i've been really surprised by the response to the teacher joke. i'm a public school english teacher in brooklyn, and for sure, i joke around like that all the time. i almost signed the petition to leave an anti-comment, but then i figured it was better not to.
@umIrenic
if i forgot to leave me email, you can contact me at andrewravin (at) yahoo (dot) com. i'd love to do a poetry swap with you or with others if you're interested.
when i first saw student rejections, i thought that that meant that they weren't very good. what i've learned is that the programs are insanely competitive, and i'd love to workshop with somebody.
@accepted poets! congratulations to all of the acceptances! i'm really excited for you, and even more excited to see how excited you are for them. it makes me really happy to see!
last thing: this was posted before, but i think this is an awesome resource to post acceptances rejections without the conversations:
@Patrick-they emailed me a copy of the letter on March 8, which was the date on the letter. Did you apply by the 22 of Jan? It could still be in the mail. I asked for an email because I am not at home (Iowa)
That proposed response wins. Especially the sign-off lol
@ Ratcliff
That form letter was rudely worded. Please replace the memory of it with the conviction that you and every applicant who received it deserved something much nicer.
@M.Swann Simply love your suggested response. It expresses much of my emotion. I only wish I DID have an acceptance. Maybe later in the week. Maybe next year.
Equally love the idea of tossing the letter into Mount Doom. The adventure getting there would be enough material to fuel a trilogy!
@ Daddy-o Not sure myself what to make of it- I don't know the guy or situation well enough to make any assertion that he acted inappropriately, however, I do feel death threats are taking it too far.
I just got a GNE from UNCG. Sounds similar to the ones people got a while back. The program director said that my sample was making the rounds, getting good marks, etc, and asked if I have questions about the program.
that's actually my biggest problem with the idea of applying all over again. I mean, I really respect these people, and asking them to do so many letters AGAIN is embarrassing and kind of... asking too much? I don't care what all I have to put into the process, but to ask other people to? I guess I'll have to, but it's gonna SUCK.
@Maslo I'm in love with Faulkner. Ratliff is not a particularly attractive name, but the character is one of his most interesting, in my humble opinion.
@Sud Thanks for the tip, I'll check up on that, but then I thought of...
@Jillian Samesies. Asking for more recommendations when I have a history of failing so far? I am dreading telling them I've gotten one rejection. Odd, I feel as though I've failed/disappointed them in some way.
@ratliff-no one has to know about the rejections just yet. Just say you just found out about this really exciting new program and want to take a swing at it.
I was rejected everywhere I applied in 2006, and asked the same people for recommendations this year. They were surprisingly encouraging, and I made sure to show them my new portfolio so that they could see how I'd progressed.
That being said, a lot of schools will keep your recs for 2 years, so if you reapply to them you don't always need new ones. Hope that offers some encouragement.
I've decided it's best for all of us if I don't comment on GNEs anymore. Especially UNCW/UNCG's unethical/just-plain-mean use of them. I do feel, however, that it's okay to let you all know that I'm restraining myself at this time.
But good news for Emma? Yay Emma! but for some reason, I just lost all hope for UNCG (for myself)
Anyone who's still not in the Limbo group and want an invite? Let me know. Good topics up right now dealing with specific schools people have gotten into, funding (or lack of), and what to ask grad students and faculty when visiting a program.
@Kevin "Google Map thinks it'll take me 12 hours to walk there," haha. Seriously, hope to hear from Irvine soon..
@Jillian Lauren I hate asking my professors, too. Nothing worse than bothering someone to update a letter they might not be enthusiastic about writing in the first place!
"But Miss Reba was still fighting. Because women are wonderful. They can bear anything because they are wise enough to know that all you have to do with grief and trouble is just go on through them and come out the other side. I think they can do this because they not only decline to dignify phsyical pain by taking it seriously, they have no sense of shame at the idea of being knocked out. She didn't quit, even then." - from The Reivers by William Faulkner
Reading during my lunch break, I happened upon some words of encouragement. Just wanted to share. (Sorry if you're a dude, Faulkner has plenty of pro-male things to say as well, I just didn't read any today.)
@JillianLauren - I'm the child of two university faculty members (and my boyfriend is, too), and I've never seen my parents complain about writing letters of recommendation for any particular person. For them, it's part of their job - maybe not their favorite part, but they would never resent a student for asking them for a letter of rec, especially if they've already written one. It's much, much easier for them to tweak an existing letter than to draft up a brand new one. Don't feel guilty about asking for letters - it's a necessary evil in the academic world, and everybody knows it.
It seems these UNCG GNEs have been going out sporadically for some time. I wouldn't take not getting one as a definite bad sign... just my thinking, for what it's worth. I have been accepted to programs without any GNE/GNP. I think it's easy to read a lot into these things, but I'm trying to resist it.
@JillianLauren I completely understand the fear of asking the same people for letters if I have to apply again. This year's recommendations were hell for me. I don't want to have to do it again....it was a really negative experience.
Me too!!! I had two professors tell me no because they didnt know my writing well enough and one professor back out after saying he would write one. By far the WORST, though, was one professor who sounded excited to write me the letter, then after sending 8-10 emails to confirm and give him information regarding how to address them etc, he emailed me 3 days before everything was due and told me he wasn't going to write it because I was irresponsible and didn't give him any of the information he needed to write the letter. I was fuming!!!
Last night I dreamt I got a rejection notice from Hunter. It was a nice one, though, and they said I should apply again, maybe for fall 2012, but next time not write about twins.
Woke up very confused, as there were no twins in my sample.
@ Misha, GNE is a Good News Email - it's usually an email from the department or a faculty member that is positive in some way ("We loved your sample!") but is in no way a guarantee of admission.
@T.G. Sorry that it's painful to you, but being a writer and applying places is a pretty stinging process, no matter what.
I just wanted to say that I think it's important that people post their GNEs and other such informal information on this blog. What schools are trying to do with GNEs is to get students excited about their programs, and prevent students they like from accepting at other, earlier responding schools. This is a douche-y practice because certain schools seem to send out GNEs midway through the reading process, before they know for sure who they're admitting, and also seem to send out far more than the number of people they actually intend on accepting.
Having a forum like this where people post their GNEs is very important because then one can see how many other people received the same GNE and adjust one's expectations accordingly. It's basically the only weapon we have against schools acting douche-ily and toying with our expectations.
I hope you didn't interpert my reporting the GNE as an expression of self satisfied glee, or anything like that. I do know the sting you're talking about, because last year I got rejected across the board. It's just custom on this blog to keep each other updated with what the programs are up to. Good luck to you.
Is there anyone leaning toward George Mason University? I'm going to the open house next week, and I'm pretty sure that's where I'll end up. I haven't made any decisions yet, but it seems like the best choice for me.
My email is lauramariepizzo at gmail dot com. I'd be happy to chat and/or swap a few poems.
Just wanted to chime in and say that I also appreciate it when people share this kind of information on the blog.
It helps me modify my expectations. If there are GNEs flying all over from one school, and no one has sent me one, then it helps me remain realistic about my chances at that school.
I agree it's a douchy practice, but I'm glad people are willing to let the rest of us know about them here.
This was the worst for me, too - even worse than taking the GREs (and I had to STUDY for that damn math section)!
I had two recommendors who were more recently acquainted with my work, and they were great. But I had received a lot of advice that I should have at least one letter from one of my undergrad profs... and I finished college five years ago. It was SO HARD to convince someone I hadn't seen or worked with in five years to write me a letter! And, since it had been so long, I had to put together a lengthy packet of information: poetry I had written in their class, plus my newer work, very detailed and lengthy description of why I wanted to get an MFA and what I had been doing for the past five years, my CV, plus all the info about where to mail each letter, since it seemed like every single school had a different policy (electronic only, mail to me so I can mail to the school, mail directly to the school, slip it under the English Department's door in the dead of night, etc).
I can say that although it was very labor-intensive for me, at least my recommendors were very, very nice about it. I HATE asking for favors, so I appreciated their sympathy. Still, what an awful process. Now I can see why people are tempted to apply to grad school straight out of undergrad - I would have if I had known, just for the sake of simplifying the LOR process!
I think this was probably brought up earlier, but I didn't pay attention at the time. What do you all recommend for questions when speaking with an MFA program? I'm hoping to be speaking with people over the phone and in person over the next two weeks, and I want to make sure I get as much information as possible. Suggestions?
HAHAHA. It sounds like getting someone to write the letter of recommendation was more intense than the actual graduate application. Haha. That's hilarious. I felt the same way!
I agree. The LoR was a huge headache. And one of my recommenders (whom several of you will have as your professor, though he's much more dependable in classes) apparently didn't send letters to almost half of my schools. If for some reason I decide to apply again next year and not take one of my unfunded acceptances, I will def. shell out the extra dough for an online LoR service.
I remember being glad when they were done, but I now feel incredibly lucky that it wasn't a drama-filled, arduous process for me. The only issues that cropped up were me having to mail the one of the stupid Iowa forms separately because I couldn't find it on their website and one of my recommenders not getting her password for the BU rec submission site. Held up my application for a week, ugh.
Letters of rec = the worst. I finished undergrad in 2004. I was ignored by a couple of the profs I tried to contact, even by one who had written a letter for me previously. It made me feel as bad as I did when I was taking the GRE and trying not to poo myself but for a lot longer period of time.
I did find it helpful to use a dossier service to hold my letters and ensure that if I was rejected everywhere this year I wouldn't have to bother people again.
About a week ago, when I was checking my online statuses, I noticed that one of my recommenders didn't send a letter in to the one school that only asked for two. Two days later, I was accepted into that program.
I had some difficulty getting the third recommender because it had been awhile since I had been to college/law school. What I did was kinda manipulative, but necessary. Here's what I did:
I first thought about MFA programs about three years ago. So, I forced myself to get reacquainted with former professors and colleagues via Facebook, email, etc. Then, I played nice and chatty. "Oh, how are you?" "Me? I'm doing fine." "How's your son Aaron? He must be in college now?" "Too bad about that ice storm where you are. I hope you're managing." Blah blah blah. In truth, I didn't really care. (well, I cared, but not really) It was all a pretense to establish some sort of relationship/rapport and determine how receptive he/she would be to writing me a LoR. Two years of this nonsense. It was almost like a long con.
Finally, early this past summer 2009, I broached the subject of MFAs and LoR. I grumbled about how it was so difficult to find people to write LoR's for me. "Oh, whoa is me..." That sort of crap. A few bit and offered to write me glowing LoR's. I just needed one.
I guess I could've asked them for it directly, but I didn't want to risk them saying, "Gee, I'd love to but I don't remember you that well."
So, that's how I got my third recommender. The other two were Stegner fellows from whom I took workshop classes. I guess I could've taken three workshop classes and used the professor from that third class for my recommender, but I really enjoyed playing out the long con, to tell you the truth.
one thing that i know has been mentioned before that some people might want to consider is using a credentials service such as Interfolio.
i had approached my LoR writers asking if they'd do it, and they said yes. I then provided them with my draft portfoio, draft generic Statement of Purpose, and my critical writing sample required at a few schools.
They were given a code for the Interfolio upload (they upload it, you can send it, it's confidential so you never see it, but all your LoR's can go out in one packet from Interfolio along with your SoP and Portfolio. Easy-Peasy).
I then also gave my writers a list of the schools that needed it to be uploaded. It was about a 50/50 mix of which needed it uploaded and which would let me use a credentials service. I had the added issue of one recommender not having regular internet access, so I checked online and sent his LoR from Interfolio where I saw it missing. Florida State was the only one that balked at a credentials service outright. So, I never bothered to finish their app.
Having a copy of the confidential letters helped a lot with my stress levels, as I knew that I could replace a missing letter in hours (Interfolio will do email deliveries). And you can upload transcripts, etc.
Just something to think about for those starting this magical mystery tour next year, or who might be going through it again.
Once a recommender has a letter for you done, it's not a whole lot of work for them to upload it to 10 websites, as long as you have the info in one convenient list for them.
For my fellow TNS people out there: I successfully requested an extension for my letter of intent to enroll. Instead of March 30, they're allowing me to submit my deposit by April 12. If anyone is still struggling to make a decision, I'd suggest asking for an extension. It doesn't hurt to ask.
@ weighswithwords: Just wanted to say thanks for posting that article. I'm readying it now and really appreciate having an alternate perspective to Benton's.
