by Prof. Cathy Day

It was a great year for MFA program placements for the Creative Writing Program at Ball State University—and we want to brag on these folks a little!

I’m including links to the graduate programs our students will be attending, as well as info about their academic and professional pathways as writers.

Ball State’s MA program in English/creative writing takes two years to complete and is often just what you need to prepare the best possible writing sample for entry into MFA and PhD programs in creative writing.

A Few Stars to Steer By

Bell will be attending the University of Florida MFA program to study fiction.

Learn more about how he spent the last 10 years since graduating with his BA. Hint: he worked in advertising and marketing as his day job, but kept working on his creative writing as well.

 

Cecilia Cook

Cook will be attending the Ohio State University MFA program studying creative nonfiction

Check out more details about their academic and professional pathway on their website. After graduating from Ball State last year, Cook moved back to their hometown of Baltimore and has been working as an adjunct instructor, teaching writing and composition courses, at the Community College of Baltimore County.

 

 

Ashleigh Cochran

Cochran will attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City MFA program where she will focus on poetry.

Check out more details about her academic and professional journey on her LinkedIn. Cochran earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri, Columbia, so heading out for her MFA will mean moving back to the “Show Me State.”

 

 

 

Mikayla Galgerud

Like Cook, Galgerud also will be heading to the Ohio State University MFA program to study creative nonfiction.

Since graduating in 2022, she’s been working as a recruiter for Ball State admissions, attending high school college fairs. Hint: did you know that when you work at a university, you’re eligible for tuition remission? Learn more about how that works!

 

 

 

Eris Savio Robinson

Robinson is headed to the University of Georgia MFA program in Film, Television, and Digital Media.

She majored in Media and minored in screenwriting at Ball State. Learn more about her academic and professional pathway on her LinkedIn.

 

 

 

Haley Stevens

Stevens will be heading southeast to the University of North Carolina Wilmington MFA program to study fiction.

Since graduating, she has been teaching in Romania on a Fulbright. Learn more about her journey as a writer.

 

 

 

Please note:

• We hope you’ll use this post to inspire and guide you in your writing journey. Remember: there is not just one “right way” to become a writer.
• In fact, you don’t have to go to graduate school at all. Two of our BA graduates, Ashley C. Ford and Sarah Hollowell both published books without earning an MFA.
• If you’re wondering, “Should I go to grad school in creative writing?” come talk to us!
• Also here’s a panel discussion from a few years ago where we talk at length about the ins and outs of graduate programs for creative writers, featuring myself, Prof. Silas Hansen, Prof. Paige Waters, and alum Lauren Cross.

Watch it! You’ll learn a lot.