Is anyone else confused by the University of Minnesota? It seems they've announced their acceptances and waitlisters, and they've sent out some rejection emails but they haven't sent one to me. I don't want to get my hopes up but wtf is going on over there? They're pulling a Syracuse.
This may or may not ease your worries, but when I was waiting for UNCG to notify me, it was like late March when I found out. Trust me, I was panicking, but it all worked out. Schools really have their hands tied when it comes to funding, so most of the time, the wait has nothing to do with you (or any sort of inadequacy on your part), and everything to do with the larger financial picture.
Yay for all the acceptances/waitlists streaming in. And fuck Irvine, since they seem to be making everyone miserable (I say this as someone who didn't apply there and has no risk of offending anyone).
In the meantime... if anyone from BU is reading this... you can call me. Any. Time. Really. It's ok. Today. Tomorrow. Five minutes from now. Just do the right thing. You too, Columbia.
* collapses into ball of weepy nerves and shoves cupcake in face *
@K, I didn't apply to Minnesota, but I heard they have a funny (not funny ha-ha), quasi-rolling method of notification, so if you haven't heard yet it doesn't necessarily mean your in but it could mean you still have a shot. I'll cross my fingers for you!
@K — I was baffled by this too. The first rejection in my genre (CNF) went out weeks before I finally got an e-mail last week sometime. I don't know what (if anything) it means to receive a rejection later than others, but I am under the impression that acceptances and waitlists have already gone out.
Given that it's an automated system (an e-mail that directs you to the online system, where you then review the decision), it's strange it takes so long for everyone to hear.
@hilary re:Columbia - I'm a Columbia undergraduate and we're on Spring Break right now -- yea! -- but I asked one of the MFA readers, the Tuesday before break (a week ago this past Tuesday), when they were going to notify. I, literally, said that Columbia is kind of the last hope for some of my blog friends, so people are waiting... For what it's worth, he told me that they'd made their decisions (he's a poetry reader) but that the School of the Arts was waiting to find out from the University how much money they have to work with. So, Whitney's comment seems to be super true at Columbia.
@klairkwilty - Arna Bontemps posted his final breakdown a couple of days ago. He chose Iowa. I've just read, like, 800 posts so I don't quite remember where it was or on which day. It's worth searching for, though. Because his final tally is the perfect illustration of just how bizarre this whole process is. Arna was accepted by some ridoncolously selective programs and (apparently, possibly) not selected by some substantially less selective programs. It's hard to tell, because schools notify over a period of time, but Florida, Boston and NYU had all notified people when Arna posted, but apparently had not called Arna. So, what's up with that...?
Does anyone have any news about when WVU is going to start mass accepting/rejecting fiction folks? I'm afraid to call and confirm what side of that I'm on...
I think Arna was set on Iowa from the beginning. He and I both have a Single-White-Female kind of obsession with that program.
I could kick myself for not applying to Irvine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michener. But their deadlines were so early and I was in finals week, so I wasn't about to bother with the stress. I'm most sorrowful over passing up Wisconsin, because I would love to occupy corners at parties with Lorriie Moore, the both of us donning our Jackie O. sunglasses and daring anyone to approach. We would paint each others' toenails and trade recipes and ride ponies and skip to our lou's. What a time it could have been. O, what a time!
Lorrie Moore!? Now there's a name I recognize. Please could you ask her to assault her publishers into releasing her Collected Stories in the US? You know, while you chat her up in your mind's corner? I had to fight some London Ebayers just to get a copy for an undergrad class last year. I do have a copy now, but I feel it such an injustice for the book to only be available an ocean away.
Congrats Katie! Thanks to all for the insight on Minnesota. I guess the best scenario is I'm on some kind of d-list and the worst scenario (and most likely) is my last name comes up late in the alphabet.
@Sud- :) - I'm going to tell you what my decision process was like when applying this year.
September 2009: "I need to do something with my life; I really want to improve my writing. I should go to grad school!"
So I called my fave aforementioned faculty mentor, and he game me a list of 4 schools: "VCFU," Bennington, Warren Wilson, and Lesley. He waffled a bit on Lesley though so I decided not to apply there. That is the only reason why too.
January 2010: He called to tell me to apply to Iowa. That's right, the day before the app was due. (His MFA came from Iowa.)
See where this is going? I've been a teensy all over the place. I'm not sure if I should just re-evaluate the situation. But I would like to hear about Fairfield's plusses you mentioned. Maybe email offblog?
Oh, and I'd be anybody's fb friend from here. I have VERY few writing friends.
Also just got an acceptance email from Hollins in CNF. Their tuition is pretty steep, even with the grant they offered. Does anybody know what the area is like? Is this a place where one could do the whole little house in the woods thing? Or not at all? I'd have a tough time giving up funding elsewhere to pay for Hollins, but if it's really as idyllic as the website suggests, I might also have a tough time saying no...
I got into Fairfield yesterday so I'd love to be part of your conversation about it if possible. I know very little about it or my other low-res option.
i'm been to hollins. the school is set in the blue ridge mountains. gorgeous setting (though it is also on a road with high speed traffic). lotsa brick buildings though the quad is pretty. there's even a horse ranch / stable (whatever they're called) on campus.
but i must say this: it still feels like a lesbian school, the same vibe you will get when attending / visiting sarah lawrence (not that there's anything wrong with that. i love seinfeld).
Violet, I'm in the same boat. I knew it was unlikely that I'd get in, let alone be in the third of the admitted class that gets full funding... but a girl can dream. It's hard to justify turning down full funding elsewhere to pay $18,000 (not to mention living expenses) for the first year, and just have the CHANCE of an assistantship for the second.
But it's so pretty! And Annie Dillard wrote there! And those graduate tutorials sound like a dream!
Mad congratulations @k! And good luck with your decisionmaking, Violet_Mai.
@hilary & Dry Leaves & Sud - Awww! When this is all over, I'm really gonna miss our camaraderie.
@hilary - I wish I had more info for ya, girl, but I'm in a really awkward situation right now. I applied to Columbia so I feel like I can't even ask harmless questions that I would normally ask. Part of me wishes I hadn't applied. But, still, I do feel like I owed it to myself to at least give it a shot.
I applied here because I know the program really well and I know the kind of progress that I could continue to make here. I work really well with the Spanish department and I would love to continue working on developing my fiction writing in Spanish, which has been super helpful to my development as a poet. There are also some brilliant Comp Lit profs that I would like to work with at the grad level. I've taken some grad-level seminars, but they just don't challenge the undergrads the same way they do their grad students, you know? And I would really, really love to work in the literary translation track in the SoA -- another thing that I think has been really important to the development of my poetry.
So, that's why I applied. BUT here's the suck: my mentor -- my poetry daddy -- is on the MFA faculty. Which has made my application season really difficult. He, of course, recused himself from considering my application. But he's still a faculty member who is involved in recruiting and accepting people. So we're not able to talk about my other offers or the financial packages that I'm considering. We can't talk about some key sh*t because, you know, Columbia could potentially be in competition with those other offers and also it would be kind of unethical, I think, to give a faculty member at one school quasi-inside information on the offers that are being made by other schools to students for whom Columbia is potentially in competition.
So I'm really kind of screwed right now because I have an incredibly difficult decision to make. I've only applied to programs that I'm in love with, SO I'm in love with every program that has accepted me. Which is awesome! But I can't confer with the key person who has been my advocate, my guide, my sheriff in all things writing. So, I'm pretty much on my own in making this decision, with no good outlet. I mean, I'm talking to friends and family. But their opinions are pretty much guided by NCAA performance and regional biases.
I know that there are people suffering worse problems in the world... Sh*t, there are people suffering worse problems in the MFA world... So I don't want to complain about things that are really blessings. But since this (sort of) came up, I just wanted to vent out some sadness because this situation is really grinding down my well being. Part of this sadness, I know, is coming from the idea that I may not be here next year. So this is just the first step in an inevitable break from a truly wonderful mentoring relationship. Good with the bad, though. Right? Onward and f*ing upward.
I am in a similar situation as you with the "poetry-daddy." However, in talking to him and explaining my concerns and problems, he told me that he's a lot more concerned with "what's good for me" than what's good for the major university he's affiliated with . You should consider your personal relationship with this gentleman. At least some of the time, the mentors are a lot more concerned with you than with their program.
@Trilbe, I feel you on Columbia, and the info you do have is a huge help - I was comp lit in undergrad and would looooove to do some translation work at the School of Arts (instead of just sort of making it up as I go along with Lorca). I'm sorry you're basically cut off from your poetry daddy while you have to wait (I love that expression), but at least it sounds like we'll all be hearing from them soonish... best of luck with the wait and with your future decision-making!
Waitlist'd! Sarah Lawrence. Any of you on the fence about your SLC decisions... well, you know what I think you should do. But maybe you should not listen to me, since I am motivated by purely selfish reasons :)
No word from any of the other NY area programs. All fiction. Nothing in the mail today but an invitation to a wedding I don't want to attend. Large clump of hair falling to the floor.
does "NCAA performance" means syracuse winning the 2010 national champ chip??? if so, the answer is YES. cuuuuuuuuuse!
ps - anyone planning on attending syracuse, you better read up on lacrosse (a mcphee piece about SU lax is in the latest new yorker) because that's what goes on in this city. basketball & lacrosse.
saunders is a really nice guy as well. will go out of his way to help you.
@Trilbe Poetry daddies are good for the writing soul, and while you may not be able to discuss exact circumstances with him, he's still clearly supporting you. I wish you the best of luck in your decision-making process. Be confident that you will make the best choice. In the end, it sounds like you will do very, very well regardless of the path you choose.
Also, I did my undergrad at a Big East school where basketball is THE draw so I understand in regard to the NCAA sway.
I totally missed the discussion yesterday about LORs, but I did want to add my voice and say that they were absolutely the hardest part of the process. Two former profs were pretty good about it, the third one was, I think, a test from God.
Oh, and just as a humorous side note: I hadn't read any of the letters before they were sent out, but I finally cracked open one of the extras a few weeks ago. It was very nice and I thought very well written. The third line down said something like "Nick was one of my most promising students..."
