I'm weeping and wringing my hands over my SOP. Okay, things have not yet degenerated to that level, but they may soon. Everything that sounds so eloquent and polished in my head just turns to mush when I write it out.
Does anyone have links to sample SOPs for MFA programs? There are plenty of books about SOPs in general, but I'd like to get a feel for some for our specific program.
I can also offer some fiction critiques if anyone needs one! andsuddenly at gmail. :)
Just downloaded an iPhone app for GRE vocabulary study. What's another $5 on top of the hundreds this process is going to cost me? ;) may as well try to do the best I can.
1). Keep it simple, stupid. No gimmicks, so cleverness, no rhyming, no cutsiness, etc... it's an opportunity to explain to the program why you want to be there, what you are looking for, what you expect, and what you have to offer. 2). Keep it business-like. This goes along with #1, but keep your language casual but serious. Get down to business and explain what you need to explain. 3). Be specific. Research your schools and give specific reasons for wanting to attend, what you expect, etc. If you can't do this, you probably don't want to go to that school and that will show.
Make a list of each program's strengths. Make another one of your goals/expectations and another one of what your own strengths are and what you have to offer. After that, put those lists into a letter/essay form.
Oh, and don't go all Tobias Funke by putting your SOP on pink, scented paper with glitter all over it. You might labeled the glitter-queen and be instantly rejected :)
Anyone willing to offer advice regarding the resume? I feel I have nothing to put in it. I did well in my undergrad, but I didn't study writing. I'll put that in, but otherwise I have no publications, no extracurriculars in writing, no jobs in writing. Basically nothing that is relevant at all... Suggestions?
Just finished the GRE (still have the subject test to take next weekend). I got higher than the best score I got on my practice tests by 10 points in verbal and by 40 points in quantitative. That said, my quantitative score very much shows that I haven't taken a math class in over 21 years. LOL. Oh, happy day. :)
I too am agonizing over my SOP, despite Kaybay making it sound so very easy!
I did my first draft or attempt this week and realized just how hard it was to focus myself. I could ramble for pages, but organizing a SOP into something short, concise, interesting, and relevant is proving to be a challenge. I don't really know what aspect I want to focus on. It really is sort of a real block for me.
I also keeping trying to analyze what it is that they WANT me to say or want me to talk about. but really that's only driving me crazy!
I would advise against using the SOP to "tell them what they want to hear." It's not an opportunity to "please" anyone, it's an opportunity to express your reasons for wanting to attend the program and to show them what you might have to offer. Be honest and be yourself. For lack of a better phrase, F-em (I say that merely to say that you're not doing this for them). Look at it like a written job interview that's not for a job. Basically, just answer their questions. If they don't have questions to ask, write about what I mentioned in my previous post.
By the way, go to the P&W thread on personal statements and search for examples (I know Sibylene and CopperFu, who both went to Cornell, posted theirs a few years ago). They're very business-like and to the point.
I'm just saying not to think too in-depth about it. I made the mistake last year of not researching programs enough and not providing specific reasons for me wanting to attend. That being said, it was a tough thing to really accept, but the reason I didn't get into any program last year was because my sample wasn't as strong and it was a banner year for applications. My SOP wasn't great, but it wasn't the main reason I didn't get in.
Hmmm... Yeah, I'm torn about the SOPs, too. About half the advice says emphasize hook! hook! hook! regarding why you want to write. This makes sense because it could make you interesting and stand out among the other hundreds of applications. However, it doesn't come off nearly as professional, which seems really important for a place like Cornell. (It is also kinda a word count eater). Oh, what do, what do...
pages I have bookmarked:
best one I've read for advice http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/gradapp/stmtpurpose.htm
Good general advice on how to organize http://www.accepted.com/Grad/AboutGoals.aspx
More of just a essay about what one kid did for his (but it got him into U of Arizona) http://chronicle.com/article/A-Purposeless-Statement-/46867/
Example of student's statement who got into Cornell http://mramireztalusan.blogspot.com/2007/11/mfa-statement-of-purpose.html
Loren-you can send in a CV instead of a resume, which is more geared towards awards, internships, research, etc. But when it comes to the resume, don't worry too much, keep it brief and try to show that you are reliable and consistent.
Oooohkay guys, specific question first. Anyone here applying to ASU know where to send the Letters of Rec? The website says they do NOT go to the Graduate college, but never mentions them as something to be sent to the program office. Where are you guys sending them?
Oh, and I'd love to read some samples. I'll send mine too, but warnings-- at least one is still pretty rough. I'll definately send on some critiques of fiction and poetry if you'd like; I don't think I'd be much good at nonfiction or plays or scripts, but I'd give it a shot!
okay, is anyone else stressing out about the umass TA application?
I can't figure out what to do about their requirement for "a short essay demonstrating your skill as a writer of expository prose (not fiction or poetry)."
How long do you all think "short" should be? I have a lot of long, rambling, poorly-structured essays from college that I could cut down, but truthfully, I'm not very good at writing things that require a logical or sequential structure... ACK.
ugggh, stressball. I've been told hook hook hook also.
I just need to figure out what to focus on and how to organize it in an interesting way. It's hard to be interesting and informative in only 300 words.
I figure I use that stupid phone for everything, may as well use it to study. ;] I'm not sure how much it will actually help--it's mostly just matching words to sometimes more obscure definitions--but it just might!
@ Renee -
Well, being as that their sample length is only 20 pages max for fiction, I am assuming that the critical writing sample should be very short. I actually hadn't even considered it yet. Have you tried emailing them? They are pretty quick to get back to you!
I'm currently hammering out my second sample story [only the first draft! ack.] and staring at my SOP while wanting to weep. Oh dear.
Also, i'd just like to point out that the ApplyTexas site is really, really frustrating. You can't move ahead or jump to parts of the application, you have to do everything in the order they have it. And recommendation emails aren't sent out until after the email is submitted. AND the forms are less than user friendly.
So, I'm in the deep throes of panic right now. So many things to do (or as the note on my wall states "Shit to Do") that I don't have any idea of how I'm going to get it all done. I know I will, but that just doesn't help right now. This is how I work. This is my process. I tend to favor order, then chaos, then panic, then repeat until I am done with whatever has my attention at the time. I think that was has me flummoxed is that there are so many pieces to keep track of and that awful feeling that I should have started this process much, much earlier. So, how are y'all handling the stress (besides walking around the house muttering insanely about acceptance percentages, statements of purpose, and how you'll never get in anywhere)?
actually most of my de-stressing comes from pretending i don't have anything to do/procrastinating, which actually only makes things much worse. so don't do that.
What's keeping me sane-ish is knowing that I have thanksgiving and christmas to work on applications. Having time off to really get into a roll and work work work is keeping me from going into a panic. That's not to say that I won't panic once it is thanksgiving/christmas and I have way too much to do. But I still feel ok about it.
In the mean time I'm just trying to make sure I do little things (like filling out online forms while watching football on sundays) and working on drafts/outlines/brainstorming sessions for my SOP.
Are there any good line editors out there? As a cruel twist of fate would have it, the technical aspect of my writing is atrocious. I'm just asking this of my statement of purpose, so it is only a page. Maybe, it could be beneficial for both parties if someone who is having trouble with their statement can help me? Ya know, to kinda get an idea of what other people are doing.
To stay sane I have been re-watching Seasons 1 and 2 of The Office.
Did anyone know Rainn Wilson (Dwight) is married to an Iowa grad who has published her fiction in places like Tin House and Zoetrope? Her name is Holiday Reinhorn.
In terms of statements of purpose: What do people think about going into the specific details about why you love/want to be at a particular program? How long should you spend on this? Literally how much space should it occupy in your SOP? Is one long paragraph too much? Are three sentences too few? Thoughts?
And in terms of general application woes - don't worry! You are ALL ahead of me. I've sent my rec packets out, but JUST started my SOPs, and am only in draft phases for my manuscript. But December is still far away, right?
I’d encourage you to add UMass Amherst to your list. Although it’s a state school, there are lots of graduate assistantships (aka: funding) to be had - both in and outside the program. The professors are wonderful, and there is a surprisingly big writing community in the area. There are soooo many readings. There is also Live Lit - MFA students read at Amherst Books every other Friday.
Do you all have a clear hierarchy for your lists? Is there a clear first, second, third choice, etc? Or do you have a them staggered in chunks? Or do you have no real choices, just a bunch of schools you'd happily take any of?
If I really think about it, I can put mine into 3 tiers. But those aren't very solid. I don't have much of a ranking for now. UMass and Alabama are the two that sort of always stand out to me. But, I can't say I would go to either one over Michigan or Iowa if I were to get into both (ha, fat chance there).
Just curious to see if others had strong favorites.
I can definitely separate my schools into three tiers, and I'd be able to choose some over others. But I suppose I'm also assuming that I might only get into one (if that, really), so I'm trying not to rank them too much in my mind. If I get in anywhere, I want to (and should) be ecstatic, even if it's one of my lower ranked schools.
I cannot separate mine, to be honest. My list is pretty ambitious (9 total), so any school that I were to get into I would be tickled pink. Now, if I were to hypothesize what would happen if I got into every school, then I guess my preferences would present themselves...
But even if I were to be accepted at say Iowa/Michigan and then somewhere else, say Ole Miss or Carbondale...I still think I'd give it a good long, hard look.
I have a hierarchy, yeah... Though I agree with the people who say they'd be tickled pink to get in anywhere.
I most want to get into VA Tech or Hollins, as then I wouldn't have to move again, but I'd also be THRILLED to get into Syracuse or Michener. Those are certainly my top four.
I'm applying to Michigan, Iowa, etc., but would take any of those four over the "names."
Yes, it goes without saying that I'd be thrilled and honored to get into any school on my list. I thought of putting in some third tier schools to balance things out for me, I too have a very ambitious list. But ultimately decided only to keep schools I was REALLY REALLY excited about.
My old creative writing professor, who's been a huge help for me in the process, told me early on that if I'm lucky enough to have a decision to make come April to take the school the recruits the hardest. The idea behind that being that if a school really goes after you that likely means there is someone there who really wants to work with you and will therefore likely be a good mentor. It's better to have that than to be at a bigger name school where you might not have been anyone's first choice and might not get the same kind of attention.
It's an interesting process. Who knows what will happen in Feb/March.
But I am curious if some people have a clear first choice or first couple choices.
After that, I have the schools vaguely ranked, but I'd be more than ecstatic to get into my lowest ranked school. If I were to do it by tiers - Michener, Indiana, Cornell, McNeese, and LSU would be in the top most bracket. I don't know, though. It's always changing. UCSD was my favorite school for the longest, but now I'm less thrilled about it (and I have no idea why).
I'm sure I'll explode if I even get wait-listed to just one of the schools.
while i only picked schools i would be willing to attend, i definitely have something of a hierarchy based on location/program rep/etc.
mine's basically:
cornell iowa brown umass amherst indiana oregon penn state ohio state
now being as that i'm assuming i'll get into one program--if that--i'll just take that one. if i got into two, it would make things a little more interesting. some of the schools also have like a nostalgia value [penn state is where almost everyone in my family has gone to at some point in their lives, i've always wanted to visit oregon, brown and cornell are ivys, etc] but i seriously doubt that i'll end up having to worry about it.
I think Seth has said before that the goal is to have a choice (2-3 schools). But honestly, if funding is good, it might be a blessing in disguise to only get in to one school, that way you've gotten in somewhere (yay!) and you don't have to agonize over a decision.
Of course this is getting way ahead of myself since I haven't turned in a single application!
After yesterday's complaining about ApplyTexas (which also asks for the exact date of high school graduation-- who remembers that?!), I wanted to say that Cornell's online application is great. They even sent me an email to let me know one of my recommenders had completed his online application.
The UMass Amherst program is flexible and can be tailored to your needs.
A brief overview:
Typically you take one workshop a semester. Although, since you are required to take one workshop outside your genre, occasionally people choose to take a fiction and a poetry workshop in the same semester.
Workshops (in your genre) are worth 6 credits. Most MFAers carry 9 credits a semester. The remaining 3 credits can be completed in various ways. Graduate English courses are a popular way to go. However, you can enroll in any course (400-level or above) at any of the five colleges: Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, UMass, and Hampshire. Additionally, each semester one of the MFA faculty members will teach a non-workshop English course open only to MFAers. General graduate English courses are a mix of MA/Ph.D., terminal MA, and MFA students.
You can also fulfill your credits through Applied Literary Arts (ALA) credits (internships at Lit Mags and presses, teaching gigs, community arts projects, etc.). Let me know if you want more details about ALA credits.
Independent studies are granted at the discretion of individual faculty members.
This semester I’m taking a workshop (6 credits) and a graduate English course (3 credits). Both are night classes. Both meet once a week for 2.5 hours.
If you have a Teaching Assistantship with the Writing Program, expect to teach a total of three classes over the course of the academic year.
The website reads:
MFA candidates specialize in poetry or fiction. Most often a three-year course of study, the degree requires 60 credit hours: •A minimum of five writing workshops •A minimum of three courses in modern and contemporary poetry and fiction •Six or more thesis credits
With the balance of their credit hours, writers pursue individualized courses of study reflective of their creative and professional goals.
Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer more questions and/or go into more detail about the program. Feel free to email me, BookDustMFA@gmail.com
I posted this in the other thread because I didn't see your post here.
The UMASS site says there are MFA Fellowships available alongside the TA opportunities. Do you know how many of those are distributed to incoming students and what they may include?
I would say that my favorites are Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, and Ohio State. I'm not expecting to get into any of them, but they're the ones that really pique my interest. That being said, I would truly be honored to be accepted at any one of my programs and would have no problems at all accepting an offer to join their ranks :D
I honestly would love to get into any of the schools I'm applying to - there really isn't one I like more. These programs are so competitive that getting a spot anywhere is pretty amazing, so I'm not going to be too particular.
CVs. Every sample I see online has endless lists of academic accomplishments, teaching gigs, publications, etc. What if (like me) you're a relatively new graduate and don't have much to your name other than the classes you took and a test prep teaching gig?
Does anyone have any CVs they'd be willing to share?
I sort of feel like the CV is the least of my concerns and wont' be looked at much. I'm just sending my resume. It's not particularly relevant, other than showing my creative writing undergrad major, workshops I took, and my participation in NBF's summer writing workshops. Mostly it's jobs that are totally unrelated.
I dont' think at this stage we're necessarily expected to have a classic CV, with publications and such. If someone does, great. But for the most of us, I think it's fine to send whatever.
@Bookdust,
Thank you so much for you post. It only further confirms my interest in UMass. Though I really need to not get too attached at this stage. Hopefully in Feb/March/April I'll have reason to contact you! Here's to hoping...
ARGH. I am so frustrated at the lack of continuity between programs. Some want letters sent before the application fee is paid, some want them after, some want written, electronic, sent to the department, sent to the school, cased in gold, sealed with a kiss...
STUPID. This is the worst part of the process so far.
Yeah, that's why I went ahead and emailed the programs to ask if my referees could just mail them in. It's just too crazy trying to keep up with all of that....
yes, waiving the rights mean that you can't and won't see the letters. Most recommenders prefer that students waive rights, as do most institutions, because the idea is that the recommendation will be more honest if it's secret.
I would advise that you waive your right, unless you really would like to be able to see your recs for whatever reason...
as a side note, I couldn't figure out how to send out the UMass recs until I submitted the application. Is this correct? Are you done with the application as well?
I may be incorrect but I actually assumed that when I clicked "save" on that page that it would send the emails out. But maybe I'm wrong! Eek. In which case I should probably get my sample and SOP done ASAP so they have time to write them before the deadline. :/
Also, I still have yet to send out any of my transcripts. Can anyone verify that the schools will just start a file for you if you send them out before your application?
Is anyone else applying to Masters programs in Literature or other fields? I don't want to be out of school for another year, so I'm applying to a couple of literature programs as a back-up. I figure that way I can earn an M.A., work on my poetry, and then reapply for an M.F.A. after or apply to a PhD program with a creative dissertation.
Oy. Sent out transcript requests to the 6 (yes, six) undergraduate colleges/universities I attended in pursuit of my B.A. This process is giving me almost daily headaches at this point.
Wait, one more silly question. Blob I think you might be the one who can answer this: on UMass's Experience page, most of my jobs are til [current], should I just put Nov 10? Or Dec 10?
Having already sent several recs out online, I'm pretty sure UMass's don't go out until you submit the application. BUT that also means the recs don't need to be in by Dec. 1st exactly. But you should tell your recommenders to have them ready by then so they're in within a week or two after the deadline.
And yes, schools will start a file for you.
As for current jobs/experiences, I've been putting August 2011 as the end date for anything current. I think that's the best way to imply current and will continue until I get into school.
thanks so much for the quick responses, Blob. I'm so excited to get this done with... I figure getting the first done will give me the confidence to go on to the next one.
when's everyone hoping to have their first app in by? and what's the actual app deadline? are y'all trying to give yourself a few weeks or are you pushing it to the last minute?
