Anonymous wrote:Really, if she gets accepted to either UVA or W&M,she should go to one. I don't think it matters if someone claims that CNU has a strong writing program.

She should go to a school which she loves. It may not be UVA or W&M.

Anonymous wrote:Mary Washington

+1

I would pay attention to the number/share of English majors at the school. Seems like you want a critical mass of peers who are similarly turned on by the topic. Also, a department with a relatively large number of majors will draw more resources than one with relatively few majors.

You can see this info here:

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

Search for schools, then for each school, click on "programs and majors." Based on these numbers, I'd focus on the first three.

W&M--108 English majors out of 1500 bachelors' degrees awarded

UVA--148/3700

Mary Washington--111/1000

JMU--160/4000 (but 71 of these are in professional/technical writing)

GMU--389/4900 (but 244 of these are in "rhetoric and composition")

Christopher Newport--55/1060

VCU--141/4700

She can contact the admission offices of the colleges she is interested in and ask to meet a professor or student in the English department. She can also ask to sit in on a class.

Mary Washington

Really, if she gets accepted to either UVA or W&M,she should go to one. I don't think it matters if someone claims that CNU has a strong writing program.

Thanks! I know these are good schools in general. How do you find out about the specific departments relative to other schools?

W&M and UVA are two obvious options.

DD lives her english and writing classes in HS. How do we find out and compare college english departments?