One problem: My name's not Nick.
Waiting patiently to hear any word from any school, but trying to move on to my plan B - professional alligator wrestler.
@Ratliff - I'll see what I can do, but I'll only do so much so as not to jeopardize my own good standing in Lorrie's eyes. She's only now comfortable with me addressing her directly. Until recently, I was to access her only via her personal assistant, Xenu, who is a demon interloper/python. Lorrie Moore is so phallic! I love it!
haha, jeepas crow! That's pretty awful about your LOR including the wrong name. You got me to laugh aloud at my desk though. That scenario sounds like something out of a comedy sketch!
Did anyone else think about steam-opening your LoR's to read what it said about you and then sealing it back before sending them out with your application package? Me neither.
@Woon - Hadn't thought of that. But two of my three referees sent me draft copies of their letters before sending the final versions off to the schools.
You guys! Here's a question I can't remember if we already talked about.
if I get into a program without funding or a teaching assistantship, the hardest thing for ME would be losing the teaching opportunity. I want to teach! Is it weird I'm more willing to go into (some) debt than I am to give up teaching?
Do programs reevaluate funding/assistantship offers based on an MFAer's performance and other factors? If they do, what timeline should I expect reevaluation--the second semester, third semester, etc? If I get into program X without a TA-ship, will I never get the chance to prove myself in the classroom? Is it that cut and dried?
What's this fascination with Lorrie Moore? Sure, I've read "Birds of America" and the short story "You're Ugly, Too." They're cool, but so is Melissa Hardy's collection of short stories, and no one is drooling over Ms. Hardy. What the hey? Ms. Moore seems no different than my 7th grade English teacher. In fact, I attended a reading Ms. Moore gave at Stanford a few years ago and maaaaaan, she was the most dull reader. I was looking for a noose...
To be fair, I generally find readings by writers quite dull. You really need an actor to do readings of your works. Writers are not actors. They are very poor oral interpreters of even their own work. Take me, for example, I really suck at it.
Lorrie Moore isn't the only poor reader. I heard Edward P. Jones at Stanford two years ago. I love his work, but I couldn't stand his dry reading.
I wouldn't say that all writers are not actors. There are some of us who've dabbled in both.
I agree, though, that some writers are less-than-lively when they read their work. Joyce Carol Oates comes to mind. But I saw Lorrie Moore last year, and while she was understated, I didn't find her boring - but perhaps that's because I think she's wickedly funny.
I lived in Roanoke and yes, you can find a little house in the wooded mountains at a fair rent if you don't mind a bit of a drive. It is true the school is off a busy road, but the surrounding area is quite incredible, especially if you enjoy the outdoors or take inspiration from it. Good luck
My day job involves answering telephones, and I was the only person at a desk for the past hour. I read your comment whilst picking up my ringing phone without thinking and burst into laughter the moment my eyes met "Xenu." The customer on the other line hopefully took little offense. I'm happy you've managed to get past the demon interloper/python. :)
@Woon
Yes, she is very funny. Part of why she was on my selected reading list for that particular course - my writing attempts similar effects. As for reading, I too would caution you against thinking writers cannot be decent actors. Sorry if Lorrie bored you, I know that feeling. I attended a reading by a prominent fiction writer (currently teaching at an Ivy) - not only was her voice boring, and her fiction MORE boring, but she was wearing this purple scarf that she continuously swept over her shoulder only to have it slowly sag again, sweep, sag, sweep, sag - Oh, it was tiring to watch!
Just received my official Colorado State rejection. Not the nicest thing ever, but it's not too bad - really to the point - 3 sentences in total!
So that brings my tally up to 4 official rejections (Alabama, Montana, Texas, and CSU), one acceptance (Naropa), and 7 still missing in action. I know Columbia and UVA have not started notifying yet (haha, like I'll even get in), but what about Vanderbilt, NYU, Iowa, Florida, and Penn State? I don't know.
Getting ready for school next year in Boulder though, pretty psyched!
Did you get funding to any of the san fran schools? The cost of usf is so steep! (I was accepted a week or so ago with no funding) And the cost of living!
Like others, my UNH status page finally updated. I'm in fiction. Still haven't gotten an email, or any information about existence or lack of financial aid.
I was accepted to USF for fiction as well and have been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to learn a little more about the program. I was offered a small scholarship (only a fraction of the actual tuition) and from what I understand from speaking with Catherine Brady, it's not too difficult to become a TA starting second semester. I did email a recent alum, provided by USF, but she has not responded to me. I'd really appreciate any information you have about the program and the quality of instruction!
just found out my application to hunter never went through. not sure if this is my fault or theirs but, regardless, the matter should have come to my attention sooner. i called the admissions office and they are going to send me a refund. thank you so much to whomever mentioned a few pages back that the school has a application status website. anyone else still in wait may want to double check. so grateful i've been accepted somewhere else...i'd be about to ice myself otherwise.
Yeah, how did you find out? My application status still says "incomplete" because of the GREs, but I talked to the admissions people until I think I annoyed them, so I thought I was safe that it went through.
i just logged back into the embark portal i used to apply. like i said, i should have checked this a long time ago. my application status said "not submitted," even though i swear i did. maybe i'm misremembering. what i don't understand is how i could have paid without submitting. it's a pretty hefty fee ($125), so i just want to make sure this didn't happen to anyone else.
i wish i hadn't let myself get hopeful about hollins. I shouldn't have done that. I've heard nothing this morning from them (in CNF), and it seems like they've notified who they want.
Congratulations to those who have gotten good news--this is fantastic! I'll try to keep my let-down sadness about that ship sailing to myself...
@Cecil It depends on the school. Schools with full funding like Brown said I would get that funding, and CCA said I could qualify for a scholarship... maybe. But most schools said aid, TAship and some funding won't be available to me.
A similar thing happened to me, can't remember whether it was Hunter or not, but I called and asked about it after I saw "not submitted" and told them that I had an email thanking me for my payment. She told me that they had my application, and that I had accidentally started a new application when trying to log in, which is easy to do on accident with the embark system. So your situation may not be like that, but it might be possible that you did apply and what you are looking at is your "accidental new application". Unless of course the person you spoke with couldn't find a trace of you in the system, then I guess you can disregard my theory.
Virginia (Waiting) Purdue (Waiting) University of Florida (Waiting) Arizona State University (Waiting) Vanderbilt (Waiting)
Oh, and a word of caution regarding Notre Dame. I reapplied this year to the program, and just recently called in to make sure there were no glitches with my application. Apparently, the department did not receive my application at all, nor did anyone review my materials from the Graduate School. After calling and speaking directly to Linda Chisholm and following her instructions for reapplication and what I could reuse, I was at the least dismayed to find out I got screwed out of consideration for Notre Dame. Considering I made it onto the wait list last year, I figured I would've had another good chance this year. Shows what I know.
In a fit of @quincy-inspired panic, I called the graduate admissions department. The woman I spoke to seemed to think my application had gone through even though it says "incomplete" because of the GREs.
I'd heard that about Joyce Carol Oates, too, but when one of the grad students from Columbia College called me, she said that Oates was surprisingly good at the reading she gave at StoryWeek.
Ugh, I wanted to go to StoryWeek. Instead I'm doing hardcore revision/class work for my class tonight. On my birthday.
On the upside, I might be one of those students attending StoryWeek next year...
Nadia - I know just how you feel. I feel really melancholic today and I didn't know if I should say something. But sometimes it’s just good to tell someone. Hang in there.
Amen to that. From "Watch the Sunrise" off of #1 Record:
I can feel it, now it's time, open your eyes Fears be gone, it won't be long, there's a light in the sky It's okay to look outside The day it will abide.
Guys, It's film festival time here in Cleveland and I'll be doing a lot of sitting in dark theaters and passing out ballot forms. I'm glad to finally have something to do, what with being unemployed and still waiting on some applications. After it's over, it's time to find somebody who wants an employee for four months!
Yup, NoisySilence is right, I'm going to Naropa in Boulder, not U of C Boulder. Much tinier school! But I'm currently at a massive university for undergrad so it'll be a welcome change. :)
@ all concerned about UVA
If I recall correctly (haven't been on the application page in months), UVA waits until practically April to notify, if not actually April 1st. So I don't think we should be too concerned yet!
I understand your fret over hollins, but hopefully this will help. I called last week and the woman I spoke with said that acceptances and rejections will go out this week; however if you are not contacted by the end of the week, you can "assume" you are on the waitlist, though you may not be notified officially. I would call next week if you don't hear anything.
The same thing happened to me with Miami. Unfortunately, I noticed the day after the fellowship deadline. :( Their website just hadn't processed my submission all the way before I closed my browser. Or something. Meh.
Do you have record of your payment to Hunter? I thought I'd paid, but now looking back at things, it looks as though I received no receipt for payment. I'm in the same boat. My status says "Not Submitted."
WTF!
I'd applied last year, so I didn't have to submit all of the materials. But I'm sure I finished their application before almost all of my others. Now grad admissions says I started an application and didn't submit one. And, curiously, I have no record of payment in my bank statements.
I feel like I'm in a David Lynch film.
How could this be?
Didn't even have a shot to hang out with Colum McCann..
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts about Roanoke and Hollins. I don't know how I'd justify paying to go there, especially since the second year TAships sound like a longshot. Maybe I'll just look longingly at the little cabins available on craigslist for the next month...
Hi all, just reposting my invitation to anyone in the DC/Baltimore/NVA area interested in possibly workshopping in preparation for next year mfa apps or just cuz to drop me a line:
I got an acceptance to Sarah Lawrence for fiction. I'm kind of freaking out, because I thought I wasn't getting in anywhere this year. I have no idea how I'd pay for it or any logistics at all, but I'm still really excited..
It's a big fat envelope, and it was postmarked 12/12 and shipped priority, but I didn't get it today, and I'm in Manhattan.
Accepted to UNH (poetry) today via email but they stated they could not offer me funding the first year. Regardless of genre, I'd be interested in knowing how many students were offered funding with UNH.
