Writing a Statement of Purpose for a Creative Writing Program

The writing sample decides most creative writing admissions, but the statement is the one place where you explain who wrote it and what you want from the next two or three years. Programs do not agree on what this document is called, how long it should be or what it should cover — and several set specific questions. This guide lays out the variations using requirements printed on official program pages, then suggests how to draft a statement that answers the prompt in front of you. Always work from the current instructions on each program's own admissions page; prompts and limits change between cycles.

It goes by many names

Before you write, read the label. Different names often signal different expectations:

• Statement of purpose is the most common term, and usually asks about goals and preparation.
• Personal or autobiographical statement asks more about you as a person. Some programs want both: Cornell asks for an academic statement of purpose (within 1,000 words) plus a separate personal statement; Michigan asks for an academic statement and a biographical personal statement, each up to two double-spaced pages; UC Irvine pairs a statement of purpose with an autobiographical statement, each suggested at 500 to 1,000 words.
• Statement of intent, goals statement or letter of intent generally points toward plans — what you will do in the program and after.
• Artist's statement asks about practice and influences. CalArts asks for one addressing your writing practice, your creative and critical influences and your reasons for applying.
• Reading-life essays are a distinct form. Bennington's low-residency MFA asks for two or three pages on your reading life and how you engage with other writers' work.

When a program asks for two documents, keep them distinct. Repeating the same material in both wastes the space each one gives you.

Length and format vary widely

There is no standard length, so treat each limit as part of the prompt.

Note the spacing as well as the number: one single-spaced page holds roughly as much text as two double-spaced pages. If a program states a range, aim inside it. If it states only a maximum, a focused statement below the cap is fine. A few programs give no length at all; in that case, a page or two is a reasonable default, but let the questions asked guide you.

Some programs do not ask for a statement. The University of Florida's MFA states that it does not require a statement of purpose (applicants upload a manuscript cover sheet in that field instead), and UNC Greensboro's MFA likewise says it does not require one at this time. Do not send a document a program has not asked for.

Answer the question that is actually asked

Many programs list specific content. Reading these closely is the single most useful thing you can do:

• Writing background and self-assessment. Arizona State asks for your writing background, your intended area of specialization and a brief self-evaluation of recent work. Johns Hopkins asks for a one- to two-page statement that includes a brief self-critique of your writing sample.
• Your genre, stated plainly. Florida State asks MFA and PhD applicants to name their intended genre in the statement; the University of Central Florida asks you to name it in the first sentence.
• Teaching. Texas State's statement (750 words maximum) has two parts, one on writing goals and one on teaching potential. McNeese's one-page letter of intent asks about your interest in teaching first-year English. If a program ties assistantships to teaching, see assistantships and teaching duties.
• A project. UC Riverside's MFA combines the statement of purpose with a project proposal, up to 2,000 words in total.
• Language. The University of Iowa's Spanish Creative Writing MFA accepts its statement in English or Spanish.

If a program gives a list of questions, address each one, in order if that reads naturally. A statement that skips a listed question leaves the committee without information it asked every applicant for.

What to put in

Within whatever the prompt allows, the strongest statements tend to be specific:

• Where your writing is now. Describe the project or the questions you are working on, concretely. "I am writing linked essays about my grandmother's restaurant and the neighborhood that closed it" says more than "I am passionate about nonfiction."
• What you need next. Name the craft problems you want help with. This is where a self-assessment — required at some schools — earns its place.
• Why this program. Refer to things you have verified on the program's pages: its structure, required courses, a genre track, a reading series or a journal. Mentioning a faculty member is reasonable if their work genuinely connects to yours; check that they are listed as current faculty. Choosing faculty and genre fit covers how to judge that.
• Your preparation. Relevant reading, workshops, editorial work or teaching can belong here, briefly, if it supports the rest. A list of credentials without context adds little.

Leave out generalities about loving books since childhood, unsupported claims about your talent, and anything the writing sample already demonstrates better.

How much the statement counts

Programs rarely publish how they weigh application materials, but some say it directly. The University of Miami's admissions page notes: "Next to the writing sample, this statement is of greatest interest to the committee." Treat the statement as a piece of writing in its own right. Committees of writers will notice clear sentences, controlled tone and the absence of clichés — the same qualities they look for in your portfolio. For the sample itself, see the guides to fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction portfolios.

Adapting one draft for many programs

Most applicants send versions of the same statement to several schools. That is efficient, but a few rules prevent mistakes:

1. Keep a core draft about your writing and goals, then write the program-specific paragraph fresh for each school.
2. Re-check every length limit and spacing rule; a 500-word statement and a three-page statement are different documents.
3. Search each version for the wrong school's name before uploading.
4. Answer each program's listed questions, even if that means reordering your draft.
5. For PhD programs, read the prompt for any request to discuss scholarly interests alongside creative work, and follow it.

A clear statement will not compensate for a sample that is not ready, and no statement guarantees admission. What it can do is help a committee that already likes your pages understand why you are applying and what you will do with the time.