Surrey, Newcastle or Northumbria for the Creative Writing MA?

I got into Surrey, Newcastle and Northumbria for the Creative Writing MA. I'm an international student (Non EU) so I have to keep costs under consideration too. The tuition for Newcastle and Surrey are almost the same for me. I already have an undergraduate degree from USA. I have been working in advertising for 8 years and i'm also looking for a career in the UK once i get my degree. Reputation matters but not when there isn't much difference. The quality of teaching, facilities and overall experience matters more. Can you share your experiences to help me decide?

Reply 1

University of Surrey

Official Rep

Original post by shabiwabi

Hey @shabiwabi,

Hope you don't mind me getting in touch!

Just wondering if you've spoken to any of the academics from the unis that have offered you a place? This is often a good way to find out more about the course, teaching and testing methods, so you can then compare and contrast each of the courses and decide which one is best suited to your needs. If you give our Admissions team a ring on +44 (0)1483 682222 or email them ([email protected]) they will be able to put you in touch with a representative from the Creative Writing MA programme. :smile:

I actually studied at Surrey from 2012-2015, and took a number of modules from the Creative Writing programme. Personally, I really enjoyed it! The lecturers were engaging and were dedicated to helping each of their students become the best writer they could be. One aspect of the course that I found particularly helpful was that for the practical creative writing modules, lecturers ran critiquing sessions in which each writer in the class critiqued a sample of your writing. This helped me explore the different avenues I could go down with my material, and I feel my writing improved as a result of the feedback I received. My favourite lecturers were Paul Vlitos (he's absolutely hilarious) and Holly Luhning. Paul definitely teaches on various modules within the MA and BA Creative Writing programmes, not quite sure if Holly teaches across both levels. A number of my friends that did the BA (Hons) English Lit and Creative Writing degrees at Surrey went on to do the MA in Creative Writing here as well, which reflects well on the department.

The English department at Surrey are quite good at organising events relating to literature, from getting writers in to talk about their experience, to arranging visits from publishers/agents to speak about how to get your work published, to events showcasing the creative writing talent of their students. They run EnglishPen (www.englishpen.org) which promotes literature and human rights, and run a number of literature festivals throughout the year. There is a Surrey Writers society at the uni which meets regularly, and we also have our student magazine, The Stag, which is always keen to recruit new writers :smile:

Monica Ali is our current Distinguished Writer In Residence, and she hosts a number of masterclasses and writing surgery workshops throughout the year, which are open to MFA and MA Creative Writing students, as well as final year BA Creative Writing students. You can find out more about that here: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/englishandlanguages/literature_events/distinguished_writer_in_residence/

As for facilities, Surrey's got loads! If you're into sports, we have the £35m Surrey Sports Park just a 10 minute walk away from the main campus. There are various eateries on campus, a supermarket, students' union complete with nightclub, and all the usual facilities you'd expect a uni to have (library, lecture theatres of varying sizes with full AV capabilities etc). We have a lake, complete with fountain, which is a lovely spot to relax in the sun :smile:

There's a 200-seat, £4.5m purpose-built theatre on campus as well, which hosts a range of arts events, from dance shows to musical theatre and plays. Guildford is only 34 minutes from central London on the train, so it's perfect if you fancy popping into the city to shop, see some of the sights or go for a night out!

I hope this helps! If you have any further questions please feel free to get in touch, I'm more than happy to help :smile:

All the best,
Ashley

University of Surrey

Guildford

Reply 2

chutkifilm

I would be interested to hear what you decided to do. I have heard that Royal Holloway MA is now one of the best in terms of getting a book deal afterwards. I went to see them about applying there and this year they've got old students up for the Encore prize and the Ondaatje prize, Essex Serpent etc it was quite impressive tbh The campus is in Bedford Square in Bloomsbury but its all on one day a week if you are full time.

Reply 3

shabiwabi

Original post by chutkifilm

Hey @chutkifilm, I decided to go to Surrey, mostly because of its proximity to London. They are also offering a screenwriting module, which is my main interest. Plus the Guildford School of Acting also gives me an opportunity to collaborate with acting students and produce plays. The faculty at Surrey and Newcastle are top notch, and although Newcastle is cheaper, nothing beats the job opportunities London has to offer.

Reply 4

University of Surrey

Official Rep

Original post by shabiwabi

Hi @shabiwabi,

Great to hear that you're coming to Surrey! We look forward to welcoming you to campus. If you have any questions in the meantime please do let me know :smile:

All the best,
Ashley