I'm sure I've said this to you all a hundred times already, I keep having to say it to myself. But my goal is to get my first applications in around thanksgiving. My first (of 14) is due Dec 1st (UMass). My goal is to get that one and a the chunk I have for mid december out during thanksgiving week (I'm taking the whole week off). If I can get more done, I'd love to get more done as well. Ideally, I'd love to put 14 packets in the mail. But for the ones that can't get done then, I'll get them done over the week between christmas and new year's, which is a holiday from work. I'm hoping these two weeks can help me get all my apps out. The hard part right now is writing the SOPs, and TA apps, the rest is mostly done other than filing countless forms and assembling everything together. My latest deadline is January 24th. But I'm really hoping I can get all apps out by Jan 1st at the latest, otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't find time to get everything done!
I’m not sure how many fellowships are awarded to incoming MFAers. I do know several first-years on fellowship. When you apply, you can nominate yourself for the Diversity Fellowship.
You should email the administrative assistant. I’m sure she’d be happy to give you more information about fellowships.
Besides TA opportunities and those mysterious fellowships, there are other graduate assistantships to be had. Places like Residential Life, The Common Wealth College, etc. offer many graduate assistantships. They usually come with a tuition wavier and a stipend of $19.10/hour. I know many new grad students that found funding as late as September. If you want to attend UMass with funding and are not offered a Writing Program TA with your admission, there are other ways.
If you’re persistent and determined, you’ll find funding. Assistantships are posted at www.umass.edu/gradschool/assistantship
If accepted to the MFA without a TA, immediately start applying to other graduate assistantships. Most people are able to find something. You can always reapply for a Writing Program TA the following year.
The New School is holding a Grad school open house/symposium November 20th. The MFA department will be there, including admissions people, to answer questions and talk about about the program and ways to finance/fund your education.
Don't know if anyone is applying to New School or in the area, but I thought I'd pass along the information.
Does anyone know why Illinois jumped like 20 spots from last year's rankings? They were barely hanging onto top 50 and now the program is very highly ranked. What happened? Also, it seems like a few other programs jumped up and down quite a bit. What are the reasons for programs skyrocketing or plummeting so fast?
Hopefully Seth will jump in and answer your question. But my guess for dramatic jumps in either direction have to do with funding. If a program suddenly gains or loses funding, I can imagine that having a dramatic impact.
Also new faculty acquisitions might make a difference.
In general it seems to me that MFA rankings are going to move around a lot more frequently and dramatically than other types of programs.
I'm hoping to also get my first app out by December 1st. After that, it's just a matter of putting everything together, crossing the t's and dotting the i's, and sending everything out. Oh, and paying a bajillion million dollars; that, too.
I'm almost done with my writing sample (almost!), my transcripts have arrived, and I need to order my GRE score reports (per the advice of Blob and others I will not be retaking it). My biggest hold-up at the moment is not having my recommendations back yet, but I'm assuming they're just waiting for Thanksgiving break to finish them (fingers crossed!). I'm nearing the end, I can feel it, but I know I'll need the rest of this month. Blargh.
Just think, we have three months until early notifications come out! I bet I just made some hearts flutter :P
Oh! And I have been procrastinating big time about the critical writing sample asked for three of my schools. I seem to have 5-pagers or 20-pagers and nothing around the 8-12 page mark they're asking for. So, I get to expand a 5 page essay I wrote for a religious history course on religion and the South! Hurrah!
when did you start hearing back? i think the potential responses are going to freak me out a little. like i have this date stuck in my head as the "if i don't hear back by this date, i am not going to grad school and i fail" date, haha. i'm just being paranoid but still. :P
i'm hoping to look at my SOP again tonight... why is this the hardest part? ugh.
It's so sad that I'm the most active on this blog when I'm trying to revise a story. I hate revisions, I hate them!
Anyway,
@Katie Oh -
I had an early rejection in early February, followed by two rejections later on in the month. I was notified of one of my waitlists in February as well, I think, but it must have been later because I had all but thrown in the towel towards the end of that wretched month. I got another waitlist notification in March, followed by a bunch of rejections, and then a surprise waitlist in the middle of the month.
Most of the notifications come out pretty close to the date on Driftless House, but some were either really late (Alabama) or were really early (Syracuse), so don't expect anything. Also, just because some were notified early didn't mean that the program was done. One girl (she's totally awesome, by the way :P) was notified of an accepted to Bama a whole month after the original group. Waitlists can also be sporadic and late.
Late January is totally anxious, February is either really awesome or really crappy (most people won't hear ANYTHING until the end of the month or March) and March is like rapid-fire rejection/acceptance/waitlist time. I wish I could say that it all happens in a predictable fashion, but it totally doesn't. Don't expect anything, it's not worth it. Just hope for the best!
Ok, so this where I really expose myself as a total crack pot, looney toon....
BUT if you look at old mailbags or the "I'm In" thread on the P&W forum, you can see that typically people start hearing the first week of February from some schools. Even some rejections start rolling in by mid-feb. It seems like things peak late feb/early march and then taper off. But of course, never say die until you have all rejection letters in hand.
The dirftlesshouse blog also posts when ALL mfa programs have notified for the last 2-4 years by genre and which method was used. For example: Awesome University, 2/15 Poetry/phone.
I've been reading that old 'I'm In' thread and man, you can feel the tension from back in 2007.
And yes, I should be doing my SOP instead of reading old threads that do nothing but cause anxiety (and excitement).
don't worry, i've actually read [and re-read] the driftless house notification post like seventy times. so i've given myself a march 15th deadline: if i don't hear anything [not an acceptance or a rejection] by then i reserve the right to have a meltdown. of course, i'm hoping that's not going to happen :P and it totally doesn't help to read those posts but it's the one way you can kind of make yourself feel better, y'know? like "oh, look, these people were going through this last year!"
I know most of you are fiction writers, but I'm hoping someone can offer some writing sample advice just the same:
I have a bunch of poems I wrote as a collection. They of course, can and should be able to stand alone. But it's the same narrative voice and they can be used a pieces of a story. There are about 17 poems like this, but I can easily narrow it down to 7-9 really strong ones for my writing sample.
I also have several other strong poems that are not at all related to the collection that I would be happy submitting as part of my sample.
Here's my dilemma:
If I were to pick out strongest pieces overall, it would be probably 6 from the collection and 2 non-collection poems. But this sample selection seems disorganized, like I didn't know how to put my work together properly.
The way I see it, it makes sense to either only submit poems from my collection and say 'this is me working together a collection, this is me showcasing a distinct voice, hear me roar.'
or to submit a varied sampling (including 2-3 collection pieces) and say 'this is me showing my diversity, my ability to use different voices and techniques, and my range, hear me roar.'
I don't know which way to go! I'm torn. On one hand showing part of a collection might show more maturity as a writer, but it also might make me seem like a one-note writer.
I'm sure I'm over thinking this. But writing sample IS the most important thing. And part of a good poetry sample is how it's put together.
I'd almost always choose to go with variety over uniformity. Give them a diverse sampling to work with/to connect with. At any rate, you won't look disorganized if you choose to mix it up. Even if you choose to only choose poems from the same collection, don't do that only because you fear the alternative will give a bad impression. I highly, highly doubt they'll judge you.
Hi everyone. Has anyone thought about going abroad?
I thought I had my list down, then I had to get serious about what I could afford, then I was in denial more (I just can't take Columbia off the list) and now I'm just rearranging everything now that I'm out of time.
Anywho, I thought about the programs abroad. I wonder how you can know about the quality. Would they be ranked somewhere?
Here are just some I saw today: http://www.glos.ac.uk/courses/research/cw/Pages/default.aspx http://www.kingston.ac.uk/postgraduate-course/creative-writing-mfa/ http://sydney.edu.au/future_students/international_postgraduate_coursework/admissions/how_to_apply/processing_fee.shtml
@ Paulette I was thinking about some abroad, but I didn't find any concrete information about funding-- also I can't really afford to fly back and forth! Otherwise I really would love to do that, I think that would be amazing.
@ Blob I'm a super looney tooney too, because I've definitely gone through that whole thread, plus the "waiting game" thread and the rejections thread. Reading the rejections thread is my way of preemptively absorbing the depression I will probably fall into in late February/early March. Apparently, there was a lot of listening to Elliott Smith.
-- I'm coming up on finals week, so all I've been doing in procrastinating studying for them, but I swear that when I go home for break on Thursday I will be nonstop writing and *will* get my first chunk of applications in by December 1st.
I'm moving on Dec 15, so in order to get my MFA apps in before the move and the holidays, I've devoted just about every waking moment to them since the first of October. Go me, right?
Wrong. I just found a misspelling, albeit minor, in a piece of my SOP that went out to 10 schools of 13. Here I was congratulating myself for being so on top of the deadlines and preparing to relax before the inevitable anxiety of Feb-Apr decisions. Now I have only 3 applications left to send off and while I won't be making the same error twice--or, for the eleventh time, as it were--I can't help but feel incredibly defeated :(
I wouldn't worry too much about one typo. It's the substance of your sample that will count the most; I can't in a million years imagine that they would decide they wanted you and then notice that typo in your SOP and change their minds. My understanding is they usually read samples first.
And congratulations on getting in 10 apps! That is flipping amazing.
just remembered one more silly question: for those of you submitting short story fiction samples, are you printing each story separately or as one long document? i was considering printing the stories separately and then paper-clipping them together but i dunno.
clearly i am a little too fixated on the details here. :P
Send your best poems, regardless of uniformity. Diversity will work to your advantage. If several of your best poems belong to a collection, you can indicate that. They’ll get the gist of the collection. They don’t need the whole collection - three poems should suffice.
If you select three amazing poems from your collection and say: These are from my collection, Tofu Hamburger Summer. They’ll say: Wow. Interesting. We want to see more from Tofu Hamburger Summer. Admitted!
If they aren’t totally in love with the poems from your collection, you’ll have others that dazzle them. Show range. Illustrate all your potential. You never know what will strike a chord. It’s better for them to LOVE a couple of poems and feel so-so about the rest than for them to like everything but love nothing.
That’s just my two cents.
If you email me the poems, I can have other poetry MFAs add their two cents.
Uggg, I have a headache already. Thanks for bringing this up...I would have definitely flubbed that up.
Good luck figuring it out- I don't know if the schools will mind that much, but maybe you should just ask? I'm sure someone that is more familiar with this could give you a better answer....
I picked up the last batch of my letters of recommendation yesterday. Whew! What a relief!
Because I chose to take the antiquated route and only submit paper letters, I can sleep now without worrying if someone's PC will crash or catch a nasty virus that eats e-mails and/or corrupts .doc files.
Now I'm going to start transferring GRE scores. I'm praying this won't be as expensive as it seems. Some schools already have my scores from when I originally took the test. Other programs don't require them. We'll see...
Blargh! I'm in the process of filling out the online recommendation things so my profs will get the email, and I just discovered than one of the schools that I *thought* did online recommendations actually does paper recommendations. It won't be that much of a hassle to fill out more envelopes and give them to my professors, but I feel silly that I messed up and it makes it more complicated for them.
Also-- Penn State says the recommenders won't get the email until *after* I submit my whole application. Does this mean I have to submit my application way in advance so that my recommenders have time afterwards?
That means your recommenders have more time. I also have two schools like that and they make me NERVOUS. But those are applications that it's probably wise, if possible not to wait until the very last second. In general, if recommendations are a bit late, the applicant is not penalized.
I have a question regarding LSU. I can't find proper application information ANYWHERE. I've found the online application and the page on their MFA page that describes their basic requirements. But I can't find information about transcripts, SOPs, or where to send GRE scores anywhere. It's all very vague. Does anyone know? Is it hiding?
I've also struggled with LSU's website, which has struck me as particularly brief and unhelpful. However, have you found the English Dept Grad App (the 4 page PDF)? It's linked from the Creative Writing homepage. I apologize in advance if you've looked through this and I'm just telling you things you already know, but that PDF does mention the SOP and transcripts. It says on the bottom of page 2, "The 'brief statement' requested on your Graduate School application should be about 500 words long. Write about yourself and your interests, your research and reading interests, and your experience as a teacher (if any)." That's what I used to form my SOP. I believe it's sent to them through the online Grad app (whether the English Dept needs a hard copy as well, I don't know).
As far as transcripts, page 3 mentions that they need to go directly to the Grad School, who's address is, I believe: LSU Graduate Admissions 114 David Boyd Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803
And I found nothing on GRE scores except the fact that they're required, so I just assumed they went to the CW Dept (#2503).
Thank you, I did find that shortly after posting, but I still actually didn't notice the transcript bit. It's such a frustrating document. I don't know why some websites are so difficult. You think it would be easy to at least have the basic information...
Hey everybody, I was an MFA applicant and blog frequenter last cycle, and now I'm a first year in fiction at the UMass Boston MFA program. I got an amazing amount of help and support from this blog last year (shout out to all my peeps from last year [Hi Kaybay!]), so I just wanted to drop in my two cents (at the bottom of a long mailbag where not that many people will read it anyhow) which might be helpful to some of you applying this cycle.
Finding full funding was, of course, my first priority in my applications. After I was rejected from all of my fully-funded schools, I figured that I would for sure be spending another cycle applying. But I was accepted to the UMass Boston program, which I didn't know much about, except that it was located nearby. While it doesn't offer anywhere close to top funding, I discovered that it does have extremely low in-state tuition, as well as partial fellowships for half of its students. Though the funding isn't superb, the key is the workload: my fellowship pays most of my tuition and offers a small stipend, but only requires ~5 hours a week of work. The upshot is that, between my fellowship and a part-time job, I'm living relatively comfortably, still have time for my writing, and can graduate in three years debt free.
Clearly, this is not a solution for everyone, but it's something I feel like a lot of people might not consider in determining where to apply. Make sure to take full advantage of your in-state colleges, look for places with discounted tuition as well as funding opportunities, and know the value of the time that you would otherwise spend as a teaching assistant. I could be at a higher-ranked school, TAing 2/2, with no time to work and barely any to write, and I might have far less income than I do now.
Anyhow, that's my spiel. And anyone in New England, consider adding UMass Boston as a last-minute safety to your list. It's really a great program, with a lot of good people (and is, as I mentioned, very affordable). Feel free to leave me any questions or write to me at nattyish at gmail, since I now have the (admittedly limited) perspective that comes with having half-finished my first MFA year.
Good luck to all! Stay strong and get it on like donkey kong this year.
I had similar questions and so I emailed LSU. They responded, not very clearly, but here is our exchange:
Me: "I had a few questions about the creative writing MFA application. The online application for the graduate school has a space where you can upload a personal statement and also a writing sample, and also online (email) recommendations, but the paper application for the creative writing program includes its own recommendation form and says you should mail the personal statement/writing sample in. Are we required to both upload the documents for the graduate school and send them to the English department as well?"
Rhonda Amis, an administrative-something-or-other, responded: "The English Department requires the following documents be sent to the address below.
Ø Application and Award Sheet (this document is on the English Department’s website) Ø Intent Statement Ø List of English Courses Ø Transcripts Ø Letters of Recommendations (3) Ø Writing Sample
Rhonda Amis Administrative Program Specialist Department of English 249 Allen Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803 225-578-5922 (office) 225-578-4129 (fax) ramis@lsu.edu"
Which didn't really clear things up for me, but maybe will be enlightening. The address she's referring to, the 249 Allen Hall, is different than the one listed other places... ack.
Does anyone know what the funding situation is at UCo Boulder? Their website says that they fund 70% of their incoming graduate students, and that there are fellowship and job opportunities, but I see nothing about tuition waivers or how much the funding packages are.
hmmm, thanks for passing that along. I just wish it gave a bit more clarity!
Glad LSU is my last application deadline. I can worry about figuring out what goes where later on. There are almost 10 days between it's due date and m second to latest app.
Also, I'm clearly a huge dork, because I just read through the UMASS TA app and got REALLY excited. I love commenting on essays! Eeek, I've really started to realize how soon all of this is coming up. I'm excited! I'm nervous!
I feel like Jessie from Saved By the Bell: I'm so excited, I'm SO EXCITED. I'm SO excited....I'm so scared *sob, followed by nervous drug-induced breakdown*
@Jessica B.. to answer your question about the funding situation at wyoming, everyone is fully funded for the whole 2 yrs and that's not going to change.. we get approx $11,500/yr, with additional summer stipend of 2k and money here and there for publication support, travel, etc. it's generous. we teach one section of freshman comp per semester..
and when i mentioned the scarce funding situation at montana, that was my experience, last year. when i finally did hear back from judy blunt (after emailing her multiple times over the course of 3+weeks) she was very kind, gracious, apologetic, and said it was really a shame how tight they were on funding. just got the impression they're frazzled all around, with money and energy.
I got a little more clarity from the department. GRE and Transcripts should be sent directly to the graduate school, not the CW department or the english department.
Also, you can use the electronic recommendation via the grad school app, a courier service, or the recommendation form attached to the grad school 'packet' for recs.
