thanks, I do know about Pdfescape. I found out from this blog only, maybe even from you! It's been a big help. But for something that requires that much writing, it's still a hassle.
I'm sure I'm also getting more easily annoyed the further into the stress hole I go.
I agree with Blob. Thank your recommenders now. Even if you don't get in anyplace (but you will :) ) you want to thank them for their support and effort.
I ended up sending mine these amazing chocolate-covered and ganache-filled Calmyrna figs by Fran's Chocolates in Seattle. Each fig is pretty big and cost $5.50, so I only sent one to each. Since two of my recommenders are profs from my undergrad U of M, I figured they'd like something Seattle-y. Also it gave me an excuse to get a few truffles for myself... hey, I needed a post-app reward!
It's hard enough finding out that you had errors in your SOPs after a second read, but for those of you that have had access to your rec letters, what do you do if you find errors in those?
My boss gave me a copy of the letter she wrote for me. It's a beautiful letter, but there's this really glaring diction error... "Jenny has consistently EXCEEDED in all her areas of work..." Good LORD! When I saw that I practically pooped myself.
Given that she owns an SAT test prep company and teaches English, I would've thought she'd catch a mistake like that, but guess not. I'm totally over it-- I mean, the letters are sent, so what can you do?-- and I think it'd be silly to imagine that my apps would be hurt by her error. Mostly I think it's funny now. Has anyone else had this experience?
On a more positive note, I stumbled upon some statements of purpose I wrote for my undergrad admission into U of M, and they're actually not bad! Sure the writing sucks a bit, but the things I chose to discuss and how I wrote about them are eerily similar to what I still do now. Is it heartening to know that my writing voice has always been strong, or disheartening that it hasn't evolved more? Hah.
I had a disheartening, but humorous, typo discovery today. In my CV that I've already sent out to a bunch of schools, I described something as a "writing saloon" instead of "salon" -- as in, the wild-wild-west kind, not the intellectual gathering kind. Crikey.
errors in LoRs can't and won't matter. They're not judging you based on who writes about you or how good of a writer that person is, only what they say about you.
errors in SOPs is a whole different story. I feel like my eyeballs out over the error I made in 11 out of 14 applications. Just hoping someone's feeling generous.
A warning to those who are applying to Brown and using Interfolio:
Although the Brown site clearly states that a dossier service like Interfolio is OK, there are additional questions sent in the email to recommenders, making it impossible for Interfolio to send them.
MAN! Irvine's got me all messed up. I thought you had to turn in a manuscript containing the auto-sketch, the sop and the writing samples but it turns out you're just supposed to turn in the autosketch and writing samples while uploading the sop to the online app. WTF! I already submitted my online app before I found the mistake. Ugh.
Ok, thank you Gummy Bear. What is the deal with UCI? Can anyone help me because obviously I've let it get down to the wire, but it's my last 12/15 due date school. I'll clearly be at kinko's until midnight that day. Anywho, are there a total of three essays? There's the Statement of Purpose, then the Personal History Statement, then some people are saying there's like a third bio thing. Can anyone help me, por favor!?
There are only two. The statement of purpose/personal statement/letter of intent which is uploaded in the online application and the Creative Autobiography, which should be mailed in with the manuscript.
Us lucky poets get until January 18th to finish our applications. So it's one that i still have some work to do on.
@Kaushik - as we all know, most suburban upbringings are not as peaceful as they appear on the outside and that's certainly the case for me. It's more so that, honestly, I don't think any of that's their business :D By boring, I more so mean that I haven't traveled anywhere interesting (hey, I did go to Canada once and it was cold), I didn't grow up poor, I didn't grow up struggling with my racial identity or sexual preference. I'm certainly not saying I wish that I did, by any means. But, I just don't want to make my personal statement something that I would also send to a psychiatrist. I just don't like talking about it, heh.
