Hi Everyone,
The new content posting has been pretty quiet around here as I seem to be one of the only people updating the blog these days, what with Tom and Seth busy writing and all, and I have been distracted myself -- with writing, teaching, editing, etc. Never fear. I'll continue to throw up new mailbags, and though the blog tends to quiet down over the summer, there will be semi-regular new posts with relevant MFA related content, so be sure to check back, no matter your status heading into the fall.
For now I have a grab-bag of links for you, and some questions I want to throw out there, and a few thoughts.
The eminently sane Vince Gotera (whose personal statement advice has already proved helpful to many an MFA applicant) has advice about how to handle acceptances, rejections, and (maybe most importantly) waitlists. Sure, this is from 2006, but I think it still stands.
Gotera suggests that if you end up with rejections, you should try and figure out why. The new incarnation of ALC, known as Driftless House (and which seems to be ALC minus Seth) is offering a service to help you do just that. You give them ten pages of fiction, or five of poetry, plus your list of schools, plus $90, and in return you'll get "in-line notes and an evaluation letter." That's nine or eighteen bucks a page! Just sayin'. (I work for less than that, if you are interested...)
This brings me to some questions: If you didn't get accepted, will you be reapplying next year? And what, if anything, do you think you gained from going through the process this time around?
For what it's worth, I always tell my MFA application students and clients that they should think of an MFA as a five or six year process: one or two years to apply, two or three years in the program, and a year to adjust afterward. And that's a minimum, in my opinion.
Also for what it's worth: last year I worked with someone going through her fourth year of applications. She'd been waitlisted before, but never had any full offers. After polishing up her stories and statements she went at it again and was accepted, in fiction, at multiple top schools, including Hollins, Brooklyn, and UNCW [Updated - it was actually UNCG, my mistake.] I can't take much credit on that one -- she did so well because she didn't give up, and used the time in between applications to workshop, hone her craft, and improve her stories. By the time I met her she was already in good shape and just needed guidance on statements and some final developmental feedback. But it goes to show that tenacity pays, both for MFA applications and in your future writing lives. Sometimes the ones who make it are the ones who don't give up.
***end pep talk***
More links: many MFA programs have really terrible websites -- any applicant knows this. But how many have blogs? NMSU does, but I'm not sure of any others. Can we crowdsource this one? Post your links to official (or, I guess, unofficial) MFA blogs in the comments.
Current NMSU student Carrie Murphy also emailed me to let me know about her blog, Master of Fine Eats. "Thought this might be of interest to the MFA blog readers," she wrote, "many of whom are already (if not about to be) poor graduate students."
Last thought: one commentator was lamenting over what to tell your recommenders if you don't have the outcome you were looking for. I say (as a fairly prolific recommendation writer myself) just tell them straight. They won't hold it against you one little bit, and most will be happy to get an update, no matter the results. I sometimes don't hear anything from the people I write recs for -- and I always wish I did.
For all this post's focus on possible less-than-desirable results, the acceptance season is not yet over, and there are still more happy "yay, I've been accepted" comments to come. So don't give up the good fight yet, people!
2,268 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1201 – 1400 of 2268 Newer› Newest»Has anyone heard anything from Iowa State recently or declined a spot in CNF there?
FSU, where art thou? Thou art KILLING ME with thy wait!!!
@EE26
Let me know if you here anything from current students about the funding situation. I'm kind of in a similar situation. sublissimes(@) yahoo(.)com
In at Southern Connecticut for poetry via phone call earlier this afternoon....turned it down because I have already signed on with another school...if anyone is waiting to hear from SCSU, there is another spot open now...
If anyone out there is sitting on an LSU fiction acceptance and plans to turn it down, please go ahead and turn it down and let this poor waitlister in!
Thanks...
Congrats to those who've received good news recently, and congrats to those who've made a decision!
By the way, Nicholas Sparks was living in my hometown when he sold his first book (The Notebook) for an unprecedented (for a first novel) million dollar advance. I was an aspiring writer in high school at the time, and my hometown was all abuzz with the excitement of this newly famous writer - so of course, I went to his booksigning at my local bookstore and bought a signed copy of the book, chatted with him a bit, and then I read it. He's a really nice guy, but it was honestly the worst thing I'd ever read. I wrote a scathing review for the 'zine I was working on at the time (ah, pre-blog high school days); I think it was my first full-blown literary critique. Anyway, when applying for MFA programs years and years later, I couldn't bring myself to apply to Notre Dame because I couldn't stand the idea of being a Sparks Fellow. I just remember too vividly how excited I was to meet this famous writer - and then how devastated I became once I'd read the book and discovered what kind of work was being valued at a million dollars.
@EE26
Actually yeah, if you would be willing to share anything you end up hearing from UNCG about funding, I'd definitely appreciate it!
I will certainly do the same.
juliakpatt [at] gmail [dot] com
I spoke to the folks at UNCG and Jim Clark said the earliest we could expect to hear anything was Monday, but he couldn't guarantee it.
Signed, your fellow floundering fiction hopeful.
@ Chrissy H
Thank you for the carrot. I will follow it to Monday.
We're all going to have nervous disorders by the end of this, I can feel it.
@Julia,
I plan on being an alcoholic by the end of this process. but i guess that will help me in the MFA and a writing career. :D
I finally decided on Wyoming so I just turned down spots in poetry and fiction at montana, for what it's worth I was "high on the waitlist" for TA position in fiction. so somethinbg should be opening up, hopefully that helps someone out.
@inkli_11
Did you mean that BU has already contacted all acceptances in poetry, or do you mean in fiction and poetry?
Has anybody else heard any BU news? I know they were supposed to finish everything up for fiction and poetry by end of Friday...
grinning fox,
somewhat ambiguous.. i asked about poetry and the response was: "The admissions committee has in fact finished notifying accepted students; we will be sending out letters to all other applicants early next week."
so perhaps fiction decisions are still pending? i'd just email Aaron Kerner and ask. he got back to me within 10 minutes.
It is no fun being in funding limbo. I am waiting on Texas State to see if I make it off of their IAship waiting list, and I have to wait till 4/13 to see if i get any scholarships/fellowships. Argh!
inkli_11,
I talked to Aaron on the phone on Tuesday and I'm pretty sure he told me all poetry decisions had been made. I didn't post this because I wasn't absolutely sure I remembered correctly. As far as fiction goes, he said all decisions should be made by Friday. I think if you're in, you get a call, and if not you get a letter.