I'm sure the admissions people already think I'm an idiot for asking these questions. But at least now I know! And Ms. Amis has been very quick to respond via email, which I greatly appreciate.
Since I've seen a few posts concerning teaching load:
MFA programs (and even the English departments that house them) admit you first and foremost to write. Teaching composition and/or creative writing is a means to fund your education and also fill the many sections of composition without breaking a university's coffers. Yes, be a decent teacher and do your job but no one is expecting you to be teacher of the year and, in many ways, you really shouldn't be. You are in an MFA program to write not win teaching awards. If you can do both or if you want to spend your time doing both more power to you.
Realistically, you can be a good teacher and still have 25-30 hours a week to write. In your first semester, you will likely be spending more time on your teaching than your writing just b/c you'll be figuring out how to balance your work and learning all those tricks other TAs (and professors) have in their bag which enable them to still run their classes, have a life, and work on their respective projects. Obviously not everyone is going to love teaching or even wants to teach during their MFA years. Regardless of what your plans are, teaching for 2-4 years is going to help you with whatever your career plans are.
@ Blob Thanks so much. Argh, I wish I knew about the electronic recommendations. Their website is just so outdated and confusing, it looks like it's from the nineties!
I'm happy to step in and help with your goal, WriterDude, and it's even sort of relevant:
Does anyone know how long it takes GRE score reports to get to schools? I took my GRE back in September so the scores have been ready for awhile. But I want to figure out how far in advance I should have them sent. I'd do it all now, except I'm trying space out costs a bit...
I took the test in 2007 and had the scores sent out 2 weeks ago. I sent them on a Monday and received a letter the same week that they had been sent already. I did it all online. I'm assuming that the schools got my letters the same time I got my letter...but I haven't called any to confirm...because I am going to do that all at the end when everything is in...
taking the GRE tomorrow [later today? it's after midnight] and i'm so anxious!
still haven't looked at my statement of purpose, but i now have a clear-cut deadline for having my first application in: thursday the 18th. umass, i'm comin' atcha. with my prose.
@ Blob and anyone else frustrated with the LSU website, I'd like to just throw out an "I KNOW! It's so bad." and also a "Thank goodness the new one is launching in just a few days."
Anyway, if you're ever lost, you really shouldn't hesitate to email Rhonda Amis. She's the most amazingly helpful person and will give you quick, accurate responses. (Last year, I couldn't even find the link to the program app--which looks like it was written in Notepad or TextEdit.)
I am taking the GRE next week, so I feel your pain Katie Oh!
Good luck today! My applications are coming together, slowly but surely.... Thank goodness for this blog, or I would be feeling overwhelmed AND alone :)
Thanks, Renee, that helps a lot. I probably would have ended up sending something longer.
I'm going to dig through my old college papers and either find something short enough or an excerpt from something longer that does well enough on it's own. I hope my college writing doesn't horrify me.
It's definitely a stressful process with a lot of little pieces.
I'm starting to worry, for no real reason, that my recommenders might forget/not do my letters. Oy.
I am also slogging away at applications and have a question.
Tom Kealey mentions in his book that people should use the same stories for all of their applications. But some schools only take 25 pages while others take up to 80. So, are you guys sending more to the schools with more leeway?
Also, for the programs I'm applying to that take 30 pages or less, I have one 21 page story I want to submit. The other story I have is this kind of wacky flash fiction piece I love. I worry that it is not "serious" or "lyrical" enough for a MFA application because it is a humor flash fiction piece. Do you think sending something so short (it's only 2 pages) and comic can hurt me?
It's hard to say. Often times humor is looked down upon in the "art" world -- even though in many ways it can be much harder to pull off ('off which to pull'? :P)
However, there might be something to that line of thought and it probably stems from the sheer subjectivity and fluidity of humor...one man's comedy is another man's yawn. Whereas a drama is a drama is a drama. At the end of the day (and I may have a lot of people frown at me for saying this) writing is first and foremost about entertainment. If it's not entertaining then it's dead on the spot.
My senior thesis was all about humor in literature and about how it is seen more as a quality and less as a genre (comedy as a serious genre...wut?)...and I personally plan on writing humor or nothing. I have nothing against branching out here and there and I still have very serious themes and scenes...but my passion is humor. If I don't get in because of that humor then it's actually a good thing.
This was a lot of words to say -- if it is your style, don't hide it (completely) just to get into a program. The rigid and strict bottle-necked admissions system is in place to help writers, too. You don't want to write one way to get in, only to find yourself out of place and miserable -- unable to thrive with your own unique voice.
If the flash fiction piece is a window into that unique voice and the writing good and still has substance, I say send it along!
I don't know much about Wyoming, certainly not an insider scooper. But it was on my list for a very long time and was only cut when I really, really had to shorten my list so that I didn't go broke and crazy.
It sounds like their funding is pretty good. And the option of travel grants really, really appealed to me.
well, i have completed the GRE with a score of... 580 verbal 530 quantitative D:
i'm sure, had i pushed myself to study more, i could have done much better, but now i can't do anything so i may as well let it go. if i don't get in this year, i'll try harder for next year!
stupid question: how do i get my scores sent to more than 4 schools? there was only space for 4, do i have to order the score reports for the others online? also, i just entered the "creative writing" department for each, there was no room for "department code" or anything, did i do that right? so confused.
You can sign in and send them online. It is $23 a pop.
You do not need to know the school codes, as the system they have will ask you the state and then let you choose the school (in drop down boxes). For the department code, I think all creative writing programs are 2503 -- but you can do a search for department codes on the site as well.
good luck! study that vocab, that's all i can suggest. :P i got some questions where it was like i didn't know the word i was supposed to find the antonym for nor did i know half the choices! four years in a writing program and i know about ten words, haha.
RE: GRE scores...you have to go to ETS website, login and order scores to be sent. $23 a pop. You scores won't be available on their site for 16 days after your exam so don't freak out if you see 'unavailable' in place of the scores you saw at the end of your exam.
@Katie Oh, congrats on being done. Once your official score comes in, with writing scores, in about 2 weeks, you can go online and 'order additional score reports.' It's $23 per school you send it to.
Check your school requirements carefully, some schools want it to go the CW department, others to the English department, and others to the graduate college. Just double check. If you think you've sent it to the wrong place, rather than re-send it's worth calling the school to see if it really matters or if the score can be transferred. I wasted at least one of my freebies by sending to the CW department when the school needs the grad school to get it and wont' transfer. Ugh. So just make sure you check.
eep, that's what i was worried about! dang. i think i may have already screwed up with one school [umass] :/ they didn't specify a department but in my nervousness i said the score should be sent to the creative writing department... i guess i'll have to double-check and cross my fingers! i just hope i haven't accidentally screwed up with all four. :P
@blob @katieoh, ack I did the same thing, and for umass too! I just got so stressed out by the whole test. Well, they don't require the GRE (right?), so if they don't get it, my scores aren't worth the extra money to re-send.
I am having a really annoying time with transcripts. Minnesota (and others) require an online PDF of your transcripts. Well, I went to have this done, came home, and discovered I needed my two-page transcript to be one document. I got this fixed today, but now I noticed that the file size is too large and I'm going to have to go back yet again... and this place is about half an hour away, as I'm living in the middle of nowhere. ARGH. I keep trying to cross it off my list and then having to write it back in.
Does anyone have a sample CV they'd be willing to share with me? Honestly, I know it's no big deal how one makes it, but I'm drawing a blank and it's starting to piss me off.
I offer fiction critiques in return, and freshly baked brown butter short bread cookies.
I'm just starting to fill out online apps today. The fact that some places ask where else you are applying is unnerving.. I feel like there is a right answer to that question, ha. Why does this matter? Are y'all answering honestly?
rawr! I might have sent mine to all the wrong departments too... however some websites have specifically noted that even if you send them to a department, the whole grad school can access them, so I'm hoping this is the case.
In other, more pathetic news, I dreamed about this blog last night. Dear god.
I got to check another thing off my list today - just got back from taking the Literature in English GRE subject test (thanks to Cornell for requiring this as part of the MFA/PhD application process). I hope that I will get a good enough score to NEVER EVER have to take it again. Oy. That was crazy.
Still have a ton of things to do, but at least I'm chipping away at them.
I'm really trying to knock out a good statement of purpose this week that I can then adjust/tailor a bit depending on the school. But I'm still just struggling to figure out how to format anything.
Are people including much on their personal life and non-academic backgrounds? Or just focusing on writing and school? I'm trying to figure out the right balance of how much this should be 'a chance to get to know me better' moment and how much it should be a narrative about my writing development thus far and my goals for its future. Any one have any thoughts?
I really love Wash U and UF for not asking for SOPs. But I guess Michigan and UCI needing two make up for that. Womp.
I don't know what to tell you on the SOPs...it seems like no matter what I write it is either too cliche, too casual, too intense, too cheesy...I can't find anything I like so I've decided to just not care and write whatever and FUCK em if they don't like it. ;)
Also, I am quite sure that Wash U in St Louis does ask for a SOP though...might want to check that out...unless you were talking about a different school.
I don't know what approach to take toward those SOPs either... It's so frickin hard to find the right tone. But to offer my two cents on your dilemma, Blob, I've focused mostly on my writing, reading, schooling, etc, but not exclusively. I'm aiming for an 85-15% split, give or take a bit. Is that the best way to do it? Who knows?
I've heard the 'what other schools are you applying to' question is for statistical purposes and doesn't really matter much. I know some people have left it blank in the past. But leaving things blank makes me terribly nervous. I'm planning on answering honestly for the most part. But I don't plan on listing ALL the schools I'm applying for. 13 is a lot to list and I don't want to seem desperate, even though I am. So I'll probably just name 5-6 schools.
@Anotherjenny your 'professional' resume should be fine. Just include a section for publications if you have any (I don't) and find a place to list workshops you've taken, if you have any experience in workshops.
Also, in other news, I noticed on The Suburban Ecstasies that Seth is taking a hiatus. I don't know if that's just from his blog, or from the interwebs in general. I hope it's not from everything, and I hope it's not for long. He's such a valuable resource and a very reassuring voice on this blog.
What I want to know is where everyone's at. Status reports. Here's mine: Genre:Fiction and Non-fiction School list: still varying, at 18 with some stragglers added this week. Portfolio: One story 90% good, other, longer one, only 70% good and stuck there. SOP: Five first drafts of scattered notes GRE: Not taken yet Stress level: Orange (High risk of panic attacks)
Genre: Fiction School list: 12 Portfolio: Primary story about 50% through first draft. Secondary stories are 100% complete SOP: Scattered drafts, scattered thoughts GRE: Completed Stress level: Blue (This will be as basic as baby food)
Genre: Fiction School list: 8 Portfolio: Primary story is one whole line-edit away from finished [90%] and secondary story is about 50% from completion [admittedly, I am not going really hard on this one, as I just know that time-wise I can't afford to] SOP: First real draft just completed; sent to mentors for review/suggestions GRE: Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. [Sob.] Stress level: Sparkly Pink [Brink of mania.]
Genre: Fiction List: 13 Portfolio: story 1 is 100% complete, story 2 was pretty close to 100%, but now I'm doing a reworking of it and it is presently at 50%. I'm not sure what version of it I'm going to use (I'm going to keep the first one around just in case I like it better), but I'm going to let it sit, hand it over to a few eyes, and then make the decision in the next few weeks. It'll be easy to finish up the other draft, since I'm using a lot of elements from the first draft, which is basically finished, so it's not a matter of time. Anyway... GRE: taken two years ago. Scores sucked. Oh well. Wah. SOP: done for each school, but they will all be revisited and touched up before being sent off. Stress level: low-moderate. Not to bad. Picking up slightly. Want it to be February :*(
I might also be ditching one of my schools to add Cornell. Not only am I in a bit of a "good big or go home" kind of mood, but since I applied there last year, the app process won't be as time consuming/costly as applying to a new school.
dang, kaybay, get it! it never hurts to play go big or go home, especially if you applied last year and will save a few $$$ by doing so! your progress is enviable. :)
Whoa, watching too much football this weekend (Auburn's 11-0! Bucs 6-3! Can't help it!)
Really, though, I probably wouldn't be this far/calm if I didn't apply last year. Most of the schools I'm reapplying to only require a new SOP and a writing sample, so it's really only like I'm applying to 8-9 schools. Also, since I know all the hurdles, I can avoid most of them. Last year, a whole bunch of stuff kept coming up that I hadn't planned on (re-ordering more transcripts, needing them from the first school I attended, recommendations down to the last minute, etc). I'm sure I'll be stressing in the next few weeks, since I'd like to have my first app in by Dec 1st (heh, probably won't happen). Oh well!
Genre:Poetry School list: 20 for MFAs and probably 2 or 3 for MA (Lit) Portfolio: I think that I've workshopped all of my poems at least once. Still waiting to hear back from people as to which I should/shouldn't include (according to them), planning on starting the process of final revisions this week. SOP: I have paragraphs, but no cohesion. A friend of mine who graduated from an MFA program is looking at it. GRE: Taken (General and Subject). Did fine on GRE verbal, waiting on analytical and subject scores. Stress level: Paisley. I'm so tired from the stress of the GREs that I'm not thinking straight.
No, I just really want to get in somewhere. (Not just anywhere, though. I'd actually be happy to attend any of the places that I'm applying.) I'm older (40), so I'm feeling a certain sense of urgency. Also, I graduated in July, so I'm already taking a year "off". (I am teaching, though, so that's something.) :)
The stories in my writing sample are pretty traditional domestic realism. Oddly enough, I often enjoy writing it more than I enjoy reading it (although done well, it can be wonderful and interesting to read). I have a secret love for certain types of genre fiction (namely of the crime/mystery, western, or post-apocalyptic varieties) but I'm still building to a point where I would try to write any myself.
I'll echo Kaybay: I also would really love to hear what sorts of things the rest of you are writing.
You know, normally a write pretty non-traditional stuff, but lately my stories have been pretty "normal." One story has a couple of "out there" metaphors, but in terms of plot, narrative, action, it's pretty straightforward. My second story is pretty realist.
It's weird, though, because my stories can run the gauntlet of style. I'm also working on a story I wrote over the summer about a young girl with a craving for human flesh (heh). It's not a straight horror story, it's still pretty literary, but it's out there :D. I like the story, but I don't know if I have time to rework it for my apps this season. My one problem is that I really have three stories that I could send, but aesthetically, the horror-ish one is a bit risky. I might send it to Notre Dame (it has a lot of Catholic overtones to it and ND is pretty accepting of non-traditional work). Current advice is to send the same stories to every program, but I don't know. Bottom line, though, is that I'm spending my time on the more traditional stories (not because I'm trying to jump through the right hoops but because, honestly, it's my best work). If I have time, I might send the horror story to schools that might be more open to it.
Anyone else having problems like this? I'm sure it's pretty common. I just don't have a single aesthetic anymore and I don't know how to approach that.
if it's something you're interested in writing more of, you may as well send it to the programs you think would be receptive to it!
re: types of work
i write what would probably be considered "domestic" fiction. small town people dealing with problems that aren't necessarily remarkable but are traumatizing for them.
i might even call the fiction unremarkable but having spent four years staring at my work i can't really tell if it's good or not at the end of the day, which is what makes this process really frustrating; it's so subjective that i can't ever "stack" myself against someone else, y'know?
@kaybay I obviously don't really know anything. But I imagine you're more likely to be accepted because of one story than rejected because of one story. If someone likes 2 out of 3 stories a lot, I doubt they will choose not to accept someone based on something more controversial that doesn't soothe their aesthetic. Whereas, I think if someone thinks two stories are just ok, or even not so great, but one story really catches them, they might bring them into the yes pile or at least the maybe pile.
Along those lines, I think you should submit what you think is your best work and not worry about aesthetic. If they don't like it, they're probably not the best fit for you anyway.
I'm really enjoying hearing what kind of writing everyone is doing, while I stare at my blank page of a personal statement.
I try to stick to humor...which is risky because humor or so subjective and cultural...but it also isn't (Swift, Voltaire, Shakespeare).
This can range from silly farce with silly characters doing just silly things to overt political satire (I hate pretty much all politics).
If I were to write novels (which is the plan)...I think they would be a mixture of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, and Christopher Moore with a flare for the fantastic.
Though "realism" can be quite funny too. Steinbeck was exceptionally good at comedy...so was Richard Bradford (if you haven't read Red Sky at Morning, I suggest you do).
I just don't enjoy myself unless I am at least attempting humor. I find it the most challenging as well.
My stories are pretty influenced by whatever's happening to me in my life at the moment, so they end up being about a lot of things. Because of that, I don't anticipate my work will ever have a unified concern, but more like common aesthetics or themes. Like a Kubrick film. If I may flatter myself. God, the man's probably spinning in his grave.
In other news, I am so sick of personal statements. So, so sick. They're getting done, it's just... exhausting to be in my own head so much. I have two more to turn out be Wednesday and right now it hurts to think about.