I know all of ASU's poetry offers were accepted, but some of us aren't officially rejected yet = bizarre waitlistedness with little to no chance. I'm curious about whether or not any ASU poetry people who initially accepted offers decided to go elsewhere? Anyway, not all that hopeful about ASU's mysterious wait list.
Good luck to those still waiting. Good luck to all of us who need funding!
Thank you so much for the info about Hollins notifications. God love anybody willing to call these programs. seriously. You're saving the rest of us. What do you say/how do you word it when you call them?
If I don't hear anything by next week I may have to grow a pair and call. Did they say they were sending out both good and bad news via email?
Alas. I guess I'll go write some over-due papers so I can graduate from THIS school before moving on to the next :)
@Lo Real Maravilloso and @Hannah, this is just my little pet theory, but I feel like ASU has been notifying definite "no"s as they read them... and I don't know, they've been reading for a while now - so I am optimistic that you guys are at least hanging around a "now who do we let in" folder. Again, just a theory... but here's hoping it's true! I don't think I've heard of an ASU reject in a day or two, so that makes me think they might be done with the first go-round. Anyway, good luck guys! :)
@www, "I feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie," ahaha - uh oh. It sounds like there's a problem with their website, so I really hope they step up and smooth everything over... ahhh, sorry about all the stress!
My on-line status at UNH changed monday, and today I received an email from the department (I'm in poetry). There does seem to be a delay - first the on-line status change, then the email, and then maybe sometime in June we'll get our packets in the mail. :)
since it seems like i am not going to get any funding this year, i am already thinking about my applications next fall and i am wondering if anyone knows which schools keep your recommendations on file for next application season.
minnesota says they do on their website, but i am wondering if anyone has information about any other schools who do this. i would absolutely hate to make my recommenders do the process all over again, especially since i asked people who i barely even know and they were so kind to put all that work into the process for a relative stranger!
I got wait listed by email today at Florida in Fiction. I've emailed the director already about my accepting the Iowa offer, so expect a waitlist spot to open up down there soon.
@hilary I feel like you're going to get into BU and we're going to be very dear friends. It took all my power not to beg pinsky to let you in on the phone yesterday! And good luck w columbia as I have not heard from them either.
@laura t Hi laura, I may be way late with the emerson slc high-class dilemma of the century but I have some food for thought: it seems to me you have the opportunity to set two very different sets of dominos in motion with this one. I'm going to set the money aside for a moment because I think that can be a dangerous element of dillusion. It seems to me, that slc will put you under the influence of people you've been dreaming to meet for quite some time now. I also think there is much to be said for a small liberal arts setting, and what that can do for your writing. On the other hand, outside of the network that the falculty at slc can bring you post-mfa, I think as someone who did her undergrad in boston that there's much to be said about the avenues of academia in that great city. Emersons program is a bit on the bigger side, however, the network that ploughshares and being in a city full of intellectually inclined folk may be a pace that is right for you. Email me for more perks on boston if you are so inclined! And congrats! A high-class dilemma indeed!
Hrm. I got the UNCG GNE over a month ago, and now at least three people have gotten calls. Kind of wish they didn't send those, getting my hopes up and all. Gah.
Hey everybody, long time lurker here. Just wanted to share a little something that might comfort even the most dejected of MFA applicants.
This year I applied to 27 schools, and it's looking like I'm going to be rejected across the board. I did my research, read Tom's book and Seth's extremely helpful information, turned in a sample that was published in my university's semiannual literary journal, had three great recommenders, great GRE scores, and it looks like it's a no go this year.
Here are the schools:
Iowa (rejected) Michigan (rejected) Alabama (rejected) Montana (rejected) Colorado State (rejected) UC Boulder (rejected) UC Irvine (rejected) Arizona State (rejected) University of Idaho (rejected) Oregon State (rejected) Michener (rejected) UT Austin MA (rejected) Utah (rejected) Boise State (rejected) Univ of Oregon (rejected) Vanderbilt (assumed rejection) Florida (Assumed rejection) FSU (Assumed rejection) LSU (Assumed rejection) U of Arizona (assumed rejection) U of Washington (assumed rejection) Houston (assumed rejection) Virginia Tech (assumed rejection) Penn State (assumed rejection) UNLV (pending but I talked to them on the phone and they are taking 5-6 out of 140, not good odds for me considering recent trends) Miami (assumed rejection) Virginia (pending, but no chance)
So if you have been accepted somewhere, please be grateful and if you haven't, well rest assured there's someone out there who's been rejected more times than you.
Thanks to everybody for all of the posts and Seth for all the great info. Best of luck with everybody for the rest of app season!
Shaving - Thank you for your post. It really puts things into perspective. I know it must be hard but you seem to be handling everything with grace and humility.
I only want to say this to you - its not over until the very last letter is in so hold on.
Did anyone else apply to Baltimore? I received an email addressed to "Incoming MFA Students" regarding new scholarship opportunities... but I never received a notice of acceptance. I called and left a message but still haven't heard back...
I'm so sorry for your rejections, but, without bringing false hope, I would say don't assume rejections just yet! There are a few on your list that I haven't heard anyone getting any information yet, and I assumed two rejections that turned out to be waitlists, so all I can say is, you sound like a great writer and a fantastic candidate and I hope that this year you land where you need to be for your writing at this moment in time, whether that is in a program this year or not. Personally I think you sound fantastic and it's too early to call it over for several of your schools.
Can I ask what might be a dumb question? I got into Hollins with only partial tuition remission. I know they fully fund, with a stipend, about four students a year. If the people they offered those stipends to choose to go elsewhere, is it possible I might still be offered one? How does this work at schools with tiered funding? Any answers/guesses would be really appreciated!
@ Violet Mai - this is only a guess, but I would assume as people turn down funded offers those offers get passed along to people already admitted. Which is probably why a lot of wait-listers at non-fully-funded schools have been told they likely won't be offered funding if accepted.
If I remember correctly, one of the Emmas was accepted to Montana and put on a waitlist for a TAship (a TAship she has since gotten, congrats Emma!). Based on that, I would say that the funded offers just move on down the line. If for instance, Montana had had an extra TAship, it would have gone to Emmma from the get-go.
That's all conjecture, but it seems logical. Hope that helps - you could still be offered funding!
@shaving i admire you. you've listed a lot of assumed rejections-- too many assumptions...too speculative. i think we've all seen that typical statistical trends don't seem to apply to this insane/unpredictable/nonsensical mfa process. i think there has been enough anecdotal evidence of people getting rejected from almost everywhere, and in the midnight hour, the white horse comes galloping in to the rescue... so, while it seems really dejectedly discouraging right now, i hope you won't lose total faith. i am really rooting for you.
Thanks for posting and for being so open with us. Do not give up hope. Writing is such a subjective craft - the admissions process has been such an education - I think for all of us. You did all of the right things and tackled the process with precision. I hope the sky will part with good news for you soon. Any of those schools would be lucky to have you...Keep us posted on your progress.
@peaquah, Violet_Mai - what peaquah makes sense and I would normally agree with him (her? yikes!). The only other thing I would add is that in many schools (not all), a separate TA application had to be filed. So, it's conceivable that your "rank" for TA-ships may depend on their assessment of your application (which contains other pertinent data like critical essay, teaching experience, a teaching statement, etc.) which the main MFA app does not contain.
So, for example, I may have been admitted to School XYZ and waiting for a TA-ship, but it's possible I may be passed over by someone below me (or someone off the waitlist) if their TA application was stronger.
I'm not sure it's like this, to tell you the truth. I'm just guessing.
the top three low-res programs have produced some big time writers and bring in amazing profs. the funding for them might not be great, but they ultimately focus on craft and workshop, no 14th century writers we never heard of. also, taking a pair of two week clips you can work full time 48 weeks of the year.
i'm really confused by montana's TA scheme. i was accepted to montana in CNF, and was initially told i was high up on a short list for a TAship. update two weeks later: told i wouldn't get funding. emma, don't take this the wrong way, (i'm really happy for you that you got in off the waitlist AND got a TAship, that's awesome!) but why they'd pass the TAship over acceptees onto waitlisters, i don't really understand. it seems they give 5-6 TAships each in poetry and fiction, and only one to CNF. ouch. CNF is really gettin the burn i think. i don't see why CNF is any less qualified to teach comp? anyway, i'm really befuddled by the TA allocations. if anyone is better informed than me, i'm definitely curious to hear thoughts.
in the meantime, it was a bittersweet moment to send that email and decline my spot in CNF at montana. it looks like an amazing place to spend a couple of years. so hopefully a waitlister from here will get some good news soon ;-)
@ Woon i just read your post, looks like i was typing while you posted it. good thinking re being passed over by someone potentially lower.., i hadn't thought of that!
I actually don't care about their judgment of me as a TA, to tell you the truth. I only care what they think of me as a writer first and a person second.
There are two Emmas on this blog, both accepted to Montana. I'm the one who just posted, above. I was accepted to Montana with a TAship from the start, so I'm not sure how that works. From what I hear, it sounds like, within the pool of accepted students, there is a waitlist for TAships. When someone turns down a TA spot, it moves on to one of those people.
I'm not sure why CNF people aren't considered for TAships as much as fiction and poetry people... at least it sounds like that's what you're saying? That seems odd, and not right.
Accepted at Baltimore for the MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. Finally a breath of fresh air :) Not 100% sure I will attend due to cost, but I'm not writing it off completely just yet!
Here are the stats:
Baltimore-ACCEPTED
UNCW-Waitlisted George Mason-Waitlisted
Arizona-Rejected Columbia College-Rejected Hunter-Rejected
My heart, my heart is POUNDING. And my knees! I'm sitting and MY KNEES! They are a shakin'!
In at ASU, fiction! Phonecall!
All the cards are finally on the table! I'm going to stroke myself out of all these spots if I don't hold it together! But man! Whew! So happy!
SHAVING! DONT ASSUME REJECTION! FROM NOBODY, YA HEAR?! I did the same when IU notified. Then more than a month later, I got a WL notification. AND THEN, 24hours later, an official acceptance! You are still in the game until a poorly-worded letter explicitly says otherwise!
