Flannery O'Connor entered Georgia State College for Women in 1942 and was a member of the writing and art staff of The Corinthian from the fall of 1942 to the spring of 1945. She served as editor of The Corinthian during the 1944-1945 academic year. While other staff members addressed themselves with their complete first and last names, O'Connor chose to be acknowledged as M.F. O'Connor throughout her tenure on The Corinthian. O'Connor's first essay in The Corinthian was entitled "Going to the Dogs", a satirical piece of prose commenting on the canine population on campus.
Unlike O'Connor's published short stories and novels, her prose and poetry in The Corinthian was light-hearted and provided comic relief to its readers. In the winter of 1943, O'Connor wrote a favorable book review for The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf entitled "Ferdinand the Bull". O'Connor continued to enlighten and entertain her audience with essays such as "Why Worry the Horse" and "Elegance Is Its Own Reward". In the fall of 1943, "Effervescence", a poem by O'Connor, appeared on the pages of The Corinthian. During her second year at GSCW, O'Connor wrote "Doctors of Delinquency", "Biologic Endeavor" and "Home of the Brave" which was published after her death by Albondocani Press.
In her senior year, O'Connor was chosen as editor of The Corinthian. "Excuse Us While We Don't Apologize" was O'Connor's first commentary in her new position. She followed with "Fashion's Perfect Medium", "Pfft", "Higher Education" and "Education's Only Hope".
O'Connor's interest in writing continued after graduating from GSCW. In 1945 she entered the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. O'Connor graduated from the University of Iowa in June of 1947 with a master's degree in Fine Arts