Back to school....
 

I graduated with my Bachelor's in English in 2004. Technically, the whole degree was English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in professional writing. For three years now I have been kicking around the idea of returning to school but I don't know what for. I have considered both an MFA in fiction and a second undergrad in ....well....something. Maybe graphics design, maybe web programming.

I'm looking for some first hand experiences, and a little advice. Who has done it - taken a few years off and gone back, either for a masters or doctorate or for a second (or third or forth) bachelor's? If you went for a second Bachelor's was it something totally new or something to complement or enhance what you already had?

Also, what would I need to do to improve myself in the eyes of a grad school admissions committee/board? My major GPA at time of graduation was a 2.6 and my overall was 2.3 (I have a few regrets about some of the skating I did through college :o). Generally speaking, can (should) I go back and retake some of those C classes to try to get a better grade before even applying?

I dropped out of an MFA program in Creative Writing.

Later in life, I might go through a low residency MFA program at a school like Goddard College. But the program I was in wasn't for me.

Generally speaking, I do not find the MFA to be very helpful or necessary to do what you want to do as a writer. With some effort, you can join or create a writer's workshop to have your own cohort. You can subscribe to Poets & Writers or whatever other trade magazines there are. You can read voraciously. And you can purchase lots of books that have agents listed.

I self-published my first novel about two years after I dropped out.

My concern for you is because you are young (as I was) without a high GPA (just like me).... getting an MFA could be a serious waste of money, as very few programs will give you grant money if you had less than a 3.0.

IF I WERE YOU..... and if I had to do it all over again....

I would look for MA programs in English that have either a concentration in creative writing or creative writing classes you can take to exclusively fill up your electives. That way, you can still fulfill your desire to write, be on a college campus, etc., BUT have a degree that does NOT terminate at the Master's level, have the option to get a PhD in English and then be EXTRA marketable and teach on many college campuses.

Once I got into the program, I realized that having an MFA would credential me ONLY to be a teacher of creative writing on the collegiate level... and how many colleges nowadays are hiring English professors with less than a PhD?

Anyway, I hope that all made sense.

I just realized I didn't answer a single one of your questions.

I'm sorry. :( I just got caught up in making sure you didn't repeat my mistakes.

No, you did. I was looking for first hand experiences. And you're right. Most colleges don't hire professors without a PhD. I know my creative writing professor, who later became my advisor when I added the emphasis, only had his MFA but he had also had couple of chapbooks published and was at one point considered for Poet Laureate (I think he was like choice #99 out of 100 possibilities but still his name was in the pot). And my Lit Crit professor had only gotten that far as well but that's only two out of a faculty of twenty or so.

If I did decide to go for the MFA I would be doing it with the goal of teaching creative writing, either at a community college or adult education center, or possibly high school level. Somewhere the students are in it for enjoyment and not because they have ultimate designs on an MFA.

One more thing to consider.... if you want to teach high school English, the MFA would be GREAT! Just don't forget that you will still have to become a certified teacher... so you might want to combine the MFA with an MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) if you're so inclined. Or somehow get enough education coursework to count toward the No Child Left behind standards.

If you considered a low-residency MFA program, you might be able to do regular grad work in another field. That might require a lot of discipline, but hey, who knows.

Good luck with everything!

I've considered the low-residency program option. Naropa, one of the schools I was considering, only offers "Creative Writing" as an LR. They have an in-resident program called Writing and Poetics as well but the actual creative writing program isn't. I don't know if I would enjoy it as much as actually being in the classroom. Banter is one of the best parts of a creative writing program, IMO.:)

Does anyone know the answer? I've been contemplating this for about a week now. Is it possible, once graduated, to retake classes to increase a gpa? Or would the better option be to get a 2nd BA/BS before going for a masters?

TBH it seems like you'd have to wing it on specific university policy. Like, for instance, UMASS allows you to repeat a class if you got a C- or lower but you may only do it for five classes through your academic career. But they may not have a precedent for after graduation. My guess is that they wouldn't. It sounds like a very unique situation.
(I, unfortunately, have much experience retaking classes. Thankfully my success story is excellent. An F to an A-!)

I was much more of the burn and churn student. Just keep moving forward!

I too have experience with retaking classes and also boosted one grade from an F to an A. I think who teaches the class has a lot to do with the grades earned. My success was in Shakespeare and I hated the professor who taught it the first time.

Does the school you are interested in have an "open university," like CA state schools?

Through open university, a student can take regular college classes without formal admission, with the permission of the instructor. Registration is the first week of school. Those opting for this can take up to, I believe, six units a term in semester schools (with a maximum of 12 total). Depending on your department, the classes might be counted once admitted into a master's program. Prerecquisities (sp?) have to be met to take classes. It is a way to get your foot in the door, and hopefully, get the GPA up.

I also flew just below the radar with my first BA, with grades just high enough to stay in school. Too many parties, committees, and side trips away from campus, and my GPA reflected it.

I really had no idea what I wanted to do, but it looked silly to be an undeclared junior/senior, so I finished a major I really wasn't suited for. I went back in a year, completed another BA and worked in the media several years. After having worked for companies that were sold, with layoffs, competition from the net, and some employers looking to hire people just out of school because they worked cheap, I am heading back to school in the fall, with a goal of getting a master's in student affairs.

As far as retaking classes, the GC'ers of above are right about checking with the school. Requirements can change.

I have been admitted into a master's program, conditionally, after having moved my GPA from a dismal 2.2 to 2.6. I am intending to take classes for a year, and then probably re-apply. I've taken classes after getting my second BA, and got As and Bs. I'd like to enter the master's program with no conditions, it makes it possible for me to apply for paid assistantships. The classes I will take this year are among classes needed for a master's. My advisor wants me to start the program now, she's a get out there and fly person, and I am still mulling it over.

I don't know if any of this helps. Good luck.

I was going back and forth for 3.5 years about whether I was going back to school or not. I graduated in '03 with a BA in English and haven't used it :o mainly because I don't have the desire to teach--which was my goal in undergrad. That's what I got it for, go figure...and that's the FIRST thing people ask me. "Why don't you teach?" GRRR. (No offense to our GC teachers though!)

Instead, I've decided to go back and finish up my minor which was in Sociology. I loved my classes and I enjoy doing research, so hopefully I will find a career in which I can use both degrees. I'm considering getting into grant writing or exploring other fields in sociology. Some people don't see the logic in my returning to school to get a second Bachelor's, but in the end you have to choose the field that's best for you. As much as I loved English Lit, I have an equal love and interest for Sociology. So, since I work at a University (and they pay for my classes anyway! ;)) I took the opportunity. I'll be finished in about a year or so, and I already have started looking at various job options (including the grant writing).

The other GC'ers were right. Schools are different about retaking classes. At my school, you can retake them but the new grade dosen't replace the old crappy grade you got last time (which I think sucks). Also, justabeachbrat makes a good point about "open university" (it's called "postbaccalaurate" or post-bac for short) where you can take some classes and get your grades up without being formally admitted into a program just yet.