And honestly, I would say that I write because it allows me to be a creator, something that my upbringing definitely tried to squash. Everything's about doing the right thing at the right time and writing is not about that at all. It's the only "place" where I can be weird, eccentric, angry, judgmental, brash, nonsensical, etc... without taking any flak for it. Pretty cool :)
Hey all, just wanted to throw my .02c in and join in the frazzled mfa applicant crowd. 6 down, 6 to go.
@all who might have messed up something in their application and submitted it before realizing their mistake. i have an embarrassing story. i accidentally uploaded an SOP to a school that was actually an SOP for another school. when i talked to most people they said that whatever was uploaded was the final document and there was nothing i could do to change it. FMLx3. after 2 panic attacks, several e-mails and frantic calls, I was able to get in touch with an English dept. assistant who nonchalantly assured me she'd just replace the uploaded document with the one I provided her (and CAREFULLY reviewed). who knows if it'll actually happen, but we are all human and make mistakes and the admissions crew realize this. it was a valuable lesson and i'm much more aware of organizing my documents. which leads to my second point...
this is a general question for all: who prefers paper applications over electronic? as much as i love the convenience of submitting an app with a few clicks and i know it's 2010 and all, i'd rather send a hard copy of my materials because i feel a tangible control to my manuscript and essay. that, and i'm one of those people that needs to read it on paper to notice any small mistakes.
either way, i wish the best to everyone during this stressful time. who knows, maybe a couple of us end up in a program together :)
I think for a big mistake like uploading the wrong file, calling and having something changed is fine. But for a typo, calling and bothering the department seems pretty petty and I don't think I can bring myself to do it. I'll just have to hope they forgive my stupid ignorance and crazed carelessness. And if not, well, who can really blame them. *hangs head in shame*
@Lauren, I hear you on the hard versus electronic application...I like the ease of filling things out online and the fact that I don't have to print much or pay to mail...but somehow I feel more at risk of making mistakes by doing it electronically. I did my apps pretty much all at the same time and my head was kind of spinning.
I know... I just checked here (http://driftless-house.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-cw-mamfaphd-application-responses.html) for the dates I can except all my programs to notify and wrote them down... as if this offers any real comfort. It may be best to accept that there is absolutely nothing we can do now except work, wait, and maybe pray.
Actually, now that I'm not guilting myself for not workin gon my applications (which is what I'd been doing EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY since last January when I decided I wanted to apply) I've been getting tons of ideas for stories. I'm going to try writing a screenplay and I'm excited about it.
Distraction: Has anyone heard of The Magnetic Fields? Totally hilarious and catchy music. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gy-2UUA-c
Anybody applying to University of New Mexico? I just found out that 2 of my recommendations have to include addressing my ability as a TA, otherwise I need additional letters!
But wtf, I didn't know I was supposed to know/read my LoR.. how am I to know what they said?
Does anyone know if you end up sending GRE scores to the university without specifying the department code, where the scores are supposed to reach the department? Can I somehow notify the department that my GRE scores have been sent to the university? I really hope I won't have to send them again.
1) Statement of Purpose-this is more like a cover letter that you submit to a job. Write your school/work history, why you want to go to grad school, why you want to study what you want to study. Upload online (unless you're screwed like me and already submitted your app).
2) Auto-sketch-this is the SOP that you've basically written for all the other schools. You know, the one with the witty prose and catch phrases that's supposed to make that said admissions committee fall madly in love you. Send in a hard copy with your writing sample.
Hey guys, I'm new. Hi! I can't wait to worry with all of you.
So, transcript question. I have an MA in something totally unrelated from a school in the UK. I ordered my transcripts a month ago and I still haven't seen them. I know they say programs are lenient about late transcripts, but what if they're like, say a month late? I'm worried that's how long it'll take if I have to order a second round.
done with cornell and brown, which gives me 4/8 done! yay!
tonight my mission is to get my stuff for iowa and indiana together. penn state and oregon can wait til this weekend, since they have mid-january deadlines.
