Dr. Donald Anderson taught my playwriting class the fall of my junior year of college. I had never written a play in my life, nor had I ever considered writing one. Anderson, however, took on these challenges anytime he teaches a class. He got me to write a couple short plays and taught me the finer aspects of character and dialogue. In a way, he got me jump started into the fiction world. I turned to him for some level-headed advice in terms of the graduate school process and for some interesting comments about his own time studying.
Anderson told me that he felt “under-qualified” to be one of my interviews, since he felt grad school was such a long time ago. However, he still answered all my questions. Anderson decided on a path in English by his junior year of college. He received a National Defense Act grant to attend the University of Arizona.
“It was a Cold War program to develop college teachers so we could ‘compete with the Russians,’” said Anderson. “I was a literature person at that point. The creative writing and theater components of my teaching evolved during my years at Marist.”
At Marist, Anderson had opportunities to branch out, one of the reasons he really loved the time spent teaching at the school. Arizona was on the opposite side of the country from where he grew up. It was a welcome change and he still loves that area of the country.
“I was the first in my family to go to grad school and get the Doctorate,” Anderson said. “My family was very encouraging, even about having me head so far away from the Northeast.”
Anderson’s point proves how you can’t choose a school on location alone. It was a chance going that far away, but it ended up being a well-made decision as he ended up enjoying his time there.
Anderson has advice for prospective graduate students. “I try to tell students to be realistic about where they apply,” Anderson said. His reasoning behind this comment? Although Marist’s reputation has been gaining popularity and repute over the past few years, it’s still lacking the “pull” for students to get in anywhere, even with “high GPA’s.”
Also, while Dr. Graham suggested NOT choosing the school for the place, Anderson recommends being well aware of the city or area where the school is located. If you hate big cities, then maybe the New School isn’t the greatest choice. If you think you can deal with it, then great, go for it.
“Grad school isn’t just academics,” Anderson said. “It’s also potentially the larger experience of a new living situation or culture. That being said, we are clearly sending more and more students to grad school in the past ten to fifteen years.”
Anderson explained how in the mid-90’s the concentrations were “re-tooled” to allow a better preparation for students to attend graduate school. He brought up how Dr. Graham, along with Professor Zurhellen, was one of the professors brought in and, since her arrival, the creative writing program has become much more geared toward students attending MLA programs.
“Prior to their arrival, the courses were more like ‘hobby courses’ for faculty who wanted something a little different to teach from time to time,” Anderson said. “The last decade has shown a marked improvement. Students have become more highly skilled in workshop dynamics, which I could see quite clearly when I taught playwriting.”
In the end, know what program you are coming from and what you’re trying to go into. As with all the other pieces of advice that were given, students need to be knowledgeable about the programs they’re applying to. They also need to really know what they want to do with their graduate degree. Do they want to teach? Be a publisher? Dr. Graham gave me a list of job options that she wrote up in a graduate school packet.
Search out every nook and cranny of graduate school: the school itself, the program, the area, where graduates are working. Be inquisitive. And don’t be afraid to travel somewhere far away because it may give you one of the best educations and experiences to date.
Thank you again to Dr. Anderson!!
Here is a short video about the PRE COLLEGE creative writing program at Marist, featuring Dr. Graham. It’s interesting, after listening to what Dr. Anderson had to say, how this complies with the changes that were made in the program. There appears to be a much stronger focus on the writing programs.
No comments:
Post a Comment