I kinda don't wanna bother Aaron again...however, if this terrible need to know keeps increasing, then I'm pretty sure I'll call him soon alternately crying and begging into the phone...
It won't be pretty but at least it will be noteworthy.
Thanks for the help.
not to be pushy or anything, but i really need someone to turn down a spot at notre dame in fiction...i'm just saying...that would really kinda help me out a bit...i will love you forever for that...but, ya know, no biggie...but seriously, that would be nice of you...
@koru - regarding your dilemma, I'd say be a gambling girl. Take the offer with the potential for the bigger $$$ instead of the sure thing with the lesser $$$. What is life without some risks? But if you gamble and lose, don't come crying to me.
@Woon,
thanks, Judas. kiss me again, please.
@koru - de nada.
LA Swede, I'm gonna need you, in turn, to turn down your offer too :P
I'm turning down an offer from Sunny Kim's School of Cosmetology, so that should be good news to somebody. Maybe nobody here, but somebody somewhere.
i don't know girl...i'll tell you that i'm about as high on the w.l. as one can be...so, uh, hmmmm...we'll have to wait and see!
woon, do you share email?
It's cool, maybe I'll see you next year when I reapply ;)
@Jacqueline Stephens - why?
hell, i'm not even in yet, but i've got my fingers crossed for that...for one, i'd get to meet you and two, it would mean i actually got in!
Ditto :)
It's all over for me--my paperwork is in for Arizona State. Thank you to everyone for all the support and camaraderie. Let's meet up at AWP!
Anyone else headed to the desert or want to chat logistics?
fixittuesday at yahoo.com
-Fiction Courtney
@Courtney - unless you actually put it in the mailbox, you can always hold off until April 15. Also, even after you mail it, you can try to intercept it along the way. But I advise some stealth because, you know, it's a federal crime.
CONGRATS, COURTNEY! Enjoy the dry heat in AZ :)
@courtney
Congrats! Did my undergrad there, the faculty is terrific.
Congrats to everybody who has been getting last minute acceptances and making final decisions.
I got my rejection letter from Penn State today, which is the veryveryvery last school I had to hear from, so it's officially over. Final Count: 2 acceptances, 1 waitlist, 11 rejections.
Received an acceptance letter from UNCG today. Apparently, they are still coming.
Hi everyone, I have a dilemma. I was accepted to the MFA program at USF and the Creative Writing MA program at SFSU. I am young and poor and I'm going to be in debt either way, but the cost of USF kind of makes my stomach turn. SFSU was my first choice, but I didn't get into the MFA program, and I'm not sure how good the MA program is for creative writing. Ultimately I want to go to whichever program is BEST.
For what's it worth, I want a program that will not only help me improve my writing, but will also give me editing experience (through internships, connections, or whatever). My career goal is to get a job in the editing and publishing industry, as opposed to a job in teaching. I mean, making money from writing alone would be lovely, but I'm not going to count on that.
@ Seth (or anyone willing to dispense advice..)
I was accepted at LSU, and just found out today that I'm waitlisted at ASU. It'd be nice (for myself & those waiting..) to make a decision before they do, so as not to get too tangled in the chain described by Woon and end up stretching the process out until April 15th or after. Obviously if I decide in ASU's favor, that'll be unavoidable....
So LSU vs. ASU. ASU has a very attractive (and larger) faculty, fully-funded with a TA-ship, and sweet international summer fellowships. LSU has better funding (though not by too much), and Baton Rouge would be a great place to live for three years. LSU would also have a lighter teaching load, which would be nice.
Any advice at all would be very very sincerely appreciated.
@ phillywriter
I know you are probably cursing me dead right now. You probably have a skiptomylou voodoo doll... but really, i swear i am a very kind and decent person...
in all seriousness, i'm rooting for you, and it would be just stellar to be sittin' in workshops in baton rouge with you come fall!
@ Jessica
Congratulations! Had you gotten an e-mail or call prior to the postal acceptance?
@Kyle
I did get one of those GNE that the board was talking about awhile back. And actually...I guess I technically found out last night when I received an email from a current MFA student there. I think there was some kind of delay with my letter.
@UNCG
I spoke to Jim Clark today and he said that they will def. inform us of funding before the 15th. So that's good....
They'll be letting us know "sometime next week".
FIY.
Carrie — I turned down a spot in CNF at Iowa State recently. Not because the program wasn't absolutely lovely, though! Let me know if you have any questions.
Carrie — I turned down a spot in CNF at Iowa State recently. Not because the program wasn't absolutely lovely, though! Let me know if you have any questions.
For anyone interested in what would happen at a workshop with James Franco, Nicholas Sparks and the kid from Finding Forrester, read this:
http://videogum.com/164601/you-can-make-it-up-nicholas-sparks-the-kid-from-finding-forrester-and-james-franco-have-a-writers-workshop/franchises/you-can-make-it-up/
@ L Lewis
Thanks for the link. Hilarious! I especially liked the part about Dax Shepherd.
Waitlisted at Columbia in Fiction, via mail, today.
Sooo I am a waitlist queen in NYC with waitlists at Columbia, NYU and Brooklyn.
In at San Fran State and University of San Francisco. Kinda want to get off a waitlist since I already live in Brooklyn!
Well, good luck everyone!
x
One of the Ks
@ Stephanie--
What is the cost difference between USF and SFSU? I'm in both for the MFA for Fiction and the costs seemed about the same to me? (I'm out of state) Or am I reading the letters wrong? I just noticed USF starts in JUNE which makes little sense to me...
-One of the Ks
@L. Lewis
LOL, thanks for the link. I laughed.
@ L. Lewis
That was scrumtrulescent. Thank you.
@ the duchess
Sure. E-mail you in a few.
@ L. Lewis
Thanks for the link; that cracked me up.
@K and Stephanie
Sorry, to barge in on your conversation, but I'm going to USF for poetry for sure and I'm pretty jazzed about it. 1) Tuition: the cost for the full two years (+3 summers) is about the cost of other programs for just one year. 2) I picked USF over State because everyone I talked to at USF was super nice and accommodating, and I'm really digging this summer thing. Also there's the cross genre option which I love and really needed from a program.
