Thursday, May 25, 2006

No Answer. Fee back?

Fakegrape says hello tom--thought I would take a break from this special I am watching on obese dogs to ask you a question: if a program cashed my application fee but never told me either way whether or not I got in, is it appropriate to ask for my fee back?

Man, if the MFA Blog can distract a reader from Obese Dog TV, then we are on the right track.

Fakegrape, you not only should contact them, but you have every right to demand your fee back. That's completely inappropriate. You should've heard something by now. Let us know how it goes.

6 comments:

Chris Stamm said...

Hmm. I had the same problem, and I think the school that did it to me deserves to be called out. So Hunter, hey, 'sup?

Fakegrape, please do let us know how it goes. I've been considering a similar action with Hunter. The insult to injury here is that Hunter has the most expensive app. fee--125 bucks!

Anonymous said...

Hmm, if we are going to call out programs, let me say The New School did not get back to me until mid-May and only after I called and pestered them. Good chance they didn't even read it.

Anonymous said...

after I wrote to tom with that question, the school (bowling green) finally got back to me with (unsurprisingly) a rejection. now, rejection no longer phases me, I have gotten used to it, and the news didnt affect my life, materially or emotionally, in any way except for pissing me off, because I am a cheap and poor retail employee. anyway, so I wont ask for my money back, even though I feel like I deserve it because they rejected me long after the knowledge could be of any use. well, whatever. what consoles me is knowing you all have been enduring the same crap. it seems such a shame when I think of previous generations of writers, who met each other as real people do: through living and working near them and talking--in the real world. whereas I feel compelled--almost as if I have no choice, although perhaps I am simply weak and not good at being poor--to enter an institution, to find kindred spirits somewhat artificially. which, dont get me wrong, I am more than thrilled to settle for. dont know why I am writing this for all of two people to read--I mean to address it to all my fellow MFA applicants. I wish it were easier to find you all, find you as artists used to find each other.

Anonymous said...

A gentleman at the New School told me, on the phone, that my application passed the first cut and my portfolio is strong, but that they won't give me a decision until August. When I said that was long after I'd have to make the decision, he suggested that I withdraw my application. No refund suggestion at all. Sigh. I still haven't heard a yes, no, or waitlist.

Anonymous said...

Another school to add to the list of shame: UC Davis. The school did not get back to me until last week (rejection, naturally). I called them in late April out of sheer curiosity to see what happened, and was told that if I haven't received a letter yet, then I was *probably* on the wait list, but that the program could not be certain. My politely phrased inquiry regarding a fee refund was taken as a joke.

Anonymous said...

I got bupkis from Brown--obviously they rejected me, but would it killed them to have sent an email?!