I second the usefulness of the letter-mailing service, though I too ran into problems with Florida State. Interfolio was unable to upload the letters there because FSU required them to complete a separate page of ratings (in addition to uploading the letters). Even though I was ahead of the deadline, I knew nobody would be answering phones at the school over winter break, so I never finished applying there.
After I abandoned my FSU app and received a credit to my Interfolio account, I was able to spontaneously apply to Notre Dame without asking my letter writers for more letters. In fact, Notre Dame has a great online application system that is completely compatible with Interfolio. The service that you'll receive is well worth the chunk of money that they charge.
I also thought of Lost. Coincidence last night's episode was called "Recon," and we're talking about long conning people into writing recs? I think not. Sounds like something the Lostie writers would conjure up just to get us to geek out over their fabulosity.
Anyone who is a Lost fan should check out Doc Jensen's EW.com recaps of each episode. Reading them is as excellent a compliment to Lost as Peter King's SI.com Monday Morning Quarterback columns are to football. Just an aside :)
Yeah, after I ran into problems with FSU and Interfolio, I actually attempted to email their admissions office. I DID get a reply, weeks later. Essentially it said, if my recommender was not in the US and/or did not have regular internet access, FSU was not interested in me applying. Very definite and unyielding. So that was one less to worry about!
But as I said, that was the ONLY hitch I had with any school, so that's not bad at all. :-)
Omg, I really hated having to do letters of recommendation. I had one on file with my grad school, and the other one i had to ask for. So I emailed the best, scariest, most amazing professor I had in grad school. I feared and idolized her like some kind of awesome god. I still cry sometimes when thinking back in a drunken haze about some of the soul-crushing things she said to me. But she was the best, and she seemed to think the most of my potential (when she wasn't crushing me utterly) so I asked.
"I would be happy to help in any way I can," she said. "Could you send me a photo of yourself to jog my memory?"
I just got a cryptic "Update on Application Statuses" email from GCSU. It definitely seemed like a mass email, considering the fact that they've already notified several acceptees, but my heart apparently failed to make that distinction, as it just tried to crawl through my esophagus. Damn, NNEs should be illegal.
One of my rec writers was someone that I did undergrad studies with, meaning one year older then me. And it wasn't a creative writing program. Also, we used to date.
@red I read it earlier this afternoon. I never would have thought of any Little House on the Prairie references on my own- I didn't even recognize the show. It's all the little things he points out that I feel I didn't have enough time to see for myself and perhaps wouldn't if given it. The ending of the recap is shocking, yet I like it the more I think about it.
My experience with a couple of my recommenders was an absolute nightmare of unreliability and rudeness. I could describe it in more detail; but, in the spirit of good taste, I won't. Needless to say, some of you will have the "honor" of studying under them next year.
Never ever request moving estimates while waiting for MFA phone calls. I have gotten probably 15 calls from strange area codes in the last few days, all of them from moving companies. None of them from Arkansas, UNCG, Ole Miss, or LSU. Or Vandy or VCU telling me I've been moved off the waitlist.
Got my Irvine negative today. Printed and folded so fast the whole letter is repeated upside down in reverse on the opposite side of the page. Double owch.
I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but I called FSU and was told they have informed their first round of picks. They have not decided on a waitlist or rejections yet.
On another topic, I'm going to visit Houston next week (Tues night through Friday morning 3/23-26). If anyone else is planning to visit around that time, let me know. I'll have a car.
How many of you are going to go in Debt to get your MFA? I know Seth says not to do it, but I want to write and write now. The program I"m in is three years...three years away from actually having to worry about paying the debt back. Anyway, just curious.
thanks, ya'll. this is my second go-round and i was unanimously rejected last time (2007), so this has all been a huge freaking relief.
yes, koru, have bought my ticket to columbus for the open house. totally psyched.
not really leaning one way or the other yet. lots of great things about both programs and both locations. will be visiting greensboro as well, though i'm not sure when - they don't have a similar open house thing planned.
am bringing my mom to the OSU open house, and she's paranoid that my bringing her is somehow inappropriate. i told her i thought it would be a fun mother-daughter adventure and didn't give a shit about propriety. now she insists on coming to visit UNCG - i was like 'in for a penny, in for a pound?' and she said, "it's just that now i'm a variable! for good or for ill!" what a weirdo.
while i'm at it - i've been laughing at the 'conditional acceptance to The University of My Cat's Heart' and the afore-mentioned rejection letter from that virginia school is the worst thing i've ever read.
I think I posted this on DH, but it disappeared. Accepted by email off the wait-list for Houston's PhD in poetry. Yesterday, 3/16. Nominated for a TAship. Am thrilled.
Also applied to Denver but haven't heard a thing...
Let us know how your visit goes, Frankish. Good luck all! So it is very possible to get in off the wait-list!
With so many folks talking about recommendations. . . anyone use Interfolio, and if so how did it go? I am going to apply to Phd programs and I'm dreading going through the whole recommendation thing again. . .
OKAY. I just got off the phone with Montana. Apparently, I'm waitlisted. She said, "We thought you accepted at Iowa!" Ha. Really cool people in that department, thankfully. They were super nice.
@ Lauren: This is a big concern for me. When I began this process, I told myself I would only apply to schools that had the potential for full funding. I'm stressing a LOT at the moment since I've been accepted to three programs without funding (they only fund some students). I'm already in debt for another program I did and really don't want to add any more, but I went balls out with 17 applications in the hopes that this would ensure me funding somewhere. Where are you considering going without funding?
Got my official from UC Davis for their MA today (got their phone call week before last?) but so far nothing on funding.
Waiting to hear from SF State and am curious if anyone has heard anything from them yet, either the MA or the MFA (I applied for the MA). Last I heard they were going to let folks know the week of the 29th, but I can't help but worry that they'll just be doing rejections then.
After reading this blog for years posting my first comment feels a little surreal.
WHOA haven't been here in a while, can't handle all the comments... 1) Congrats to all acceptances that I have missed over the past few days! You're awesome. 2) I also received the fake out e-mail from GCSU stating that they are behind on notifications and will be letting us know where we stand "within the week." I appreciate hearing about some things going on, but it adds to the nerves.
I'm thinking Idaho...its three years and its cheap to live out there. I live in DC now and I can get a one bedroom for less than half of what I pay here. I figured I could get a part-time job. They don't really have any funding at all, but I'm older and when I graduate I will be 31. I would have applied to a lot of different schools if I had known what I know now...but this is my second time applying (i did this right out of college). I know Seth talks about waiting and not going into debt, but I got into school without any help e.g. people looking and fixing my sample and I don't want to have DH "fix" my stuff for me to make it look fantastic for committees. I don't know, I just did this by myself and I'm proud of my work.
So I guess I'll go into debt. I'm debt free right now, and there are a lot more people that are in debt for things worse than getting an education. I'm in for fiction and figure I can at least end up teaching at a decent private high school or community college and hope that I am able to get a few things published/complete a novel by the time I graduate to get some street cred.
Poor form. I am disappointed. The admissions office was incredibly helpful. It does not bode well for the school. From a branding perspective, more people get rejected than get accepted. Why don't these schools consider that? An ego-thing? I have not yet heard from VCFA. What genre was notified recently? I am poetry.
@ All re Recommendations
I echo your pain. I asked for a bunch at one time. Then sent a cookie bouquet as a thank you because it was a huge PITA. I have recently dipped back into the well as recently as last night with my re: line as: Oh for Pete's Sake, Not Again.
It got laughs and they were happy to do it.
Congrats to all accepted and waitlisted. I would prefer some news - anyone hear from Pacific in poetry?
I'm not sure if you're interested, and if you want to totally ignore this, go for it! I was also accepted to Idaho, and one of the students I emailed said "I wouldn't recommend coming here without a TAship." I thought that was interesting, though I didn't ask him to expand on it because I couldn't/wouldn't go without a TA anyway. But if you're curious I could email you more. Let me know! Maybe I'll see you in Moscow next year.
Last night I dreamt that I was waitlisted at Florida and accepted into Minnesota State University, Mankato (though in my dream it was MANTANKO as this is how I remembered the name of the city, apparently) even though I did not apply to these places. In the dream I was aware that I did not apply to Florida but I thought I applied to Minnesota. Anyway, Eloise Hawking of Lost was explaining to me why I got into Florida without applying while we walked around that swinging pendulum from Season 5. It turns out... I APPLIED TO FLORIDA, I'm just not aware because I did it in a parallel timeline.
I generally think funding is an important issue. However, I do believe everyone has a $$$ amount they're willing to spend for an MFA. That amount differs from one person to the next, but there is a $$$ amount. Having said that, $100,000 is just too much for an art degree even if it is from a "name" school like Columbia. I keep wanting to say "Who do you think you are?" to Columbia.
I also had a dream this week about getting into a programme I didn't apply to. Except it happened while I was visiting another school, so I was scolded by one of the faculty at the school I was visiting for being indiscrete enough to answer the phone call.
I have not had MFA dreams, but lately (for the past two weeks), whenever I've gotten up in the middle of the night, I find myself not being able to go back to sleep. My thoughts turn to my schools and I can't shut my eyes.
And $100,000 for Columbia is generous; that assumes a living cost around $16,000 (tuition hovering around $42,000 per year), which would be difficult, with the cheaper side of rent at $700-800 in Queens* (and a 45-minute commute). If you want to live closer to campus, forget it. This is what always bummed me out about New York: the constant reminders I had no money and couldn't participate in all the things the city had to offer. New York starts to feel cramped when you have no money.
*Who wants to live in the Bronx besides Don DeLillo?
@Lauren third of all, 31 isn't that old Fourth of all, 31 is just a baby.
I finished undergrad in 1986 and law school in 1988. Needless to say, I wasn't asking old professors for recommendations. They would have remembered me and said nice things ("She seemed to be a reasonably good writer - on the odd accoassion that I was able to decipher her intent, that is.")
So I had to get creative with recommendations. first, my boss, whose annual reviews always revolve around how I do a good job except that I can't write. Second a writer friend, who babbled about how I help everyone edit. And a former coworker who now has a very impressive title in the White House.
I also got the GCSU email. It was good to hear anything after all the silence.
There's something to be said for the artless rejection letter mentioned earlier that said "You need to be more prepared before applying" ...
Applying another time isn't just a repeat of the same thing. You've learned a lot about the process and what to expect; you've probably got a better sense now of the aesthetics of programmes and/or how to choose better fits for you.
Also, you'll have another year's writing under your belt, so your sampe should be stronger. You can also use services like DH which help look over SoP/writing sample and help match you with schools and/or help with the portfolio.
A new year is a completely new shot, by a writer who's a year more experienced.
Don't give up. But do decide if it was a whim to apply, or something that you're willing to do a bit of work for. :-)
@Hullabaloo - chin up! It's not over yet. Besides, if it doesn't work out for you this year, you'll find yourself with renewed vim and vigor a year or two from now to do this crap all over again.
On the upside: No, I won't be going into debt for my MFA
On the downside: I will, however, be broke by the time I have the degree in hand.
I'm planning on working my ass off to get some sort of GAship or work study while I'm there. Maybe not so much the first semester or first year, but definitely for the last two years.
I've contributed once or twice to general comments here, but mainly I lurk in the shadows, craving some sort of response from MFA programs. I applied to 8 - UMass Amherst, TNS, Brooklyn College, Hunter, NYU, Columbia, Emerson, and BU - and have not received one response either way. (Okay, not entirely true: UMass did change my status to "rejected" about 2 weeks ago, but that's it.)
My question: what am I to make of this mass radio silence? Yesterday, I even called some of the programs that seem to have made all their acceptance/rejection decisions weeks ago (TNS, Hunter, etc.), and they told me they could not give me any information over the phone.
Congrats on Hollins! You're the first acceptance we're hearing about! That's the last school I'm waiting to hear from, in fiction as well. I'm going to lose my mind!
I didn't apply to any of the schools you did, but I would try emailing the programs if I were you. The ones I emailed shocked me by telling me news when I thought they would just say something generic, like, "We'll be notifying everyone soon" etc. Even if they tell you nothing, email is worth a shot! Good luck.