@K -- I lived in NYC for five years (Manhattan though) and I'm happy to see a fellow New Yorker considering San Fran! Yay!
Hmm, I always feel kind of like a tool when I post.
@ CAA Thanks! I lived in Manhattan for 6 years, just moved to Brooklyn so I totally feel you!
I guess maybe I'm just about to move out of Brooklyn too? What was I thinking with a September lease!!!
x
One of the Ks
@skiptomylou
Congrats on the ASU waitlist!
Hope things work out for the best. For both of us. I can tell you, though, that the hot weather at ASU is better than the hot, sticky, humid, hurricane-prone environment at LSU! (Not that I'm trying to turn anyone away from LSU...why would I do a thing like that?) Seriously, though, I hope we both end up in the right place - and maybe that will be Baton Rouge for both of us.
Meanwhile, my official rejection count is up to 16, thanks to a snail mail rejection from Columbia today. Couldn't have afforded it anyway, so I'm trying to think of it as a blessing that they made the decision for me rather than making me struggle to determine whether I really wanted to take on that much debt.
@koru
Woo, alcoholism! \o/
@Jessica
Congratulations!
re. alcoholism
Imagine that. Writers and alcoholism. What a novel combination.
Hi,
This is Aditi. (Please ignore my silly blogger ID. Can't seem to change that.)
This is for Seth; I haven't posted my schools before.
I applied to:
Brown
Washington at St Louis
Vanderbilt
Iowa
Virginia
for poetry.
I have an acceptance from Washington at St Louis, rejections from Iowa, Brown and Vanderbilt, and I am 'high on the waiting list' at Virginia.
This complicates matters for me. I'd sort of made up my mind to go to Washington. I've heard lots of good things about the program; the funding is good; and everyone there seems to be very sweet and obliging. The only negative I heard was that it's a pretty hands-off program and you have to figure your own way around.
I'm worried that Virginia will keep me waiting for a long time. I mean, would enough people drop out for me to have a spot? And now I have to think about the program itself, whether I'll be fine in Charlottesville.
I'm extra worried because I'm not just travelling across the country to do this, but across several oceans, and I can't just run back home if things don't work out.
Help. :/
Aditi
@Woon -- nice pun.
@c.wink
You just made me a very happy person. I am one man closer to going to Montana, and one step away from making tons of money going to Law school.
Re: Montana
I'm interested in your wording. You said you were high on the waiting list for funding... how did you find that out? Who told you? When? Sorry if I sound paranoid, but this is my life I'm talkin about.
@K and CAA
I live in CA, so that may be why there is a bigger difference in price for me. 6 units at USF costs 6600, while 6 units at SFSU at costs 1800. I was talking to a girl in the financial aid office at USF and she said that the maximum loan offered by the government isn't enough to cover all the costs for some students there, whereas at SFSU that same amount would be more than enough. Plus I got a tiny little grant from SF State, which I appreciate :>
Does anyone know how hard it would be to go from the MA to the MFA program at SFSU? I just want to live in the Sunset and ride my bike everywhere!!!
I got in at SFSU in the MA for poetry. It's weird because when I applied for the MFA I checked "No" when it asked if I wanted to be considered for the MA.
I'm still waiting on SDSU and to see if I get off the waitlist at UIUC, but I am considering going to SFSU.
The one question I have is can I live out in San Fran without my car? I just really hate driving.
For those of us who will be teaching freshman comp.
Accepted at Iowa for Fiction!I had been waitlisted, and they called me on the 31st. I've been given a teaching placement.
Also, I should add that out of the 17 American programs I applied to, I was waitlisted at three, accepted outright to none.
@Julia
@Mr. Hemlock
Will do!
Waitlisted at Columbia, Fiction. I don't think I'm going to be able to go even if they do offer me a place since I will have to make decisions regarding the schools that have accepted me by April 15.
Now if I could just score some funding or someone please accept a spot somewhere and let me have BGSU! COME ON!
@Longfellow, my brother has lived in SF for several years now without a vehicle. He sold his truck when he moved from VT. He walks to work, to the grocery store, to dinner, everywhere. And there's plenty of public transport for longer journeys.
I'm glad you liked my immature joke, Julia..
Sure has quieted down since the same time last month.
Called Alabama's office yesterday afternoon to ask about the fiction waitlist. I talked to the kind creative writing grad admissions lady who told me to "proceed with my decisions as if rejected." Really broke my heart because I have no other decisions except for BU, in which I'll probably be rejected like the rest of my schools.
Here's my tally in fiction, Seth! (I was going to wait until I heard back from all the schools but might as well do it now ^^;):
Wisconsin-Madison (rejected)
Brown (rejected)
Michigan (rejected)
Irvine (rejected)
Virginia (rejected)
Boston (soon-to-be rejected)
Alabama (on waitlist but also soon-to-be-rejected)
'Twas a tough season.
Congrats to all the admits, courage to those waiting, and hope and love to anyone feeling depressed from rejections!
Wow, congrats, rebeccaruke!
Just called Boston University, they've notified all acceptances and waitlisted students.
Though I've been feeling resigned for the past month, couldn't help shedding a tear or two. :[
P.S. Not that you were curious, but know you know Frogs is a female. :]
@ Frogs
Fortunately a mature sense of humor isn't required for MFA programs because I love April Fools jokes, pranks, and references to bodily functions.
Terribly sorry to hear about BU! I'm crossing my fingers for you and Alabama.
I am intrigued by the title of your writing sample. "Superstitions," right? Might you be interested in sharing? Maybe?
It's okay, Frogs :( Alabama is a fantastic, highly competitive program. The fact that you were wait listed there should tell you that you are on the right track. A year of writing will help you a ton. Those other schools are INSANELY competitive, so being rejected from any of them says nothing about your talent as a writer. Next year, apply to more schools with varying admission rates and I think you'll have much success :D. See you next year ;)
@ rebeccaruke, Congratulations on Iowa! That's amazing!
@ Frogs, I'm hoping for an Alabama waitlist miracle for you!
Accepted to Georgia State University's MFA program! (e-mail)
I am giving up unfunded fiction offers at George Mason and Pitt. Hope that helps someone! Also, a very low spot on Notre Dame's waitlist, and, for anyone interested in a stable career that pays money, an MPP acceptance at UChicago.
