The Interlochen Advantage: Admission tips from the University of Pennsylvania’s Creative Writing Program
Find out what competitive universities like U-Penn want to see in your application, from attending summer camps and boarding schools to displaying your unique passions and abilities.
Applying to college is a process that many students find both exciting and challenging. How do you sum up your educational journey and express your unique passions to admissions officers in a way that’s concise and compelling? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to help yourself out—and hearing from an expert is one of them. To help you navigate the application process, we sat down with Jamie-Lee Josselyn, Associate Director for Recruitment & Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Creative Writing Program. She also directs the Summer Workshop for Young Writers at the Kelly Writers House at UPenn. Below, Josselyn gives you a behind-the-scenes look into what colleges want to see on your application and the best ways to stand out in the admissions process.
What are some of the things that UPenn looks for in a prospective student?
We look for students who know how to work hard, but also keep a sense of play in their work. We want students who are pursuing the things they're excited about in a rigorous, passionate, and genuine way. And we want students who aren’t just necessarily trying to check boxes or hit certain achievement markers. Penn likes to resist the typical categories of students. Sometimes people say, ‘Are you a STEM person or a humanities person?’ A student can be both. We look for people who combine their passions and interests in fascinating ways.
From an admissions perspective, what are the advantages of attending a dedicated arts academy in high school?
Interlochen is one of the best places in the country to study the arts. When it's time for students to put their best foot forward and apply to colleges or other opportunities, they can point out just how unique their Interlochen experience is and how it sets them apart.
Students who study at Interlochen have an intensive academic experience combined with an intensive artistic experience that most people don't get to have. The exposure to different kinds of art that students receive at Interlochen is incredible. When I talk to writers from Interlochen about what they’ve studied, about their theses and senior projects, it sounds like they're in a graduate program. In addition, the level of collaboration and support of their peers at Interlochen is unparalleled. That's something that universities like to see. It's certainly something we think about at the Writers House at Penn.
Are there any other kinds of programs or experiences that really stand out on the application?’
I always challenge students not to think too specifically about names of contests or prizes or accolades that they want to list. I think people can get distracted by that. To me, it's not so much what's on your activities list or your resume—it's the way you talk about it. If you have an interview opportunity or a short essay to explain, for example, why the piece that won a contest is meaningful to you or how its theme is central to who you are as a writer, to me that's more important than the award itself. We have a similar thought process about programs prospective students may have completed. Tell us how your summer program changed you as a writer, whether your cohort at camp really meant something to you, or if you've kept in touch with the other students and continued to share your writing. Those kinds of connections and experiences are often more important than any particular program or name or contest.
What is it that really sets a student apart from their peers?
We love it when students can really articulate why a particular class, writing assignment, collaboration, project, or even initiative that they started changed them and impacted others around them, whether that's their peers or their community. We have a place called the Writers House at Penn and we need students who are going to make an impact through their writing-related projects, because that's what we do. We look for students who are able to speak about past experiences they've had that have made an impact, and then connect those experiences to what they'd like to do going forward. Those are the kinds of people we want as members of our community.
What sort of weight does participation in a program like Interlochen Arts Camp or Arts Academy carry on a college application?
Interlochen students present themselves almost like graduate students, in terms of the intensity of the creative work that they've done, the range of writing they've been exposed to, and the number of professional writers they've encountered. It's extraordinary and a reason for Interlochen students to enter any kind of application process with a certain pride. They can be confident in the work they’ve done, and really leverage that in terms of showing how they've developed as creative individuals.
Usually if I look at a transcript of an Interlochen student or read about the classes they've taken, I'm jealous because I wish I could have done that! But also, it means that they're ready for a high level of creative work and that they take themselves and their work seriously—which is as it should be. That’s what stands out the most.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