I keep finding that humor interjects itself into my stories. No matter how straight laced or downright depressing the subject matter is, there's always at least one semi-goofy moment that sneaks its way in there. Not that that's a bad thing...usually it gives my work that extra little pep it needs.
@Everyone else
I don't know how you'd categorize what I write. Mostly realism, I guess, though I try to use off the wall images and metaphors, and I dabble in some stream of consciousness. Like anotherjenny, a lot of my stories are influenced by things that have happened or are happening in my life; sometimes I feel like my characters are just reflections of myself in fun house mirrors.
I know I shouldn't, it's not productive, and it's certainly a bit preemptive, but I'm starting to worry about my recommendations. I have 4 people writing recs for me and only one has gotten his in. One has been in touch and asked me to make sure after thanksgiving that everything is in order, so I think I'm ok there. But the other two I'm less confident about. I have no real REASON to doubt them. But I'm getting anxious anyway. Plus, I know that for the most part students aren't penalized if recommendations come in a bit late. But I'm still ANXIOUS. I just can't help it.
I'm looking forward to application bootcamp 2.0 next week. My goal is to get all my december apps done and out the door. And as many others as I can squeeze in. Whatever's left over will have to wait until application bootcamp 2.5 the last week of December.
So I'm wondering if anyone has submitted the Oregon application yet--I did, and on my application status page it says I have not turn in the TA application. I didn't know Oregon had a TA application and can't find anything about it anywhere. Anyone encountered/resolved this?
I have no submitted my Oregon application yet. But I do have on my master spreadsheet that there is a separate TA application. The link for the form is: http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/pdf/applicationGTFGS630.pdf
What I don't know, is if you're supposed to submit this online or mail it in. That might be worth a phone call.
Let me know if you figure out how to submit it.
And congratulations on getting an application done and submitted. I have a grand total of 0 done!
in response to some general inquiries spotted on this thread regarding the mfa at wyoming:
as a current student who applied here on a whim and was accepted, what sounded good to me on paper before committing - full funding, summer stipend, travel and publication budget, light teaching load - i learned upon arrival that these perks were a reflection of the kind of supportive environment fostered here by faculty who work really hard to maintain a good thing in wyoming.
if you have specific concerns and questions, or you just want to learn more about us... definitely don't hesitate to email the program directly (cw@uwyo.edu). And visit us online at our program website (http://www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting/) and the mfa student blog (http://ibrokemythesis.com/)
I wrote 4 drafts and scrapped each one before I wrote the one I'm submitting... that's not even including the teaching SOPs, academic SOPs, and biographical SOPs I've done. I think 9 in all?
Inspiration for the final version of the SOP I used most hit me while I was typing on my laptop on a Seattle bus on my way to get my EBT card (just got foodstamps... dunno if I should celebrate $125 extra a month or cry that I need it).
A friend of mine gave me this advice: tell them something that they don't know about you, that they'd be interested to learn, and make sure it's important. Make sure they know it's important.
Advice from me: be honest. I think I had to write so many drafts so I could get down to my most honest self. Satisfying UTexas' spartan 350-minimum actually forced me to generate my favorite SOP. I was concise, forceful, and human.
I've actually started crying many times while writing these things because I had to reach back into some tough memories to remind myself why I want to write and do an MFA. I think getting some sort of emotional indicator from yourself is a good sign you've cut to the quick of your motivations.
I've been a bit of a lurker here, but it's nice talking to others about this process.
Thank you for your post. It was reassuring and nice to read. I have to admit though, I sort of feel like I'm running out of time.
I also sort of feel like I don't have a special reason or an emotional hook to my mfa story. I just love to write and I love being in school. I've always loved being in the classroom and I'd be happy to stay there forever, at one capacity to another.
I also know that I'm a very lucky person. I've had a lot of opportunities that most people don't have. And I have a family that is happily supporting my pursuit of a 'useless' degree, even if that means they have to help out financially a bit while I pursue it. I know writing is a savior for many people. And it is one for me too, I just don't know that I've had anything significant to be saved from.
I want this, I know I'm ready for it. And that I will be a good mfa candidate, who gives back to the writing community and takes advantage of all resources. But none of these things that can't be found elsewhere on my application.
Your friend's advice is great, I think. I just can't find something that's important and isn't already spoken for. I've been trying and I just haven't it.
I remember being very, very proud of my college essay, which talked about my cultural background and the perspective it has given me. i wish I could revisit some of those ideas. They're true; it's genuine, but the reality is that nothing in my sample shows any of that. So perhaps in regards to my writing it seems a bit disingenuous. Argh. I don't know. I'm so caught up in my head over this.
I think if you keep talking it out on this here blog you can look at some of your posts and piece together your SOP ;)
The SOP isn't a gimmick. I see it as more of a rarely used tie-breaker when they can't decide between writing samples. What is your purpose? State it and move on!
Your last post itself could be flowered into a good SOP. You don't need to dazzle. No matter how good it is, it won't make up for samples they don't like...and if they like your samples I'd guess they'd have to really dislike the SOP to not admit you.
To all those people who say "Wtf. You can get a degree in writing? Why? What are you going to do with that?" -- just answer them...it's a good question ;)
I have three friends in MFA programs right now and they all wrote really different SOPs; one was more narrative and reads like a short piece of prose (he got into UF), one was a straight forward approach(he's at Syracuse),and one as a bit more risky (he's at UNV).
Probably best to just be yourself and move on :) I'm also trying to take my own advice as I'm on my third draft.
oh, it's so nice to have all of you to help with the process!
Question for Michigan poetry folks (or anyone else that has an opinion): Most schools give a range of poems they want (6-10 is the most common). Michigan gives a flat number of 15. I know it's generally said that it's better to send a shorter sample that is strong than weaken your sample just to meet requirements. But I'm thinking my strongest sampling will be about 7-8 poems, which is about half of what Michigan wants. I'm worried that might be cutting it too short. What are other people doing with varying sample sizes in poetry?
Genre: Poetry (and some MA Lit, as well) School list: 13 MFA and a few (yet to be finally determined) more in MA Lit Portfolio: Poems are completed, though not arranged SOP: Drafted roughly, but not by any means finished GRE: Done (w/crappy scores) Stress level: HIGHHIGHHIGH
The stress is due to the fact that I'm finishing my undergraduate thesis right now (graduating in four weeks), getting ready to move across the country, and stressing over letters of rec, too. SIGH. All this while applying to both MFA and MA. Yikes.
I asked this question on the P&W without receiving any response :(
Some schools require GRE scores to be sent to the graduate school, not the department. However, when sending scores, it specifically asks for which department. It only says to "skip" the page if: "your department is included within the Institution Name or if your recipient is a fellowship sponsor." Do I skip? Do I leave the department blank? I don't want it to go to the wrong place and risk having shell out the $23 to send another report. I know that it would probably go to the right place, but I don't want to mess up
I don't actually know, but I would guess the 'skip to the next page' action is the way to go. Did you check if graduate college is a department option?
My not very useful advice would be to call one of the schools that's like this and ask. Whatever they say probably goes for all the schools. And so far I've found people to be very helpful on the phone or via email.
I should really figure out the answer myself. I need to send my scores out!
Thanks, Blob, I thought about emailing them but then I wondered if it was more a question for ETS, and, of course, I couldn't find the number for such a question. I could pay them $12 more just to hear my scores, but I that wouldn't help much. You know what really grinds my gears, aside from Lindsay Lohan, ETS! Corrupt scam artists... I digress.
I think I'm just going to press the "skip" button and assume that it's going somewhere that the department has access to. As long as I have a confirmation #, I assume I can track the score down. Who knows. I just don't want to spend any more money. Argh!
Anybody have thoughts on how long a "short essay demonstrating your skill as a writer of expository prose" should be? My shortest essay from grad school is 16 pages. I figure I will just pick a section that stands on its own, but I really don't know what kind of length Umass is looking for.
@ Karissa i am applying to three as back-up. One in my home state as my ultimate safety school, one recommended by one of my professors based on my research interests (and the fact that he got his phd there and loved it) and another to be determined this week.
Holy crap! I've already submitted my Oregon application as well, and I didn't hear anything about a separate TA application. I've gone back and checked the status of my app and there's nothing on there about it either...so now I'm confused and slightly worried. :P
Interesting that you're considering MA programs as 'back ups.' I actually think they'd be HARDER for me to get into. My mediocre GRE score would hold more weight and I'd have to take the lit subject gre for them. I know the acceptance rates are much, much, much higher. But I do think my application would be weaker.
I considered applying to MA in education programs as a back up. But, honestly I don't have the time or energy to plan for two different types of applications and I'd hate to confuse my recommenders.
You might want to check out this list of funded ma programs if you haven't: http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2009/10017.html
Also, I know you are wanting to go to school in the Virginia Tech area. Have you considered Radford? I met a couple of people from there this summer (students and an English prof) at the Appalachian Writers Workshop, and they all seemed pretty cool. (Cool enough for me to check the school out.)
@ inkli_11
I'm having 2 different profs write the letters of rec for the MA programs - these are professors that I had for literature only classes and who can speak to my research interests and rhetorical strengths. The other rec (if needed) will be one of the same as my MFA LORs, but I've had her for literature classes as well.
@ Blob
I was originally planning on applying to PhD programs in Literature before I decided to be brave and give the MFA programs a go. I love both sides of the equation - the creative and the critical, but I know that my creative side would benefit greatly from focused study, and I've never given in to allowing that side to flourish.
As for time and energy? I figure I can sleep in January when they are all done.
I'm sure similar questions have been addressed before, but I can't find them, so I'll ask again:
UC of Irvine asks for an Autobiographical Sketch that "indicate[s] what you regard as special in your background experience, writers or writing teachers you have studied with, reading which has influenced you as a writer, and the current direction of your writing. In short, we would like to find out as much as possible about your background as a writer in a few pages."
But they also say that this is separate from the Statement of Purpose that is to be uploaded on the online application. What goes in that? It's getting to be quite a headache figuring out and putting together each university's unique personal statement/statement of purpose/teaching statement/autobiographical sketch needs.
@writer dude quit derailing the thread and look over my writing sample, or better yet, right my SOP for me! I kid, I kid.
Boy Meets World is nothing compared to the following, somewhat similar shows: 1. Freaks & Geeks 2. The Wonder Years 3. My so-called life 4. Growing Pains
Question for the crew: If/When you get into an MFA program what do you hope to achieve? Either on the short term or in the long term. More specially, what aspect of your writing do you really hope to improve; what do you hope to learn; what's the 'next level' for you?
Eff word. You're right. I read them all, actually. But need to read them again and respond. Sorry!
I'll ignore your list of lame shows compared to The Boy.
RE: Your Actual MFA Question on an MFA Blog
I am interested in novels, but I understand the short story is a great way to get there. I think my own personal focus will be on Character -- seems like the hardest thing to master and the most important to make something worthwhile. Second to that, for me, tight plots (and ironically my short stories are anything but tight)
Well, regardless of if I go the MFA route or the MA route, I hope to complete my manuscript first and foremost, learn more about the traditions of poetry, and eventually get into a critical PhD program with the goal of teaching at the university level. :)
editing. how to tighten up my poems so that they have only the words they need in them.
also, what frank x. walker calls layering - that is, making sure that my poetry is making meaning on a number of levels - density (can be about more than one thing), making sure that the poem has both an IQ and an EQ, that i'm maximizing the imagery and music in the poem, and that i'm paying attention to economy (see above) and line.
hmmm. that actually sounds like something i could put in my SOP.
For anyone familiar with the Minnesota application, do you have advice on the 2nd personal statement - the one that addresses diversity? I sort of feel like my 1st statement addresses this, and everything I seem to write directly for the 2nd one starts to get very cliche. Any advice?
My secret purpose all along was to help all of you with your SOPs, obviously :)
To answer my own question: my senior year of college my goal was to be able to write poems that went together-- to be able to produce a collection. I accomplished that, but now I want to be able to really dictate and vary my voice on command. I've found the voice of my poems choose me, not the other way around. I think being able to do that will also help me write through blocks. That's another thing I hope an MFA will prepare me for, writing all the time, writing as a way of life, writing everyday-- not just because there's something due tomorrow. I also really wish I was able to use form more efficiently. I don't use it often and probably never really will. But I want it to be something I feel very comfortable with, which currently it's not.
Another thing, not poetry related, I hope to explore while in a program, is children's literature. I've always been a big fan and there's definitely an art form there. It's something I can see myself dabbling with in the future. I think in general I hope to be at a program that allows me at least one fiction workshop. Improving my fiction has always improved my poetry.
Hey guys, I had a question about the writing sample. Some schools specify that the 20-25 pages of fiction have to be double spaced. Others do not. For the ones that don't do they expect the sample to be double spaced? Is this a known standard? Because if not I can obviously cram in more of my stuff.
As far as I know -- it's common practice to send samples double spaced. All the agents and publishing houses and journals and most contests I've seen all say double-spaced.
However, if they don't explicitly say it then you have an argument...though I personally think it'd take some balls. But that's just me.
Quality over quantity -- I personally wouldn't risk it.
628 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 628 Newer› Newest»I'm weeping and wringing my hands over my SOP. Okay, things have not yet degenerated to that level, but they may soon. Everything that sounds so eloquent and polished in my head just turns to mush when I write it out.
Does anyone have links to sample SOPs for MFA programs? There are plenty of books about SOPs in general, but I'd like to get a feel for some for our specific program.
I can also offer some fiction critiques if anyone needs one! andsuddenly at gmail. :)
Just downloaded an iPhone app for GRE vocabulary study. What's another $5 on top of the hundreds this process is going to cost me? ;) may as well try to do the best I can.
For those worrying about the SOP -
DON'T! :P
But, if you must, here's what I recommend:
1). Keep it simple, stupid. No gimmicks, so cleverness, no rhyming, no cutsiness, etc... it's an opportunity to explain to the program why you want to be there, what you are looking for, what you expect, and what you have to offer.
2). Keep it business-like. This goes along with #1, but keep your language casual but serious. Get down to business and explain what you need to explain.
3). Be specific. Research your schools and give specific reasons for wanting to attend, what you expect, etc. If you can't do this, you probably don't want to go to that school and that will show.
Make a list of each program's strengths. Make another one of your goals/expectations and another one of what your own strengths are and what you have to offer. After that, put those lists into a letter/essay form.
Easy as pie ;)
Oh, and don't go all Tobias Funke by putting your SOP on pink, scented paper with glitter all over it. You might labeled the glitter-queen and be instantly rejected :)
ugh
Anyone willing to offer advice regarding the resume? I feel I have nothing to put in it. I did well in my undergrad, but I didn't study writing. I'll put that in, but otherwise I have no publications, no extracurriculars in writing, no jobs in writing. Basically nothing that is relevant at all... Suggestions?
Just finished the GRE (still have the subject test to take next weekend). I got higher than the best score I got on my practice tests by 10 points in verbal and by 40 points in quantitative. That said, my quantitative score very much shows that I haven't taken a math class in over 21 years. LOL. Oh, happy day. :)
I too am agonizing over my SOP, despite Kaybay making it sound so very easy!
I did my first draft or attempt this week and realized just how hard it was to focus myself. I could ramble for pages, but organizing a SOP into something short, concise, interesting, and relevant is proving to be a challenge. I don't really know what aspect I want to focus on. It really is sort of a real block for me.
I also keeping trying to analyze what it is that they WANT me to say or want me to talk about. but really that's only driving me crazy!
Blob -
I would advise against using the SOP to "tell them what they want to hear." It's not an opportunity to "please" anyone, it's an opportunity to express your reasons for wanting to attend the program and to show them what you might have to offer. Be honest and be yourself. For lack of a better phrase, F-em (I say that merely to say that you're not doing this for them). Look at it like a written job interview that's not for a job. Basically, just answer their questions. If they don't have questions to ask, write about what I mentioned in my previous post.
By the way, go to the P&W thread on personal statements and search for examples (I know Sibylene and CopperFu, who both went to Cornell, posted theirs a few years ago). They're very business-like and to the point.
I'm just saying not to think too in-depth about it. I made the mistake last year of not researching programs enough and not providing specific reasons for me wanting to attend. That being said, it was a tough thing to really accept, but the reason I didn't get into any program last year was because my sample wasn't as strong and it was a banner year for applications. My SOP wasn't great, but it wasn't the main reason I didn't get in.
Hmmm... Yeah, I'm torn about the SOPs, too. About half the advice says emphasize hook! hook! hook! regarding why you want to write. This makes sense because it could make you interesting and stand out among the other hundreds of applications. However, it doesn't come off nearly as professional, which seems really important for a place like Cornell. (It is also kinda a word count eater). Oh, what do, what do...
pages I have bookmarked:
best one I've read for advice
http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/gradapp/stmtpurpose.htm
Good general advice on how to organize
http://www.accepted.com/Grad/AboutGoals.aspx
More of just a essay about what one kid did for his (but it got him into U of Arizona)
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Purposeless-Statement-/46867/
Example of student's statement who got into Cornell
http://mramireztalusan.blogspot.com/2007/11/mfa-statement-of-purpose.html
Katie Oh-you're amazing! GRE Vocab for iphone? Why hadn't I thought of that? AARGH!