Thank you so much, Julia, kaybay, and Laura T for your warm words. This blog builds a sense of community for which I'm very grateful.
Julia, 'Superstitions' is a name I made up on the spot (though I'm a person wracked by superstitions!). I will send you my two stories called "Water Bottle Touch" and "Speedbumps" if you are interested! The first is about an unrequited high school crush and the second a dad-daughter tale involving menstruation (thank goodness you're okay with bodily functions?!). You can email me and I'll email back with attachments. I would love to read your work, too, if you want to send it.
If anyone else wants to share their work (or read my own crap), my email address is frogsatnight@gmail.com
:]
By the way, almost forgot in the midst of wallowing in misery.
Congratulations rebeccaruke..and pdg!
For those on the waitlists, I turned down an unfunded fiction spot at Columbia last week and a funded TA spot at BU this morning.
@pdg
What genre?
@ rebeccaruke
congrats!
I know offers and wait list updates are still trickling out from some schools. But are there any schools left that simply haven't notified yet?
Just curious.
Cheers!
I'm still waiting on Hunter College for a poetry notification. Anyone else in that boat?
Congrats to rebeccaruke! Shows what a complete crapshoot this is when you end up at Iowa with no other acceptances.
Son will be at JHU for fiction also with no other acceptances.
For the record , got my rejection from ASU.
Is that the worst letter of what? I'm thinking of writing to them and telling them that I find it disrespectful towards all of us applicants.
Oh and congratulations to all acceptances!
And to rebeccarurke - see you in the Fall :-)
Just called New School for the millionth time, apparently my file's still with the department... the suspense is killing me!
Never posted my very, very short list (short for a number of reasons, the biggest being a stressful fall semester where I got flu and then pneumonia in November). Applied in fiction, except at TNS where I applied for a dual concentration in fiction and writing for children.
Emerson - accepted, no funding
Royal Holloway, University of London (MA) - accepted, waiting to hear about a scholarship
New School - no news yet
@ Lexie
Did they contact you about the waitlist?
@umIrenic: No. I have literally heard nothing, except "We’re aiming to have notified everyone within the next 2-3 weeks." from Gabriel Packard via email two weeks ago. There have been no updates to my online app, no rejection emails, no acceptance emails. I have no idea what is going on!
@ people who received UVA rejections
How did you find out? Through the website? If so...how do you do that?
Thanks!
Jessica
Actually the UVA MFA webpage has a statement that basically says if you haven't heard from them regarding an acceptance or waitlist, you've been rejected.
@ Katie -
Thanks for the information! If you don't mind my asking, why did you turn them down? And did you happen to visit Ames before making a decision?
Jessica, here's their departmental homepage.
:[
Bahahahaha.
Okay. Rejection!
@umIrenic: Yes, it's very odd. Oh well. All I can do is keep waiting. Ugh.
Pote/Aditi - first off congratulations, those are two amazing schools! I don't know if I can answer your questions but what I can tell you is this - just call Virginia and ask them where you are on the waitlist, let them know you have been accepted elsewhere which will speed up the process of them giving you information, and if you have a good chance of getting off the waitlist. Depending on what they answer you can then decide.
But Washington is a brilliant school with a great MFA programme and St. Louis is an amazing city.
@Lexie
I am in that same leaky, unseaworthy Hunter College boat. But in my case, it is the SS Fiction. My understanding is that they are aiming to notify everyone by the end of next week. Perhaps by message in a bottle.
@Julian: Well...it's the end of the week!
@pdg - congrats on your GSU acceptance.
I was also accepted at GSU (fiction) via email yesterday. I was rejected by 4 programs yesterday, and so I had sworn off the world and decided I would just reapply next year. I didn't even check my email to see that I'd been accepted until today! Pending financial decisions, I could still be reapplying next year, but I'm really excited to have options.
pdg - what are your thoughts on the program? If you want to chat, my email is michelle [dot] jeup [at] gmail [dot] com
@micaela
Would love to speak with you about your Bennington vs. Sarah Lawrence decision. I have a similar one to make.
Would post my email but all my accounts have my name in them and I'm trying to maintain the thinnest veneer of anonymity (though I'm not really sure why). Any way I can contact you offline?
Ok, question:
I have been accepted to one school, rejected officially by two. I haven't heard yet from the 5 other schools I applied to. Called some programs, checked online, whatever. They just haven't sent news my way, yet. So, what happens if I'm on one of the waitlists where they don't notify that you were actually placed on a waitlist, and I receive word, like, right up to the deadline about it? Of course, I probably don't have a shot in hell and they're just waiting to send rejections, but hypothetically, what would one do in that situation? I don't like the idea of waiting until the 13th or 14th to accept the offer I've been given, but I feel like the sloth-like pace of this process and the bogging down on applicants this year has severely messed stuff up.
For those waiting on notice from U Arkansas, I just got my rejection email.
They were my last one. Have a list:
UNC Greensboro -- Accepted (funding pending?)
NC State -- Accepted w/TAship
U New Hampshire -- Waitlisted
Vanderbilt -- Rejected
UVA -- Rejected
U Arkansas -- Rejected
This is my second year applying. This time last year, I was looking at five rejections and one waitlist (I was eventually accepted without funding). Things are definitely looking up.
So it's decision time, not only between schools but MFA vs. Law. I'll try to be quick about it (end of next week at the latest) so if you're hoping for a spot at one of these programs, all is not yet lost.
William,
I just got Arkansas closure via email...heads up y'all...form rejections.
also @ William
I emailed Ole Miss last week. They were very nice but informed me I was rejected. So they may well be done.
Oh, those are fiction. I forgot to say. :)
@Lucas, Julia--
Seconds after posting that question, I got my rejection from Arkansas. If only I'd known that all it would take was asking on the MFA blog...
@William
It's like magic, isn't it?
Dear ASU:
Please accept my dear friend skiptomylou off your waitlist so that I can take skiptomylou's spot at LSU. Thanks!
A message on behalf of the George Mason MFA Program:
In response to Sigma's comment (#1000 of this thread, I believe) a couple days ago, we in the English department did some investigating and discovered that, indeed, an email was sent in error from Central Admissions, and that email went to a large number of applicants and potential applicants to programs across all departments at Mason. While the email did not imply admission to any program in particular, it was worded in such a way that treated the recipient as a current Mason graduate student. A follow-up apology was sent yesterday afternoon by the Admissions Office.