How funny things turned out this year. Last year, I was mostly a lurker and didn't spend much time on this blog, but I was convinced that I'd know where I'd be spending my MFA years by the middle of March. Also, I didn't think I'd be waiting on a waitlist because I thought I'd either be accepted outright or rejected outright. But as it turned out, I'm sitting on an offer and waiting on a waitlist (Emma: get thee to Montana...eerie theremin music in background...weeeee...waaah...weee) and I still don't know where I'll end up. I can't even visit to look for apartments!
have to agree, this year isn't shaping up as i thought it would either ... i decided to apply to MFAs about 15 months ago. i thought i'd be lucky if i got into one, so i only picked schools i'd go to, as i didn't think i'd have choice.
koru, Woon -- thanks. Renewed vim and vigor is exactly what I need. And maybe a pity waitlist to reassure myself that I'm not a lost cause.
It's true that I have learned a lot from applying, and I did get those blasted LoRs out of the way. I even now know which schools to avoid reapplying to based on their callous rejection letters. If that's not a "chin up" moment, I don't know what is!
When I applied to the programs I asked for advice from my professors about funding and what I should realistically expect. They encouraged me to look at programs with high funding and other opportunities such as a journal, assistantships, and/or research positions.
I decided after applying that there was no way I was going to pay a cent for tuition for my MFA, as I'm already in debt from undergrad and I'll hopefully be going grad school for other degrees in the future. Funding is my number one priority, and it made me decide to reject my offer from Chatham. There's no point in going into thousands up thousands on debt for the degree.
@Everyone who got accepted today - congrats and have a great time tonight for St. Patty's (I know I will be)! I got to experience it in Cork two years ago during my study abroad, and it was an amazing day of pub-crawling. Cheers!
I hope I didn't induce a panic attack for their administrator. Sorry, Montana! This whole applying process has turned me into a broken down piece of meat.
To my knowledge, no one's posted about receiving VTech rejections. The first acceptances came in early February and there have been more posted since then.
I just got an e-mailed with the title "Important Information about Your Application." And I went... UGHHAHHHH. And then I opened it and it says...
"By starting your application you have taken the first step toward serving in the Peace Corps, an experience that will have a life-long impact on you and the community you serve. We encourage you to take the next step by submitting your application now."
WHAT? The most recently I have been on the Peace Corps website was at least a year ago, and I don't remember starting an application.
VTech did interviews in February and at least one of those people was rejected post-interview... I'm pretty sure those of us who haven't done interviews are in the no pile just waiting to get form rejections. They likely notified that person because they were a top candidate and didn't want to leave them hanging.
Koru, I DID apply to UNLV but I don't think this is related. I even said in my SOP I would likely spend my time abroad and not even with the peace corps, though I consider it on and off. I probably entered my e-mail into something on their website some time last year.
Ositacolleen--I got you beat. Graduated in 1980, grad degree 85 (though mostly done by 82). Man, did I have to think outside the box. I did know where one of my old profs was--he's now prez of a college not far from where I live. Have run into him once or twice. Emailed him, said I'd send him a copy of the thesis he advised on, etc. Not a word back. I since found out another grad prof is now head of a very good English dept also near me, but didn't know in time. He prob'bly wouldn't remember me either.
So, luckily I work at a college. I showed my work to and got LoRs from the head of the (undergrad) writing program whom I've known for a long time, from a woman I've taught with who runs an employee writing workshop we attend together, and from a former student at this school who worked here, went on to get an MFA, and now is on staff at another MFA program. None of them taught me, but all agreed to look at my stuff, plus they all knew me as an adjunct, so I thought the teaching recs might help. whoops.
anyhoo, they will be put on notice that, kind souls that they are, we may be in for round two....
@Woon I'd be your Facebook friend, except I'm not on Facebook and the PM thing stumps me a bit. Also -- what are you doing while you wait for your final schools to notify? Your life seems to be comprised of idyllic mornings writing, runs, tv, and the like. Are you currently working? If not, can you tell me your secret to supporting yourself sans a timeclock?
@ositacolleen if you don't mind me asking, what was your visit to GMU like? i was accepted in CNF, and probably won't be able to visit. so i'd love to hear your impressions, if you don't mind sharing them. (if you'd rather email me directly, i'm at luling (dot) osofsky (at) gmail
are any of you planning to attend the open house at GMU next week? i'm really curious to hear people's thoughts.
and of course, many congrats to everyone racking up the acceptances and waitlists...and heartfelt support to those still waiting to get their good news.
i'm in exactly the same boat. i was really really devastated when i started hearing rejections. i've been able to put it in some perspective. (i'm 35 and i haven't written in 10 years; i only started writing again in september; i had no ideas about any of this!)
still, it's been really hard, and i'm not sure if i'm going to go through it again. i do want to take advantage of DH, and i do want to swap and read poems with interested people because most of all, i want to get better!
@JimFifeOH re the UNCW waitlist...i think i posted this on DH but i'll do it again here: Lavonne Adams wrote me back, friendly but vague, and the crux said, "I’m not able to provide specifics at this time, but will tell you if you move close enough that an acceptance seems probable." hope that helps! (though i didn't find it very helpful ;-)
also, what i mean to ask also, how many people are second timers? what do you all think? how many people moving on offers do you think are first timers?
is it just the random two timer that gets in? or the opposite? does anyone have a sense?
I also still receive Peace Corps emails, even though I left in a hurry and said fuck you to them the whole while. You'd think they'd take me off their lists.
If you're referencing two-timers as the second year they've applied to grad school, count me in. Last year I applied to six programs. Also, I was VERY unaware of the competitiveness of the MFA. I, honestly though, oh--I'm sure I'll get in somewhere. Last year, I applied to: Idaho(cnf), Hollins(cnf), Texas State(fiction), Colorado State(fiction), Iowa(NWP), and Pacific (low-res). I was accepted to Pacific, Idaho, and Texas State. After seriously thinking these offers over (NONE with funding of any kind), I decided to decline the offers. I don't think at that point, even, did I know what the ramifications were of declining an MFA offer. Since that time, I spent a significant amount of time soul-searching, in addition to (of course) enhancing and defining my writing sample. I did a LOT of research. I found programs I never even knew existed. Seth was a LARGE help in my research. (Thanks Seth!!!) But, mostly, I just wrote and wrote. And made a list. And applied to one school at a time starting in September, ending in November. This year, so far, I've been accepted to two programs: UNCW(cnf) and Texas State (poetry). I can tell you that I have achieved almost the exact same acceptances as last year, but this year I have at least one funded offer and a stronger understanding of who I am as a writer and what I want out of this degree path I can't wait to start.
In a lot of words I am saying this: If this is your first year and your gut is telling you that you may not be satisfied with the results you have received, then there is absolutely no shame in stepping back to breathe. Keep writing. And if you come to realize that you want it, then go get it.
*Commence pep talk, reaches for Corona. Happy St. Patty's Day guys!!!*
This is technically my second time around. I applied to UC Irvine and only UC Irvine a couple of years ago and failed miserably. Thank goodness for the internet.
You play feisty better than *anyone.* I admire you. That's all.
RE: LoR's
Amazing to hear the myriad frustrations around securing letters of recommendation. I know you're busy, but hell, just insert my name and the current date into an old letter you wrote for someone else. Done.
My recommenders are great and did me justice in the end, but TWO of them agreed to write it and experienced a major loss in the family shortly thereafter. Talk about not wanting to bother people -- it's okay that I added a friendly reminder to my sympathy card, right?
They both came through, but one not until mid-January, well past most of my schools' deadlines -- my online status confirmed their receipt. Incidentally, schools wouldn't hold a late LoR against an otherwise qualified applicant right? Or if they did, they would at least indicate that such was the reason for the denial?
If I found out (and I doubt I ever would) that my rejections were all based on such a technicality I'd have to go purchase a shotgun.
Second timer here. I figured that two schools would be sufficient last year (Texas and University of San Diego) and of course I was very wrong. Applied to nine this year. Accepted at two. Rejections or presumed rejections from the rest, save San Diego State, who I hope starts notifying soon! ...pwease?
@daddy-o First timer, here, resigned to second time . . . although I still have 3 schools to hear from. No GNEs for me; not even a single FOE -- I did however find a FOPS at Trader Joe's today. There it was, misrepresenting itself as an available parking spot while really being a cart return space.
LORs -- I (genuinely, Woon) keep in touch with a prof from grad school (1994 -- 31 is NOT old) and asked her to write one because all the schools wanted a prof. She said frankly that if SHE got a 15 year old letter it would not carry much weight. I told her I'd call and ask what schools wanted me to do. The next day I let her know that yep, they wanted a LOR based on 15 year old academic work. (To see if I could handle graduate level work -- but I have a graduate degree, so doesn't that mean I handled it???) Anyway -- she was super nice and said it was so easy to write and she's sure I will receive multiple acceptances (ah, delusion)
And I sent in a fourth letter of rec, just in case.
Irvine rejection today in the mail. My husband is so happy! Google Maps thinks it would take me 7 hours to walk there and my hubs is really hoping to move to the Pacific Northwest. He has been "jinxing" my getting into Irvine for months! Wishes do come true! ;-)
My status says "AcadReview" - "Your application has been sent to the graduate program for academic review."
Anybody else had/have that? Is that just they haven't gotten around to me yet? Am I on a waitlist for the holding file? Are they passing my critical essay around the admissions office because it makes people weak from laughter?
Whoa, so many posts today! :) Thanks everyone for sharing your LoR experiences (ha, I want to add a 't' in there... I think it's all this talk about Mt. Doom!). I agree, that whole business was so cringe-inducing!
@Dry Leaves (from forever ago - sorry!), thanks for the condolences! Ha, yes, and I still got my heart set on Alaska... although, I was in for a check-up the other day, and my doctor was like, "Well be careful on those trails! Lately they've had a bunch of moose-related fatalities." And I was like, "You mean car crashes?" and he's like, "No, people getting trampled..." Hahaha, oh man - thanks doctor. Dry Leaves, I'm really sorry, I can't remember - did you say what your plans are for Alaska? Are you headed up there next year too?
I don't think schools mind if one LoR comes late. A famous writer agreed to write one of my letters. I had participated in a workshopp with him a few years back.
He wholeheartedly agreed in Oct., and then in spite of several emails, and a hard copy mailing of my materials, I heard nothing from him until Jan. well past all the deadlines. He said he was "in his cave" working on his book,. but would send out my letters ASAP if I would send him a copy of my story from his workshop.
I sent the story. Then he experienced "the death of a close friend" and declined to write the letter. By the time I found someone else, it was the beginning of February.
I emailed my schools to inform them that one of my LoR would be late and they seemed to take it in stride, as if this kind of thing happens all the time.
So I don't think it affected my applications, but it did raise my anxiety level. And yes, shotgun shopping did come to mind.
@daddy-o, I'm not a second-timer, but from reading people's posts here, I'm under the impression that generally folks do much better on the second go-round. I don't know about you, but this was my first year and I made a total mess of it! Like, UNGH... what was I thinking???
Hahaha, btw, that "UNGH" is me slapping my forehead. Not a school.
Oh, and does anyone else have yet to hear ANYTHING from University of Arizona? I thought they were done accepting and wait listing people, and had started sending rejections on Saturday. I wish they'd hurry up. I need closure!
Fiction here, too, and I am also awaiting New School and PSU. I don't think they've started sending rejections, though? PSU made us send a post card for their decision, so I'm dreading something curt and awful, like REJECTED stamped over the pretty meadow of flowers I chose.
I have also not heard anything from Arizona. (Fiction). But I know a poetry friend of mine just got hers yesterday... so they could still be in the mail?
I have also not heard anything from: Vandy, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Houston, ODU, or UVA. Only the last two have yet to alert their winners. Well, I'm pretty sure Ole Miss hasn't told the fiction folk, but... with their recent events, it's not surprising :(.
Congrats to all those accepted today. Especially fic @ UNCG. Your acceptances are something to be coveted, that's for sure :) I hope you celebrated tonight!
Came home to rejection letter from Sarah Lawrence..figured a good time for a wee update
Rejected: U of Mich Vandy (assumed) UMass Sarah Lawrence
Accepted: Emerson Columbia College UNH
Waitlisted: Rutgers-Camden
Purgatory: UNCG LSU TNS
All in poetry.
GL and high-fives all around for tomorrow, everyone! Gnight
I know a lot of people have been asking, online and off, on this site and elsewhere, about online workshopping. Especially those who are among the large percentage of MFA applicants (nearly one-third) who apply in successive years -- a phenomena I think is actually a good sign in some respects, as it means people are making certain that when they finally do this non-time-sensitive degree they do it at a place that is right for them. Just read the messages on this board and you'll see story after story of applicants who had a dramatically different -- and more positive -- application experience the second time around.