Loren-you can send in a CV instead of a resume, which is more geared towards awards, internships, research, etc. But when it comes to the resume, don't worry too much, keep it brief and try to show that you are reliable and consistent.
Oooohkay guys, specific question first. Anyone here applying to ASU know where to send the Letters of Rec? The website says they do NOT go to the Graduate college, but never mentions them as something to be sent to the program office. Where are you guys sending them?
Oh, and I'd love to read some samples. I'll send mine too, but warnings-- at least one is still pretty rough. I'll definately send on some critiques of fiction and poetry if you'd like; I don't think I'd be much good at nonfiction or plays or scripts, but I'd give it a shot!
my email: g.scholastica [at] gmail [dot] com
:)
okay, is anyone else stressing out about the umass TA application?
I can't figure out what to do about their requirement for "a short essay demonstrating your skill as a writer of expository prose (not fiction or poetry)."
How long do you all think "short" should be? I have a lot of long, rambling, poorly-structured essays from college that I could cut down, but truthfully, I'm not very good at writing things that require a logical or sequential structure...
ACK.
@Loren
ugggh, stressball. I've been told hook hook hook also.
I just need to figure out what to focus on and how to organize it in an interesting way. It's hard to be interesting and informative in only 300 words.
@ Gummi Bear -
I figure I use that stupid phone for everything, may as well use it to study. ;] I'm not sure how much it will actually help--it's mostly just matching words to sometimes more obscure definitions--but it just might!
@ Renee -
Well, being as that their sample length is only 20 pages max for fiction, I am assuming that the critical writing sample should be very short. I actually hadn't even considered it yet. Have you tried emailing them? They are pretty quick to get back to you!
I'm currently hammering out my second sample story [only the first draft! ack.] and staring at my SOP while wanting to weep. Oh dear.
Also, i'd just like to point out that the ApplyTexas site is really, really frustrating. You can't move ahead or jump to parts of the application, you have to do everything in the order they have it. And recommendation emails aren't sent out until after the email is submitted. AND the forms are less than user friendly.
So, I'm in the deep throes of panic right now. So many things to do (or as the note on my wall states "Shit to Do") that I don't have any idea of how I'm going to get it all done. I know I will, but that just doesn't help right now. This is how I work. This is my process. I tend to favor order, then chaos, then panic, then repeat until I am done with whatever has my attention at the time. I think that was has me flummoxed is that there are so many pieces to keep track of and that awful feeling that I should have started this process much, much earlier. So, how are y'all handling the stress (besides walking around the house muttering insanely about acceptance percentages, statements of purpose, and how you'll never get in anywhere)?
@ thereandbackagain
drinking.
actually most of my de-stressing comes from pretending i don't have anything to do/procrastinating, which actually only makes things much worse. so don't do that.
@thereandbackagain
What's keeping me sane-ish is knowing that I have thanksgiving and christmas to work on applications. Having time off to really get into a roll and work work work is keeping me from going into a panic. That's not to say that I won't panic once it is thanksgiving/christmas and I have way too much to do. But I still feel ok about it.
In the mean time I'm just trying to make sure I do little things (like filling out online forms while watching football on sundays) and working on drafts/outlines/brainstorming sessions for my SOP.
@thereandback again
re: y'all
...Do we have another fellow Texan in our midst?
as far a useless blind panic goes- I'm right there with you. Does not help that I am the most disorganized person ever in the world.
Also,
Are there any good line editors out there? As a cruel twist of fate would have it, the technical aspect of my writing is atrocious. I'm just asking this of my statement of purpose, so it is only a page. Maybe, it could be beneficial for both parties if someone who is having trouble with their statement can help me? Ya know, to kinda get an idea of what other people are doing.
@ thereandbackagain
To stay sane I have been re-watching Seasons 1 and 2 of The Office.
Did anyone know Rainn Wilson (Dwight) is married to an Iowa grad who has published her fiction in places like Tin House and Zoetrope? Her name is Holiday Reinhorn.
In terms of statements of purpose: What do people think about going into the specific details about why you love/want to be at a particular program? How long should you spend on this? Literally how much space should it occupy in your SOP? Is one long paragraph too much? Are three sentences too few? Thoughts?
And in terms of general application woes - don't worry! You are ALL ahead of me. I've sent my rec packets out, but JUST started my SOPs, and am only in draft phases for my manuscript. But December is still far away, right?
I’d encourage you to add UMass Amherst to your list. Although it’s a state school, there are lots of graduate assistantships (aka: funding) to be had - both in and outside the program. The professors are wonderful, and there is a surprisingly big writing community in the area. There are soooo many readings. There is also Live Lit - MFA students read at Amherst Books every other Friday.
Check out:
route9litmag.com
www.flying-object.org
www.massreview.org
www.montaguebookmill.com
I went through the application process last year and am happy to answer questions about the process and/or UMass Amherst.
@ Maia
I've been debating buying Season 6 of the Office on DVD for such a long time. I think when I finish my SOP I'm going to do it as a reward.
That's so interesting about Dwight's wife! Another reason to love him.
@ elio
I'm wondering about how much to write about each program, too... some I'm more excited about than others, so I'm worried about that, too.
@bookdust
UMass is one of my top choices, as much as I am allowing myself to have preferences at this stage of the process.
What genre are you in for?
I'd be curious to hear more about first year curriculum/schedule.
A question for the group:
Do you all have a clear hierarchy for your lists? Is there a clear first, second, third choice, etc? Or do you have a them staggered in chunks? Or do you have no real choices, just a bunch of schools you'd happily take any of?
If I really think about it, I can put mine into 3 tiers. But those aren't very solid. I don't have much of a ranking for now. UMass and Alabama are the two that sort of always stand out to me. But, I can't say I would go to either one over Michigan or Iowa if I were to get into both (ha, fat chance there).
Just curious to see if others had strong favorites.
@Blob
I can definitely separate my schools into three tiers, and I'd be able to choose some over others. But I suppose I'm also assuming that I might only get into one (if that, really), so I'm trying not to rank them too much in my mind. If I get in anywhere, I want to (and should) be ecstatic, even if it's one of my lower ranked schools.
@ Blob
I cannot separate mine, to be honest. My list is pretty ambitious (9 total), so any school that I were to get into I would be tickled pink. Now, if I were to hypothesize what would happen if I got into every school, then I guess my preferences would present themselves...
But even if I were to be accepted at say Iowa/Michigan and then somewhere else, say Ole Miss or Carbondale...I still think I'd give it a good long, hard look.
My tiers are nebular.
@Blob
I have a hierarchy, yeah... Though I agree with the people who say they'd be tickled pink to get in anywhere.
I most want to get into VA Tech or Hollins, as then I wouldn't have to move again, but I'd also be THRILLED to get into Syracuse or Michener. Those are certainly my top four.
I'm applying to Michigan, Iowa, etc., but would take any of those four over the "names."
Yes, it goes without saying that I'd be thrilled and honored to get into any school on my list. I thought of putting in some third tier schools to balance things out for me, I too have a very ambitious list. But ultimately decided only to keep schools I was REALLY REALLY excited about.
My old creative writing professor, who's been a huge help for me in the process, told me early on that if I'm lucky enough to have a decision to make come April to take the school the recruits the hardest. The idea behind that being that if a school really goes after you that likely means there is someone there who really wants to work with you and will therefore likely be a good mentor. It's better to have that than to be at a bigger name school where you might not have been anyone's first choice and might not get the same kind of attention.
It's an interesting process. Who knows what will happen in Feb/March.
But I am curious if some people have a clear first choice or first couple choices.
My top choice is Michener (surprise, surprise).
After that, I have the schools vaguely ranked, but I'd be more than ecstatic to get into my lowest ranked school. If I were to do it by tiers - Michener, Indiana, Cornell, McNeese, and LSU would be in the top most bracket. I don't know, though. It's always changing. UCSD was my favorite school for the longest, but now I'm less thrilled about it (and I have no idea why).
I'm sure I'll explode if I even get wait-listed to just one of the schools.
@Blob -
while i only picked schools i would be willing to attend, i definitely have something of a hierarchy based on location/program rep/etc.
mine's basically:
cornell
iowa
brown
umass amherst
indiana
oregon
penn state
ohio state
now being as that i'm assuming i'll get into one program--if that--i'll just take that one. if i got into two, it would make things a little more interesting. some of the schools also have like a nostalgia value [penn state is where almost everyone in my family has gone to at some point in their lives, i've always wanted to visit oregon, brown and cornell are ivys, etc] but i seriously doubt that i'll end up having to worry about it.
I think Seth has said before that the goal is to have a choice (2-3 schools). But honestly, if funding is good, it might be a blessing in disguise to only get in to one school, that way you've gotten in somewhere (yay!) and you don't have to agonize over a decision.
Of course this is getting way ahead of myself since I haven't turned in a single application!
After yesterday's complaining about ApplyTexas (which also asks for the exact date of high school graduation-- who remembers that?!), I wanted to say that Cornell's online application is great. They even sent me an email to let me know one of my recommenders had completed his online application.
I think I'm an odd duck for my top spots (besides Iowa) I really, really want Arizona State and/or Wyoming
@ Blob -
The UMass Amherst program is flexible and can be tailored to your needs.
A brief overview:
Typically you take one workshop a semester. Although, since you are required to take one workshop outside your genre, occasionally people choose to take a fiction and a poetry workshop in the same semester.
Workshops (in your genre) are worth 6 credits. Most MFAers carry 9 credits a semester. The remaining 3 credits can be completed in various ways. Graduate English courses are a popular way to go. However, you can enroll in any course (400-level or above) at any of the five colleges: Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, UMass, and Hampshire.
Additionally, each semester one of the MFA faculty members will teach a non-workshop English course open only to MFAers. General graduate English courses are a mix of MA/Ph.D., terminal MA, and MFA students.
You can also fulfill your credits through Applied Literary Arts (ALA) credits (internships at Lit Mags and presses, teaching gigs, community arts projects, etc.). Let me know if you want more details about ALA credits.
Independent studies are granted at the discretion of individual faculty members.
This semester I’m taking a workshop (6 credits) and a graduate English course (3 credits). Both are night classes. Both meet once a week for 2.5 hours.
If you have a Teaching Assistantship with the Writing Program, expect to teach a total of three classes over the course of the academic year.
The website reads:
MFA candidates specialize in poetry or fiction. Most often a three-year course of study, the degree requires 60 credit hours:
•A minimum of five writing workshops
•A minimum of three courses in modern and contemporary poetry and fiction
•Six or more thesis credits
With the balance of their credit hours, writers pursue individualized courses of study reflective of their creative and professional goals.
Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer more questions and/or go into more detail about the program. Feel free to email me, BookDustMFA@gmail.com
Hey BookDust,
I posted this in the other thread because I didn't see your post here.
The UMASS site says there are MFA Fellowships available alongside the TA opportunities. Do you know how many of those are distributed to incoming students and what they may include?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best,
Eric
@Favorites:
I would say that my favorites are Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, and Ohio State. I'm not expecting to get into any of them, but they're the ones that really pique my interest. That being said, I would truly be honored to be accepted at any one of my programs and would have no problems at all accepting an offer to join their ranks :D
I honestly would love to get into any of the schools I'm applying to - there really isn't one I like more. These programs are so competitive that getting a spot anywhere is pretty amazing, so I'm not going to be too particular.
Hey!
CVs. Every sample I see online has endless lists of academic accomplishments, teaching gigs, publications, etc. What if (like me) you're a relatively new graduate and don't have much to your name other than the classes you took and a test prep teaching gig?
Does anyone have any CVs they'd be willing to share?
@anotherjenny
I sort of feel like the CV is the least of my concerns and wont' be looked at much. I'm just sending my resume. It's not particularly relevant, other than showing my creative writing undergrad major, workshops I took, and my participation in NBF's summer writing workshops. Mostly it's jobs that are totally unrelated.
I dont' think at this stage we're necessarily expected to have a classic CV, with publications and such. If someone does, great. But for the most of us, I think it's fine to send whatever.
@Bookdust,
Thank you so much for you post. It only further confirms my interest in UMass. Though I really need to not get too attached at this stage. Hopefully in Feb/March/April I'll have reason to contact you! Here's to hoping...
ARGH. I am so frustrated at the lack of continuity between programs. Some want letters sent before the application fee is paid, some want them after, some want written, electronic, sent to the department, sent to the school, cased in gold, sealed with a kiss...
STUPID. This is the worst part of the process so far.
@ Karissa
Yeah, that's why I went ahead and emailed the programs to ask if my referees could just mail them in. It's just too crazy trying to keep up with all of that....
Hang in there. :)
possibly stupid question [but i'm getting ready to press the "go" button on umass sending out my letter of rec emails]
what does waiving my right to access mean? that i won't be able to read their letters? does it matter if i do that or not?
@katie oh
yes, waiving the rights mean that you can't and won't see the letters. Most recommenders prefer that students waive rights, as do most institutions, because the idea is that the recommendation will be more honest if it's secret.
I would advise that you waive your right, unless you really would like to be able to see your recs for whatever reason...
as a side note, I couldn't figure out how to send out the UMass recs until I submitted the application. Is this correct? Are you done with the application as well?
@ Blob -
I may be incorrect but I actually assumed that when I clicked "save" on that page that it would send the emails out. But maybe I'm wrong! Eek. In which case I should probably get my sample and SOP done ASAP so they have time to write them before the deadline. :/
Also, I still have yet to send out any of my transcripts. Can anyone verify that the schools will just start a file for you if you send them out before your application?
Is anyone else applying to Masters programs in Literature or other fields? I don't want to be out of school for another year, so I'm applying to a couple of literature programs as a back-up. I figure that way I can earn an M.A., work on my poetry, and then reapply for an M.F.A. after or apply to a PhD program with a creative dissertation.
Oy. Sent out transcript requests to the 6 (yes, six) undergraduate colleges/universities I attended in pursuit of my B.A. This process is giving me almost daily headaches at this point.
Wait, one more silly question. Blob I think you might be the one who can answer this: on UMass's Experience page, most of my jobs are til [current], should I just put Nov 10? Or Dec 10?
@Katie Oh
Having already sent several recs out online, I'm pretty sure UMass's don't go out until you submit the application. BUT that also means the recs don't need to be in by Dec. 1st exactly. But you should tell your recommenders to have them ready by then so they're in within a week or two after the deadline.
And yes, schools will start a file for you.
As for current jobs/experiences, I've been putting August 2011 as the end date for anything current. I think that's the best way to imply current and will continue until I get into school.
thanks so much for the quick responses, Blob. I'm so excited to get this done with... I figure getting the first done will give me the confidence to go on to the next one.
when's everyone hoping to have their first app in by? and what's the actual app deadline? are y'all trying to give yourself a few weeks or are you pushing it to the last minute?
@katie oh
I'm sure I've said this to you all a hundred times already, I keep having to say it to myself. But my goal is to get my first applications in around thanksgiving. My first (of 14) is due Dec 1st (UMass). My goal is to get that one and a the chunk I have for mid december out during thanksgiving week (I'm taking the whole week off). If I can get more done, I'd love to get more done as well. Ideally, I'd love to put 14 packets in the mail. But for the ones that can't get done then, I'll get them done over the week between christmas and new year's, which is a holiday from work. I'm hoping these two weeks can help me get all my apps out. The hard part right now is writing the SOPs, and TA apps, the rest is mostly done other than filing countless forms and assembling everything together. My latest deadline is January 24th. But I'm really hoping I can get all apps out by Jan 1st at the latest, otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't find time to get everything done!
Off to bed for me, good luck
@Eric -
I’m not sure how many fellowships are awarded to incoming MFAers. I do know several first-years on fellowship. When you apply, you can nominate yourself for the Diversity Fellowship.
You should email the administrative assistant. I’m sure she’d be happy to give you more information about fellowships.
Besides TA opportunities and those mysterious fellowships, there are other graduate assistantships to be had. Places like Residential Life, The Common Wealth College, etc. offer many graduate assistantships. They usually come with a tuition wavier and a stipend of $19.10/hour. I know many new grad students that found funding as late as September. If you want to attend UMass with funding and are not offered a Writing Program TA with your admission, there are other ways.
If you’re persistent and determined, you’ll find funding. Assistantships are posted at www.umass.edu/gradschool/assistantship
If accepted to the MFA without a TA, immediately start applying to other graduate assistantships. Most people are able to find something. You can always reapply for a Writing Program TA the following year.
Hope that helps.
FYI for NY area folk:
The New School is holding a Grad school open house/symposium November 20th. The MFA department will be there, including admissions people, to answer questions and talk about about the program and ways to finance/fund your education.
Don't know if anyone is applying to New School or in the area, but I thought I'd pass along the information.
Does anyone know why Illinois jumped like 20 spots from last year's rankings? They were barely hanging onto top 50 and now the program is very highly ranked. What happened? Also, it seems like a few other programs jumped up and down quite a bit. What are the reasons for programs skyrocketing or plummeting so fast?