CONGRATS TO EVERYONE who's heard good things! And please, please, please, don't give up if you don't have any success this time around. The future is bright! I had a devastating year last year, rejected all around, and now, NOW. I am BLESSED! (Though this decision....might kill me. But I'll DIE HAPPY, BABY!)
Thank you, St. Patricks Day! Thank you, my honorary Irish luck!
@Emma (x2) sorry about that! that's awesome you were both admitted to montana (congrats!!) and a bit confusing, (though a cool kind of serendipitous kinship)... i'm terrible about keeping things straight from these boards. yeah, i just get the impression that CNF is a much smaller focus at montana (evidenced too that there is only one full time faculty member for it) and so maybe they do the TAships according to incoming class size relative to genre, but I don't know. it does seem like a bummer. so are you gonna take montana up on their offer? all the best xx
Thank you for all of the kind words, support, and advice and congrats to all of today's acceptances. I applied in fiction by the way and just came home to an LSU and U of Arizona rejection letter.
PS Just in case anyone else is waiting, I called UNLV today and they will notify in two to three weeks for the MFA and are currently in the process of notifying for the PHD. They received 140 fiction apps for 5-6 spots.
Hunter people waiting for notification: I wasn't satisfied with the vague email I posted earlier here from Admissions. So I contacted Gabriel Packard about whether all the acceptances have been notified or not. I've just received his reply:
"No not everyone has been notified yet. We’re aiming to notify everyone within about the next three weeks."
Here's to hoping!
I've just fired off an email to Brooklyn, since they're ignoring calls :)
I received an email today from Stony Brook Southampton; I'm in, for fiction... no word on funding or such, I assume it'll come with my snail-mail packet. Wasn't there another MFA blog commenter who applied at SBSH?
Holy Jesus, I just got an e-mail reply from EWU's program coordinator, I'm in for CNF!! No word on funding as evidently I had just been accepted today; certainly not holding my breath, given the state of things in higher education and of course the country, and for them financially, as I've heard.
@EWU acceptees on here? Thoughts on the program? Still deciding? I'll try to shut up now.
Shoot me an e-mail if you’d like to discuss—b*a*c*k*i*n*t*h*e*d*a*y*8*1* at hot*mail.
Congrats Dolores - I ultimately decided not to apply to ASU, but there is *a lot* to love about that program. Way to go!
@ Pema - Let me clarify. Both Emmas were accepted to Montana. One Emma (also in at Florida and heaps of other great places) with a TAship from the start. The other one was accepted and "first on the waitlist" for a TAship. She wasn't waitlisted for acceptance, only for funding. Since Montana doesn't fully-fund everyone, the funded slots get passed down to people already accepted, as they come available. Phew! I hope that makes more sense.
Also, a little speculation about CNF at Montana. Judy's the only prof who teaches non-fiction - even to undergrads - so that part of the department doesn't have quite the same cache as the fiction/poetry side. In addition to teaching comp, TAs at Montana also teach undergrad creative writing in their genre, and there are quite a lot of intro to creative writing - fiction/poetry classes. I don't think they assume CNFers can't teach comp - simply that there isn't as much demand for undergrad non-fiction classes within the current curriculum. It seems like it's not personal - it's bureaucratic.
@Shaving, I just wanted to say thank you for sharing. I'm in total agreement with all these other folks - it ain't over yet! And I hope you keep posting :)
@Shaving--Keep your head up. Some of those schools have not even notified anyone yet (Miami, for example) and others are still notifying, so it's silly to write "assumed rejection." With 27 schools, the odds are with you.
@peaquah thanks a lot for clarifying. and again, sorry to the emmas for misinterpreting everything! i think this whole process has completely fried my brain and i should refrain from posting my inner twisted confusion-- i certainly can't imagine being qualified to be a TA in this state anyway!! i can barely form a coherent sentence or question. so, thanks again you guys for the info and insight-- i also didn't realize that montana's TAs teach creative writing. that seems like a somewhat rare opportunity, and a sweet deal. and sorry if i came across as a bitter CNFer. hah, the baggage of the third genre.... continued congrats to everyone getting all this good news! you guys are killing it! and shaving, hang in there.
The whole funding issue at non-fully-funded schools is confusing in and of itself, without the added confusion of two people with the same name. In at at the same program. Both in fiction.
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Is anyone else confused by the University of Minnesota? It seems they've announced their acceptances and waitlisters, and they've sent out some rejection emails but they haven't sent one to me. I don't want to get my hopes up but wtf is going on over there? They're pulling a Syracuse.
I missed something. What school did Arna settle on?
Iowa
Hey everyone--
This may or may not ease your worries, but when I was waiting for UNCG to notify me, it was like late March when I found out. Trust me, I was panicking, but it all worked out. Schools really have their hands tied when it comes to funding, so most of the time, the wait has nothing to do with you (or any sort of inadequacy on your part), and everything to do with the larger financial picture.
klairkwilty, I think he picked Iowa.
@Whitney
Thanks for the assurance. Waiting is a game few people are any good at, haha.
I'll try to remember your words for the next two weeks. I won't stop biting my fingernails though ;)
Yay for all the acceptances/waitlists streaming in. And fuck Irvine, since they seem to be making everyone miserable (I say this as someone who didn't apply there and has no risk of offending anyone).
In the meantime... if anyone from BU is reading this... you can call me. Any. Time. Really. It's ok. Today. Tomorrow. Five minutes from now. Just do the right thing. You too, Columbia.
* collapses into ball of weepy nerves and shoves cupcake in face *
@K, I didn't apply to Minnesota, but I heard they have a funny (not funny ha-ha), quasi-rolling method of notification, so if you haven't heard yet it doesn't necessarily mean your in but it could mean you still have a shot. I'll cross my fingers for you!
Argh, "you're" not "your." The nerves are destroying my grammar.
@K — I was baffled by this too. The first rejection in my genre (CNF) went out weeks before I finally got an e-mail last week sometime. I don't know what (if anything) it means to receive a rejection later than others, but I am under the impression that acceptances and waitlists have already gone out.
Given that it's an automated system (an e-mail that directs you to the online system, where you then review the decision), it's strange it takes so long for everyone to hear.
@hilary re:Columbia - I'm a Columbia undergraduate and we're on Spring Break right now -- yea! -- but I asked one of the MFA readers, the Tuesday before break (a week ago this past Tuesday), when they were going to notify. I, literally, said that Columbia is kind of the last hope for some of my blog friends, so people are waiting... For what it's worth, he told me that they'd made their decisions (he's a poetry reader) but that the School of the Arts was waiting to find out from the University how much money they have to work with. So, Whitney's comment seems to be super true at Columbia.
@klairkwilty - Arna Bontemps posted his final breakdown a couple of days ago. He chose Iowa. I've just read, like, 800 posts so I don't quite remember where it was or on which day. It's worth searching for, though. Because his final tally is the perfect illustration of just how bizarre this whole process is. Arna was accepted by some ridoncolously selective programs and (apparently, possibly) not selected by some substantially less selective programs. It's hard to tell, because schools notify over a period of time, but Florida, Boston and NYU had all notified people when Arna posted, but apparently had not called Arna. So, what's up with that...?
@ Trilbe
Thank you. You are such a dear. We all love you.
@Trilbe, you are a scholar and a gentlelady - thank you for responding to my anxiety-induced hysteria with your usual warmth and goodwill :)
Does anyone have any news about when WVU is going to start mass accepting/rejecting fiction folks? I'm afraid to call and confirm what side of that I'm on...
I think Arna was set on Iowa from the beginning. He and I both have a Single-White-Female kind of obsession with that program.
I could kick myself for not applying to Irvine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michener. But their deadlines were so early and I was in finals week, so I wasn't about to bother with the stress. I'm most sorrowful over passing up Wisconsin, because I would love to occupy corners at parties with Lorriie Moore, the both of us donning our Jackie O. sunglasses and daring anyone to approach. We would paint each others' toenails and trade recipes and ride ponies and skip to our lou's. What a time it could have been. O, what a time!
@klairkwilty
Lorrie Moore!? Now there's a name I recognize. Please could you ask her to assault her publishers into releasing her Collected Stories in the US? You know, while you chat her up in your mind's corner? I had to fight some London Ebayers just to get a copy for an undergrad class last year. I do have a copy now, but I feel it such an injustice for the book to only be available an ocean away.
@Trilbe-and I forgot to say, thank you Trilbe for being our graciously thoughtful friend and cheerleader!
Just accepted to Hollins for CNF by e-mail!
Congrats Katie!!!
Wonder if other people are going to be hearing?
Sud--Twice Lauren's age? Is it possible I might not be the oldest poster on this blog?!
Man, I thought I at least had that contest won....
In at Hollins for fiction. First official acceptance for me after two years applying, yayyyyyy.
Breakthrough---Just got an email from Hunter, after much silence. I'd badgered them about my place last week:
"In the next few weeks you should be receiving an email in regards to a decision." Few weeks!!?
Sigh..."an email." Oh just tell me I'm rejected and that's it!
Shitheads.
Congrats Katie! Thanks to all for the insight on Minnesota. I guess the best scenario is I'm on some kind of d-list and the worst scenario (and most likely) is my last name comes up late in the alphabet.
@Leslie-not sure I want to win that contest!
@Otkuda - I'm glad someone is in the same boat as me. I'm waiting to hear for their Poetry program and not a peep from them.
I thought we were supposed to hear about shortlisting THIS WEEK.
Jerks.
@Sud- :) - I'm going to tell you what my decision process was like when applying this year.
September 2009: "I need to do something with my life; I really want to improve my writing. I should go to grad school!"
So I called my fave aforementioned faculty mentor, and he game me a list of 4 schools: "VCFU," Bennington, Warren Wilson, and Lesley. He waffled a bit on Lesley though so I decided not to apply there. That is the only reason why too.
January 2010: He called to tell me to apply to Iowa. That's right, the day before the app was due. (His MFA came from Iowa.)