So anyway, with all that in mind, I just wanted to link to a new service (see top of page at this link) at Driftless House. This is a different -- and, I believe, more effective -- model than any online or real-time group workshop offers. Instead of a six- or seven-week workshop which a) often costs more than $500, b) sometimes requires physical presence at a specific location, and c) only allows one to be workshopped once or twice maximum, DH 1-on-1 portfolio reviews happen entirely online, in a short period of time, with only two people involved: you and an MFA-grad reader. I don't think it takes any sort of bias or slant (though obviously I do have one, in this instance) to see and say that that model offers more to individual writers. In any case, a DH portfolio excerpt review is now $90. I want to be careful not to over-sell; I will say, though, that my claim (from last year) that a small amount of money now can save literally tens of thousands of dollars in the future was proven prescient when an ALC student of mine (as it were) from last year's ALC consultations got into University of Texas at Austin this year. A small investment that returned, in a sense, more than $75,000 in fellowship money. In any case, I promote this service because I believe in it, and I believe in it because I've seen, many times, what the 1-on-1, intensive, entirely-online mentoring model can do for a portfolio. Okay, off the soapbox. I wish everyone continued luck with applications!
@Seth Thanks for the info and for all you do. Question: Does one need to wait to be officially rejected from everywhere before applying for your service?
Good question! And actually the answer is no -- the only reason DH advertises the service this way is that one imagines the service is of most use to those who are in that particular situation (as sometimes one is trying to decide whether to apply again immediately -- i.e. the very next admissions cycle [which comes up faster than you'd think!] -- or else improve one's work over a longer period of time, in anticipation of re-applying in a few years; this can help folks make that kind of determination, which needless to say can save a lot of money and energy in both the short- and long-term). But my understanding is that anyone who wants to use this service can do so if they feel they'll benefit from it (it would just be wise to lay out one's particular circumstances briefly in one's e-mail to DH, but that's certainly no major difficulty).
@Woon: I hear ya on so many different things such as not being shut my eyes if I wake up in the middle of the night, 31 not being old (are you kidding?!), etc.
I might make life altering choices based on your thoughts.
My Ohio State status online still says "Evaluation - Your application is currently in the process of being evaluated and prepared for an academic decision."
I don't know if they're just slow in rejecting us or if we're special somehow....
Best wishes to all who've heard good news...and to those (like me) still waiting for an acceptance.
@M. Swann - Congratulations! I called Montana because I hadn't received a rejection letter. I tried my luck with Notre Dame but, alas, rejected. Vanderbilt's director was somewhat coarse in his email, but he wouldn't tell me either way and said letters would be mailed the end of the month. The Noo Skool didn't know shit.
And so, I now have the oddest assortment of acceptances, waitlistings, and rejections. I came into the MFA season assuming I'd be rejected across the board, and those schools I thought I had the best chance with ended up rejecting me. Goes to show what I know.
Iowa - Accepted SAIC - Accepted New Mexico State - Accepted (and don't let anyone tell you they don't have good funding--they most certainly do) Houston - Waitlisted Montana - Waitlisted The New School - ??? Vanderbilt - ??? Texas A&M (MA) - Rejected Arizona State - Rejected Washington University STL - Rejected Virginia - ??? Notre Dame - Rejected, fuck you very much.
And so, now we get to wait together on Virginia, the slowest decisions-makers on Earth. Remind me of the Ents.
Dads are the best! When he found out I had applied for my MFA, he wondered where I picked up painting. We are actually very close, so it came as sort of a shock.
Last year: rejected at many, many places, waitlisted at Notre Dame.
This year: accepted in fiction at UNCW, George Mason, and Pitt, rejected at many, many places.
Turned out I was 20th on ND's 20-person waitlist last year, and that was the only positive feedback I got anywhere. I think about this all the time: what if ND had ranked me just one spot lower, and I hadn't gotten any reinforcement? The quality of my writing sample would been the same, right? Whether I was 30th or 31st in ND's eyes my words would have been the same and in the end its the words you most need to worry about.
I guess what I'm saying is: please don't get too down if you're not hearing any good news, and please don't let rejection or fear of rejection be the reason you don't reapply. Doesn't mean you're not a good writer; good writers get rejected all the time. It's just ridiculously competitive out there.
The second time is way easier, and seems to work out much better for a lot of applicants. Hope it works out for you!
Irvine is ignoring calls... I'm guessing that the mail just hasn't gotten to me yet. It's hard to believe that they haven't picked their 6 fiction writers yet...
Now, I'm waiting for SF State. I got into USF, and would love to attend there, but the costs are ridiculous.
One of the professors who wrote a LoR for me said that we shouldn't feel bad about the rejections. He said, if the school rejects you, it probably wasn't a place you'd have wanted to be anyway. It isn't a "good match," or whatever. So screw them and their condescending rejections.
So I get it, Virginia likes to take her sweet time. But isn't the amount of time taken a tad unethical, seeing as most programs require a decision by April 15th? and unwise...because anyone who got into Virginia would be statistically very likely to get into other stellar programs and have been notified of this a month or so before Virginia even let him/her know...doesn't this leave Virginia at a disadvantage? Or, maybe since Virginia has such a great repuation in the first place it doesn't matter so much and Deborah Eisenberg, Genius that she is, can take her damn time breaking my heart...
Slainte mhaiph saoil fada is bas in Eirann, as we say in Chicago! And may we all wake up in heaven, every day until we wake up in Heaven.
I'm so sorry to hear about your accident sahaider. And I'm happy to hear that no one was seriously hurt.
I'm just catching up on the rockstar MFA success of the past couple of days, since the weekend. Wowza, the good news has run wild! Congrats@: Chelsea (twice!), dYIJ, Laura T (times three!), Chrissy (the original), koru, Ena (and boyfriend, good luck on his waitlist), special love and congrats to my homegirls the duchess & Nefretitti & Courtney, also to Dry Leaves (times two or three or four at this point?!), klairkwilty, Sigma, Miss Parker, Sarah, megan, Rebecca, christina b, Rosie, the mountain king, Ian, Lipsha, poetess, alia, burlaper, L.Anne, pdg, janet, K, (and also) k, Nicholas, LacyLee, junowind, Rhizobium, Cielo, Laura, ann, Julie, fjp & C! It's been a BIG coupla days, yo. Awesome!
Mega congrats @Arna Bontemps for finding your fit and making a choice! I hope all of the best writerly things go your way, success & satisfaction & luck.
And congratulations @rosephase on your playwriting acceptance!
Special shout out and good luck to Coryeann & Alyssa on your rad waitlists!
@Mathilda - I'm SO sorry to hear about UNT! I've read bits and pieces of the CW PhD thread on P&W and I do not envy you the stress of your application season. I'm really cheering for you to get into a program this year!
Smiles and chuckles to all y'alls who are also experiencing rad dadness this application season! I lovez the stories from Jasmine, sahaider, Abbie, Courtney, Ink and Beans, hilary, Laura T, Wandering Tree, Nicholas, Nadiya, Coreyann & Ali. Also @Meredith for your rad momness!
@kaybay & LA Swede & Dreux & Eli and all of the others we seem to have lost - I hope you are all doing well, wherever you are. And I hope our paths will cross again.
I haven't heard a peep from them either way, and I understand news has been trickling in for a few people. My online application status only says "incomplete" as I did not take the GRE. Have others' statuses changed to "in review" or anything like that? Should I be concerned? Should I give up hope for Hunter College?
2,525 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 2525 Newer› Newest»@Ratliff
i've been really surprised by the response to the teacher joke. i'm a public school english teacher in brooklyn, and for sure, i joke around like that all the time. i almost signed the petition to leave an anti-comment, but then i figured it was better not to.
@umIrenic
if i forgot to leave me email, you can contact me at andrewravin (at) yahoo (dot) com. i'd love to do a poetry swap with you or with others if you're interested.
when i first saw student rejections, i thought that that meant that they weren't very good. what i've learned is that the programs are insanely competitive, and i'd love to workshop with somebody.
@accepted poets!
congratulations to all of the acceptances! i'm really excited for you, and even more excited to see how excited you are for them. it makes me really happy to see!
last thing: this was posted before, but i think this is an awesome resource to post acceptances rejections without the conversations:
http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=poetry
Just recieved acceptance via email into Fairfield's low-res program.
this is officially way too much happening in one week for me.
@Patrick-they emailed me a copy of the letter on March 8, which was the date on the letter. Did you apply by the 22 of Jan? It could still be in the mail. I asked for an email because I am not at home (Iowa)
@SUD- Yeah I applied by the 22nd- Guess I just have to wait!
Stupid snail mail! Why not just e maail!
good luck with the rest of your applications!
@M. Swann
That proposed response wins. Especially the sign-off lol
@ Ratcliff
That form letter was rudely worded. Please replace the memory of it with the conviction that you and every applicant who received it deserved something much nicer.
Happy St. Patty's, everybody!
And by "Ratcliff" I meant "Ratliff" :P Bah.
@M.Swann
Simply love your suggested response. It expresses much of my emotion. I only wish I DID have an acceptance. Maybe later in the week. Maybe next year.
Equally love the idea of tossing the letter into Mount Doom. The adventure getting there would be enough material to fuel a trilogy!
@ Daddy-o
Not sure myself what to make of it- I don't know the guy or situation well enough to make any assertion that he acted inappropriately, however, I do feel death threats are taking it too far.
@Coreyann
Congrats on Fairfield!
@Maslo
Replaced. And no worries about typos- not much of a Faulkner fan?
Coreyann-I'm in there, too!
Ohio State bites the dust! Or should I say I do - with them.
@Ratliff
I haven't read much Faulkner... This is evidence that I really should haha.
@Ratliff-you might look into Fairfield, they have rolling admissions and there is still time to apply for this summer's residencies
For people who have gotten a bunch of rejections - do you any of you feel guilty about asking people for MORE letters of rec?
I hate asking people for favors and I don't want to ask for more letters if I fail to get in anywhere.
I just got a GNE from UNCG. Sounds similar to the ones people got a while back. The program director said that my sample was making the rounds, getting good marks, etc, and asked if I have questions about the program.
@ JL
that's actually my biggest problem with the idea of applying all over again. I mean, I really respect these people, and asking them to do so many letters AGAIN is embarrassing and kind of... asking too much? I don't care what all I have to put into the process, but to ask other people to? I guess I'll have to, but it's gonna SUCK.
@Maslo
I'm in love with Faulkner. Ratliff is not a particularly attractive name, but the character is one of his most interesting, in my humble opinion.
@Sud
Thanks for the tip, I'll check up on that, but then I thought of...
@Jillian
Samesies. Asking for more recommendations when I have a history of failing so far? I am dreading telling them I've gotten one rejection. Odd, I feel as though I've failed/disappointed them in some way.
@ratliff-no one has to know about the rejections just yet. Just say you just found out about this really exciting new program and want to take a swing at it.
I was rejected everywhere I applied in 2006, and asked the same people for recommendations this year. They were surprisingly encouraging, and I made sure to show them my new portfolio so that they could see how I'd progressed.
That being said, a lot of schools will keep your recs for 2 years, so if you reapply to them you don't always need new ones. Hope that offers some encouragement.
@ratliff- and Fairfield needs only two letters, not three. and no critical essay.
I've decided it's best for all of us if I don't comment on GNEs anymore. Especially UNCW/UNCG's unethical/just-plain-mean use of them. I do feel, however, that it's okay to let you all know that I'm restraining myself at this time.
But good news for Emma? Yay Emma! but for some reason, I just lost all hope for UNCG (for myself)
Anyone who's still not in the Limbo group and want an invite? Let me know. Good topics up right now dealing with specific schools people have gotten into, funding (or lack of), and what to ask grad students and faculty when visiting a program.
mandasue at gmail dot com.
Sent you an email, Amanda!
@Micaela and Sud
Great ideas! Adding new programs or hopefully getting to use old recommendations... I'm loving it!
@Kevin
"Google Map thinks it'll take me 12 hours to walk there," haha. Seriously, hope to hear from Irvine soon..
@Jillian Lauren
I hate asking my professors, too. Nothing worse than bothering someone to update a letter they might not be enthusiastic about writing in the first place!
"But Miss Reba was still fighting. Because women are wonderful. They can bear anything because they are wise enough to know that all you have to do with grief and trouble is just go on through them and come out the other side. I think they can do this because they not only decline to dignify phsyical pain by taking it seriously, they have no sense of shame at the idea of being knocked out. She didn't quit, even then." - from The Reivers by William Faulkner
Reading during my lunch break, I happened upon some words of encouragement. Just wanted to share.
