Another Version of my MFA statement

Most programs do not have prompt except 1-2 pages about why you want to attend this program.


My first job was as a waitress at a buffet/steakhouse in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. Some of the other jobs I’ve held include customer representative at Value City Department Stores, technical assistant in a campus computer lab, university tele-fundraiser, and most recently, legal assistant. These experiences have taught me to be responsible, efficient, and self-reliant. They have also taught me that I had to do something more with my life than fold sweaters and tell people that they can’t get 'to-go' boxes for the buffet.


Outside of working I’ve done some noteworthy things in my life. I went to college, the first person in my family to do so, and excelled a majority of the time. I also studied abroad in Russia, participated in a research internship, and was in several leadership roles in Sigma Kappa sorority. I’ve done a lot in my life to show that I am serious, dedicated, and a hard-worker. I hate quitting, I can be stubborn and persistent, but I know how to make those qualities work to my advantage. I have taken a few creative writing and literature classes during undergrad and have done well. I have a good GPA, plenty of extra-curriculars, and three very talented and helpful professors who agreed to write my recommendations.


I don’t know if any combination of those experiences necessarily qualifies me to study writing at your University but I suppose they help to dispel the myth that as a recent graduate I have no real world experience and therefore nothing to write about. Trust me, five months of answering the phones for divorce attorneys would fix that for anyone. Honestly, I’m not sure any of these things really belong in a personal statement, except for the fact that those things did help shape the person I am today, and that person wants an MFA in Creative Writing.


I want to live the writer’s life and I believe an M.F.A. is an important step in doing so. I haven’t always wanted to be a writer, but as my old hobby developed into a serious passion over the past two years, I realized that I need to give it everything I can. I know my writing would benefit greatly from the interaction with other writers and the chance to participate in workshops. Some of the best lessons for my writing were from comments on a classmate’s story in workshop. I also look forward to relationships with faculty that can open me up to new ideas and directions. But most importantly, I look forward to really taking the time to write.


After graduation I would like to continue working on my writing in a Ph.D or Fellowship program. Ultimately, I would like to teach while continuing to send out work for publication. I don’t have unrealistic dreams of a lucrative book deal or tenure-track position after graduation (although I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to either). But it is important to me to do this so that writing becomes my craft, not my diversion. So, read my samples, read this, and know that I will not waste this opportunity. I am strong, determined, and I’ve had enough jobs to know that money isn’t everything. Writing is.