See where this is going? I've been a teensy all over the place. I'm not sure if I should just re-evaluate the situation. But I would like to hear about Fairfield's plusses you mentioned. Maybe email offblog?
Oh, and I'd be anybody's fb friend from here. I have VERY few writing friends.
*gave...V isn't anywhere near M on the keyboard! Oh St. Patrick's Day how I miss you already...
Congratulations to the Hollins admits!
Also just got an acceptance email from Hollins in CNF. Their tuition is pretty steep, even with the grant they offered. Does anybody know what the area is like? Is this a place where one could do the whole little house in the woods thing? Or not at all? I'd have a tough time giving up funding elsewhere to pay for Hollins, but if it's really as idyllic as the website suggests, I might also have a tough time saying no...
@Ratliff-yes, let's talk offline. what's your email?
@Lexie: I'm Fiction. I agree, though, they're not being very helpful.
I guess one positive is that they do get back to you in a timely manner; the negative--they leave you with more questions than answers.*Eye twitch*
@Ratcliff and @Sud:
I got into Fairfield yesterday so I'd love to be part of your conversation about it if possible. I know very little about it or my other low-res option.
coreyann at gmail dot com.
thanks!
i'm been to hollins. the school is set in the blue ridge mountains. gorgeous setting (though it is also on a road with high speed traffic). lotsa brick buildings though the quad is pretty. there's even a horse ranch / stable (whatever they're called) on campus.
but i must say this: it still feels like a lesbian school, the same vibe you will get when attending / visiting sarah lawrence (not that there's anything wrong with that. i love seinfeld).
True, Sud, but it's nice to have some company, after all the, "I'm old, I'm almost forty (or thirty)" posts.
@leslie-yes, your right
Violet, I'm in the same boat. I knew it was unlikely that I'd get in, let alone be in the third of the admitted class that gets full funding... but a girl can dream. It's hard to justify turning down full funding elsewhere to pay $18,000 (not to mention living expenses) for the first year, and just have the CHANCE of an assistantship for the second.
But it's so pretty! And Annie Dillard wrote there! And those graduate tutorials sound like a dream!
@UNCG acceptees - Are you in North Carolina?
Mad congratulations @k! And good luck with your decisionmaking, Violet_Mai.
@hilary & Dry Leaves & Sud - Awww! When this is all over, I'm really gonna miss our camaraderie.
@hilary - I wish I had more info for ya, girl, but I'm in a really awkward situation right now. I applied to Columbia so I feel like I can't even ask harmless questions that I would normally ask. Part of me wishes I hadn't applied. But, still, I do feel like I owed it to myself to at least give it a shot.
I applied here because I know the program really well and I know the kind of progress that I could continue to make here. I work really well with the Spanish department and I would love to continue working on developing my fiction writing in Spanish, which has been super helpful to my development as a poet. There are also some brilliant Comp Lit profs that I would like to work with at the grad level. I've taken some grad-level seminars, but they just don't challenge the undergrads the same way they do their grad students, you know? And I would really, really love to work in the literary translation track in the SoA -- another thing that I think has been really important to the development of my poetry.
So, that's why I applied. BUT here's the suck: my mentor -- my poetry daddy -- is on the MFA faculty. Which has made my application season really difficult. He, of course, recused himself from considering my application. But he's still a faculty member who is involved in recruiting and accepting people. So we're not able to talk about my other offers or the financial packages that I'm considering. We can't talk about some key sh*t because, you know, Columbia could potentially be in competition with those other offers and also it would be kind of unethical, I think, to give a faculty member at one school quasi-inside information on the offers that are being made by other schools to students for whom Columbia is potentially in competition.
So I'm really kind of screwed right now because I have an incredibly difficult decision to make. I've only applied to programs that I'm in love with, SO I'm in love with every program that has accepted me. Which is awesome! But I can't confer with the key person who has been my advocate, my guide, my sheriff in all things writing. So, I'm pretty much on my own in making this decision, with no good outlet. I mean, I'm talking to friends and family. But their opinions are pretty much guided by NCAA performance and regional biases.
I know that there are people suffering worse problems in the world... Sh*t, there are people suffering worse problems in the MFA world... So I don't want to complain about things that are really blessings. But since this (sort of) came up, I just wanted to vent out some sadness because this situation is really grinding down my well being. Part of this sadness, I know, is coming from the idea that I may not be here next year. So this is just the first step in an inevitable break from a truly wonderful mentoring relationship. Good with the bad, though. Right? Onward and f*ing upward.
@trilbe
I am in a similar situation as you with the "poetry-daddy." However, in talking to him and explaining my concerns and problems, he told me that he's a lot more concerned with "what's good for me" than what's good for the major university he's affiliated with . You should consider your personal relationship with this gentleman. At least some of the time, the mentors are a lot more concerned with you than with their program.
@Trilbe, I feel you on Columbia, and the info you do have is a huge help - I was comp lit in undergrad and would looooove to do some translation work at the School of Arts (instead of just sort of making it up as I go along with Lorca). I'm sorry you're basically cut off from your poetry daddy while you have to wait (I love that expression), but at least it sounds like we'll all be hearing from them soonish... best of luck with the wait and with your future decision-making!
Also, re: advice based on NCAA affiliations - my dad wanted to know why I didn't apply to Syracuse for precisely that reason.
Waitlist'd! Sarah Lawrence. Any of you on the fence about your SLC decisions... well, you know what I think you should do. But maybe you should not listen to me, since I am motivated by purely selfish reasons :)
No word from any of the other NY area programs. All fiction. Nothing in the mail today but an invitation to a wedding I don't want to attend. Large clump of hair falling to the floor.
does "NCAA performance" means syracuse winning the 2010 national champ chip??? if so, the answer is YES. cuuuuuuuuuse!
ps - anyone planning on attending syracuse, you better read up on lacrosse (a mcphee piece about SU lax is in the latest new yorker) because that's what goes on in this city. basketball & lacrosse.
saunders is a really nice guy as well. will go out of his way to help you.
@Trilbe
Poetry daddies are good for the writing soul, and while you may not be able to discuss exact circumstances with him, he's still clearly supporting you. I wish you the best of luck in your decision-making process. Be confident that you will make the best choice. In the end, it sounds like you will do very, very well regardless of the path you choose.
Also, I did my undergrad at a Big East school where basketball is THE draw so I understand in regard to the NCAA sway.
@LOR
I totally missed the discussion yesterday about LORs, but I did want to add my voice and say that they were absolutely the hardest part of the process. Two former profs were pretty good about it, the third one was, I think, a test from God.
Oh, and just as a humorous side note: I hadn't read any of the letters before they were sent out, but I finally cracked open one of the extras a few weeks ago. It was very nice and I thought very well written. The third line down said something like "Nick was one of my most promising students..."
One problem: My name's not Nick.
Waiting patiently to hear any word from any school, but trying to move on to my plan B - professional alligator wrestler.
@Ratliff - I'll see what I can do, but I'll only do so much so as not to jeopardize my own good standing in Lorrie's eyes. She's only now comfortable with me addressing her directly. Until recently, I was to access her only via her personal assistant, Xenu, who is a demon interloper/python. Lorrie Moore is so phallic! I love it!
@Spartacus
haha, jeepas crow! That's pretty awful about your LOR including the wrong name. You got me to laugh aloud at my desk though. That scenario sounds like something out of a comedy sketch!
Good luck this season!
Did anyone else think about steam-opening your LoR's to read what it said about you and then sealing it back before sending them out with your application package? Me neither.
You'd think "Spartacus" woulda stuck in his mind, too.
Well, at least that is a good alligator wrestler name.
@klairkwilty, if I ever write a novel, it will be about you and Lorrie Moore.
@Woon - Hadn't thought of that. But two of my three referees sent me draft copies of their letters before sending the final versions off to the schools.
Cheers!
You guys! Here's a question I can't remember if we already talked about.
if I get into a program without funding or a teaching assistantship, the hardest thing for ME would be losing the teaching opportunity. I want to teach! Is it weird I'm more willing to go into (some) debt than I am to give up teaching?
Do programs reevaluate funding/assistantship offers based on an MFAer's performance and other factors? If they do, what timeline should I expect reevaluation--the second semester, third semester, etc? If I get into program X without a TA-ship, will I never get the chance to prove myself in the classroom? Is it that cut and dried?
What's this fascination with Lorrie Moore? Sure, I've read "Birds of America" and the short story "You're Ugly, Too." They're cool, but so is Melissa Hardy's collection of short stories, and no one is drooling over Ms. Hardy. What the hey? Ms. Moore seems no different than my 7th grade English teacher. In fact, I attended a reading Ms. Moore gave at Stanford a few years ago and maaaaaan, she was the most dull reader. I was looking for a noose...
Woon,
In America, she's better known as Truck Moore.
To be fair, I generally find readings by writers quite dull. You really need an actor to do readings of your works. Writers are not actors. They are very poor oral interpreters of even their own work. Take me, for example, I really suck at it.
Lorrie Moore isn't the only poor reader. I heard Edward P. Jones at Stanford two years ago. I love his work, but I couldn't stand his dry reading.
Accepted at UNH for fiction! My first and only acceptance (pending Virginia). My online status changed this morning.
I am so STOKED, but have received no email or phone call.
Any other UNH fiction people out there? I know they've been all over the place with notifying people.
@Woon
I wouldn't say that all writers are not actors. There are some of us who've dabbled in both.
I agree, though, that some writers are less-than-lively when they read their work. Joyce Carol Oates comes to mind. But I saw Lorrie Moore last year, and while she was understated, I didn't find her boring - but perhaps that's because I think she's wickedly funny.
To Violet_Mai...
I lived in Roanoke and yes, you can find a little house in the wooded mountains at a fair rent if you don't mind a bit of a drive. It is true the school is off a busy road, but the surrounding area is quite incredible, especially if you enjoy the outdoors or take inspiration from it. Good luck
SFSU called and left me an acceptance message :)
That gives me three acceptances, all in San Francisco; really starting to look like I might go there.