(Sorry if you're a dude, Faulkner has plenty of pro-male things to say as well, I just didn't read any today.)
@JillianLauren - I'm the child of two university faculty members (and my boyfriend is, too), and I've never seen my parents complain about writing letters of recommendation for any particular person. For them, it's part of their job - maybe not their favorite part, but they would never resent a student for asking them for a letter of rec, especially if they've already written one. It's much, much easier for them to tweak an existing letter than to draft up a brand new one. Don't feel guilty about asking for letters - it's a necessary evil in the academic world, and everybody knows it.
@ Merideth
It seems these UNCG GNEs have been going out sporadically for some time. I wouldn't take not getting one as a definite bad sign... just my thinking, for what it's worth. I have been accepted to programs without any GNE/GNP. I think it's easy to read a lot into these things, but I'm trying to resist it.
@JillianLauren I completely understand the fear of asking the same people for letters if I have to apply again. This year's recommendations were hell for me. I don't want to have to do it again....it was a really negative experience.
Thanks Lauren for letting us know to check our Ohio State statuses. Nice to have closure on that one.
(Acceptance closure may have been better, but still.)
@Chrissy
Me too!!! I had two professors tell me no because they didnt know my writing well enough and one professor back out after saying he would write one. By far the WORST, though, was one professor who sounded excited to write me the letter, then after sending 8-10 emails to confirm and give him information regarding how to address them etc, he emailed me 3 days before everything was due and told me he wasn't going to write it because I was irresponsible and didn't give him any of the information he needed to write the letter. I was fuming!!!
I'm new to this blog. Congrats on everyone's acceptances!
I'm wondering what people think of The New School vs. Sarah Lawrence for their Creative Nonfiction concentration.
Also, I haven't seen too much about programs in the UK, and am wondering what is everyone's sense of the CNF program at the City University of London?
Ummm what exactly is a GNE?
Last night I dreamt I got a rejection notice from Hunter. It was a nice one, though, and they said I should apply again, maybe for fall 2012, but next time not write about twins.
Woke up very confused, as there were no twins in my sample.
@ Misha, GNE is a Good News Email - it's usually an email from the department or a faculty member that is positive in some way ("We loved your sample!") but is in no way a guarantee of admission.
@T.G.
Sorry that it's painful to you, but being a writer and applying places is a pretty stinging process, no matter what.
I just wanted to say that I think it's important that people post their GNEs and other such informal information on this blog. What schools are trying to do with GNEs is to get students excited about their programs, and prevent students they like from accepting at other, earlier responding schools. This is a douche-y practice because certain schools seem to send out GNEs midway through the reading process, before they know for sure who they're admitting, and also seem to send out far more than the number of people they actually intend on accepting.
Having a forum like this where people post their GNEs is very important because then one can see how many other people received the same GNE and adjust one's expectations accordingly. It's basically the only weapon we have against schools acting douche-ily and toying with our expectations.
Thanks Hilary.
@TG
I hope you didn't interpert my reporting the GNE as an expression of self satisfied glee, or anything like that. I do know the sting you're talking about, because last year I got rejected across the board. It's just custom on this blog to keep each other updated with what the programs are up to. Good luck to you.
Hey all, in response to those articles circulated some time ago about grad school in the humanities--a refreshing rejoinder..
http://chronicle.com/article/Neither-a-Trap-Nor-a-Lie/64535/
Is there anyone leaning toward George Mason University? I'm going to the open house next week, and I'm pretty sure that's where I'll end up. I haven't made any decisions yet, but it seems like the best choice for me.
My email is lauramariepizzo at gmail dot com. I'd be happy to chat and/or swap a few poems.
Hi everyone!
re: GNEs
Just wanted to chime in and say that I also appreciate it when people share this kind of information on the blog.
It helps me modify my expectations. If there are GNEs flying all over from one school, and no one has sent me one, then it helps me remain realistic about my chances at that school.
I agree it's a douchy practice, but I'm glad people are willing to let the rest of us know about them here.
Re: Letters of Recommendation
This was the worst for me, too - even worse than taking the GREs (and I had to STUDY for that damn math section)!
I had two recommendors who were more recently acquainted with my work, and they were great. But I had received a lot of advice that I should have at least one letter from one of my undergrad profs... and I finished college five years ago. It was SO HARD to convince someone I hadn't seen or worked with in five years to write me a letter! And, since it had been so long, I had to put together a lengthy packet of information: poetry I had written in their class, plus my newer work, very detailed and lengthy description of why I wanted to get an MFA and what I had been doing for the past five years, my CV, plus all the info about where to mail each letter, since it seemed like every single school had a different policy (electronic only, mail to me so I can mail to the school, mail directly to the school, slip it under the English Department's door in the dead of night, etc).
I can say that although it was very labor-intensive for me, at least my recommendors were very, very nice about it. I HATE asking for favors, so I appreciated their sympathy. Still, what an awful process. Now I can see why people are tempted to apply to grad school straight out of undergrad - I would have if I had known, just for the sake of simplifying the LOR process!
Hey everyone,
I think this was probably brought up earlier, but I didn't pay attention at the time. What do you all recommend for questions when speaking with an MFA program? I'm hoping to be speaking with people over the phone and in person over the next two weeks, and I want to make sure I get as much information as possible. Suggestions?
@Megan
HAHAHA. It sounds like getting someone to write the letter of recommendation was more intense than the actual graduate application. Haha. That's hilarious. I felt the same way!
I, too, found that hassling people to write LoR's was more of a pain than any other MFA app requirement. I just hate to bother people.
I agree. The LoR was a huge headache. And one of my recommenders (whom several of you will have as your professor, though he's much more dependable in classes) apparently didn't send letters to almost half of my schools. If for some reason I decide to apply again next year and not take one of my unfunded acceptances, I will def. shell out the extra dough for an online LoR service.
I remember being glad when they were done, but I now feel incredibly lucky that it wasn't a drama-filled, arduous process for me. The only issues that cropped up were me having to mail the one of the stupid Iowa forms separately because I couldn't find it on their website and one of my recommenders not getting her password for the BU rec submission site. Held up my application for a week, ugh.
Letters of rec = the worst. I finished undergrad in 2004. I was ignored by a couple of the profs I tried to contact, even by one who had written a letter for me previously. It made me feel as bad as I did when I was taking the GRE and trying not to poo myself but for a lot longer period of time.
I did find it helpful to use a dossier service to hold my letters and ensure that if I was rejected everywhere this year I wouldn't have to bother people again.
About a week ago, when I was checking my online statuses, I noticed that one of my recommenders didn't send a letter in to the one school that only asked for two. Two days later, I was accepted into that program.
re. Letter of recommendation.
I had some difficulty getting the third recommender because it had been awhile since I had been to college/law school. What I did was kinda manipulative, but necessary. Here's what I did:
I first thought about MFA programs about three years ago. So, I forced myself to get reacquainted with former professors and colleagues via Facebook, email, etc. Then, I played nice and chatty. "Oh, how are you?" "Me? I'm doing fine." "How's your son Aaron? He must be in college now?" "Too bad about that ice storm where you are. I hope you're managing." Blah blah blah. In truth, I didn't really care. (well, I cared, but not really) It was all a pretense to establish some sort of relationship/rapport and determine how receptive he/she would be to writing me a LoR. Two years of this nonsense. It was almost like a long con.
Finally, early this past summer 2009, I broached the subject of MFAs and LoR. I grumbled about how it was so difficult to find people to write LoR's for me. "Oh, whoa is me..." That sort of crap. A few bit and offered to write me glowing LoR's. I just needed one.
I guess I could've asked them for it directly, but I didn't want to risk them saying, "Gee, I'd love to but I don't remember you that well."
So, that's how I got my third recommender. The other two were Stegner fellows from whom I took workshop classes. I guess I could've taken three workshop classes and used the professor from that third class for my recommender, but I really enjoyed playing out the long con, to tell you the truth.
@ Woon
All this long con talk makes me think of Lost!
re: LoR's
one thing that i know has been mentioned before that some people might want to consider is using a credentials service such as Interfolio.
i had approached my LoR writers asking if they'd do it, and they said yes. I then provided them with my draft portfoio, draft generic Statement of Purpose, and my critical writing sample required at a few schools.
They were given a code for the Interfolio upload (they upload it, you can send it, it's confidential so you never see it, but all your LoR's can go out in one packet from Interfolio along with your SoP and Portfolio. Easy-Peasy).
I then also gave my writers a list of the schools that needed it to be uploaded. It was about a 50/50 mix of which needed it uploaded and which would let me use a credentials service. I had the added issue of one recommender not having regular internet access, so I checked online and sent his LoR from Interfolio where I saw it missing. Florida State was the only one that balked at a credentials service outright. So, I never bothered to finish their app.
Having a copy of the confidential letters helped a lot with my stress levels, as I knew that I could replace a missing letter in hours (Interfolio will do email deliveries). And you can upload transcripts, etc.
Just something to think about for those starting this magical mystery tour next year, or who might be going through it again.
Once a recommender has a letter for you done, it's not a whole lot of work for them to upload it to 10 websites, as long as you have the info in one convenient list for them.
okay email notifications are not working for me! I thought you people were being awfully quiet!
happy St. Patty's day!
For my fellow TNS people out there: I successfully requested an extension for my letter of intent to enroll. Instead of March 30, they're allowing me to submit my deposit by April 12. If anyone is still struggling to make a decision, I'd suggest asking for an extension. It doesn't hurt to ask.
@ weighswithwords: Just wanted to say thanks for posting that article. I'm readying it now and really appreciate having an alternate perspective to Benton's.
@ Nicholas --
You said you were accepted to Arkansas, too? Let's compare notes. I'm at acupunk[nine] at yahoo.
Congrats to all acceptances!
Woon, your long con sounds like it was an ingenious plan. Shows dedication!
@koru
I second the usefulness of the letter-mailing service, though I too ran into problems with Florida State. Interfolio was unable to upload the letters there because FSU required them to complete a separate page of ratings (in addition to uploading the letters). Even though I was ahead of the deadline, I knew nobody would be answering phones at the school over winter break, so I never finished applying there.
After I abandoned my FSU app and received a credit to my Interfolio account, I was able to spontaneously apply to Notre Dame without asking my letter writers for more letters. In fact, Notre Dame has a great online application system that is completely compatible with Interfolio. The service that you'll receive is well worth the chunk of money that they charge.
@ red, Woon
I also thought of Lost. Coincidence last night's episode was called "Recon," and we're talking about long conning people into writing recs? I think not. Sounds like something the Lostie writers would conjure up just to get us to geek out over their fabulosity.
Anyone who is a Lost fan should check out Doc Jensen's EW.com recaps of each episode. Reading them is as excellent a compliment to Lost as Peter King's SI.com Monday Morning Quarterback columns are to football. Just an aside :)
@Jimmy James,
Yeah, after I ran into problems with FSU and Interfolio, I actually attempted to email their admissions office. I DID get a reply, weeks later. Essentially it said, if my recommender was not in the US and/or did not have regular internet access, FSU was not interested in me applying. Very definite and unyielding. So that was one less to worry about!
But as I said, that was the ONLY hitch I had with any school, so that's not bad at all. :-)
Omg, I really hated having to do letters of recommendation. I had one on file with my grad school, and the other one i had to ask for. So I emailed the best, scariest, most amazing professor I had in grad school. I feared and idolized her like some kind of awesome god. I still cry sometimes when thinking back in a drunken haze about some of the soul-crushing things she said to me. But she was the best, and she seemed to think the most of my potential (when she wasn't crushing me utterly) so I asked.
"I would be happy to help in any way I can," she said. "Could you send me a photo of yourself to jog my memory?"
@_@
@Ratliff
I am actually reading Doc Jensen's recap RIGHT now.
I just got a cryptic "Update on Application Statuses" email from GCSU. It definitely seemed like a mass email, considering the fact that they've already notified several acceptees, but my heart apparently failed to make that distinction, as it just tried to crawl through my esophagus. Damn, NNEs should be illegal.
re: rec letters
One of my rec writers was someone that I did undergrad studies with, meaning one year older then me. And it wasn't a creative writing program. Also, we used to date.
lol
@red
I read it earlier this afternoon. I never would have thought of any Little House on the Prairie references on my own- I didn't even recognize the show. It's all the little things he points out that I feel I didn't have enough time to see for myself and perhaps wouldn't if given it. The ending of the recap is shocking, yet I like it the more I think about it.
accepted at UNCG, phone call from jim clark around lunchtime today. fiction. got one of those weird vague GNEs about a week and a half ago, FWIW.
also in with a fellowship at OSU. first time poster, long time reader.