If you think that may have received a message from Mason in error and would like some clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Best wishes to all in the final stretch of the semester and in the graduate application process. I hope you get the (real) news that you're looking for.
~Cloud
Hi all,
Just wanted to update you that yesterday it became official: I have been rejected for grad school across the board. Thanks to leads provided by some of you I contacted both Florida and UVA by e-mail to confirm. Virginia replied within an hour, and Florida got back the next day.
So for one time and one time only...
FUUUUUCK!!!
Much better. Honestly, what I'm feeling right now is almost complete, unadulterated RELIEF. I more or less resigned myself to this fate a month ago, but it's impossible to move on completely when you hear occasional stories of people getting unexpected calls from schools who seem to be done notifying. Agh!
I think I've mentioned here before that I fully intend on re-applying next year and taking measures to improve my candidacy in the meantime.
For one thing I'm having Driftless House take a look at my sample. I'm paying for the full consult, because I'm so tired of this piece getting rejected from journals and grad schools without any feedback. Criticism at this point will be a huge treat! And I'm very excited to hear back, so I can figure out once and for all if the piece is worthy of resubmission after incorporating their feedback, or if I need to start fresh and develop new material.
I will also participate in a writers workshop in the fall, hopefully through Harvard, since I work here (Amy Hempel teaches an advanced class that's open to staff). I haven't been part of a workshop since college -- temporarily avoiding them was a conscious decision on my part, so that I'd have more time and focus to dedicate to the novel. I figured the MFA would be my grand return to the workshop environment, but perhaps I need an appetizer before I'm allowed to move on to the main course.
I also need a major break from my day job or I won't make it another year and a half. So I'm planning to take a leave of absence in the summer to do some volunteer work in Africa. Hopefully it works out.
On the whole I feel great about this "Plan B." But if I weren't looming among, and whining to, you fine people these past two months, I think my contingency plan and state of mind would be starkly different. In fact, thinking about it makes me shudder.
I can't express enough how grateful I am to all of you for sharing your experiences with me and letting me share mine. Here I have met a slew of determined and talented writers who are in exactly my position, and many others who were in just this position last year, made some adjustments, reapplied, and have now been accepted into some of the most selective MFA programs in the nation. Without you, keeping things in perspective would have literally been impossible. Thanks to you, I feel very optimistic.
I'll keep poking around to see what pans out for the rest of you. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for those of you still in limbo.
@phillywriter - You're still my number one horse. My money's on you.
@Ink and Beans -- Good luck on all your endeavors. Going to Africa to volunteer sounds like a dream. And I wish you the best when you apply again next year.
@Ink and Beans
I'm sorry things didn't work out for you this year. But your "Plan B" sounds great.
Thanks for your support! I think my only hope at this point are my waitlists at LSU and Indiana (and for Indiana, I don't even know how far down I am on the waitlist). So, we'll see. If I don't make it this year, we can cheer each other on as we go through this all again next year.
What a crazy process. But as long as we keep writing, we're still doing what we love, even if we have to put that MFA off for a while.
Hello All,
I have a question that maybe you could help me with- On a lark, and two days before the deadline, on top of all the other schools I carefully research and applied to, I applied to the low-res program at Oxford University. And got in! But I don't really know much about its reputation, and I've been searching the web, but I haven't found anything, really. I was hoping that maybe someone could point me to some online resources, or books, or reviews, or opinions, or anything at all, really. Because, on the one hand it's OXFORD, but on the other, it might not be a good program, even though it's at Oxford.
Thanks for any help you can give me- it's much appreciated!
@Ashley Brooke - I think I'm the only person in the whole world who hasn't seen the Paris Hilton sex tape.
Called the New School for the third time. They had said earlier that all decisions went out last Monday, but I live in NYC and never got anything. Was told over the phone that I was rejected. For other New School waiters, I suggest you call and bully an answer out of them.
Ink and Beans - sorry to hear about your results, I'm right there with ya :( Please reapply next year, I think you'll see different results (I hope!) and it'll all be worth it (double hope!).
@Florida applicants: has anyone emailed Carla for status and NOT received an email back? I'm about to be at total nag and call, but if it means something, I want to know!! Even if it's a low wait list, that will definitely be a considerable help.
Hi Carrie — It all boiled down to pretty finicky personal reasons. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Ames. I had a lovely conversation with Mary Swander by phone early on in the process, though, and heard mostly positive things from students. (The only qualm I had on that front was that one student I spoke with said the 1-2 teaching load got heavy during the semester when you teach two courses.) In the end it was a combination of a few things — I decided after the application process was over and done with that a three-year MFA program just isn’t the right choice for me. Iowa State also wasn’t my first choice, and I was accepted at another funded program a bit higher on my list that just “felt” like a better fit for me.
I really loved the environmental focus, though. A priority for me in applying to MFA programs was finding a school that would let me take courses outside of the English department, and it sounds like a few Iowa State students have pursued really fascinating courses of study and work.
I hope this helps! Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to put in my final post here. I didn't get into school this year. In the end, I'm pretty sure my results came from applying to 13 very difficult schools (I didn't really understand how insanely competitive these programs are until it was much too late).
I just want to thank this group for all the many days of anxiety we shared together. We laughed, we threw up, we woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, screaming for our mothers. Seriously, it's been real.
I hope to see some of you here next year! Not that I hope you don't get into a program, but it's always nice to see familiar names.
Here's to lovely, dark and deep woods!
(That's what she said)
@Anti-
I received my Columbia rejection via snail mail yesterday, so that might be what your parents received.
I called Columbia this morning and they told me that the remainder of the letters would be mailed out by Monday at the latest. Sounds like bad news...
What is Ning?
I'm sorry if this is a repost, I've been having trouble posting.
Okay, I have a silly dilemma, and have already posted over at the Ning group about it, but I want as many opinions as possible:
I'm going to visit a school next week, and I had planned to go to a lit class on Wednesday. The problem is, I found out today that Anne Lamott will be speaking in the city at the exact same time as the class I'm supposed to go to.