@klairkwilty
My day job involves answering telephones, and I was the only person at a desk for the past hour. I read your comment whilst picking up my ringing phone without thinking and burst into laughter the moment my eyes met "Xenu." The customer on the other line hopefully took little offense. I'm happy you've managed to get past the demon interloper/python. :)
@Woon
Yes, she is very funny. Part of why she was on my selected reading list for that particular course - my writing attempts similar effects. As for reading, I too would caution you against thinking writers cannot be decent actors. Sorry if Lorrie bored you, I know that feeling. I attended a reading by a prominent fiction writer (currently teaching at an Ivy) - not only was her voice boring, and her fiction MORE boring, but she was wearing this purple scarf that she continuously swept over her shoulder only to have it slowly sag again, sweep, sag, sweep, sag - Oh, it was tiring to watch!
Just received my official Colorado State rejection. Not the nicest thing ever, but it's not too bad - really to the point - 3 sentences in total!
So that brings my tally up to 4 official rejections (Alabama, Montana, Texas, and CSU), one acceptance (Naropa), and 7 still missing in action. I know Columbia and UVA have not started notifying yet (haha, like I'll even get in), but what about Vanderbilt, NYU, Iowa, Florida, and Penn State? I don't know.
Getting ready for school next year in Boulder though, pretty psyched!
HIgh up on the wait-list at Ohio University--MA in fiction. Said if I get accepted, I will be offered a stipend :)
@ Kevin
Did you get funding to any of the san fran schools? The cost of usf is so steep! (I was accepted a week or so ago with no funding) And the cost of living!
Like others, my UNH status page finally updated. I'm in fiction. Still haven't gotten an email, or any information about existence or lack of financial aid.
Someone should call Virginia to see what's up.
I was accepted to USF for fiction as well and have been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to learn a little more about the program. I was offered a small scholarship (only a fraction of the actual tuition) and from what I understand from speaking with Catherine Brady, it's not too difficult to become a TA starting second semester. I did email a recent alum, provided by USF, but she has not responded to me. I'd really appreciate any information you have about the program and the quality of instruction!
What a fab blog! Congrats to all those new MFAers!
WAITING: IU, Notre Dame, University of Illinois, OSU, and Vanderbilt.
ACCEPTED: Columbia College
REJECTED: Purdue
Just to let anyone know...I called University of Illinois and they said that they sent out their decision letters today. You will know very soon!
just found out my application to hunter never went through. not sure if this is my fault or theirs but, regardless, the matter should have come to my attention sooner. i called the admissions office and they are going to send me a refund. thank you so much to whomever mentioned a few pages back that the school has a application status website. anyone else still in wait may want to double check. so grateful i've been accepted somewhere else...i'd be about to ice myself otherwise.
Sister Ray - I assume you're talking about the University of Colorado, Boulder? What genre are you? Have they offered you funding?
@ Quincy - how did you find out? Now I'm worried.
@Sarah Leon
Unfortunately no funding for me, since I'm an international student.
@Quincy
Yeah, how did you find out? My application status still says "incomplete" because of the GREs, but I talked to the admissions people until I think I annoyed them, so I thought I was safe that it went through.
@ Seth et al
As a blogger and an MFA applicant I'm curious: How does the activity (measure that how you will) on the MFA Blog this year compare to years past?
Having a down day. I apparently let myself get my hopes up about Hollins. Now I'm mourning not having heard from them...
Congrats everyone with good news!!
I think Sister Ray is getting psyched about heading to Naropa, The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Rightly so.
@ Kevin
Bummer
@ Lara
I don't know about how rigorous the program is. I also just emailed an alum, and hopefully she will get back to me soon.
you don't receive funding if you're an international student?
In other news, rest in peace, Alex Chilton. Big Star was a fucking awesome band, and we wouldn't have the Replacements without them.
*end of nonliterary digression*
@ lexie & fwd
i just logged back into the embark portal i used to apply. like i said, i should have checked this a long time ago. my application status said "not submitted," even though i swear i did. maybe i'm misremembering. what i don't understand is how i could have paid without submitting. it's a pretty hefty fee ($125), so i just want to make sure this didn't happen to anyone else.
@Chrissy
I'm right there with you, sister
i wish i hadn't let myself get hopeful about hollins. I shouldn't have done that. I've heard nothing this morning from them (in CNF), and it seems like they've notified who they want.
Congratulations to those who have gotten good news--this is fantastic! I'll try to keep my let-down sadness about that ship sailing to myself...
@quincy,
Ah, that's awful! I don't understand how you could have paid $125 and not have it submitted either. I thought it was automatic.
@ Woon - I second the "someone should call Virginia" refrain.
P.S. I'm enjoying your hijinx.
@Cecil
It depends on the school. Schools with full funding like Brown said I would get that funding, and CCA said I could qualify for a scholarship... maybe. But most schools said aid, TAship and some funding won't be available to me.
@quincy
A similar thing happened to me, can't remember whether it was Hunter or not, but I called and asked about it after I saw "not submitted" and told them that I had an email thanking me for my payment. She told me that they had my application, and that I had accidentally started a new application when trying to log in, which is easy to do on accident with the embark system. So your situation may not be like that, but it might be possible that you did apply and what you are looking at is your "accidental new application". Unless of course the person you spoke with couldn't find a trace of you in the system, then I guess you can disregard my theory.
Update:
Alaska-Fairbanks (Accepted)
WUSTL (Rejected)
Syrcause (Rejected)
Wisconsin (Rejected)
Montana (Rejected)
Iowa (Rejected)
UNC-Greensboro
Notre Dame (Rejected)
Virginia (Waiting)
Purdue (Waiting)
University of Florida (Waiting)
Arizona State University (Waiting)
Vanderbilt (Waiting)
Oh, and a word of caution regarding Notre Dame. I reapplied this year to the program, and just recently called in to make sure there were no glitches with my application. Apparently, the department did not receive my application at all, nor did anyone review my materials from the Graduate School. After calling and speaking directly to Linda Chisholm and following her instructions for reapplication and what I could reuse, I was at the least dismayed to find out I got screwed out of consideration for Notre Dame. Considering I made it onto the wait list last year, I figured I would've had another good chance this year. Shows what I know.
@Lexie,
In a fit of @quincy-inspired panic, I called the graduate admissions department. The woman I spoke to seemed to think my application had gone through even though it says "incomplete" because of the GREs.
No word from Greensboro, btw.
@FWD - I just did the same thing. They told me I have another couple of weeks to wait before I hear anything.
Jerks.
LSU rejection by mail today.
university of arizona rejection today by mail.
@quincy and heath, guys that is epic-ly terrible - I'm sorry about that.
@Kevin, I have lots of Canadian friends from undergrad and grad school, and they all feel your pain. It's a lousy deal.
@ phillywriter:
I'd heard that about Joyce Carol Oates, too, but when one of the grad students from Columbia College called me, she said that Oates was surprisingly good at the reading she gave at StoryWeek.
Ugh, I wanted to go to StoryWeek. Instead I'm doing hardcore revision/class work for my class tonight. On my birthday.
On the upside, I might be one of those students attending StoryWeek next year...
Nadia - I know just how you feel. I feel really melancholic today and I didn't know if I should say something. But sometimes it’s just good to tell someone. Hang in there.
Hope, Hope, Hope, Hope, Hope!
@hilary
Amen to that. From "Watch the Sunrise" off of #1 Record:
I can feel it, now it's time, open your eyes
Fears be gone, it won't be long,
there's a light in the sky
It's okay to look outside
The day it will abide.
@Nathaniel, so good - I've been listening to "Thirteen" on repeat all day.
any news from ASU in fiction? and, is Houston done notifying?
Kevin - This is the first time I'm hearing about it. I am actually on the waitlist for a TAship and a small fellowship.
Hmmm should I call the schools to find out what their policy is for International applicants?
Definitely sad about Alex Chilton. I always loved this Evan Dando cover:
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=6405223&song=The+Ballad+Of+El+Goodo
Guys, It's film festival time here in Cleveland and I'll be doing a lot of sitting in dark theaters and passing out ballot forms. I'm glad to finally have something to do, what with being unemployed and still waiting on some applications. After it's over, it's time to find somebody who wants an employee for four months!
@ Perpetua
Yup, NoisySilence is right, I'm going to Naropa in Boulder, not U of C Boulder. Much tinier school! But I'm currently at a massive university for undergrad so it'll be a welcome change. :)
@ all concerned about UVA
If I recall correctly (haven't been on the application page in months), UVA waits until practically April to notify, if not actually April 1st. So I don't think we should be too concerned yet!
Not concerned about UVA, just ready to have the rest of the puzzle pieces.
@Kevin -
Very hearty congratulations.
What genre did you apply for at SFSU?
I'm assuming you applied for the MFA, but wanted to doublecheck - did you apply for their MA or MFA?
Myself, I'm still waiting..
Thanks..
@M. Swann...Thanks for the heads up about Montana...I'm WLed too (fiction).
@Nadia
I understand your fret over hollins, but hopefully this will help. I called last week and the woman I spoke with said that acceptances and rejections will go out this week; however if you are not contacted by the end of the week, you can "assume" you are on the waitlist, though you may not be notified officially. I would call next week if you don't hear anything.
Put me in the boat of those sad and mopey about Hollins.
But, I still offer congrats to those accepted, and I hope the $$ works out so you can attend- it'd be wonderful there.
@quincy
The same thing happened to me with Miami. Unfortunately, I noticed the day after the fellowship deadline. :( Their website just hadn't processed my submission all the way before I closed my browser. Or something. Meh.
Oops Sister Ray!
@hillary - That shit would sell.
@Ratliff - The next time you answer the phone, say "Hi, this is Dr. Chim Richolds. You're knocked up."
@quincy
Do you have record of your payment to Hunter? I thought I'd paid, but now looking back at things, it looks as though I received no receipt for payment. I'm in the same boat. My status says "Not Submitted."
WTF!
I'd applied last year, so I didn't have to submit all of the materials. But I'm sure I finished their application before almost all of my others. Now grad admissions says I started an application and didn't submit one. And, curiously, I have no record of payment in my bank statements.