Rec Letters = Frustration!
My experience with a couple of my recommenders was an absolute nightmare of unreliability and rudeness. I could describe it in more detail; but, in the spirit of good taste, I won't. Needless to say, some of you will have the "honor" of studying under them next year.
Congratulations, Ann!
@Ann
Kudos!! You're the first of the season. Let's hope that means you've opened the gates for more good news
Nicely done!!
Congrats, Ann. Which school are you leaning towards?
congrats ann :-)
by chance will you be at the osu open house?
Never ever request moving estimates while waiting for MFA phone calls. I have gotten probably 15 calls from strange area codes in the last few days, all of them from moving companies. None of them from Arkansas, UNCG, Ole Miss, or LSU. Or Vandy or VCU telling me I've been moved off the waitlist.
Got my Irvine negative today. Printed and folded so fast the whole letter is repeated upside down in reverse on the opposite side of the page. Double owch.
I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but I called FSU and was told they have informed their first round of picks. They have not decided on a waitlist or rejections yet.
Congrats, Ann! And to anyone else I've missed!
On another topic, I'm going to visit Houston next week (Tues night through Friday morning 3/23-26). If anyone else is planning to visit around that time, let me know. I'll have a car.
Cheers!
hey everybody!
anyone heard from san francisco state university, north carolina state university, u florida - gainesville, or u new hampshire in poetry?
hugs,
mk
How many of you are going to go in Debt to get your MFA? I know Seth says not to do it, but I want to write and write now. The program I"m in is three years...three years away from actually having to worry about paying the debt back. Anyway, just curious.
In at UNCG for fiction. SO HAPPY. Good luck to everyone waiting!
thanks, ya'll. this is my second go-round and i was unanimously rejected last time (2007), so this has all been a huge freaking relief.
yes, koru, have bought my ticket to columbus for the open house. totally psyched.
not really leaning one way or the other yet. lots of great things about both programs and both locations. will be visiting greensboro as well, though i'm not sure when - they don't have a similar open house thing planned.
am bringing my mom to the OSU open house, and she's paranoid that my bringing her is somehow inappropriate. i told her i thought it would be a fun mother-daughter adventure and didn't give a shit about propriety. now she insists on coming to visit UNCG - i was like 'in for a penny, in for a pound?' and she said, "it's just that now i'm a variable! for good or for ill!" what a weirdo.
while i'm at it - i've been laughing at the 'conditional acceptance to The University of My Cat's Heart' and the afore-mentioned rejection letter from that virginia school is the worst thing i've ever read.
I think I posted this on DH, but it disappeared. Accepted by email off the wait-list for Houston's PhD in poetry. Yesterday, 3/16. Nominated for a TAship. Am thrilled.
Also applied to Denver but haven't heard a thing...
Let us know how your visit goes, Frankish. Good luck all! So it is very possible to get in off the wait-list!
@ann, brilliant! i'll see you at the open house.
YAY and congrats to fjp, ann, Julie, and others I'm forgetting!
With so many folks talking about recommendations. . . anyone use Interfolio, and if so how did it go? I am going to apply to Phd programs and I'm dreading going through the whole recommendation thing again. . .
ok, never mind about Interfolio. . . just saw that there are posts about it. . .
OKAY. I just got off the phone with Montana. Apparently, I'm waitlisted. She said, "We thought you accepted at Iowa!" Ha. Really cool people in that department, thankfully. They were super nice.
@ Mary Kathleen,
UNH seems to have updated their on-line notification system (blackboard) for poetry. Here's the link: https://idm.unh.edu/usnhsso/signon.jsp
Your username and password would have been sent to you in an email when you completed your application.
@ Lauren: This is a big concern for me. When I began this process, I told myself I would only apply to schools that had the potential for full funding. I'm stressing a LOT at the moment since I've been accepted to three programs without funding (they only fund some students). I'm already in debt for another program I did and really don't want to add any more, but I went balls out with 17 applications in the hopes that this would ensure me funding somewhere. Where are you considering going without funding?
For those of you accepted at both VCFA and Bennington, how will you choose?
@Klairkwilty
What was your reason for contacting Montana? I've heard nothing from them; should I email/call to see what's up?
@ Dee
Can you let me know why you turned down USF? Was it because of cost? I was accepted into their program and just am curious...
Hi writers --
Got my official from UC Davis for their MA today (got their phone call week before last?) but so far nothing on funding.
Waiting to hear from SF State and am curious if anyone has heard anything from them yet, either the MA or the MFA (I applied for the MA). Last I heard they were going to let folks know the week of the 29th, but I can't help but worry that they'll just be doing rejections then.
After reading this blog for years posting my first comment feels a little surreal.
WHOA haven't been here in a while, can't handle all the comments...
1) Congrats to all acceptances that I have missed over the past few days! You're awesome.
2) I also received the fake out e-mail from GCSU stating that they are behind on notifications and will be letting us know where we stand "within the week." I appreciate hearing about some things going on, but it adds to the nerves.
I answered my own question, Klairkwilty.
I made it to the Montana wait-list. This is my first good news.
I'm thinking Idaho...its three years and its cheap to live out there. I live in DC now and I can get a one bedroom for less than half of what I pay here. I figured I could get a part-time job. They don't really have any funding at all, but I'm older and when I graduate I will be 31. I would have applied to a lot of different schools if I had known what I know now...but this is my second time applying (i did this right out of college). I know Seth talks about waiting and not going into debt, but I got into school without any help e.g. people looking and fixing my sample and I don't want to have DH "fix" my stuff for me to make it look fantastic for committees. I don't know, I just did this by myself and I'm proud of my work.
So I guess I'll go into debt. I'm debt free right now, and there are a lot more people that are in debt for things worse than getting an education. I'm in for fiction and figure I can at least end up teaching at a decent private high school or community college and hope that I am able to get a few things published/complete a novel by the time I graduate to get some street cred.
@Lauren - first of all, 31 isn't that old. Second, 31 isn't that old.
@ VCFA Applicants
Poor form. I am disappointed. The admissions office was incredibly helpful. It does not bode well for the school. From a branding perspective, more people get rejected than get accepted. Why don't these schools consider that? An ego-thing? I have not yet heard from VCFA. What genre was notified recently? I am poetry.
@ All re Recommendations
I echo your pain. I asked for a bunch at one time. Then sent a cookie bouquet as a thank you because it was a huge PITA. I have recently dipped back into the well as recently as last night with my re: line as: Oh for Pete's Sake, Not Again.
It got laughs and they were happy to do it.
Congrats to all accepted and waitlisted. I would prefer some news - anyone hear from Pacific in poetry?
@ Lauren
I'm not sure if you're interested, and if you want to totally ignore this, go for it! I was also accepted to Idaho, and one of the students I emailed said "I wouldn't recommend coming here without a TAship." I thought that was interesting, though I didn't ask him to expand on it because I couldn't/wouldn't go without a TA anyway. But if you're curious I could email you more. Let me know! Maybe I'll see you in Moscow next year.
Re: Lost, MFA Dreams
Last night I dreamt that I was waitlisted at Florida and accepted into Minnesota State University, Mankato (though in my dream it was MANTANKO as this is how I remembered the name of the city, apparently) even though I did not apply to these places. In the dream I was aware that I did not apply to Florida but I thought I applied to Minnesota. Anyway, Eloise Hawking of Lost was explaining to me why I got into Florida without applying while we walked around that swinging pendulum from Season 5. It turns out... I APPLIED TO FLORIDA, I'm just not aware because I did it in a parallel timeline.
I generally think funding is an important issue. However, I do believe everyone has a $$$ amount they're willing to spend for an MFA. That amount differs from one person to the next, but there is a $$$ amount. Having said that, $100,000 is just too much for an art degree even if it is from a "name" school like Columbia. I keep wanting to say "Who do you think you are?" to Columbia.
@Ashley Brooke,
I also had a dream this week about getting into a programme I didn't apply to. Except it happened while I was visiting another school, so I was scolded by one of the faculty at the school I was visiting for being indiscrete enough to answer the phone call.
Holy crap I got into Hollins! Okay I need to finish reading this email now...
Oh yeah, I'm a lurker. Congrats and good luck to all!
I'm trying my best not to scream in the library. Very hard.
I have not had MFA dreams, but lately (for the past two weeks), whenever I've gotten up in the middle of the night, I find myself not being able to go back to sleep. My thoughts turn to my schools and I can't shut my eyes.
And $100,000 for Columbia is generous; that assumes a living cost around $16,000 (tuition hovering around $42,000 per year), which would be difficult, with the cheaper side of rent at $700-800 in Queens* (and a 45-minute commute). If you want to live closer to campus, forget it. This is what always bummed me out about New York: the constant reminders I had no money and couldn't participate in all the things the city had to offer. New York starts to feel cramped when you have no money.
*Who wants to live in the Bronx besides Don DeLillo?
@C
What genre did you apply in?
@Lauren third of all, 31 isn't that old Fourth of all, 31 is just a baby.
I finished undergrad in 1986 and law school in 1988. Needless to say, I wasn't asking old professors for recommendations. They would have remembered me and said nice things ("She seemed to be a reasonably good writer - on the odd accoassion that I was able to decipher her intent, that is.")
So I had to get creative with recommendations. first, my boss, whose annual reviews always revolve around how I do a good job except that I can't write. Second a writer friend, who babbled about how I help everyone edit. And a former coworker who now has a very impressive title in the White House.
I also got the GCSU email. It was good to hear anything after all the silence.
@Jillian Lauren
Fiction! Sorry forgot to add that.
@C
Phew! I'm non-fiction. I can breathe again :) At least we can know the Hollins flood gates have been cracked open just a little bit.
Congrats, btw!
@C
P.s. how were you notified?
@Jillian Lauren
Thanks! I wish you lots of luck!
At this point I'd like to say props to people who are applying for the second (or third...) year.
I'm up to 9 official rejections with 4 to hear from, and of those 4 only 2 that haven't already made acceptances.
I know this was the toughest year to apply ever. But being unanimously rejected also feels like a reality check.
I honestly don't know if I could/would apply again and I'm in awe of the people with the chutzpa to take this on twice.
@Jillian Lauren
Via email.
@Hullaballoo,
There's something to be said for the artless rejection letter mentioned earlier that said "You need to be more prepared before applying" ...
Applying another time isn't just a repeat of the same thing. You've learned a lot about the process and what to expect; you've probably got a better sense now of the aesthetics of programmes and/or how to choose better fits for you.
Also, you'll have another year's writing under your belt, so your sampe should be stronger. You can also use services like DH which help look over SoP/writing sample and help match you with schools and/or help with the portfolio.
A new year is a completely new shot, by a writer who's a year more experienced.
Don't give up. But do decide if it was a whim to apply, or something that you're willing to do a bit of work for. :-)
I hope you will apply again. xx koru
@Hullabaloo - chin up! It's not over yet. Besides, if it doesn't work out for you this year, you'll find yourself with renewed vim and vigor a year or two from now to do this crap all over again.
re: Going into debt for MFA
On the upside: No, I won't be going into debt for my MFA
On the downside: I will, however, be broke by the time I have the degree in hand.
I'm planning on working my ass off to get some sort of GAship or work study while I'm there. Maybe not so much the first semester or first year, but definitely for the last two years.
I have a lot to think about.
Hey everyone,
I've contributed once or twice to general comments here, but mainly I lurk in the shadows, craving some sort of response from MFA programs. I applied to 8 - UMass Amherst, TNS, Brooklyn College, Hunter, NYU, Columbia, Emerson, and BU - and have not received one response either way. (Okay, not entirely true: UMass did change my status to "rejected" about 2 weeks ago, but that's it.)
My question: what am I to make of this mass radio silence? Yesterday, I even called some of the programs that seem to have made all their acceptance/rejection decisions weeks ago (TNS, Hunter, etc.), and they told me they could not give me any information over the phone.
Thanks in advance!
@ C
Congrats on Hollins! You're the first acceptance we're hearing about! That's the last school I'm waiting to hear from, in fiction as well. I'm going to lose my mind!
Anyone heard from Miami yet?