@ deborah: i'd be up for it! my SOP won't be done for a couple of weeks though, i don't know if you'd be up for reading it then? what's your email address?
@ kaushik: exciting! i hope you get him to sign one.
i need to read much more kafka. much much more. i've only read one (two, maybe?) of his short stories.
@ the pensive monkey: ah, crap. why'd you have to mention the P&W forums? now i'm going to head over there and obsess too...
@ blob: seriously. i spent a couple of hours simply filling in the application forms one after the other with the same information...
@ kat: thanks so much. i thought resumes weren't supposed to be more than a page long, though? some schools specify 1-2 pages, though. the one-page thing has been drilled into me by my undergrad's career services dept, it's kind of hard to kick...
@ dadofwriter & eric: thanks!
@ I: maybe the readers will just think it's a get together where writers write and then challenge each other to shoot-offs? ...no?
i've been trying to work on my writing sample for the past couple of days but i'm suffering from such a block / such performance anxiety. ughhh what a bad time for it...
it's also just starting to sink in - how low the acceptance rates are. i don't like thinking about it.
i'm jealous of all the people who are already done / almost done! best of luck to you. and to the people who are still chugging along like me...
last thing: i'm definitely up for SOP swaps, but mine won't be done for a couple of weeks yet. let me know if you're willing to help or have something you want looked at, though! (leanne dot mirandilla at gmail dot com)
I got Washington Univ@St Louis done last night and Illinois. Going to get in Cornell and Brown tonight. You have to be some tech-guru to do all these applications, all this scanning and PDF conversions and merges and just, that's what is taking me so long. Thankfully, I filled out all the tedious demographic information last month. Never thought uploading all my materials would be so time consuming, but everyone wants it different...
Oh, and I found out one of my recommenders can't get to a letter until the beginning of next week, which one of the letters I need back to get to Alabama before the end of the month. I'm hoping I can get it back and out in time. I may not survive this, even if I get accepted somewhere.
I just heard back from one of my recommenders with news that he may not be able to complete my letter until mid-January. He's a great guy and I was a little late in getting to him so I'm not bitter but, uhm, a practical question for those of you in the know.
Since I'm a few years removed from undergrad and not in touch with many of my former professors, there's a good chance that I may not be able to find an alternative at this late date. So let's say I submit an application to a school with a 1/1 or 1/3 deadline and let's say that application is complete except for one missing letter of rec. Will the school really disregard the entire application? Are they flexible about these types of supporting materials? Might they just consider the app without the letter?
Bottom line: do I really have to cross a school off my list just because one of the three letters of rec might not arrive until after the deadline?
From what I understand, and of course they'd never publish this because they want people to get their shit in on time to make it easier on the school...but I believe with MFAs they are pretty lenient as long as they like your sample.
Which says 2 things. 1) They read samples as long as you send the sample/app/payment on time and 2) they will probably contact you to get the other stuff in if they like your stuff.
Here is a response I got from Vanderbilt when I emailed about transcripts I feared might have not made it:
"Admissions decisions begin at the program level. Faculty in the program to which you have applied will review your application and you will receive notice of their decision, regardless of the result. If application materials are missing, or more information is required, you will be contacted by that program."
Thanks. That was pretty much my sense, or at least my hope. I'm sure enough wires get crossed and paperwork misplaced that quite a few files are missing a letter or a transcript as the review process begins. If a school really does want to attract the best writers they can find, it would seem silly not to at least take a look at the writing sample and contact those who might otherwise be accepted to find out what the deal is.
But if anyone else has experience with this, by all means, feel free to let know. Thanks!
Anyone else totally stuck on the teaching statement? I have just a little experience teaching school kids and nothing else. I've never really thought about a philosophy of teaching. What to do?