I feel like I'm in a David Lynch film.
How could this be?
Didn't even have a shot to hang out with Colum McCann..
It's 12:09 PM. Tired of the silence. Going for a run.
In at UNO - Fiction. Funding decision pending.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts about Roanoke and Hollins. I don't know how I'd justify paying to go there, especially since the second year TAships sound like a longshot. Maybe I'll just look longingly at the little cabins available on craigslist for the next month...
Hi all, just reposting my invitation to anyone in the DC/Baltimore/NVA area interested in possibly workshopping in preparation for next year mfa apps or just cuz to drop me a line:
culturalxpatriot aT gmail
There are two of us so far. It's gonna be great!
I got an acceptance to Sarah Lawrence for fiction. I'm kind of freaking out, because I thought I wasn't getting in anywhere this year. I have no idea how I'd pay for it or any logistics at all, but I'm still really excited..
It's a big fat envelope, and it was postmarked 12/12 and shipped priority, but I didn't get it today, and I'm in Manhattan.
waitlisted at nyu via email just now (fiction)
Accepted to UNH (poetry) today via email but they stated they could not offer me funding the first year. Regardless of genre, I'd be interested in knowing how many students were offered funding with UNH.
I know all of ASU's poetry offers were accepted, but some of us aren't officially rejected yet = bizarre waitlistedness with little to no chance. I'm curious about whether or not any ASU poetry people who initially accepted offers decided to go elsewhere? Anyway, not all that hopeful about ASU's mysterious wait list.
Good luck to those still waiting. Good luck to all of us who need funding!
@courtney
Thank you so much for the info about Hollins notifications. God love anybody willing to call these programs. seriously. You're saving the rest of us. What do you say/how do you word it when you call them?
If I don't hear anything by next week I may have to grow a pair and call.
Did they say they were sending out both good and bad news via email?
Alas. I guess I'll go write some over-due papers so I can graduate from THIS school before moving on to the next :)
waitlisted at nyu, poetry, e-mail. it looks like a bunch of people got e-mailed at the same time.
Hey all,
On the WAITLIST at NYU for Fiction--just heard via email. Woo hoo?
Waitlist is my middle name!
That's a waitlist at Brooklyn College and NYU, and in w. funding at San Fran State.
-One of the Ks!
Waitlisted at NYU (fiction) as well. I wonder how big the list is...
Hooray for the NYU waitlists, inkli_11, Mike, and K!
And Michael!
Thanks hilary!
Ditto to Michael, how big is this list! I wonder how big it's been in the past...
-One of the Ks
@Daniel
I'm in for fiction MFA.
The professor didn't mention if they've made all of their decisions yet, but she said that it was more competitive this year.
As for funding:
Any government related funding isn't available to students who doesn't hold a citizenship or a residency.
And TAships would require some sort of a work visa? I'm told student visas won't work.
Just got accepted by phone to Mills College's MFA in Book Art and Creative Writing, my concentration is poetry.
cheers to all!
Also waitlisted at NYU. I am so excited that I'm actually shaking.
I never thought I would be considered any where. I feel like my writing is just so-so, but this is unbelievable.
@ woon,
my recommenders sent me open copies of their recommendations, to save me the trouble of steaming, etc.
although now that I think about it those were probably decoy letters, and the real letters probably said horrible things about me.
@Lo Real Maravilloso and @Hannah, this is just my little pet theory, but I feel like ASU has been notifying definite "no"s as they read them... and I don't know, they've been reading for a while now - so I am optimistic that you guys are at least hanging around a "now who do we let in" folder. Again, just a theory... but here's hoping it's true! I don't think I've heard of an ASU reject in a day or two, so that makes me think they might be done with the first go-round. Anyway, good luck guys! :)
@www, "I feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie," ahaha - uh oh. It sounds like there's a problem with their website, so I really hope they step up and smooth everything over... ahhh, sorry about all the stress!
@ rwhitmore,
My on-line status at UNH changed monday, and today I received an email from the department (I'm in poetry). There does seem to be a delay - first the on-line status change, then the email, and then maybe sometime in June we'll get our packets in the mail. :)
since it seems like i am not going to get any funding this year, i am already thinking about my applications next fall and i am wondering if anyone knows which schools keep your recommendations on file for next application season.
minnesota says they do on their website, but i am wondering if anyone has information about any other schools who do this. i would absolutely hate to make my recommenders do the process all over again, especially since i asked people who i barely even know and they were so kind to put all that work into the process for a relative stranger!
Congrats all you NYU waitlisters!! Oooh, also @GlobalGothicGirl and @common blackbird - congratulations :)
@Megan
Yes, the theme with them seems to be waiting and more waiting. Congrats on the good news! Are you going for sure?
@Zoulou:
Thank you for the encouraging words. I'm secretly (well, not so much now) hoping you are correct.
yes, Zoulou, I've adopted your little pet theory wholeheartedly :) thanks for the encouragement!
Thanks for the positive energy Zoulou.
I got wait listed by email today at Florida in Fiction. I've emailed the director already about my accepting the Iowa offer, so expect a waitlist spot to open up down there soon.
@everyone accepted today ... i can't keep up! so congrats everyone. :)
Has anyone heard anything from University of Washington, Seattle for fiction? I know there were a few early admits, but have they finished notifying?
Congrats to everyone! I've been mia on vacation.
@hilary
I feel like you're going to get into BU and we're going to be very dear friends. It took all my power not to beg pinsky to let you in on the phone yesterday! And good luck w columbia as I have not heard from them either.
ConGrAts to all the Hollinians. :) And to Arna, who is still cleaning up.
@laura t
Hi laura, I may be way late with the emerson slc high-class dilemma of the century but I have some food for thought: it seems to me you have the opportunity to set two very different sets of dominos in motion with this one. I'm going to set the money aside for a moment because I think that can be a dangerous element of dillusion. It seems to me, that slc will put you under the influence of people you've been dreaming to meet for quite some time now. I also think there is much to be said for a small liberal arts setting, and what that can do for your writing. On the other hand, outside of the network that the falculty at slc can bring you post-mfa, I think as someone who did her undergrad in boston that there's much to be said about the avenues of academia in that great city. Emersons program is a bit on the bigger side, however, the network that ploughshares and being in a city full of intellectually inclined folk may be a pace that is right for you. Email me for more perks on boston if you are so inclined! And congrats! A high-class dilemma indeed!
I just got accepted at UNCG via phone. While I don't know where I'm going to yet, here is my list. There will be spots opening up:
Accepted: UF, Montana (w/TA), Hunter (declined), Sarah Lawrence (declined), UNCG,
Waitlist: IWW
Rejected: Alabama, Michener, Irvine
I'm waiting to hear from Virginia to make my final decision, but I hope to let go of some spots before then. And I hope they go to Blog-waitlisters!
Congrats on all the acceptances!
@Emma - what genre?
Fiction
Hrm. I got the UNCG GNE over a month ago, and now at least three people have gotten calls. Kind of wish they didn't send those, getting my hopes up and all. Gah.
Hey everybody, long time lurker here. Just wanted to share a little something that might comfort even the most dejected of MFA applicants.
This year I applied to 27 schools, and it's looking like I'm going to be rejected across the board. I did my research, read Tom's book and Seth's extremely helpful information, turned in a sample that was published in my university's semiannual literary journal, had three great recommenders, great GRE scores, and it looks like it's a no go this year.
Here are the schools:
Iowa (rejected)
Michigan (rejected)
Alabama (rejected)
Montana (rejected)
Colorado State (rejected)
UC Boulder (rejected)
UC Irvine (rejected)
Arizona State (rejected)
University of Idaho (rejected)
Oregon State (rejected)
Michener (rejected)
UT Austin MA (rejected)
Utah (rejected)
Boise State (rejected)
Univ of Oregon (rejected)
Vanderbilt (assumed rejection)
Florida (Assumed rejection)
FSU (Assumed rejection)
LSU (Assumed rejection)
U of Arizona (assumed rejection)
U of Washington (assumed rejection)
Houston (assumed rejection)
Virginia Tech (assumed rejection)
Penn State (assumed rejection)
UNLV (pending but I talked to them on the phone and they are taking 5-6 out of 140, not good odds for me considering recent trends)
Miami (assumed rejection)
Virginia (pending, but no chance)
So if you have been accepted somewhere, please be grateful and if you haven't, well rest assured there's someone out there who's been rejected more times than you.
Thanks to everybody for all of the posts and Seth for all the great info. Best of luck with everybody for the rest of app season!
Shaving - Thank you for your post. It really puts things into perspective. I know it must be hard but you seem to be handling everything with grace and humility.
I only want to say this to you - its not over until the very last letter is in so hold on.
@shaving, oh man ... i'm sorry :-(
Did anyone else apply to Baltimore? I received an email addressed to "Incoming MFA Students" regarding new scholarship opportunities... but I never received a notice of acceptance. I called and left a message but still haven't heard back...
Anyone have any thoughts?
@ Shaving
I'm so sorry for your rejections, but, without bringing false hope, I would say don't assume rejections just yet! There are a few on your list that I haven't heard anyone getting any information yet, and I assumed two rejections that turned out to be waitlists, so all I can say is, you sound like a great writer and a fantastic candidate and I hope that this year you land where you need to be for your writing at this moment in time, whether that is in a program this year or not. Personally I think you sound fantastic and it's too early to call it over for several of your schools.
But I'm a would-be optimist.
Stay well!
-One of the Ks
Finally got University of Arizona rejection via mail in fiction.
So long Tucson!
Can I ask what might be a dumb question? I got into Hollins with only partial tuition remission. I know they fully fund, with a stipend, about four students a year. If the people they offered those stipends to choose to go elsewhere, is it possible I might still be offered one? How does this work at schools with tiered funding? Any answers/guesses would be really appreciated!
Congrats, Emma!
@Kevin
@Daniel
International students can get TA-ships on a student visa (F-1). The visa allows up to 20 hours of work a week on campus.
@Emma - Incredible!