@ Brooks
I didn't apply to any of the schools you did, but I would try emailing the programs if I were you. The ones I emailed shocked me by telling me news when I thought they would just say something generic, like, "We'll be notifying everyone soon" etc. Even if they tell you nothing, email is worth a shot! Good luck.
@DigAPony
Thanks! Good luck to you! Hang onto that mind, you'll need it for your writing. =D
How funny things turned out this year. Last year, I was mostly a lurker and didn't spend much time on this blog, but I was convinced that I'd know where I'd be spending my MFA years by the middle of March. Also, I didn't think I'd be waiting on a waitlist because I thought I'd either be accepted outright or rejected outright. But as it turned out, I'm sitting on an offer and waiting on a waitlist (Emma: get thee to Montana...eerie theremin music in background...weeeee...waaah...weee) and I still don't know where I'll end up. I can't even visit to look for apartments!
Crap! Crap! Crap!
@Woon,
have to agree, this year isn't shaping up as i thought it would either ... i decided to apply to MFAs about 15 months ago. i thought i'd be lucky if i got into one, so i only picked schools i'd go to, as i didn't think i'd have choice.
koru, Woon -- thanks. Renewed vim and vigor is exactly what I need. And maybe a pity waitlist to reassure myself that I'm not a lost cause.
It's true that I have learned a lot from applying, and I did get those blasted LoRs out of the way. I even now know which schools to avoid reapplying to based on their callous rejection letters. If that's not a "chin up" moment, I don't know what is!
@xavier
Who'd you contact about the extension? Thanks for the word..
@ DigAPony
Thanks for the advice! I'll do just that.
M.Swann--
You must have opened the floodgates for e-mails to Montana, ha.
They're getting all preemptive now. I just got a waitlist email from them.
@ funding -
When I applied to the programs I asked for advice from my professors about funding and what I should realistically expect. They encouraged me to look at programs with high funding and other opportunities such as a journal, assistantships, and/or research positions.
I decided after applying that there was no way I was going to pay a cent for tuition for my MFA, as I'm already in debt from undergrad and I'll hopefully be going grad school for other degrees in the future. Funding is my number one priority, and it made me decide to reject my offer from Chatham. There's no point in going into thousands up thousands on debt for the degree.
@Everyone who got accepted today - congrats and have a great time tonight for St. Patty's (I know I will be)! I got to experience it in Cork two years ago during my study abroad, and it was an amazing day of pub-crawling. Cheers!
k,
I hope I didn't induce a panic attack for their administrator. Sorry, Montana! This whole applying process has turned me into a broken down piece of meat.
has anyone got rejections letters from VTech yet, I know some people were accepted. When was this? how did they contact you?
@Dee
To my knowledge, no one's posted about receiving VTech rejections. The first acceptances came in early February and there have been more posted since then.
I've heard nothing...
I just got an e-mailed with the title "Important Information about Your Application." And I went... UGHHAHHHH. And then I opened it and it says...
"By starting your application you have taken the first step toward serving in the Peace Corps, an experience that will have a life-long impact on you and the community you serve. We encourage you to take the next step by submitting your application now."
WHAT? The most recently I have been on the Peace Corps website was at least a year ago, and I don't remember starting an application.
thanks.
@AB, did you apply to UNLV? Don't they have a possible PC component?
VTech did interviews in February and at least one of those people was rejected post-interview... I'm pretty sure those of us who haven't done interviews are in the no pile just waiting to get form rejections. They likely notified that person because they were a top candidate and didn't want to leave them hanging.
@Red
Thanks *sigh* Ill keep impatiently waiting...
Koru,
I DID apply to UNLV but I don't think this is related. I even said in my SOP I would likely spend my time abroad and not even with the peace corps, though I consider it on and off. I probably entered my e-mail into something on their website some time last year.
@ Ashley, yea my hopes are a pile of dust...no much worst. Maybe something like one or two grains of sand.
Sorry! As they say, don't give up until you have the rejection in hand, but I've given up on Virginia Tech.
Ositacolleen--I got you beat. Graduated in 1980, grad degree 85 (though mostly done by 82). Man, did I have to think outside the box. I did know where one of my old profs was--he's now prez of a college not far from where I live. Have run into him once or twice. Emailed him, said I'd send him a copy of the thesis he advised on, etc. Not a word back.
I since found out another grad prof is now head of a very good English dept also near me, but didn't know in time. He prob'bly wouldn't remember me either.
So, luckily I work at a college. I showed my work to and got LoRs from the head of the (undergrad) writing program whom I've known for a long time, from a woman I've taught with who runs an employee writing workshop we attend together, and from a former student at this school who worked here, went on to get an MFA, and now is on staff at another MFA program. None of them taught me, but all agreed to look at my stuff, plus they all knew me as an adjunct, so I thought the teaching recs might help. whoops.
anyhoo, they will be put on notice that, kind souls that they are, we may be in for round two....
@ Ashley
I don't want to give up on VTech! Can we say that we're in the "maybe no" pile? It sounds better than the "no" pile.
@Woon
I'd be your Facebook friend, except I'm not on Facebook and the PM thing stumps me a bit.
Also -- what are you doing while you wait for your final schools to notify? Your life seems to be comprised of idyllic mornings writing, runs, tv, and the like. Are you currently working? If not, can you tell me your secret to supporting yourself sans a timeclock?
@ositacolleen if you don't mind me asking, what was your visit to GMU like? i was accepted in CNF, and probably won't be able to visit. so i'd love to hear your impressions, if you don't mind sharing them. (if you'd rather email me directly, i'm at luling (dot) osofsky (at) gmail
are any of you planning to attend the open house at GMU next week? i'm really curious to hear people's thoughts.
and of course, many congrats to everyone racking up the acceptances and waitlists...and heartfelt support to those still waiting to get their good news.
@hullabaloo
i'm in exactly the same boat. i was really really devastated when i started hearing rejections. i've been able to put it in some perspective. (i'm 35 and i haven't written in 10 years; i only started writing again in september; i had no ideas about any of this!)
still, it's been really hard, and i'm not sure if i'm going to go through it again. i do want to take advantage of DH, and i do want to swap and read poems with interested people because most of all, i want to get better!
but it is just hard. it is.
@JimFifeOH re the UNCW waitlist...i think i posted this on DH but i'll do it again here: Lavonne Adams wrote me back, friendly but vague, and the crux said, "I’m not able to provide specifics at this time, but will tell you if you move close enough that an acceptance seems probable."
hope that helps! (though i didn't find it very helpful ;-)
also, what i mean to ask also, how many people are second timers? what do you all think? how many people moving on offers do you think are first timers?
is it just the random two timer that gets in? or the opposite? does anyone have a sense?
H.o.l.l.i.n.s. has begun notifying? Sound the alarm.
Ashley Brooke:
I also still receive Peace Corps emails, even though I left in a hurry and said fuck you to them the whole while. You'd think they'd take me off their lists.
@daddy-o, i'm a first-timer, but i'm older, and i began researching programmes over a year ago.
If you're referencing two-timers as the second year they've applied to grad school, count me in. Last year I applied to six programs. Also, I was VERY unaware of the competitiveness of the MFA. I, honestly though, oh--I'm sure I'll get in somewhere. Last year, I applied to: Idaho(cnf), Hollins(cnf), Texas State(fiction), Colorado State(fiction), Iowa(NWP), and Pacific (low-res). I was accepted to Pacific, Idaho, and Texas State. After seriously thinking these offers over (NONE with funding of any kind), I decided to decline the offers. I don't think at that point, even, did I know what the ramifications were of declining an MFA offer. Since that time, I spent a significant amount of time soul-searching, in addition to (of course) enhancing and defining my writing sample. I did a LOT of research. I found programs I never even knew existed. Seth was a LARGE help in my research. (Thanks Seth!!!) But, mostly, I just wrote and wrote. And made a list. And applied to one school at a time starting in September, ending in November. This year, so far, I've been accepted to two programs: UNCW(cnf) and Texas State (poetry). I can tell you that I have achieved almost the exact same acceptances as last year, but this year I have at least one funded offer and a stronger understanding of who I am as a writer and what I want out of this degree path I can't wait to start.
In a lot of words I am saying this: If this is your first year and your gut is telling you that you may not be satisfied with the results you have received, then there is absolutely no shame in stepping back to breathe. Keep writing. And if you come to realize that you want it, then go get it.
*Commence pep talk, reaches for Corona. Happy St. Patty's Day guys!!!*
@daddy-o
This is technically my second time around. I applied to UC Irvine and only UC Irvine a couple of years ago and failed miserably. Thank goodness for the internet.
@ M.Swann
You play feisty better than *anyone.* I admire you. That's all.
RE: LoR's
Amazing to hear the myriad frustrations around securing letters of recommendation. I know you're busy, but hell, just insert my name and the current date into an old letter you wrote for someone else. Done.
My recommenders are great and did me justice in the end, but TWO of them agreed to write it and experienced a major loss in the family shortly thereafter. Talk about not wanting to bother people -- it's okay that I added a friendly reminder to my sympathy card, right?
They both came through, but one not until mid-January, well past most of my schools' deadlines -- my online status confirmed their receipt. Incidentally, schools wouldn't hold a late LoR against an otherwise qualified applicant right? Or if they did, they would at least indicate that such was the reason for the denial?
If I found out (and I doubt I ever would) that my rejections were all based on such a technicality I'd have to go purchase a shotgun.
Second timer here. I figured that two schools would be sufficient last year (Texas and University of San Diego) and of course I was very wrong. Applied to nine this year. Accepted at two. Rejections or presumed rejections from the rest, save San Diego State, who I hope starts notifying soon! ...pwease?
@daddy-o
First timer, here, resigned to second time . . . although I still have 3 schools to hear from. No GNEs for me; not even a single FOE -- I did however find a FOPS at Trader Joe's today. There it was, misrepresenting itself as an available parking spot while really being a cart return space.
LORs -- I (genuinely, Woon) keep in touch with a prof from grad school (1994 -- 31 is NOT old) and asked her to write one because all the schools wanted a prof. She said frankly that if SHE got a 15 year old letter it would not carry much weight. I told her I'd call and ask what schools wanted me to do. The next day I let her know that yep, they wanted a LOR based on 15 year old academic work. (To see if I could handle graduate level work -- but I have a graduate degree, so doesn't that mean I handled it???) Anyway -- she was super nice and said it was so easy to write and she's sure I will receive multiple acceptances (ah, delusion)
And I sent in a fourth letter of rec, just in case.
Irvine rejection today in the mail. My husband is so happy! Google Maps thinks it would take me 7 hours to walk there and my hubs is really hoping to move to the Pacific Northwest. He has been "jinxing" my getting into Irvine for months! Wishes do come true! ;-)
-Fiction Courtney
Abbie, did you get the funding at uncw or have you already heard from Texas State? Congrats!
Re: Ohio State
My status says "AcadReview" - "Your application has been sent to the graduate program for academic review."
Anybody else had/have that? Is that just they haven't gotten around to me yet? Am I on a waitlist for the holding file? Are they passing my critical essay around the admissions office because it makes people weak from laughter?
Whoa, so many posts today! :) Thanks everyone for sharing your LoR experiences (ha, I want to add a 't' in there... I think it's all this talk about Mt. Doom!). I agree, that whole business was so cringe-inducing!
@Dry Leaves (from forever ago - sorry!), thanks for the condolences! Ha, yes, and I still got my heart set on Alaska... although, I was in for a check-up the other day, and my doctor was like, "Well be careful on those trails! Lately they've had a bunch of moose-related fatalities." And I was like, "You mean car crashes?" and he's like, "No, people getting trampled..." Hahaha, oh man - thanks doctor. Dry Leaves, I'm really sorry, I can't remember - did you say what your plans are for Alaska? Are you headed up there next year too?
LOl @ FOSP!!
Yeah, that made me laugh, too. :D
@Ink an Beans
I don't think schools mind if one LoR comes late. A famous writer agreed to write one of my letters. I had participated in a workshopp with him a few years back.
He wholeheartedly agreed in Oct., and then in spite of several emails, and a hard copy mailing of my materials, I heard nothing from him until Jan. well past all the deadlines. He said he was "in his cave" working on his book,. but would send out my letters ASAP if I would send him a copy of my story from his workshop.
I sent the story. Then he experienced "the death of a close friend" and declined to write the letter. By the time I found someone else, it was the beginning of February.
I emailed my schools to inform them that one of my LoR would be late and they seemed to take it in stride, as if this kind of thing happens all the time.
So I don't think it affected my applications, but it did raise my anxiety level. And yes, shotgun shopping did come to mind.