There's always THAT ONE recommender who is lagging behind. I'm so glad the school doesn't count that against you. Well, I hope the school doesn't count that against you. I keep clogging his inbox with reminders. COME ON MAN DX
Colorado specifies that they want 25 pages; however, they do not specify the font nor the spacing. Is it wrong to use this loophole in order to fit two stories? I'd keep the 12pt Times ft but I'd decrease the spacing to 1.3.
some ask for double spaces, but some don't. i'm thinking of just double spacing all of them since there's no way i'm going to painstaking edit my sample so i have one version of each.
also, what are you doing in terms of line spacing? i feel like i should space the lines out like i did my college papers, i.e. 2.0 according to microsoft word's line spacing setting.
It has been a terribly long time since I last logged into the MFA blog, although I still drift through to see what's going on from time to time!
Anyway, I saw that a lot of you were worrying about status updates on websites. I was worrying about the same thing and contacted some programs about it, and I hope what I've found out eases your minds a bit. The woman I talked to at the University of Washington in St. Louis was extremely nice and said that if your transcripts arrive slightly late, the program will not hold it against you. Rather, if any of your materials are not available when they review your application, they will send you an e-mail to tell you to get them in asap. My GRE scores were also not showing up on my online status, but when I called her she confirmed that they do in fact have the scores already, but that there have been a lot of wires crossed concerning GRE score updates.
Likewise, the Michener Center is completely behind schedule for both the GRE's sent to the Graduate School and the writing sample packets sent to the MCW. It's a little frustrating to find this out now, as I panicked two days ago when I saw an incomplete status and super-fed-exed everything to Austin again. Gah.
I hope this info assuages some of your fears. I know it did mine. I think I have a few grey hairs from my panic session, actually...
I'm less concerned about transcripts and scores than I am about my writing sample. My biggest concern is UMass, who's deadline was Dec. 1st, shows that NONE of my material has been received and it says to gives materials 2 weeks to show up. Well I sent mine over three weeks ago....WOMP.
@Minnow, good to know about Wash U and GRE scores. I sent mine in August and they aren't showing up. I emailed her but haven't heard back yet. I'll assume they probably have them, though, and I'm glad to know that was confirmed for you.
So Brown's deadline is today. I can't decide whether or not to pay all that cash to apply. Word is that it's real experimental, right? Because my stuff is pretty straight up, and I don't want to waste precious dollars applying to a program that won't be interested in my style writing. What's the word on this?
I've also heard that it's very experimental. For some, it's the holy grail because of that. And because it's curriculum is VERY loose. You take just a workshops and electives (anywhere in the grad school) and have generally fewer classes and more 'writing time' than most schools. For me, personally, the structure was a bit too loose. but I know for some this is part of the appeal.
For me, these things made it a no, but they're the very things that make it a first choice for others.
Big sigh of relief...in the past hour I have gotten several emails directly from schools notifying me that my recommendation letters are being submitted. I was getting nervous!
Oh my word..Kinkos/Fedex last night to send out UCI. Today I see all these typos and call the package back. Back to Kinkos twice to fix it and send it out again. Maybe applying to 18 schools was a bad idea if I don't have the time to carefully submit.
Also, question about Colorado: They said the SOP should be 1-2 pages. Anyone have any idea on double or single spaced?
Also, I can not find the Teaching Appointment Application. Anyone have a link to it? Maybe it's obvious and I've just gone insane. I wouldn't rule it out.
Let us all take a deep breath and hang in there, and be thankful we live in a country where we are free to pursue our dreams.
@Gummy Bear -- AGREED!! But I find that I can't bring myself to write "yea" even when I mean it because I know people will read it "yeah," so I write "yay" instead.
Not that I find myself needing to write the word "yea" a lot...