I love Anne Lamott, and she hardly ever comes out to where I live. It would be a joy to go see her. I've already reserved a ticket, so I have the option, but I feel really bad canceling on the class. It's a subject that I'm not super interested in, and it's just a lit class, but I wanted to attend it to see what the students will like. I'll have other opportunities to meet current students (I hope), but I'm worried that I won't get to know the program as much without going to the class.
So, what do you all think? Class or Anne Lamott, and why? Which is more worth it?
Seriously, this is killing me.
@ Chrissy
Can you arrange to go to a different class instead? I wouldn't want to miss Anne Lamott either. Love her.
@Chrissy
Anne Lamott is my all time favorite author, because I consider her to be a huge influence on my formative writing years. I would DEFINITELY pick seeing Anne Lamott over a class... especially since I am going to be there :) (That is, if you are talking about Vromans in Pasadena on 4/14) I AM SO EXCITED!!!! As soon as I found out, I called my boyfriend to tell him, but I was at work so I had to be quiet. I just kept giggling into the phone. He said I'm a Lamott groupie. I'm very proud of that :)
@DigAPony -- I just looked at the class listings. The only other lit classes (they won't let me go to a workshop because of their sensitive nature, or something) are during the Admitted Student Reception I'm attending, or while I'm flying in. If only I'd know about Anne Lamott when I booked my flight last week, I could've come in earlier and gone to an earlier class.
If they let me go to a workshop, there's one in my genre that starts before the reception, and maybe I could go for the first two hours and then leave for the reception...
But I doubt they'd let me do that...
@Jillian Lauren -- Thanks for your input! I know, I'm dying to go see her. She's one of my favorites, too. I just might die. Really, she's probably one of the few authors that would tempt me to change my plans so completely like this.
And I'm talking about Boston, not Pasadena. She'll be there on Wednesday.
But have fun when you go see her! I'm going to go completely fangirl on her. It's going to be despicable.
Anne Lamott in a heartbeat. She is a god to me.
Bird by Bird is my Bible.
I realize that doesn't help you, though.
@Chrissy - if you're going to commit to Emerson no matter what, skip the class and go see Annie Lamott. If you're undecided about Emerson, you should go to the class. Keep in mind that one class is too small a sampling to get a true "feel" for the school. (I'm not even sure there is such a thing as a general "feel" of a school actually, since it varies from class to class and year to year.)
As usual, Woon's old-man genius trumps out. I say follow his advice.
As much as I love Anne Lamott (or, at least, love Bird by Bird), I have to agree with Woon on this one. If you're still undecided about where you want to go to school, sitting in on a class could be valuable - and I'm sure there will eventually be another opportunity for you to see Anne Lamott. But if you've already decided you're going to Emerson and sitting in on a class won't actually influence your decision, then skip the class and be a fangirl.
@Leslie -- I know. It's my Bible too!
@Woon -- Right now, it's either I go to Emerson or I don't go at all. Of course, the visit will be my deciding factor. If I show up and it feels catastrophically wrong, then I won't go there. But I have a feeling I'm going to show up, feel good about it, and end up attending in the fall.
I agree with the class being too small a sample size, but I feel like it's still more of a sample than the people I'm going to meet at the reception I'm going to. I just...don't know what to do. I might need the help of the class, or I might now. Right now, I'm afraid I'll regret missing the reading for it.
That was supposed to read, "or I might not."
Typos!
Seriously, though. I'm not sure whether it will effect that much. The fact that Anne Lamott's going to be in Boston when I'm there has already won me over quite a bit. It's just even more proof that I'd be living in a city with a vibrant writing community. I'm just...gah!.. so confused.
@DigAPony, phillywriter, others - thank you. I'm also available for hire to perform parlor card tricks at birthday parties and weddings.
@Chrissy
I'm sure you'll find another opportunity to see Anne Lamott at some point. She's put out a new book every 2 to 4 years for the past thirty years, so I'm sure it won't be but a few more years before she's making the rounds again.
@Chrissy - if you start to declare that the coincidental visit to Boston by both Annie Lamott and you at the same time is some kind of "sign," I think I'll slap you. That's flake talk.
At last. The wait for me is over. After emailing Helen Phillips, she got back back to me and confirmed I was rejected from Brooklyn. It's good to know for sure. And anyone with barely any nails left to bite, I'd recommend emailing her for a straight up answer (she said letters will be sent out in a few WEEKS.)
So, I've declined a spot at LIU and accepted City College's offer officially.
Hope to meet some of you there this Fall=)
Good luck to those still waiting!!!
@Woon
I need more than parlor tricks. Are you capable of working some magic to get me off the waitlist at LSU or IU?
@Woon -- Haha. No, I won't. It was just very exciting.
My mother did claim it was "fate." I also reserved the last ticket for the reading. My mom definitely thinks it's a sign.
If you ever want to talk to your favorite writers, just look them up (most have their own website) and send them an email. I once enjoyed a short story so much by a particular unknown writer that I sent her an email and we ended up having a lengthy conversation via email. Of course, by the end, she got so annoying that I had to end our brief affair permanently. Then, I signed up for a new email address.
@phillywriter - I'm still rooting for you to get into IU. Enough applicants seem dissatisfied with IU (for some strange and unfathomable reason) that I can't believe you won't be called up from the minors soon.
Well I haven't heard from Arkansas and i feel a little left out. Then again, I don't want to go there so, it's kinda like being the last boy picked for teams in a volleyball game. I really just don't care.
Is anyone else still waiting to hear from Oregon or Irvine (poetry)?
Come onnnnnn
So I just got bumped from George Masons waitlist to accepted. I'm overjoyed. Plus I'm currently in Europe at the moment which was a kind of an escape from this MFA stuff.
If you'd like to chat email me at david@davidwojo.com. I think i'll take Mason. Just gotta wait till I'm home to do a bit of research in a week.
What does your panel of experts have to say about a 60something going for his MFA in Creative Writing after a (relatively) successful career in video production? Is it worth the effort, or should I just focus my remaining energies on getting published? Do I want to teach? Not necessarily, but it is an option.
@Aditi,
Congratulations on being offered admission to Wash. U! I wondered.....In what sort of sense is Wash. U. a hands off program? I'm curious and I'm not sure exactly what is implied.
Thanks!
=-)
Oops, typo....
I meant to hyphenate: hands-off
@the mountain king
What genre at GMU?