But if I see that writer again.
@daddy-o, I'm not a second-timer, but from reading people's posts here, I'm under the impression that generally folks do much better on the second go-round. I don't know about you, but this was my first year and I made a total mess of it! Like, UNGH... what was I thinking???
Hahaha, btw, that "UNGH" is me slapping my forehead. Not a school.
Anyway, good luck everybody!!
@AB-
I have heard nothing yet from Texas State. :)...I'm still crossing my fingers for the both of us.
Oh, and does anyone else have yet to hear ANYTHING from University of Arizona? I thought they were done accepting and wait listing people, and had started sending rejections on Saturday. I wish they'd hurry up. I need closure!
@Rosie:
I've heard nothing from AZ either. (fiction)
I have also heard nothing from Brooklyn, New School, American and PSU.
what is going onnnnnnn. I don't think i can take the walk down the stairs to the mailbox tomorrow morning. anyway want to do it for me???
Abbie,
Me too! Next week!
Speaking of next week, I think it's going to be a big one... The last big one of the season. Yikes.
@Coreyann,
Fiction here, too, and I am also awaiting New School and PSU. I don't think they've started sending rejections, though? PSU made us send a post card for their decision, so I'm dreading something curt and awful, like REJECTED stamped over the pretty meadow of flowers I chose.
@Rosie, I've heard noting from UofAZ either. Gosh.
Is anyone else really heartbroken that they haven't heard from Hollins yet? One reported acceptance and I'm all, "Oh noooooo!" Saaaad.
i think brooklyn is slooow with the rejection letters. i know folks who received them in late april.
I have also not heard anything from Arizona. (Fiction). But I know a poetry friend of mine just got hers yesterday... so they could still be in the mail?
I have also not heard anything from: Vandy, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Houston, ODU, or UVA. Only the last two have yet to alert their winners. Well, I'm pretty sure Ole Miss hasn't told the fiction folk, but... with their recent events, it's not surprising :(.
Congrats to all those accepted today. Especially fic @ UNCG. Your acceptances are something to be coveted, that's for sure :) I hope you celebrated tonight!
Came home to rejection letter from Sarah Lawrence..figured a good time for a wee update
Rejected:
U of Mich
Vandy (assumed)
UMass
Sarah Lawrence
Accepted:
Emerson
Columbia College
UNH
Waitlisted:
Rutgers-Camden
Purgatory:
UNCG
LSU
TNS
All in poetry.
GL and high-fives all around for tomorrow, everyone! Gnight
I don't want to appear to be a stuck-up arrogant bastard, but I always chuckle when I see people trying to get a degree in poetry.
I'm in fiction.
It's cool. Go Dickinson! Go Frost! Hahaha ... umm ... never mind.
@Ananda - are you following me around? If you must know, I ate at Baja Fresh today. Burrito Mexicano w/ chicken and black beans.
@Woon - Might be time to cut back on the chronic. ;)
Cheers!
ALC-cum-Driftless House Update.
Hi all,
I know a lot of people have been asking, online and off, on this site and elsewhere, about online workshopping. Especially those who are among the large percentage of MFA applicants (nearly one-third) who apply in successive years -- a phenomena I think is actually a good sign in some respects, as it means people are making certain that when they finally do this non-time-sensitive degree they do it at a place that is right for them. Just read the messages on this board and you'll see story after story of applicants who had a dramatically different -- and more positive -- application experience the second time around.
So anyway, with all that in mind, I just wanted to link to a new service (see top of page at this link) at Driftless House. This is a different -- and, I believe, more effective -- model than any online or real-time group workshop offers. Instead of a six- or seven-week workshop which a) often costs more than $500, b) sometimes requires physical presence at a specific location, and c) only allows one to be workshopped once or twice maximum, DH 1-on-1 portfolio reviews happen entirely online, in a short period of time, with only two people involved: you and an MFA-grad reader. I don't think it takes any sort of bias or slant (though obviously I do have one, in this instance) to see and say that that model offers more to individual writers. In any case, a DH portfolio excerpt review is now $90. I want to be careful not to over-sell; I will say, though, that my claim (from last year) that a small amount of money now can save literally tens of thousands of dollars in the future was proven prescient when an ALC student of mine (as it were) from last year's ALC consultations got into University of Texas at Austin this year. A small investment that returned, in a sense, more than $75,000 in fellowship money. In any case, I promote this service because I believe in it, and I believe in it because I've seen, many times, what the 1-on-1, intensive, entirely-online mentoring model can do for a portfolio. Okay, off the soapbox. I wish everyone continued luck with applications!
Best,
Seth
@Woon
not stalking (although I do like Baja Fresh!)
Just a question.
@Seth
Thanks for the info and for all you do.
Question:
Does one need to wait to be officially rejected from everywhere before applying for your service?
Hi Ananda,
Good question! And actually the answer is no -- the only reason DH advertises the service this way is that one imagines the service is of most use to those who are in that particular situation (as sometimes one is trying to decide whether to apply again immediately -- i.e. the very next admissions cycle [which comes up faster than you'd think!] -- or else improve one's work over a longer period of time, in anticipation of re-applying in a few years; this can help folks make that kind of determination, which needless to say can save a lot of money and energy in both the short- and long-term). But my understanding is that anyone who wants to use this service can do so if they feel they'll benefit from it (it would just be wise to lay out one's particular circumstances briefly in one's e-mail to DH, but that's certainly no major difficulty).
Best,
Seth
@Woon: I hear ya on so many different things such as not being shut my eyes if I wake up in the middle of the night, 31 not being old (are you kidding?!), etc.
I might make life altering choices based on your thoughts.
@frankish - true, man, true. I love poets, man! I'm married to one! LOL!
@Nadiya - I need for you to take Michigan over Iowa so that Emma can take your Iowa seat.
Dad story:
Me: Oh I heard from Irvine.
Him: Oh yeah? Hey isn't that the school where Ngugi works! Wow! So you got in, nice.
Me: Umm, no. I actually got a rejection from Irvine.
Him: It's a crap school anyway.
my delusional father (delusional but very very supportive) ACTUALLY BELIEVES that the places I've been rejected have been CLERICAL ERRORS.
He went so far as to relate stories of clerical errors in other situations, and that sometimes these things happen.
sigh.
@bbartok
My Ohio State status online still says "Evaluation - Your application is currently in the process of being evaluated and prepared for an academic decision."
I don't know if they're just slow in rejecting us or if we're special somehow....
Best wishes to all who've heard good news...and to those (like me) still waiting for an acceptance.
@M. Swann - Congratulations! I called Montana because I hadn't received a rejection letter. I tried my luck with Notre Dame but, alas, rejected. Vanderbilt's director was somewhat coarse in his email, but he wouldn't tell me either way and said letters would be mailed the end of the month. The Noo Skool didn't know shit.
And so, I now have the oddest assortment of acceptances, waitlistings, and rejections. I came into the MFA season assuming I'd be rejected across the board, and those schools I thought I had the best chance with ended up rejecting me. Goes to show what I know.
Iowa - Accepted
SAIC - Accepted
New Mexico State - Accepted (and don't let anyone tell you they don't have good funding--they most certainly do)
Houston - Waitlisted
Montana - Waitlisted
The New School - ???
Vanderbilt - ???
Texas A&M (MA) - Rejected
Arizona State - Rejected
Washington University STL - Rejected
Virginia - ???
Notre Dame - Rejected, fuck you very much.
And so, now we get to wait together on Virginia, the slowest decisions-makers on Earth. Remind me of the Ents.
@ Nadiya
@ Coreyann
Dads are the best! When he found out I had applied for my MFA, he wondered where I picked up painting. We are actually very close, so it came as sort of a shock.
@Woon, your LOR stories are too funny, why don't you write a short story about it...
@klairkwilty
The problem's never been NMSU's stipend -- which is generous -- but the fact that almost no one seems to get it. From their website:
"Each year a limited number of graduate assistantships are available..."
Anyone who gets one gets a generous package, but there just aren't many such packages, unfortunately.
Congrats on Iowa &c!
S.
Has anyone heard from Warren Wilson yet?
I got an email 2 weeks ago stating I would get a response sometime between today and 4 weeks from now...
@Seth - Aaah. I didn't know this info about NMSU. Thanks.
And thanks on the congrats!
-klairkwilty
Thanks Woon...
(I'm dumb.)
Subscribing!
@daddy-o (and hullabaloo)
Second timer here.
Last year: rejected at many, many places, waitlisted at Notre Dame.
This year: accepted in fiction at UNCW, George Mason, and Pitt, rejected at many, many places.
Turned out I was 20th on ND's 20-person waitlist last year, and that was the only positive feedback I got anywhere. I think about this all the time: what if ND had ranked me just one spot lower, and I hadn't gotten any reinforcement? The quality of my writing sample would been the same, right? Whether I was 30th or 31st in ND's eyes my words would have been the same and in the end its the words you most need to worry about.
I guess what I'm saying is: please don't get too down if you're not hearing any good news, and please don't let rejection or fear of rejection be the reason you don't reapply. Doesn't mean you're not a good writer; good writers get rejected all the time. It's just ridiculously competitive out there.
The second time is way easier, and seems to work out much better for a lot of applicants. Hope it works out for you!
Just got my rejection letter from Texas State.
Irvine is ignoring calls...
I'm guessing that the mail just hasn't gotten to me yet. It's hard to believe that they haven't picked their 6 fiction writers yet...
Now, I'm waiting for SF State. I got into USF, and would love to attend there, but the costs are ridiculous.
One of the professors who wrote a LoR for me said that we shouldn't feel bad about the rejections. He said, if the school rejects you, it probably wasn't a place you'd have wanted to be anyway. It isn't a "good match," or whatever. So screw them and their condescending rejections.
So I get it, Virginia likes to take her sweet time. But isn't the amount of time taken a tad unethical, seeing as most programs require a decision by April 15th? and unwise...because anyone who got into Virginia would be statistically very likely to get into other stellar programs and have been notified of this a month or so before Virginia even let him/her know...doesn't this leave Virginia at a disadvantage? Or, maybe since Virginia has such a great repuation in the first place it doesn't matter so much and Deborah Eisenberg, Genius that she is, can take her damn time breaking my heart...
New here - and subscribing!
Slainte mhaiph saoil fada is bas in Eirann, as we say in Chicago! And may we all wake up in heaven, every day until we wake up in Heaven.
I'm so sorry to hear about your accident sahaider. And I'm happy to hear that no one was seriously hurt.
I'm just catching up on the rockstar MFA success of the past couple of days, since the weekend. Wowza, the good news has run wild! Congrats@: Chelsea (twice!), dYIJ, Laura T (times three!), Chrissy (the original), koru, Ena (and boyfriend, good luck on his waitlist), special love and congrats to my homegirls the duchess & Nefretitti & Courtney, also to Dry Leaves (times two or three or four at this point?!), klairkwilty, Sigma, Miss Parker, Sarah, megan, Rebecca, christina b, Rosie, the mountain king, Ian, Lipsha, poetess, alia, burlaper, L.Anne, pdg, janet, K, (and also) k, Nicholas, LacyLee, junowind, Rhizobium, Cielo, Laura, ann, Julie, fjp & C! It's been a BIG coupla days, yo. Awesome!
Mega congrats @Arna Bontemps for finding your fit and making a choice! I hope all of the best writerly things go your way, success & satisfaction & luck.
And congratulations @rosephase on your playwriting acceptance!
Special shout out and good luck to Coryeann & Alyssa on your rad waitlists!
@Mathilda - I'm SO sorry to hear about UNT! I've read bits and pieces of the CW PhD thread on P&W and I do not envy you the stress of your application season. I'm really cheering for you to get into a program this year!
Smiles and chuckles to all y'alls who are also experiencing rad dadness this application season! I lovez the stories from Jasmine, sahaider, Abbie, Courtney, Ink and Beans, hilary, Laura T, Wandering Tree, Nicholas, Nadiya, Coreyann & Ali. Also @Meredith for your rad momness!
@kaybay & LA Swede & Dreux & Eli and all of the others we seem to have lost - I hope you are all doing well, wherever you are. And I hope our paths will cross again.
Question for everyone applying to Hunter:
I haven't heard a peep from them either way, and I understand news has been trickling in for a few people. My online application status only says "incomplete" as I did not take the GRE. Have others' statuses changed to "in review" or anything like that? Should I be concerned? Should I give up hope for Hunter College?
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