I am D-O-N-E, DONE!! I didn't end up applying to Alabama (I think I just want a fresh start) and did apply to Penn State, so there ya go. I hate the fact that I have a month and a half to wait :(
congratulations! i still have another 12 mfa programs and 3 ma programs to apply to, but i expect that the rest won't take quite as much time. hoping to be done before christmas eve so that i can enjoy a couple of weeks off (and a writing retreat) before teaching next semester. :)
I honestly don't know what my plans are. I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something right now even though I know I have nothing left to do. I'm teaching seven (!) classes next semester and one of them is a course I've never taught, so it looks like I'll be busy either planning or teaching. Yay.
7? yikes. i thought teaching 6 last fall would kill me, but then i was also taking two classes and had four different preps. ugh. whenever i look at the class loads for graduate teaching i breathe a sigh of relief. :) i wasn't sure i'd have a job next semester, but i got the word today that it looks like i will. i'll be teaching something completely different, but i'm looking forward to that.
Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to it. Two years ago, they made us go from a seven period day with two prep periods to an eight period day with two prep periods. I work at a private school, so no union rep! Hizzah! They are going to pay me an additional $1500 to teach the course and it is an elective, so the extra pay is certainly welcome. But, I struggle with six. Seven is going to kill me. I don't know if I'm going to survive!
@ kaybay At first I thought you meant teaching 7 college-level courses (which doesn't really make sense... but that's what immediately came to mind) and i was like, how is she going to live?! but that still is a lot. and i thought being a student and applying to grad school was bad.
congratulations to everyone who is done already! (i'm so jealous.)
hi. i haven't posted in a while.
question - is it tacky to say that funding is a major factor in terms of why a school is appealing? or should that be left out completely of a SOP because it is a) tacky, and b) a given?
I've got 4/11 done. 2 others I've just got to send out the writing sample, because they wanted hard copies. Waiting on physical LORs for 3 others from recommenders (that I priority mailed to them the 8th). Got to finish the Vandy app, send them the GRE, and apply to McNeese and I'll be done. I think I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I regret not applying to Arkansas. All right.
Assuming you're asking about Colorado-Boulder, I finally found a teaching application linked at the bottom of this page: http://www.colorado.edu/English/acadprograms/gradprosp.shtml
Don't know if it's right, but I couldn't find anything else.
@ elio - The tackiness of talking about funding depends wholly on how exactly you're mentioning it. 'I really need money' might not go over as well as 'your university's financial support of its MFA candidates indicates a dedication to writing with which I identify.' The questions I'd ask in including it are: how necessary is this to say?, and how central is this to why I am applying?
do they have an application fee? what/where is it? i looked on their website and couldn't find it, and couldn't get someone on the phone the one time i called (going to try again)
also, i would just like to share that working on my writing sample is stressing me out SO MUCH.
Is the Application Info Sheet the MFA dept. alludes to on their website the application itself, or is there some other sheet I need to find and fill out?
how nice! UMass just emailed me to confirm that they received my writing sample and TA application.
(Before anyone freaks out, I sent my sample about a week before the deadline and live a 20-minute drive from UMass, so your confirmation may still be coming.)
In other news, onward! I still have to finish five apps. At this point I'm being lazy because I can...
Is anyone else not checking the status of apps on the program websites? I was checking them a few weeks ago and, after finding them to be wholly inaccurate and then getting stressed, decided to stop checking and trust that all will get there fine. Am I nuts?
Kinda just repeating what's been stated, but just thought I'd update...I hadn't seen confirmation of my GRE scores anywhere, even though I sent four out when I took the test in August and ordered another three in November. Just heard back from Wash U that they do have them, despite what the website says. So I'm assuming the other schools do, too, with the exception of the scores I ordered separately, since ETS hasn't even charged my card yet!
oh, arkansas. your ten page minimum requirement for a critical essay is vexing me. i'm pretty sure that you don't want the 24-page paper i'm going to wind up sending you because all my other papers are only around 8 and 1/2 pages. :/ sorry for the tl;dr, but i don't know what else to do. <3
@elio I don't think it's necessarily tacky but it's pretty superfluous to mention funding on a personal statement. 1, if you have enough space to write about funding, you can likely say something useful about your goals, influences, experiences, etc. 2, if you are applying to fully funding programs, like most people here are, it's useless to talk about funding since you will be guaranteed funding.
