for each minor here.
Looking back, my statement was a little over a page long and my excerpt was seven pages that I pulled from a longer fiction piece. I can definitely see my growth as a writer looking back on these. I will say that it can’t hurt to have one or two people who are familiar with fiction writing on a level higher than a hobby look over your excerpt and offer brutally honest feedback.
From the English department site, it is recommended that students apply during their sophomore year, as the minor takes approximately two years to complete. However, this is not a concrete requirement as long as you understand your track towards graduation and are able to work the minor around your expected graduation date.
I applied in the spring of my sophomore year at MSU. I don’t remember when I found out about my acceptance, but I did have enough time to register in the required classes for the fall of my junior year.
Going into my personal experience with the fiction writing track, it isn’t what I initially expected, but I don’t regret my decision or my experiences with the minor or the overall program. I feel like I didn’t do as much writing as I had hoped, as the classes were more reading-intensive. I also hoped that I would’ve gained more of a sense of community, but I can partially blame that on going to college during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I took six required courses and one additional course as an elective (17 credits + 3 additional). I put them in the order in which I took them with the exception being ENG 428 and ENG 320D, which were taken in the same semester.
ENG 210 (Foundations of Literary Study 1) was a class I took the semester I applied for the minor. This was three years ago and over Zoom, so I don’t remember much about it.
ENG 200 (Creative Writing Community) was a one credit, pass/fail course that had a lot of guest speakers with some reading and writing. I’ve also been told that they try to overlap the class with guest speakers coming to the department so that the students can attend those. This course is for everyone in the CW minor, regardless of their route. I read one of my favorite books through this course, “Quite Mad,” the memoir of Sarah Fawn Montgomery, and depicts her experience with mental illness. She was also one of the guest speakers brought into the course that semester. I had this class over Zoom.
ENG 228 (Intro to Fiction Writing) I believe I submitted a single piece for a workshop and that was the expectation for everyone in the course. I don’t remember much else about this course, other than that it was over Zoom.
ENG 328 (Readings in Novel and Narrative) is another class that I don’t remember super well, but it was an in-person class. The section I took had a lot of assigned reading stories based on the classic novel “Jane Eyre” and very little writing of our own.
ENG 428 (Advanced Fiction Writing) is the class where I was finally writing more in-depth stories and reading my classmates’ work. My final portfolio for this course (in lieu of a final exam) was a whopping 46 pages of fiction writing I had done throughout the course. This class was also in-person.
ENG 320D (History and Theory of Creative Writing) was surprisingly enjoyable. There are going to be required readings that aren’t your cup of tea in every class, but this one explored different types of writing and we were informed of some options when it comes to pursuing English degrees. This in-person class was great and very informative. The professor I had also shared his experiences with a Masters of Fine Arts as well as it being present in some of our readings. This class 100% changed my view on higher education and put the idea of pursuing an MFA in my head.
I finished my required classes in four semesters, but I’m currently taking an additional creative writing course this semester because I had the time in my schedule.
ENG 392 is a special topics class about love in literature, and it is honestly probably one of the best English courses I’ve ever taken. I am currently taking this course in person, and so far it has a good blend of reading and writing in relevance to the course along with in-class writing activities.
It won’t be only CW minor students in these courses and they also won’t only be people in your specific track in these courses. I feel like I’ve met more people majoring in English in these courses than those pursuing the minor.
By minoring in creative writing, I was introduced to enough of a community to where I was one of the cofounders of the Creative Writing Club that launched fall 2023. As the current president, I am a little biased, but I would recommend anyone interested in creative writing to check out the club, even if they’re not actively writing. You can check out the club and find out how to get involved by going to their Instagram, @CreativeWritingMSU.
The creative writing department at MSU does host 1-2 monthly events that are open to anyone. I personally didn’t attend any in person, but I do wish I would’ve when I had the chance. I feel like the professors have the power change your overall experience of the program. I also believe future cohorts will have an overall better experience with class structure being back to normal post-COVID along with more department events/speakers and now the Creative Writing Club.
This program has introduced me to talented and driven student writers as well as great faculty that have made my college experience more enjoyable. It is scary, but your writing needs constructive criticism. Nonetheless, stay true to yourself and your passions and make the most of what you can in your program.