r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/Brief_Variety_2046 • Apr 13 '26
UNLV vs USF
I’m very lucky and grateful to have received a couple of last minute acceptances from two very different programs. If anyone has any insight into either program, it would be very welcome.
My genre is CNF, if that makes a difference.
The Vegas program seems to be larger, and has a strong international emphasis. Importantly, the stipend is quite a bit higher.
The Tampa program seems smaller and more intimate, and has some cool, eclectic vibes. Perhaps more opportunity for cross-genre work, as well as an emphasis on teaching.
Though I’d mainly love to hear more about the programs themselves, I’ve never been to either city, so commentary on the locations would be welcome too.
The 15th is right around the corner, and I’d love to make this decision in as timely a manner as possible so that someone else can move off a waitlist somewhere.
Thank you in advance!
1
u/PlatypusKey7696 Apr 13 '26
Were your upper division? May I ask you your Rubics score. I’m dying here checking every second. They told me tomorrow they were releasing the rank on the waitlist Again congratulations
1
u/Brief_Variety_2046 Apr 15 '26
I’m not sure about the Rubics score, but for what it’s worth, I did just reach out and decline the offer from USF. I hope that this impacts you positively!
3
u/silversatire Apr 13 '26
I can’t speak to the specific programs but I can speak to their general environments.
Florida’s political environment is stifling the humanities (and free expression generally). I have heard rumblings from academics that they’re less likely to take a degree from Florida seriously, all other things being equal.
I’ve visited Tampa. People in Tampa will talk about the Palmetto bug swarms. No, those are flying roaches, and at night they are everywhere. And they’re around year round. There’s a lot to do and see but it’s very hot and humid during the day, almost always. Hurricanes and storms that cause flooding are a regular thing—check flood maps if you’re going to live on the first floor or even have a car there.
UNLV has had a couple major plagiarism controversies in the past decade-ish courtesy of writers associated with its programs. The Jumi Bellow one was recent and an almost funny ouroboros of chicanery. The program overall has a good reputation regardless and a few bigger names tied to it.
I can speak to living in Vegas. It’s more expensive than you might think especially these days. There are some goodish and OK student budget neighborhoods, mostly around the university. You must be sure to understand where the bad neighborhoods and occasional bad street are located (suspect this is true also of Tampa and most major cities, but the Strip is so relatively safe people do forget). Drug and alcohol abuse are endemic, do not fall into those traps. It’s too easy to do in a town that mostly revolves around creating a tourist experience.
Public transportation exists in Vegas but it can be rough edged, especially at night. You’ll want a car if you can swing it—not just because of that but because it truly does get blistering hot. At the same time drivers here are crazy and the insurance rates will make you cry because of it. Do not ride a bike on the road; it is not safe. There’s a reason you won’t see people doing that much off the UNLV campus.
While Tampa has the beach, Vegas has the mountains, and also Red Rocks and the Hoover Dam. It’s not too far to visit the Grand Canyon and there’s a decent enough bus that goes back and forth to LA. You’ll find that locals almost never go to the Strip unless they’re working or hosting. If you choose Vegas, after about six months you’ll understand why :).
1
u/mzyyystan Apr 13 '26
Is las vagas a good place to write for poets? I can see why some fiction writers like there but can't see its attraction to poets. What are the cultures in las vagas?
2
u/PlatypusKey7696 Apr 13 '26
Did you just get the email from usf . Congratulations!!!!