@Shaving - what genre?
@ Violet Mai - this is only a guess, but I would assume as people turn down funded offers those offers get passed along to people already admitted. Which is probably why a lot of wait-listers at non-fully-funded schools have been told they likely won't be offered funding if accepted.
If I remember correctly, one of the Emmas was accepted to Montana and put on a waitlist for a TAship (a TAship she has since gotten, congrats Emma!). Based on that, I would say that the funded offers just move on down the line. If for instance, Montana had had an extra TAship, it would have gone to Emmma from the get-go.
That's all conjecture, but it seems logical. Hope that helps - you could still be offered funding!
@shaving i admire you. you've listed a lot of assumed rejections-- too many assumptions...too speculative. i think we've all seen that typical statistical trends don't seem to apply to this insane/unpredictable/nonsensical mfa process. i think there has been enough anecdotal evidence of people getting rejected from almost everywhere, and in the midnight hour, the white horse comes galloping in to the rescue... so, while it seems really dejectedly discouraging right now, i hope you won't lose total faith. i am really rooting for you.
@ Shaving
Thanks for posting and for being so open with us. Do not give up hope. Writing is such a subjective craft - the admissions process has been such an education - I think for all of us. You did all of the right things and tackled the process with precision. I hope the sky will part with good news for you soon. Any of those schools would be lucky to have you...Keep us posted on your progress.
@peaquah, Violet_Mai - what peaquah makes sense and I would normally agree with him (her? yikes!). The only other thing I would add is that in many schools (not all), a separate TA application had to be filed. So, it's conceivable that your "rank" for TA-ships may depend on their assessment of your application (which contains other pertinent data like critical essay, teaching experience, a teaching statement, etc.) which the main MFA app does not contain.
So, for example, I may have been admitted to School XYZ and waiting for a TA-ship, but it's possible I may be passed over by someone below me (or someone off the waitlist) if their TA application was stronger.
I'm not sure it's like this, to tell you the truth. I'm just guessing.
shaving,
the top three low-res programs have produced some big time writers and bring in amazing profs. the funding for them might not be great, but they ultimately focus on craft and workshop, no 14th century writers we never heard of. also, taking a pair of two week clips you can work full time 48 weeks of the year.
just a thought.
i'm really confused by montana's TA scheme. i was accepted to montana in CNF, and was initially told i was high up on a short list for a TAship. update two weeks later: told i wouldn't get funding. emma, don't take this the wrong way, (i'm really happy for you that you got in off the waitlist AND got a TAship, that's awesome!) but why they'd pass the TAship over acceptees onto waitlisters, i don't really understand. it seems they give 5-6 TAships each in poetry and fiction, and only one to CNF. ouch. CNF is really gettin the burn i think. i don't see why CNF is any less qualified to teach comp? anyway, i'm really befuddled by the TA allocations. if anyone is better informed than me, i'm definitely curious to hear thoughts.
in the meantime, it was a bittersweet moment to send that email and decline my spot in CNF at montana. it looks like an amazing place to spend a couple of years. so hopefully a waitlister from here will get some good news soon ;-)
@ Woon i just read your post, looks like i was typing while you posted it. good thinking re being passed over by someone potentially lower.., i hadn't thought of that!
I actually don't care about their judgment of me as a TA, to tell you the truth. I only care what they think of me as a writer first and a person second.
@ Pema D
There are two Emmas on this blog, both accepted to Montana. I'm the one who just posted, above. I was accepted to Montana with a TAship from the start, so I'm not sure how that works. From what I hear, it sounds like, within the pool of accepted students, there is a waitlist for TAships. When someone turns down a TA spot, it moves on to one of those people.
I'm not sure why CNF people aren't considered for TAships as much as fiction and poetry people... at least it sounds like that's what you're saying? That seems odd, and not right.
I'm not sure I'd want a poet as my TA.
poets are weir....oops....i shouldn't post this here.
Accepted at Baltimore for the MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. Finally a breath of fresh air :) Not 100% sure I will attend due to cost, but I'm not writing it off completely just yet!
Here are the stats:
Baltimore-ACCEPTED
UNCW-Waitlisted
George Mason-Waitlisted
Arizona-Rejected
Columbia College-Rejected
Hunter-Rejected
Arkansas-??
Hollins-??
Notre Dame-??
My heart, my heart is POUNDING. And my knees! I'm sitting and MY KNEES! They are a shakin'!
In at ASU, fiction! Phonecall!
All the cards are finally on the table! I'm going to stroke myself out of all these spots if I don't hold it together! But man! Whew! So happy!
SHAVING!
DONT ASSUME REJECTION! FROM NOBODY, YA HEAR?!
I did the same when IU notified. Then more than a month later, I got a WL notification. AND THEN, 24hours later, an official acceptance! You are still in the game until a poorly-worded letter explicitly says otherwise!
CONGRATS TO EVERYONE who's heard good things! And please, please, please, don't give up if you don't have any success this time around. The future is bright! I had a devastating year last year, rejected all around, and now, NOW. I am BLESSED! (Though this decision....might kill me. But I'll DIE HAPPY, BABY!)
Thank you, St. Patricks Day! Thank you, my honorary Irish luck!
@Emma (x2) sorry about that! that's awesome you were both admitted to montana (congrats!!) and a bit confusing, (though a cool kind of serendipitous kinship)... i'm terrible about keeping things straight from these boards.
yeah, i just get the impression that CNF is a much smaller focus at montana (evidenced too that there is only one full time faculty member for it) and so maybe they do the TAships according to incoming class size relative to genre, but I don't know. it does seem like a bummer.
so are you gonna take montana up on their offer?
all the best xx
YAY Dolores Humbert! Congratulations!!! I hope you celebrate, big time!
@Dolores H - WOW! Congrats! I'm glad your dream is coming true. Honestly though, it's no surprise. I knew those guys couldn't resist you.
All you guys with the recent good news, print this baby out and pin it to your fridge. You've earned it.
PS: Do you guys think NYU is finito with notifications? Crazy to think Arna didn't hear from them.
@M. Swann - the dude's got sand between his lips.
You know what they say, Woon: sometimes you gotta eat some sand to make an omelet.
M.Swann,
LOVE IT! New wallpaper!
Woon, Emma,
Thanks! MAN! THANKS!
Congrats Dolores!
Gives me more hope with Vtech! haha.
Thank you for all of the kind words, support, and advice and congrats to all of today's acceptances. I applied in fiction by the way and just came home to an LSU and U of Arizona rejection letter.
PS Just in case anyone else is waiting, I called UNLV today and they will notify in two to three weeks for the MFA and are currently in the process of notifying for the PHD. They received 140 fiction apps for 5-6 spots.
Hunter people waiting for notification: I wasn't satisfied with the vague email I posted earlier here from Admissions. So I contacted Gabriel Packard about whether all the acceptances have been notified or not. I've just received his reply:
"No not everyone has been notified yet. We’re aiming to notify everyone within about the next three weeks."
Here's to hoping!
I've just fired off an email to Brooklyn, since they're ignoring calls :)
I received an email today from Stony Brook Southampton; I'm in, for fiction... no word on funding or such, I assume it'll come with my snail-mail packet. Wasn't there another MFA blog commenter who applied at SBSH?
In at Arkansas for poetry! Phone call.
Holy Jesus, I just got an e-mail reply from EWU's program coordinator, I'm in for CNF!!
No word on funding as evidently I had just been accepted today; certainly not holding my breath, given the state of things in higher education and of course the country, and for them financially, as I've heard.
@EWU acceptees on here? Thoughts on the program? Still deciding? I'll try to shut up now.
Shoot me an e-mail if you’d like to discuss—b*a*c*k*i*n*t*h*e*d*a*y*8*1* at hot*mail.
Congrats Dolores - I ultimately decided not to apply to ASU, but there is *a lot* to love about that program. Way to go!
@ Pema - Let me clarify. Both Emmas were accepted to Montana. One Emma (also in at Florida and heaps of other great places) with a TAship from the start. The other one was accepted and "first on the waitlist" for a TAship. She wasn't waitlisted for acceptance, only for funding. Since Montana doesn't fully-fund everyone, the funded slots get passed down to people already accepted, as they come available. Phew! I hope that makes more sense.
Also, a little speculation about CNF at Montana. Judy's the only prof who teaches non-fiction - even to undergrads - so that part of the department doesn't have quite the same cache as the fiction/poetry side. In addition to teaching comp, TAs at Montana also teach undergrad creative writing in their genre, and there are quite a lot of intro to creative writing - fiction/poetry classes. I don't think they assume CNFers can't teach comp - simply that there isn't as much demand for undergrad non-fiction classes within the current curriculum. It seems like it's not personal - it's bureaucratic.
@Shaving, I just wanted to say thank you for sharing. I'm in total agreement with all these other folks - it ain't over yet! And I hope you keep posting :)
@Shaving--Keep your head up. Some of those schools have not even notified anyone yet (Miami, for example) and others are still notifying, so it's silly to write "assumed rejection." With 27 schools, the odds are with you.
@peaquah thanks a lot for clarifying. and again, sorry to the emmas for misinterpreting everything! i think this whole process has completely fried my brain and i should refrain from posting my inner twisted confusion-- i certainly can't imagine being qualified to be a TA in this state anyway!! i can barely form a coherent sentence or question.
so, thanks again you guys for the info and insight-- i also didn't realize that montana's TAs teach creative writing. that seems like a somewhat rare opportunity, and a sweet deal.
and sorry if i came across as a bitter CNFer. hah, the baggage of the third genre....
continued congrats to everyone getting all this good news! you guys are killing it!
and shaving, hang in there.
Come on. There were two Emmas. Both got into Montana. It's easy to get them confused.
Anyone else annoyed that these schools are not notifying people more quickly? If Iowa can do it, why can't these other programs do it??
For example, many of us with acceptances have until April 15th to decide and notifying us "within 3 weeks" is not ideal.
The whole funding issue at non-fully-funded schools is confusing in and of itself, without the added confusion of two people with the same name. In at at the same program. Both in fiction.
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