@Gorky Z.
Hopefully Seth will jump in and answer your question. But my guess for dramatic jumps in either direction have to do with funding. If a program suddenly gains or loses funding, I can imagine that having a dramatic impact.
Also new faculty acquisitions might make a difference.
In general it seems to me that MFA rankings are going to move around a lot more frequently and dramatically than other types of programs.
BookDust,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. That was a huge help!
Best,
Eric
Starting to panic. Just now realizing/remembering how hellish Nov-Feb are at work, conveniently the same time applications are due.
I may lose my mind.
I'm hoping to also get my first app out by December 1st. After that, it's just a matter of putting everything together, crossing the t's and dotting the i's, and sending everything out. Oh, and paying a bajillion million dollars; that, too.
I'm almost done with my writing sample (almost!), my transcripts have arrived, and I need to order my GRE score reports (per the advice of Blob and others I will not be retaking it). My biggest hold-up at the moment is not having my recommendations back yet, but I'm assuming they're just waiting for Thanksgiving break to finish them (fingers crossed!). I'm nearing the end, I can feel it, but I know I'll need the rest of this month. Blargh.
Just think, we have three months until early notifications come out! I bet I just made some hearts flutter :P
Oh! And I have been procrastinating big time about the critical writing sample asked for three of my schools. I seem to have 5-pagers or 20-pagers and nothing around the 8-12 page mark they're asking for. So, I get to expand a 5 page essay I wrote for a religious history course on religion and the South! Hurrah!
@kaybay -
when did you start hearing back? i think the potential responses are going to freak me out a little. like i have this date stuck in my head as the "if i don't hear back by this date, i am not going to grad school and i fail" date, haha. i'm just being paranoid but still. :P
i'm hoping to look at my SOP again tonight... why is this the hardest part? ugh.
It's so sad that I'm the most active on this blog when I'm trying to revise a story. I hate revisions, I hate them!
Anyway,
@Katie Oh -
I had an early rejection in early February, followed by two rejections later on in the month. I was notified of one of my waitlists in February as well, I think, but it must have been later because I had all but thrown in the towel towards the end of that wretched month. I got another waitlist notification in March, followed by a bunch of rejections, and then a surprise waitlist in the middle of the month.
Most of the notifications come out pretty close to the date on Driftless House, but some were either really late (Alabama) or were really early (Syracuse), so don't expect anything. Also, just because some were notified early didn't mean that the program was done. One girl (she's totally awesome, by the way :P) was notified of an accepted to Bama a whole month after the original group. Waitlists can also be sporadic and late.
Late January is totally anxious, February is either really awesome or really crappy (most people won't hear ANYTHING until the end of the month or March) and March is like rapid-fire rejection/acceptance/waitlist time. I wish I could say that it all happens in a predictable fashion, but it totally doesn't. Don't expect anything, it's not worth it. Just hope for the best!
Ok, so this where I really expose myself as a total crack pot, looney toon....
BUT if you look at old mailbags or the "I'm In" thread on the P&W forum, you can see that typically people start hearing the first week of February from some schools. Even some rejections start rolling in by mid-feb. It seems like things peak late feb/early march and then taper off. But of course, never say die until you have all rejection letters in hand.
The dirftlesshouse blog also posts when ALL mfa programs have notified for the last 2-4 years by genre and which method was used. For example: Awesome University, 2/15 Poetry/phone.
I've been reading that old 'I'm In' thread and man, you can feel the tension from back in 2007.
And yes, I should be doing my SOP instead of reading old threads that do nothing but cause anxiety (and excitement).
@ Blob -
don't worry, i've actually read [and re-read] the driftless house notification post like seventy times. so i've given myself a march 15th deadline: if i don't hear anything [not an acceptance or a rejection] by then i reserve the right to have a meltdown. of course, i'm hoping that's not going to happen :P and it totally doesn't help to read those posts but it's the one way you can kind of make yourself feel better, y'know? like "oh, look, these people were going through this last year!"
This is a bit late notice, but if anybody wants to have me look at their writing sample, my email is:
cevance at stanford dot edu
I have about seven workshops under my belt, so I've gotten quite good at honing my feedback-giving skills.
I know most of you are fiction writers, but I'm hoping someone can offer some writing sample advice just the same:
I have a bunch of poems I wrote as a collection. They of course, can and should be able to stand alone. But it's the same narrative voice and they can be used a pieces of a story. There are about 17 poems like this, but I can easily narrow it down to 7-9 really strong ones for my writing sample.
I also have several other strong poems that are not at all related to the collection that I would be happy submitting as part of my sample.
Here's my dilemma:
If I were to pick out strongest pieces overall, it would be probably 6 from the collection and 2 non-collection poems. But this sample selection seems disorganized, like I didn't know how to put my work together properly.
The way I see it, it makes sense to either only submit poems from my collection and say 'this is me working together a collection, this is me showcasing a distinct voice, hear me roar.'
or to submit a varied sampling (including 2-3 collection pieces) and say 'this is me showing my diversity, my ability to use different voices and techniques, and my range, hear me roar.'
I don't know which way to go! I'm torn. On one hand showing part of a collection might show more maturity as a writer, but it also might make me seem like a one-note writer.
I'm sure I'm over thinking this. But writing sample IS the most important thing. And part of a good poetry sample is how it's put together.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Shots of whiskey?
@ Blob
I'm a fiction guy -- but you can send 'em to me and I'll give my salty grainy opinion!
peteralanherbert@gmail.com
Blob,
I'd almost always choose to go with variety over uniformity. Give them a diverse sampling to work with/to connect with. At any rate, you won't look disorganized if you choose to mix it up. Even if you choose to only choose poems from the same collection, don't do that only because you fear the alternative will give a bad impression. I highly, highly doubt they'll judge you.
I always vote for showing them your range!
Hi everyone. Has anyone thought about going abroad?
I thought I had my list down, then I had to get serious about what I could afford, then I was in denial more (I just can't take Columbia off the list) and now I'm just rearranging everything now that I'm out of time.
Anywho, I thought about the programs abroad. I wonder how you can know about the quality. Would they be ranked somewhere?
Here are just some I saw today:
http://www.glos.ac.uk/courses/research/cw/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/postgraduate-course/creative-writing-mfa/
http://sydney.edu.au/future_students/international_postgraduate_coursework/admissions/how_to_apply/processing_fee.shtml
Yeah, I'd go to Australia.
subscribing
@ Paulette
I was thinking about some abroad, but I didn't find any concrete information about funding-- also I can't really afford to fly back and forth! Otherwise I really would love to do that, I think that would be amazing.
@ Blob
I'm a super looney tooney too, because I've definitely gone through that whole thread, plus the "waiting game" thread and the rejections thread. Reading the rejections thread is my way of preemptively absorbing the depression I will probably fall into in late February/early March. Apparently, there was a lot of listening to Elliott Smith.
--
I'm coming up on finals week, so all I've been doing in procrastinating studying for them, but I swear that when I go home for break on Thursday I will be nonstop writing and *will* get my first chunk of applications in by December 1st.
I'm moving on Dec 15, so in order to get my MFA apps in before the move and the holidays, I've devoted just about every waking moment to them since the first of October. Go me, right?
Wrong. I just found a misspelling, albeit minor, in a piece of my SOP that went out to 10 schools of 13. Here I was congratulating myself for being so on top of the deadlines and preparing to relax before the inevitable anxiety of Feb-Apr decisions. Now I have only 3 applications left to send off and while I won't be making the same error twice--or, for the eleventh time, as it were--I can't help but feel incredibly defeated :(
@ Allison --
I wouldn't worry too much about one typo. It's the substance of your sample that will count the most; I can't in a million years imagine that they would decide they wanted you and then notice that typo in your SOP and change their minds. My understanding is they usually read samples first.
And congratulations on getting in 10 apps! That is flipping amazing.
Hey all,
just remembered one more silly question: for those of you submitting short story fiction samples, are you printing each story separately or as one long document? i was considering printing the stories separately and then paper-clipping them together but i dunno.
clearly i am a little too fixated on the details here. :P
@Blob,
Send your best poems, regardless of uniformity. Diversity will work to your advantage. If several of your best poems belong to a collection, you can indicate that. They’ll get the gist of the collection. They don’t need the whole collection - three poems should suffice.
If you select three amazing poems from your collection and say: These are from my collection, Tofu Hamburger Summer. They’ll say: Wow. Interesting. We want to see more from Tofu Hamburger Summer. Admitted!
If they aren’t totally in love with the poems from your collection, you’ll have others that dazzle them. Show range. Illustrate all your potential. You never know what will strike a chord. It’s better for them to LOVE a couple of poems and feel so-so about the rest than for them to like everything but love nothing.
That’s just my two cents.
If you email me the poems, I can have other poetry MFAs add their two cents.
Speaking of sending GRE scores, how much does that cost per school? Does it depend on the school?
I am taking it next week (late, I know), and wasn't sure how that worked. Thanks, x, for the heads-up on sending scores- I didn't even think of that!
Uggg, I have a headache already. Thanks for bringing this up...I would have definitely flubbed that up.
Good luck figuring it out- I don't know if the schools will mind that much, but maybe you should just ask? I'm sure someone that is more familiar with this could give you a better answer....
Ahhh, thanks X! I really appreciate it.
@bookdust & Writerdude,
thanks for your help in my moment of ACK! last night. Bookdust, your advice makes a lot of sense.
Though I have to say, Michigan's requirement of 15 poems is a bit overwhelming-- that's A LOT!
I picked up the last batch of my letters of recommendation yesterday. Whew! What a relief!
Because I chose to take the antiquated route and only submit paper letters, I can sleep now without worrying if someone's PC will crash or catch a nasty virus that eats e-mails and/or corrupts .doc files.
Now I'm going to start transferring GRE scores. I'm praying this won't be as expensive as it seems. Some schools already have my scores from when I originally took the test. Other programs don't require them. We'll see...
Blargh! I'm in the process of filling out the online recommendation things so my profs will get the email, and I just discovered than one of the schools that I *thought* did online recommendations actually does paper recommendations. It won't be that much of a hassle to fill out more envelopes and give them to my professors, but I feel silly that I messed up and it makes it more complicated for them.
Also-- Penn State says the recommenders won't get the email until *after* I submit my whole application. Does this mean I have to submit my application way in advance so that my recommenders have time afterwards?
Making myself crazy!
@Jami
That means your recommenders have more time. I also have two schools like that and they make me NERVOUS. But those are applications that it's probably wise, if possible not to wait until the very last second. In general, if recommendations are a bit late, the applicant is not penalized.
I have a question regarding LSU. I can't find proper application information ANYWHERE. I've found the online application and the page on their MFA page that describes their basic requirements. But I can't find information about transcripts, SOPs, or where to send GRE scores anywhere. It's all very vague. Does anyone know? Is it hiding?
@Blob
I've also struggled with LSU's website, which has struck me as particularly brief and unhelpful. However, have you found the English Dept Grad App (the 4 page PDF)? It's linked from the Creative Writing homepage. I apologize in advance if you've looked through this and I'm just telling you things you already know, but that PDF does mention the SOP and transcripts. It says on the bottom of page 2, "The 'brief statement' requested on your Graduate School application should be about 500 words long. Write about yourself and your interests, your research and reading interests, and your experience as a teacher (if any)." That's what I used to form my SOP. I believe it's sent to them through the online Grad app (whether the English Dept needs a hard copy as well, I don't know).
As far as transcripts, page 3 mentions that they need to go directly to the Grad School, who's address is, I believe:
LSU Graduate Admissions
114 David Boyd Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
And I found nothing on GRE scores except the fact that they're required, so I just assumed they went to the CW Dept (#2503).
@Jonathan
Thank you, I did find that shortly after posting, but I still actually didn't notice the transcript bit. It's such a frustrating document. I don't know why some websites are so difficult. You think it would be easy to at least have the basic information...
Hey everybody,
I was an MFA applicant and blog frequenter last cycle, and now I'm a first year in fiction at the UMass Boston MFA program. I got an amazing amount of help and support from this blog last year (shout out to all my peeps from last year [Hi Kaybay!]), so I just wanted to drop in my two cents (at the bottom of a long mailbag where not that many people will read it anyhow) which might be helpful to some of you applying this cycle.
Finding full funding was, of course, my first priority in my applications. After I was rejected from all of my fully-funded schools, I figured that I would for sure be spending another cycle applying. But I was accepted to the UMass Boston program, which I didn't know much about, except that it was located nearby. While it doesn't offer anywhere close to top funding, I discovered that it does have extremely low in-state tuition, as well as partial fellowships for half of its students.
Though the funding isn't superb, the key is the workload: my fellowship pays most of my
tuition and offers a small stipend, but only requires ~5 hours a week of work.
The upshot is that, between my fellowship and a part-time job, I'm living relatively comfortably, still have time for my writing, and can graduate in three years debt free.
Clearly, this is not a solution for everyone, but it's something I feel like a lot of people might not consider in determining where to apply.
Make sure to take full advantage of your in-state colleges, look for places with discounted tuition as well as funding opportunities, and know the value of the time that you would otherwise spend as a teaching assistant. I could be at a higher-ranked school, TAing 2/2, with no time to work and barely any to write, and I might have far less income than I do now.
Anyhow, that's my spiel. And anyone in New England, consider adding UMass Boston as a last-minute safety to your list. It's really a great program, with a lot of good people (and is, as I mentioned, very affordable). Feel free to leave me any questions or write to me at nattyish at gmail, since I now have the (admittedly
limited) perspective that comes with having half-finished my first MFA year.
Good luck to all! Stay strong and get it on like donkey kong this year.
-Natty
@ Blob,
I had similar questions and so I emailed LSU. They responded, not very clearly, but here is our exchange:
Me:
"I had a few questions about the creative writing MFA application. The online application for the graduate school has a space where you can upload a personal statement and also a writing sample, and also online (email) recommendations, but the paper application for the creative writing program includes its own recommendation form and says you should mail the personal statement/writing sample in. Are we required to both upload the documents for the graduate school and send them to the English department as well?"
Rhonda Amis, an administrative-something-or-other, responded:
"The English Department requires the following documents be sent to the address below.
Ø Application and Award Sheet (this document is on the English Department’s website)
Ø Intent Statement
Ø List of English Courses
Ø Transcripts
Ø Letters of Recommendations (3)
Ø Writing Sample
Rhonda Amis
Administrative Program Specialist
Department of English
249 Allen Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-5922 (office)
225-578-4129 (fax)
ramis@lsu.edu"
Which didn't really clear things up for me, but maybe will be enlightening. The address she's referring to, the 249 Allen Hall, is different than the one listed other places... ack.
Does anyone know what the funding situation is at UCo Boulder? Their website says that they fund 70% of their incoming graduate students, and that there are fellowship and job opportunities, but I see nothing about tuition waivers or how much the funding packages are.
Thanks.
@Jami
hmmm, thanks for passing that along. I just wish it gave a bit more clarity!
Glad LSU is my last application deadline. I can worry about figuring out what goes where later on. There are almost 10 days between it's due date and m second to latest app.
Also, I'm clearly a huge dork, because I just read through the UMASS TA app and got REALLY excited. I love commenting on essays! Eeek, I've really started to realize how soon all of this is coming up. I'm excited! I'm nervous!
I feel like Jessie from Saved By the Bell: I'm so excited, I'm SO EXCITED. I'm SO excited....I'm so scared *sob, followed by nervous drug-induced breakdown*
@Jessica B..
to answer your question about the funding situation at wyoming, everyone is fully funded for the whole 2 yrs and that's not going to change.. we get approx $11,500/yr, with additional summer stipend of 2k and money here and there for publication support, travel, etc. it's generous. we teach one section of freshman comp per semester..
and when i mentioned the scarce funding situation at montana, that was my experience, last year. when i finally did hear back from judy blunt (after emailing her multiple times over the course of 3+weeks) she was very kind, gracious, apologetic, and said it was really a shame how tight they were on funding. just got the impression they're frazzled all around, with money and energy.
Re: LSU
I got a little more clarity from the department. GRE and Transcripts should be sent directly to the graduate school, not the CW department or the english department.
Also, you can use the electronic recommendation via the grad school app, a courier service, or the recommendation form attached to the grad school 'packet' for recs.
I'm sure the admissions people already think I'm an idiot for asking these questions. But at least now I know! And Ms. Amis has been very quick to respond via email, which I greatly appreciate.
Since I've seen a few posts concerning teaching load:
MFA programs (and even the English departments that house them) admit you first and foremost to write. Teaching composition and/or creative writing is a means to fund your education and also fill the many sections of composition without breaking a university's coffers. Yes, be a decent teacher and do your job but no one is expecting you to be teacher of the year and, in many ways, you really shouldn't be. You are in an MFA program to write not win teaching awards. If you can do both or if you want to spend your time doing both more power to you.