To anyone applying to Tuscaloosa, I have a question: Why?
Have you lived in small Southern cities?
I hear that U of A has a great program, but I live about an hour and a half from Tuscaloosa (in another small Southern city) and cannot imagine studying there.
Are some of you just tired of big city life? Is location truly no factor at all for you? Just wondering what non-Southerners are thinking---I get the feeling some of you have no idea what you'd be getting in to living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
I suppose I can answer your questions, since I'm currently enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Alabama. First off, as to why, I don't think I can underline enough how supportive the program is, and the graduate school as a whole. When I came here for my visit, we (the incoming MFA candidates) actually had lunch with the Dean of the Graduate School, where he gave me the impression that the graduate school would do anything for their students. I can't even begin to describe to you how supportive the faculty, and other grad students have been. I'm not going to pretend that this type of support is something unique only to Alabama, since it obviously is not. I've talked to other grad students here, and they echo more or less the same sentiments; namely that they feel really supported here. I haven't even mentioned the funding, which is excellent. For me, it isn't even the best part of the program.
Now I've lived in small, Southern cities all my life. I grew up in Mobile, and my mother practices medicine in a small town in southeast Alabama, but I am in no way a "Southerner," as I am a first generation immigrant. I did not attend UA as an undergraduate, mostly because I wanted to go somewhere away from my high school friends. I mention this only to assure you that Tuscaloosa holds no sentimental value to me. Before I moved here, I dreaded the thought of spending my mid-20's in Tuscaloosa. And I admit, Tuscaloosa isn't the greatest city in the world. At the same time, Tuscaloosa has a much different character than the rest of the state. I don't think you can discount the effect of a large research university on a town Tuscaloosa's size. It attracts a plethora of interesting people, and in that way isn't at all typical of the preconceived notions of small, Southern cities. It also has a central location to many larger cities and activities, so it's not like you can't get away for a weekend in Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta, or the beach. I think the fact that Tuscaloosa's small actually works in the programs favor, as it seems to make everyone in the program fairly close. Despite its size, there is always something going on in town, always something interesting to do, and always great, interesting people to accompany you.
You end by saying, "I get the feeling some of you have no idea what you'd be getting in to living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama." Strangely enough, I get the distinct impression that you are the one that has no idea about what it is like to live here. I can understand your reservation, since I had similar ones before I moved. But your post seems oddly presumptuous, and dismissive. I encourage you to have a more open mind. I have no doubt people have thought seriously about the prospects of living in a city like Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with all the connotations that "Alabama" carries. The reality is that it's not so bad, and is actually quite interesting and fun, if you come in with an open mind.
I don't think you come off as harsh at all. You bring up a lot of great pts. regarding location. Almost any small town with a college or university, as you pointed out, is going to be markedly different from the surrounding area. Also, if people plan to actually use the time given to them by an MFA program to write and read a lot, does it REALLY matter where you are? Sure, we all have preferences and some people may need to consider location due to family concerns or other issues but for those without any such obligations, the "outside" world will 1) be barely noticeable and 2) be inconsequential to your daily existence. And if you do decide to explore the surrounding area, there's no better place to start than the unfamiliar and unsettling. These out of the way locales that MFA programs call home are great places to write and great places to observe and document slices of life which may very well help your writing.
Wow j, thank goodness for John Stamos, because I would have gone all kinds of snarky on your ass had he not jumped in.