J. Scott,
Take this advice as you will: either attend a low-residency program (where you will likely get more attention on your manuscript than at a full-res program, and you will meet and work with plenty of older writers) or continue to focus your efforts on writing and publishing without the aid of an MFA program. The average age of grad students at full-res programs is 28. Many of these young students will be spending the bulk of their time socializing and partying with others in their age group.
Do take a look at Warren Wilson College and Vermont College of Fine Arts if you haven't already done so. They are among the most popular and selective low-res programs in the country.
@the mountain king -- Congrats! Do you mind my asking which genre you are? I'm waiting on a CNF spot...
Long Story Short: A Haiku
I suck at Writing
Rejected across the board
The End
(I'm fiction, btw)
J. Scott,
I disagree with T.G. I'm 40 and in a full res program and I love it. I gave up a legal career to focus on my writing and I believe I made the right decision. For whatever it is worth I don't think anyone in my program is spending "the bulk of their time socializing and partying." I think most everyone is spending the bulk of their time reading and writing.
@J. Scott - I agree with Jennifer. I'll be attending a full-res program this coming Fall and all of my time will be spent reading and writing, not partying with the kids.
Ditto for me. I'm 28 and have long given up weekend booze for books.
But I do worry that I'll be muttering "Damn kids!" under my breath as I walk across campus to get to my bus stop.
...because the frantic pace of college life will eventually get to me. Oy vei.
@T.G.
I plan on dividing my time out as follows:
10% Reading and Writing.
90% Having Sex with Undergraduates.
These are official projected figures and can be quoted.
Seth already has a secret site called "The Erotic Algorithms" where he uses fractional disencumberment advanced mathematics to find the true statistics behind MFA penis placement.
This is a true story.
Honestly, the thought of having "relations" with undergraduate coeds did not occur to me. Especially blonde ones.
@wreckinglight: you just made me snort tea. thank you very much for this beautiful start to the day. :P
I'm 25, and the most alcoholic thing I've ever drank is a long island iced tea. It was gross and I almost puked. NO THANK YOU.
Whew. So I just spent hours going through all the comments I missed in my last week of travel.
Congrats to Chrissy for her merit aid, Aaron Apps for choosing Minnesota, and phillywriter for being #1 at LSU (which seriously is nothing to scoff at). I also wanted to offer my condolences to Ratliff on your teacher's death.
violet_mai: You said you had a fiction acceptance at Vandy? I hung out with several of the fiction students there this week and they all seem truly fantastic. Do you know which way you're leaning?
ink and beans: You have the most phenomenal Plan B. I sincerely hope it proves to be a fulfilling and productive year for you.
Laura T: I really wish you had gotten merit aid. I keep hoping to see awesome news for you and was very sorry to read that.
OK time to take my now numb ass and get away from the computer. Crossing fingers for everyone to see some waitlist movement this weekend!
Oh and I almost forgot! Congrats to Jason J! That is BAD ASS that you're going to be able to hang with your friend in SF.
(raises glass to your good fortune and peace of mind)
@Rosie
In defense of your alcohol tolerance (and alcohol in general), I have to say that Long Island Iced Teas can be deceptively strong because they are also very sweet. Also, sugary drinks are more likely to make you nauseous.
(Am I a bartender or do I just have a lot of experience? You decide!)
However, even though I am young and fairly silly, I do not have plans to party all weekend every weekend in graduate school. I may take up my caffeine and nicotine addictions again, though...
I've heard it said twice on here (possibly by the same person) that they applied for SFSU's MFA and checked on the form that they DID NOT want to be considered for the MA, yet were then offered the MA. I'm curious how many out there are in that boat. I mean, I'm glad for you that you have that option but still...
I applied for the MA but not the MFA and didn't get in, I live nearby in the Bay Area and would have really been excited to go there, and I probably won't end up being able to go anywhere next year, even the couple places I was accepted, due to their location and expense, and I'm a little sad about it. And I also would bet I'm not alone.
Even if those who were accepted for the MA were leagues better writers than me and others not excepted who applied for the MA, and even if I/we may have been a long way down from even getting on the waiting list, STILL I do find it irritating and downright unfair that my application and others for the MA program was put in a pool along with people who specifically checked that they DID NOT WANT TO apply for the MA.
What up with that? Is that legal? (well I'm sure LEGALLY they can do what ever they want) Is that ethical? It doesn't really seem like it.
Grumble grumble grumble ;-)
@J.Scott-I'm going to celebrate my 60th birthday at Fairfield University's low res session this summer. They're still accepting, btw and they have great faculty.
@Wrecking Light-you made my evening!
@Woon-you never stop to amuse me. Thank you.
@ amanda,
Thank you, I really appreciate that! I wish I had awesome merit aid news to share but unfortunately do not :( oh well.
i haven't posted in ages and have about 1200 comments to catch up on, but i just wanted to let you all know that i was accepted to george mason today for fiction.
the email said funding in my first year was unlikely, so it is bittersweet to say the least. but even this late in the game (i'm assuming i made it in off some type of unofficial waitlist), it was nice to hear that somebody liked my work. i have no idea how this is going to pan out at this point, but after a series of bad fridays in february and march, this was welcome news. TRULY do not give up until you have that rejection in your hand.
finally tally:
accepted: george mason
rejected: brown, michigan, syracuse, and wisconsin
So I don't post a whole lot, but I have made my decision- alas there was only one to be made. Rejected by ten, accepted by one (UNH, sans funding)- I deferred there.
@WreckingLight
That has made my day. I may cut, paste, save it, when I'm going through apps season next year. Thank you.
@ Woon
Which author did you communicate with? Mainly, I just want to read her short story. Not at liberty to say? Well sigh...
@ And everyone...
About the age thing. I'm 28 and feel horrendously old. And this process might not get me accepted or funded next year either, or the year after for that matter. How self-conscious are others about age and lifestyle differences too? (I'm not necessarily implying a causal connection.) For example, I don't drink, or smoke, and I rarely skimp on naptime, so I'm wondering, does this effect my ability to socialize with my cohort... Maybe it doesn't matter at all...I dunno.
I'm wondering about the age thing, especially, because damn, kids, this is hard, clearing all these hurdles: it is ridonculously competitive just to get in, and then even more so to find a place that will fund you. No lies, I'm wondering how foolish of me it is to apply year after year, to mold my life around writing, and then to encounter the very real prospect of not getting in to any of my dream schools... Ever!!!