Realistically, you can be a good teacher and still have 25-30 hours a week to write. In your first semester, you will likely be spending more time on your teaching than your writing just b/c you'll be figuring out how to balance your work and learning all those tricks other TAs (and professors) have in their bag which enable them to still run their classes, have a life, and work on their respective projects. Obviously not everyone is going to love teaching or even wants to teach during their MFA years. Regardless of what your plans are, teaching for 2-4 years is going to help you with whatever your career plans are.
@ Blob
Thanks so much. Argh, I wish I knew about the electronic recommendations. Their website is just so outdated and confusing, it looks like it's from the nineties!
Here: Someone make number 500 a good one.
(sorry - this is what I have to look forward to while at work)
Carry on and make me proud!
I'm happy to step in and help with your goal, WriterDude, and it's even sort of relevant:
Does anyone know how long it takes GRE score reports to get to schools? I took my GRE back in September so the scores have been ready for awhile. But I want to figure out how far in advance I should have them sent. I'd do it all now, except I'm trying space out costs a bit...
@ Blob
I took the test in 2007 and had the scores sent out 2 weeks ago. I sent them on a Monday and received a letter the same week that they had been sent already. I did it all online. I'm assuming that the schools got my letters the same time I got my letter...but I haven't called any to confirm...because I am going to do that all at the end when everything is in...
w00t
Carry on!
If anyone's curious about the MFA program at NYU, I've recently written a blog post about my experiences there thus far.
taking the GRE tomorrow [later today? it's after midnight] and i'm so anxious!
still haven't looked at my statement of purpose, but i now have a clear-cut deadline for having my first application in: thursday the 18th. umass, i'm comin' atcha. with my prose.
how's everyone doing?
@ Blob and anyone else frustrated with the LSU website, I'd like to just throw out an "I KNOW! It's so bad." and also a "Thank goodness the new one is launching in just a few days."
Anyway, if you're ever lost, you really shouldn't hesitate to email Rhonda Amis. She's the most amazingly helpful person and will give you quick, accurate responses. (Last year, I couldn't even find the link to the program app--which looks like it was written in Notepad or TextEdit.)
Ah, I see you already did so! Good :)
I am taking the GRE next week, so I feel your pain Katie Oh!
Good luck today! My applications are coming together, slowly but surely.... Thank goodness for this blog, or I would be feeling overwhelmed AND alone :)
For anyone who was wondering, I emailed umass and their "short expository essay" for the TA app shouldn't be longer than 2-3 pages.
Ack, I am so stressed out. I'm getting ready to move and am applying for jobs and I'm having so much trouble prioritizing everything...
good luck everyone!
Thanks, Renee, that helps a lot. I probably would have ended up sending something longer.
I'm going to dig through my old college papers and either find something short enough or an excerpt from something longer that does well enough on it's own. I hope my college writing doesn't horrify me.
It's definitely a stressful process with a lot of little pieces.
I'm starting to worry, for no real reason, that my recommenders might forget/not do my letters. Oy.
Hi Everyone,
I am also slogging away at applications and have a question.
Tom Kealey mentions in his book that people should use the same stories for all of their applications. But some schools only take 25 pages while others take up to 80. So, are you guys sending more to the schools with more leeway?
Also, for the programs I'm applying to that take 30 pages or less, I have one 21 page story I want to submit. The other story I have is this kind of wacky flash fiction piece I love. I worry that it is not "serious" or "lyrical" enough for a MFA application because it is a humor flash fiction piece. Do you think sending something so short (it's only 2 pages) and comic can hurt me?
Thanks,
Victoria
@ Victoria
It's hard to say. Often times humor is looked down upon in the "art" world -- even though in many ways it can be much harder to pull off ('off which to pull'? :P)
However, there might be something to that line of thought and it probably stems from the sheer subjectivity and fluidity of humor...one man's comedy is another man's yawn. Whereas a drama is a drama is a drama. At the end of the day (and I may have a lot of people frown at me for saying this) writing is first and foremost about entertainment. If it's not entertaining then it's dead on the spot.
My senior thesis was all about humor in literature and about how it is seen more as a quality and less as a genre (comedy as a serious genre...wut?)...and I personally plan on writing humor or nothing. I have nothing against branching out here and there and I still have very serious themes and scenes...but my passion is humor. If I don't get in because of that humor then it's actually a good thing.
This was a lot of words to say -- if it is your style, don't hide it (completely) just to get into a program. The rigid and strict bottle-necked admissions system is in place to help writers, too. You don't want to write one way to get in, only to find yourself out of place and miserable -- unable to thrive with your own unique voice.
If the flash fiction piece is a window into that unique voice and the writing good and still has substance, I say send it along!
@ Victoria
BTW -- you can send it along to peteralanherbert@gmail.com and I'll read it and give you more detailed thoughts if you'd like.
Does anybody have thought and impressions about University of Wyoming?
I posted the question in the wrong thread (still trying and failing to be a successful mfa blogger). Apologies, all. Haha
@Julie
I don't know much about Wyoming, certainly not an insider scooper. But it was on my list for a very long time and was only cut when I really, really had to shorten my list so that I didn't go broke and crazy.
It sounds like their funding is pretty good. And the option of travel grants really, really appealed to me.
So, next time I feel down on myself I will watch this again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVu4Me_n91Y
Then I will tell myself it's THESE kids that grow up to get into my top choice schools and I won't feel so bad. He really had a head start on me.
Pretty awesome.
well, i have completed the GRE with a score of... 580 verbal 530 quantitative D:
i'm sure, had i pushed myself to study more, i could have done much better, but now i can't do anything so i may as well let it go. if i don't get in this year, i'll try harder for next year!
stupid question: how do i get my scores sent to more than 4 schools? there was only space for 4, do i have to order the score reports for the others online? also, i just entered the "creative writing" department for each, there was no room for "department code" or anything, did i do that right? so confused.
Katie, at least its over! I am a tad nervous for my performance next week :( At this point, I just want to be done with it!
Yes, those are interesting questions you posed....any ideas anyone? I am guessing you send them in online?
@ Katie Oh
http://www.ets.org/gre/general/scores/send
You can sign in and send them online. It is $23 a pop.
You do not need to know the school codes, as the system they have will ask you the state and then let you choose the school (in drop down boxes). For the department code, I think all creative writing programs are 2503 -- but you can do a search for department codes on the site as well.
They send in a about a week.
@ meghan -
good luck! study that vocab, that's all i can suggest. :P i got some questions where it was like i didn't know the word i was supposed to find the antonym for nor did i know half the choices! four years in a writing program and i know about ten words, haha.
@ Writer Dude -
thanks so much!
RE: GRE scores...you have to go to ETS website, login and order scores to be sent. $23 a pop. You scores won't be available on their site for 16 days after your exam so don't freak out if you see 'unavailable' in place of the scores you saw at the end of your exam.
Jessica
@Katie Oh,
congrats on being done. Once your official score comes in, with writing scores, in about 2 weeks, you can go online and 'order additional score reports.' It's $23 per school you send it to.
Check your school requirements carefully, some schools want it to go the CW department, others to the English department, and others to the graduate college. Just double check. If you think you've sent it to the wrong place, rather than re-send it's worth calling the school to see if it really matters or if the score can be transferred. I wasted at least one of my freebies by sending to the CW department when the school needs the grad school to get it and wont' transfer. Ugh. So just make sure you check.
@ Blob -
eep, that's what i was worried about! dang. i think i may have already screwed up with one school [umass] :/ they didn't specify a department but in my nervousness i said the score should be sent to the creative writing department... i guess i'll have to double-check and cross my fingers! i just hope i haven't accidentally screwed up with all four. :P
@blob @katieoh, ack I did the same thing, and for umass too! I just got so stressed out by the whole test. Well, they don't require the GRE (right?), so if they don't get it, my scores aren't worth the extra money to re-send.
I am having a really annoying time with transcripts. Minnesota (and others) require an online PDF of your transcripts. Well, I went to have this done, came home, and discovered I needed my two-page transcript to be one document. I got this fixed today, but now I noticed that the file size is too large and I'm going to have to go back yet again... and this place is about half an hour away, as I'm living in the middle of nowhere.
ARGH. I keep trying to cross it off my list and then having to write it back in.
@Renee
UMass does not require the GRE for admission, but it does require the GRE in order to get funding...
As for transcript files, if you go to print and instead of printing save the file as a pdf, it re-saves your file smaller. It's worth a shot.
Does anyone have a sample CV they'd be willing to share with me? Honestly, I know it's no big deal how one makes it, but I'm drawing a blank and it's starting to piss me off.
I offer fiction critiques in return, and freshly baked brown butter short bread cookies.
Hey friends,
I'm just starting to fill out online apps today. The fact that some places ask where else you are applying is unnerving.. I feel like there is a right answer to that question, ha. Why does this matter? Are y'all answering honestly?
re: GRE scores
rawr! I might have sent mine to all the wrong departments too... however some websites have specifically noted that even if you send them to a department, the whole grad school can access them, so I'm hoping this is the case.
In other, more pathetic news, I dreamed about this blog last night. Dear god.
I got to check another thing off my list today - just got back from taking the Literature in English GRE subject test (thanks to Cornell for requiring this as part of the MFA/PhD application process). I hope that I will get a good enough score to NEVER EVER have to take it again. Oy. That was crazy.
Still have a ton of things to do, but at least I'm chipping away at them.
I'm really trying to knock out a good statement of purpose this week that I can then adjust/tailor a bit depending on the school. But I'm still just struggling to figure out how to format anything.
Are people including much on their personal life and non-academic backgrounds? Or just focusing on writing and school? I'm trying to figure out the right balance of how much this should be 'a chance to get to know me better' moment and how much it should be a narrative about my writing development thus far and my goals for its future. Any one have any thoughts?
I really love Wash U and UF for not asking for SOPs. But I guess Michigan and UCI needing two make up for that. Womp.
@ Blob
I don't know what to tell you on the SOPs...it seems like no matter what I write it is either too cliche, too casual, too intense, too cheesy...I can't find anything I like so I've decided to just not care and write whatever and FUCK em if they don't like it. ;)
Also, I am quite sure that Wash U in St Louis does ask for a SOP though...might want to check that out...unless you were talking about a different school.
@writer dude
you're right, I was reading my spreadsheet wrong and getting over excited. Damn.
Re: SOP
I don't know what approach to take toward those SOPs either... It's so frickin hard to find the right tone. But to offer my two cents on your dilemma, Blob, I've focused mostly on my writing, reading, schooling, etc, but not exclusively. I'm aiming for an 85-15% split, give or take a bit. Is that the best way to do it? Who knows?
@loren
I've heard the 'what other schools are you applying to' question is for statistical purposes and doesn't really matter much. I know some people have left it blank in the past. But leaving things blank makes me terribly nervous. I'm planning on answering honestly for the most part. But I don't plan on listing ALL the schools I'm applying for. 13 is a lot to list and I don't want to seem desperate, even though I am. So I'll probably just name 5-6 schools.
@Anotherjenny
your 'professional' resume should be fine. Just include a section for publications if you have any (I don't) and find a place to list workshops you've taken, if you have any experience in workshops.
Also, in other news, I noticed on The Suburban Ecstasies that Seth is taking a hiatus. I don't know if that's just from his blog, or from the interwebs in general. I hope it's not from everything, and I hope it's not for long. He's such a valuable resource and a very reassuring voice on this blog.
What I want to know is where everyone's at. Status reports. Here's mine:
Genre:Fiction and Non-fiction
School list: still varying, at 18 with some stragglers added this week.
Portfolio: One story 90% good, other, longer one, only 70% good and stuck there.
SOP: Five first drafts of scattered notes
GRE: Not taken yet
Stress level: Orange (High risk of panic attacks)
About how long does it take from the time you take the GRE till your school receives the score?
Thanks!
I saw this video a while back, and while the context is different, I think it has something to say about how to organize your SOP for greatest effect.
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
Start with the why, go to the how, then the what. That's what I'm going to do.
Again, for those re-applying to the same schools, is it necessary to re-send GRE scores?
@Eli
Depends on the school, but from almost everyone, I've gotten a big "no". As in, they keep scores, transcripts, and often LORs.
The only one who has not said this was George Mason.
Genre: Fiction
School list: 12
Portfolio: Primary story about 50% through first draft. Secondary stories are 100% complete
SOP: Scattered drafts, scattered thoughts
GRE: Completed
Stress level: Blue (This will be as basic as baby food)
Genre: Fiction
School list: 8
Portfolio: Primary story is one whole line-edit away from finished [90%] and secondary story is about 50% from completion [admittedly, I am not going really hard on this one, as I just know that time-wise I can't afford to]
SOP: First real draft just completed; sent to mentors for review/suggestions
GRE: Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. [Sob.]
Stress level: Sparkly Pink [Brink of mania.]
I'll play :D
Genre: Fiction
List: 13
Portfolio: story 1 is 100% complete, story 2 was pretty close to 100%, but now I'm doing a reworking of it and it is presently at 50%. I'm not sure what version of it I'm going to use (I'm going to keep the first one around just in case I like it better), but I'm going to let it sit, hand it over to a few eyes, and then make the decision in the next few weeks. It'll be easy to finish up the other draft, since I'm using a lot of elements from the first draft, which is basically finished, so it's not a matter of time. Anyway...
GRE: taken two years ago. Scores sucked. Oh well. Wah.
SOP: done for each school, but they will all be revisited and touched up before being sent off.
Stress level: low-moderate. Not to bad. Picking up slightly. Want it to be February :*(
I might also be ditching one of my schools to add Cornell. Not only am I in a bit of a "good big or go home" kind of mood, but since I applied there last year, the app process won't be as time consuming/costly as applying to a new school.
That's where I am right now!
Whoa, typo alert: That "to" should be a "too" and I clearly meant to say "GO big or go home" XD
dang, kaybay, get it! it never hurts to play go big or go home, especially if you applied last year and will save a few $$$ by doing so! your progress is enviable. :)
Yeah!!! *chest bumps Katie Oh*
Whoa, watching too much football this weekend (Auburn's 11-0! Bucs 6-3! Can't help it!)
Really, though, I probably wouldn't be this far/calm if I didn't apply last year. Most of the schools I'm reapplying to only require a new SOP and a writing sample, so it's really only like I'm applying to 8-9 schools. Also, since I know all the hurdles, I can avoid most of them. Last year, a whole bunch of stuff kept coming up that I hadn't planned on (re-ordering more transcripts, needing them from the first school I attended, recommendations down to the last minute, etc). I'm sure I'll be stressing in the next few weeks, since I'd like to have my first app in by Dec 1st (heh, probably won't happen). Oh well!
I'd love to know what kind of stories most of you are writing. Magical Realism? Traditional realism? Anybody want to share a synopsis?
I'm craving some blog conversation right now :D
Genre:Poetry
School list: 20 for MFAs and probably 2 or 3 for MA (Lit)
Portfolio: I think that I've workshopped all of my poems at least once. Still waiting to hear back from people as to which I should/shouldn't include (according to them), planning on starting the process of final revisions this week.
SOP: I have paragraphs, but no cohesion. A friend of mine who graduated from an MFA program is looking at it.
GRE: Taken (General and Subject). Did fine on GRE verbal, waiting on analytical and subject scores.
Stress level: Paisley. I'm so tired from the stress of the GREs that I'm not thinking straight.
@ thereandbackagain -
whoa, 22-23 schools and a regular GRE plus subject test?! internet high five, you are a rock star.
@ Katie Oh,
No, I just really want to get in somewhere. (Not just anywhere, though. I'd actually be happy to attend any of the places that I'm applying.) I'm older (40), so I'm feeling a certain sense of urgency. Also, I graduated in July, so I'm already taking a year "off". (I am teaching, though, so that's something.) :)
Re: types of stories
The stories in my writing sample are pretty traditional domestic realism. Oddly enough, I often enjoy writing it more than I enjoy reading it (although done well, it can be wonderful and interesting to read). I have a secret love for certain types of genre fiction (namely of the crime/mystery, western, or post-apocalyptic varieties) but I'm still building to a point where I would try to write any myself.
I'll echo Kaybay: I also would really love to hear what sorts of things the rest of you are writing.
For me, it's a mix.
Story 1 I'm considering: Experimental in form. Something like a Borges take on an ancient historian.
Story 2: Realism, but not domestic.
Story 3: Domestic... but not realism, per se.
Whatchoo doin kaybay?
Gena -
You know, normally a write pretty non-traditional stuff, but lately my stories have been pretty "normal." One story has a couple of "out there" metaphors, but in terms of plot, narrative, action, it's pretty straightforward. My second story is pretty realist.
It's weird, though, because my stories can run the gauntlet of style. I'm also working on a story I wrote over the summer about a young girl with a craving for human flesh (heh). It's not a straight horror story, it's still pretty literary, but it's out there :D. I like the story, but I don't know if I have time to rework it for my apps this season. My one problem is that I really have three stories that I could send, but aesthetically, the horror-ish one is a bit risky. I might send it to Notre Dame (it has a lot of Catholic overtones to it and ND is pretty accepting of non-traditional work). Current advice is to send the same stories to every program, but I don't know. Bottom line, though, is that I'm spending my time on the more traditional stories (not because I'm trying to jump through the right hoops but because, honestly, it's my best work). If I have time, I might send the horror story to schools that might be more open to it.
Anyone else having problems like this? I'm sure it's pretty common. I just don't have a single aesthetic anymore and I don't know how to approach that.
@ kaybay -
if it's something you're interested in writing more of, you may as well send it to the programs you think would be receptive to it!
re: types of work
i write what would probably be considered "domestic" fiction. small town people dealing with problems that aren't necessarily remarkable but are traumatizing for them.
i might even call the fiction unremarkable but having spent four years staring at my work i can't really tell if it's good or not at the end of the day, which is what makes this process really frustrating; it's so subjective that i can't ever "stack" myself against someone else, y'know?
@kaybay
I obviously don't really know anything. But I imagine you're more likely to be accepted because of one story than rejected because of one story. If someone likes 2 out of 3 stories a lot, I doubt they will choose not to accept someone based on something more controversial that doesn't soothe their aesthetic. Whereas, I think if someone thinks two stories are just ok, or even not so great, but one story really catches them, they might bring them into the yes pile or at least the maybe pile.
Along those lines, I think you should submit what you think is your best work and not worry about aesthetic. If they don't like it, they're probably not the best fit for you anyway.
I'm really enjoying hearing what kind of writing everyone is doing, while I stare at my blank page of a personal statement.
RE: Type of writing.
I try to stick to humor...which is risky because humor or so subjective and cultural...but it also isn't (Swift, Voltaire, Shakespeare).
This can range from silly farce with silly characters doing just silly things to overt political satire (I hate pretty much all politics).
If I were to write novels (which is the plan)...I think they would be a mixture of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, and Christopher Moore with a flare for the fantastic.
Though "realism" can be quite funny too. Steinbeck was exceptionally good at comedy...so was Richard Bradford (if you haven't read Red Sky at Morning, I suggest you do).
I just don't enjoy myself unless I am at least attempting humor. I find it the most challenging as well.
My stories are pretty influenced by whatever's happening to me in my life at the moment, so they end up being about a lot of things. Because of that, I don't anticipate my work will ever have a unified concern, but more like common aesthetics or themes. Like a Kubrick film. If I may flatter myself. God, the man's probably spinning in his grave.
In other news, I am so sick of personal statements. So, so sick. They're getting done, it's just... exhausting to be in my own head so much. I have two more to turn out be Wednesday and right now it hurts to think about.
RE: Type of Writing
@Writer Dude
I keep finding that humor interjects itself into my stories. No matter how straight laced or downright depressing the subject matter is, there's always at least one semi-goofy moment that sneaks its way in there. Not that that's a bad thing...usually it gives my work that extra little pep it needs.
@Everyone else
I don't know how you'd categorize what I write. Mostly realism, I guess, though I try to use off the wall images and metaphors, and I dabble in some stream of consciousness. Like anotherjenny, a lot of my stories are influenced by things that have happened or are happening in my life; sometimes I feel like my characters are just reflections of myself in fun house mirrors.
got into Oklahoma State for spring (poetry). no funding till fall so i won't be attending.
I know I shouldn't, it's not productive, and it's certainly a bit preemptive, but I'm starting to worry about my recommendations. I have 4 people writing recs for me and only one has gotten his in. One has been in touch and asked me to make sure after thanksgiving that everything is in order, so I think I'm ok there. But the other two I'm less confident about. I have no real REASON to doubt them. But I'm getting anxious anyway. Plus, I know that for the most part students aren't penalized if recommendations come in a bit late. But I'm still ANXIOUS. I just can't help it.
I'm looking forward to application bootcamp 2.0 next week. My goal is to get all my december apps done and out the door. And as many others as I can squeeze in. Whatever's left over will have to wait until application bootcamp 2.5 the last week of December.
Really hoping I get a SOP breakthrough soon.
Also, wondering if it's time a new mailbag, given that we're about to enter the real application crunch time...
Hey everybody,
So I'm wondering if anyone has submitted the Oregon application yet--I did, and on my application status page it says I have not turn in the TA application. I didn't know Oregon had a TA application and can't find anything about it anywhere. Anyone encountered/resolved this?
Andrew
@Andrew P
I have no submitted my Oregon application yet. But I do have on my master spreadsheet that there is a separate TA application. The link for the form is:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/pdf/applicationGTFGS630.pdf
What I don't know, is if you're supposed to submit this online or mail it in. That might be worth a phone call.
Let me know if you figure out how to submit it.
And congratulations on getting an application done and submitted. I have a grand total of 0 done!
hey friends,
in response to some general inquiries spotted on this thread regarding the mfa at wyoming:
as a current student who applied here on a whim and was accepted, what sounded good to me on paper before committing - full funding, summer stipend, travel and publication budget, light teaching load - i learned upon arrival that these perks were a reflection of the kind of supportive environment fostered here by faculty who work really hard to maintain a good thing in wyoming.
if you have specific concerns and questions, or you just want to learn more about us... definitely don't hesitate to email the program directly (cw@uwyo.edu). And visit us online at our program website
(http://www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting/) and the mfa student blog (http://ibrokemythesis.com/)
@ Blob
Hang in there with the SOPs!
I wrote 4 drafts and scrapped each one before I wrote the one I'm submitting... that's not even including the teaching SOPs, academic SOPs, and biographical SOPs I've done. I think 9 in all?
Inspiration for the final version of the SOP I used most hit me while I was typing on my laptop on a Seattle bus on my way to get my EBT card (just got foodstamps... dunno if I should celebrate $125 extra a month or cry that I need it).
A friend of mine gave me this advice: tell them something that they don't know about you, that they'd be interested to learn, and make sure it's important. Make sure they know it's important.
Advice from me: be honest. I think I had to write so many drafts so I could get down to my most honest self. Satisfying UTexas' spartan 350-minimum actually forced me to generate my favorite SOP. I was concise, forceful, and human.
I've actually started crying many times while writing these things because I had to reach back into some tough memories to remind myself why I want to write and do an MFA. I think getting some sort of emotional indicator from yourself is a good sign you've cut to the quick of your motivations.
I've been a bit of a lurker here, but it's nice talking to others about this process.
@anotherjenny
Thank you for your post. It was reassuring and nice to read. I have to admit though, I sort of feel like I'm running out of time.
I also sort of feel like I don't have a special reason or an emotional hook to my mfa story. I just love to write and I love being in school. I've always loved being in the classroom and I'd be happy to stay there forever, at one capacity to another.
I also know that I'm a very lucky person. I've had a lot of opportunities that most people don't have. And I have a family that is happily supporting my pursuit of a 'useless' degree, even if that means they have to help out financially a bit while I pursue it. I know writing is a savior for many people. And it is one for me too, I just don't know that I've had anything significant to be saved from.
I want this, I know I'm ready for it. And that I will be a good mfa candidate, who gives back to the writing community and takes advantage of all resources. But none of these things that can't be found elsewhere on my application.
Your friend's advice is great, I think. I just can't find something that's important and isn't already spoken for. I've been trying and I just haven't it.
I remember being very, very proud of my college essay, which talked about my cultural background and the perspective it has given me. i wish I could revisit some of those ideas. They're true; it's genuine, but the reality is that nothing in my sample shows any of that. So perhaps in regards to my writing it seems a bit disingenuous. Argh. I don't know. I'm so caught up in my head over this.
@ Blob
I think if you keep talking it out on this here blog you can look at some of your posts and piece together your SOP ;)
The SOP isn't a gimmick. I see it as more of a rarely used tie-breaker when they can't decide between writing samples. What is your purpose? State it and move on!
Your last post itself could be flowered into a good SOP. You don't need to dazzle. No matter how good it is, it won't make up for samples they don't like...and if they like your samples I'd guess they'd have to really dislike the SOP to not admit you.
To all those people who say "Wtf. You can get a degree in writing? Why? What are you going to do with that?" -- just answer them...it's a good question ;)
Carry on!
I agree with WriterDude.
I have three friends in MFA programs right now and they all wrote really different SOPs; one was more narrative and reads like a short piece of prose (he got into UF), one was a straight forward approach(he's at Syracuse),and one as a bit more risky (he's at UNV).
Probably best to just be yourself and move on :) I'm also trying to take my own advice as I'm on my third draft.
oh, it's so nice to have all of you to help with the process!
Question for Michigan poetry folks (or anyone else that has an opinion):
Most schools give a range of poems they want (6-10 is the most common). Michigan gives a flat number of 15. I know it's generally said that it's better to send a shorter sample that is strong than weaken your sample just to meet requirements. But I'm thinking my strongest sampling will be about 7-8 poems, which is about half of what Michigan wants. I'm worried that might be cutting it too short.
What are other people doing with varying sample sizes in poetry?
@anotherjenny
In the end, I think you'll be pleased that you put so much into your statements.
Remember what Robert Frost said: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
Genre: Poetry (and some MA Lit, as well)
School list: 13 MFA and a few (yet to be finally determined) more in MA Lit
Portfolio: Poems are completed, though not arranged
SOP: Drafted roughly, but not by any means finished
GRE: Done (w/crappy scores)
Stress level: HIGHHIGHHIGH
The stress is due to the fact that I'm finishing my undergraduate thesis right now (graduating in four weeks), getting ready to move across the country, and stressing over letters of rec, too. SIGH. All this while applying to both MFA and MA. Yikes.
I asked this question on the P&W without receiving any response :(
Some schools require GRE scores to be sent to the graduate school, not the department. However, when sending scores, it specifically asks for which department. It only says to "skip" the page if: "your department is included within the Institution Name or if your recipient is a fellowship sponsor." Do I skip? Do I leave the department blank? I don't want it to go to the wrong place and risk having shell out the $23 to send another report. I know that it would probably go to the right place, but I don't want to mess up
@kaybay
I don't actually know, but I would guess the 'skip to the next page' action is the way to go. Did you check if graduate college is a department option?
My not very useful advice would be to call one of the schools that's like this and ask. Whatever they say probably goes for all the schools. And so far I've found people to be very helpful on the phone or via email.
I should really figure out the answer myself. I need to send my scores out!
Thanks, Blob, I thought about emailing them but then I wondered if it was more a question for ETS, and, of course, I couldn't find the number for such a question. I could pay them $12 more just to hear my scores, but I that wouldn't help much. You know what really grinds my gears, aside from Lindsay Lohan, ETS! Corrupt scam artists... I digress.
I think I'm just going to press the "skip" button and assume that it's going somewhere that the department has access to. As long as I have a confirmation #, I assume I can track the score down. Who knows. I just don't want to spend any more money. Argh!
Anybody have thoughts on how long a "short essay demonstrating your skill as a writer of expository prose" should be? My shortest essay from grad school is 16 pages. I figure I will just pick a section that stands on its own, but I really don't know what kind of length Umass is looking for.
Is anybody else applying to both MFA & MA Lit? I have revised my entire plan, and am applying to 9 MFA and 5 MA... Yikes.
@ Karissa i am applying to three as back-up. One in my home state as my ultimate safety school, one recommended by one of my professors based on my research interests (and the fact that he got his phd there and loved it) and another to be determined this week.
Re: Oregon TA Application
Holy crap! I've already submitted my Oregon application as well, and I didn't hear anything about a separate TA application. I've gone back and checked the status of my app and there's nothing on there about it either...so now I'm confused and slightly worried. :P
to those applying to lit MAs as well:
are you requesting a separate set of letters of recommendation?
@ open spaces,
I emailed umass and they said they're generally around 2-3 pages
@thereandbackagain
Interesting that you're considering MA programs as 'back ups.' I actually think they'd be HARDER for me to get into. My mediocre GRE score would hold more weight and I'd have to take the lit subject gre for them. I know the acceptance rates are much, much, much higher. But I do think my application would be weaker.
I considered applying to MA in education programs as a back up. But, honestly I don't have the time or energy to plan for two different types of applications and I'd hate to confuse my recommenders.
@ Karissa
You might want to check out this list of funded ma programs if you haven't: http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2009/10017.html
Also, I know you are wanting to go to school in the Virginia Tech area. Have you considered Radford? I met a couple of people from there this summer (students and an English prof) at the Appalachian Writers Workshop, and they all seemed pretty cool. (Cool enough for me to check the school out.)
@ inkli_11
I'm having 2 different profs write the letters of rec for the MA programs - these are professors that I had for literature only classes and who can speak to my research interests and rhetorical strengths. The other rec (if needed) will be one of the same as my MFA LORs, but I've had her for literature classes as well.
@ Blob
I was originally planning on applying to PhD programs in Literature before I decided to be brave and give the MFA programs a go. I love both sides of the equation - the creative and the critical, but I know that my creative side would benefit greatly from focused study, and I've never given in to allowing that side to flourish.
As for time and energy? I figure I can sleep in January when they are all done.
Boy Meets World...
Best television show ever?
Discuss.
I'm sure similar questions have been addressed before, but I can't find them, so I'll ask again:
UC of Irvine asks for an Autobiographical Sketch that "indicate[s] what you regard as special in your background
experience, writers or writing teachers you have studied with, reading which has influenced you as a writer,
and the current direction of your writing. In short, we would like to find out as much as possible about your
background as a writer in a few pages."
But they also say that this is separate from the Statement of Purpose that is to be uploaded on the online application. What goes in that? It's getting to be quite a headache figuring out and putting together each university's unique personal statement/statement of purpose/teaching statement/autobiographical sketch needs.
Kaushik
@writer dude
quit derailing the thread and look over my writing sample, or better yet, right my SOP for me! I kid, I kid.
Boy Meets World is nothing compared to the following, somewhat similar shows:
1. Freaks & Geeks
2. The Wonder Years
3. My so-called life
4. Growing Pains
Question for the crew:
If/When you get into an MFA program what do you hope to achieve? Either on the short term or in the long term. More specially, what aspect of your writing do you really hope to improve; what do you hope to learn; what's the 'next level' for you?
typo fail, *write NOT right.
I must go with @Blob in saying that 'Freaks & Geeks' totally trumps 'Boy Meets World.' ;)
@ Blob
Eff word. You're right. I read them all, actually. But need to read them again and respond. Sorry!
I'll ignore your list of lame shows compared to The Boy.
RE: Your Actual MFA Question on an MFA Blog
I am interested in novels, but I understand the short story is a great way to get there. I think my own personal focus will be on Character -- seems like the hardest thing to master and the most important to make something worthwhile. Second to that, for me, tight plots (and ironically my short stories are anything but tight)
@Blob
Well, regardless of if I go the MFA route or the MA route, I hope to complete my manuscript first and foremost, learn more about the traditions of poetry, and eventually get into a critical PhD program with the goal of teaching at the university level. :)
@ Blob
editing. how to tighten up my poems so that they have only the words they need in them.
also, what frank x. walker calls layering - that is, making sure that my poetry is making meaning on a number of levels - density (can be about more than one thing), making sure that the poem has both an IQ and an EQ, that i'm maximizing the imagery and music in the poem, and that i'm paying attention to economy (see above) and line.
hmmm. that actually sounds like something i could put in my SOP.
thanks, Blob! :)
@thereandbackagain
HAH! There's half of your SOP right there! ;D
For anyone familiar with the Minnesota application, do you have advice on the 2nd personal statement - the one that addresses diversity? I sort of feel like my 1st statement addresses this, and everything I seem to write directly for the 2nd one starts to get very cliche. Any advice?
My secret purpose all along was to help all of you with your SOPs, obviously :)
To answer my own question: my senior year of college my goal was to be able to write poems that went together-- to be able to produce a collection. I accomplished that, but now I want to be able to really dictate and vary my voice on command. I've found the voice of my poems choose me, not the other way around. I think being able to do that will also help me write through blocks. That's another thing I hope an MFA will prepare me for, writing all the time, writing as a way of life, writing everyday-- not just because there's something due tomorrow. I also really wish I was able to use form more efficiently. I don't use it often and probably never really will. But I want it to be something I feel very comfortable with, which currently it's not.
Another thing, not poetry related, I hope to explore while in a program, is children's literature. I've always been a big fan and there's definitely an art form there. It's something I can see myself dabbling with in the future. I think in general I hope to be at a program that allows me at least one fiction workshop. Improving my fiction has always improved my poetry.
Hey guys, I had a question about the writing sample. Some schools specify that the 20-25 pages of fiction have to be double spaced. Others do not. For the ones that don't do they expect the sample to be double spaced? Is this a known standard? Because if not I can obviously cram in more of my stuff.
Thanks for the help.
@ Hips Like Cinderella
As far as I know -- it's common practice to send samples double spaced. All the agents and publishing houses and journals and most contests I've seen all say double-spaced.
However, if they don't explicitly say it then you have an argument...though I personally think it'd take some balls. But that's just me.
Quality over quantity -- I personally wouldn't risk it.
@ Hips like Cinderella
Pixies reference? If so, that excites me greatly.
600!
Carry on.
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