Well, at least this year is done.
@Georgie
I'm so sorry to hear it didn't work out for you this year!
For what it's worth, I think different programs attract different people. Example: I visited NC State's program last weekend. The youngest person I found either year was 26 (most were around 30). Several students were married/had families. They were shocked to find out I was 23.
What impressed me the most about this group of people, though, was that they were friendly but independent. You could tell everyone was comfortable doing their own thing, but they still got along really well.
I can't imagine this is only the case at NC State. I think it's just one more thing to keep in mind when you pick your programs next year, honestly. And visiting helps!
Is Seth still collecting data on where people applied? or does he cut it off at some point?
@Georgie
Yay! Naptime! Such an integral part of any good day.
I hear your worry. I'm already unconventional enough in my current life -- would it be more of the same with writers or would I find intellectualism and kindred spirits?
28 is young-- really, you'll look back at such silly thoughts later the way you look on your middle school self now.
That said, I too was rejected everywhere and then posted this lame haiku joke about it (as well as sending it to my friends and family). NO ONE got it, so I just came across and stupid and self-pitying. And made me think maybe no one gets what I try to do with my writing (NOT that my haiku is indicative) Next year (?) I'm not telling anyone I'm applying.
okay -- wow that was disconnected rambling.
Alcohol . . . lack of nap . . .
Now that I mention it, though, an MFA kegger does sound like a lot of fun...
Hmmm, I'm not sure that my original post actually posted (or was sent to subscribers) so to clarify my last post, here is the MFA kegger comment to which I was referring:
To chime in on the age discussion: I'm young (21, about to turn 22 a week from Sunday) and I almost feel like I'm TOO young. I worry about people not taking me seriously because I'm so young. My first workshop teacher (who ended up being my mentor and LOR-writer) made our class read this essay by an Iowa MFAer who basically said "I went to Iowa right out of undergrad and it was awful." He ended up recycling his old work, never submitting new pieces to workshop, because he wasn't ready. (I wish I could remember the name of the essay, but it isn't coming to me!) I do firmly believe I am ready for my MFA, and my professors/other LOR writers were nothing but supportive when I talked to them about applying...but at the same time this guy's essay still speaks to me and makes me nervous! I am so excited to start my MFA though.
Also, regarding the partying/fitting in with the young crowd: I won't lie, I like to go out now, and I've had my share of wild nights, but now that it's my last semester I'm putting away my party pants (which is a shame, as they're very becoming and I bedazzled them myself) and getting serious for grad school. I just don't think drinking excessively in grad school will be conducive to my writing. Not to say I won't be having wine now and then, or whatever, but I wouldn't expect us youngsters to be hosting MFA keggers or something. I have been researching Missoula, though (I'm pretty set on UM unless my AZ waitlist comes through), and I do intend to attend karaoke Thursday nights at Lucky Strike Casino. Montana-ers, who's with me?!
@Ananda, I liked your haiku! I've just been lazy about posting... oh man, I hate how much of a wringer this whole MFA application process is. I mean, with acceptance/funding rates like this... ugh.
@Georgie, I'm 22 and love me some naptime :) And I don't know, I feel like two people in a creative writing MFA program will have a whole lot more in common than the average pair of students, so even if they've got different habits based on age, they'll have no trouble socializing and connecting. And I agree, too, 28 is yoooooung. :) Congratulations on your acceptance this year! I'm wishing you lots of luck on this next round. You too, Ananda!
For those who asked- in for poetry at GMU.
@beedeecee
Congrats! I've been rooting for you all along! Definitely email me if you decide to come to Mason!
thank you so much, jennifer! i really appreciate it. i may be emailing you with some questions soon. :)
Congrats, BDC!!! That's awesome! I'm glad to hear of the late acceptances, too, that gives hope to the rest of us ;)
FINALLY got news from Florida in the form of a nicely written rejection letter (not a personal one, but a well-worded form letter). At least I know!
Well!
Got waitlisted at University of New Orleans. You would have thought I got a full ride the way I ran into my roommate's room and jumped all over her bed. A very late notification, as you guys see. I still haven't heard from Boston University or Brooklyn College. Yeesh, Brooklyn, give a girl a break and reject her already.
Trilbe-double thanks for letting me cry all over your email. You live in New York? I'll buy you a drink sometime. :)
YAY! You're also 4Maivalentine, right?? Awesome! That was your top choice! Congrats and good luck with it!
Any Memphis or U Washington waitlist hopefuls: I've just turned down my spots in poetry at those schools. For those of you who are waiting for funding at those places, I got nothin' for ya.
Bottleneck
Kaybay,
Yes I am and actually, Cornell was my top fairy tale choice, I still have that rejection letter. I hung it up in my room and sometimes throw darts at it. It's fun.
Car vs. public bus vs. tricycle vs. walk?
I'm going to try to find an apt close enough to campus so that I can walk, but worst case scenario, I'm leaning toward the public bus system.
Woon:
rickshaw
Woon, did you run out of people to play gin rummy or pinochle with?
@amanda - My bingo mates ran out on me.
@Jasmine - if Bloomington has rickshaws, it's a lot more diverse than I thought.
Mopeds are also getting more and more popular around college campuses. I just know I'll be run over by one this coming Fall semester by one of my students in my Freshmen Comp class.
This waitlist bottleneck is really putting the kibosh on my world domination plans.
Coming back again...
Thanks Amanda!!
And... I visited CCA friday. It was a lot of fun. Sat in on a class, hung out with a large and diverse group of 1st/2nd years in the writing studio, attended a reading, went out for drinks afterwards, etc... I am pumped to be going there in the fall and everyone who I met seems pumped to be going there as well.
What I can offer is this: If possible, visit your programs and schools. Seems like no duh advice but after last night I feel like it just must be reiterated that visiting a program is going to benefit you in so many ways. No more guessing games based on virtual tours or emailing back and forth with faculty or students. Plus, if you're up for it, the students may want to take you out for a drink while you're there and that's always fun. So for future applicants, visit visit visit. It will answer a lot of your questions and ease a lot of your concerns to be at your desired place in the flesh.
Good luck to everyone else still waiting or deciding. I send good vibes out into the world for you.
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