You were definitely right on one point-- for me, big cities weren't necessary. I'm not applying to programs in NYC, LA, Chicago, closest are Portland and DC. But I'm having trouble grasping why you're being so dismissive of small cities/towns? Do you think just because they don't have four different theatres they lack culture? While it's true they're less likely, in some situations, to have large writing communities-- I really doubt this applies to Tuscaloosa in particular, what with the size of U of A's program. You can make a community right out of the department, it would seem. And some alumni might stick around a few years, besides. This is not to say that Tuscaloosa is right for everyone or will win an award for forward-thinking residents. But I don't think it's the opposing force to a happy lifestyle that you made it out to be.
Full disclaimer: I also grew up in Mobile before moving to Pittsburgh, but to my grat chagrin can't be considered a Southerner, because of my extremely Yankee parents. :).
Addendum: If something as insignificant as culture shock (or, perhaps, long-ingrained bias) is keeping you from a great mfa program...
...then I wish you luck in your Western or Northern US (or other countries, I suppose) metropolitan applications!
I moved around quite a bit growing up: California, Indiana, Texas, New York, back to California...and now back to the Bush Country of Dallas, TX. I have family in the deepest parts of the South, namely Shreveport, Louisiana.
I've found from my travelsthat it's really not where you are but the people you meet. Brooklyn (where I spent my high school years) certainly had lots of theaters and museums, but I was more likely to hear an anti-semitic joke in this so-called progressive place than in Dallas. Doesn't matter, though. It's all about finding your people.
You can make anywhere your home.
Plus, I would look forward to a truly foreign experience. I think too often people think of expanding their cultural horizons as simply moving to the big city. Been there...done that. Every place has lessons to teach.
All of my top choices are in the South. LSU. McNeese. Alabama. South Carolina. My other top choices are smack dab in pretty small-town-ish, conservative places (Austin...don't care what anybody says...it may be the coolest place in Texas...but it's still very much in Texas) and Indiana...So.
I don't know. I found your comment elitist and a bit snobby. Just like my New Yorker friends when I talk about visiting family in Indiana.
So I'm sending the excerpts of an 80-so page novella to most schools, and Iowa is the only one with a limit to accommodate it in its entirety. However, due to my dialogue scheme it is quite dense at around 37k words. Do you think just receiving such a massive, dense manuscript might piss them off? Maybe it'd be better to send a reasonable excerpt?
I want to get in on this Alabama conversation really quick, since there are some Tuscaloosans paying attention. I've driven through Tuscaloosa, spent a night in Birmingham once, and was actually surprised by how hilly and pretty Birmingham was. I've heard that Tuscaloosa is a little flatter and more industrial though. I know the program/faculty/school/etc. is great, but can anyone here with experience with Tuscaloosa talk about the what it's like to live there? Unlike WanderingTree, I'm highly affected by where I'm living for better or worse (I barely wrote a word when I lived in the Bay Area). Are there trees? Parks? Woods? Places you can go without a car that have a little more air than Oakland?
Sigh. Just got an email from Pittsburgh saying that they *still* haven't received a LOR from one of my recommenders, which was due over a week ago. I hope they don't count it against me! Will they not look at my application until all the materials are in, or will they look at my writing sample along with everyone else's?
i'm 40 now, so some of my considerations will be tempered a bit by age (i.e. i'm not seeking out great bar/club scenes - but then i wasn't doing that at 22 either) but i wanted to lend my perspective on this.
until i was 34, i lived in big cities. i grew up in miami, moved to san francisco at 22, then moved to seattle at 30. i love all of those places. san francisco is home to me, no matter where i live. i'm all about the big cities. i like living where there is always something to do. when i was 34, after a series of tech related economic downturns (i was way underemployed), i moved to a small town in kentucky (approx 30,000 people or so). i was greeted by the closest church proclaiming that marriage = man + woman. i am a lesbian and jewish. this was not the welcome i was hoping for.
however, after almost seven years of living here, i can honestly say that i quite like it. the people here aren't at all like i would have imagined coming from places like miami, sf, and seattle. i've gotten to know a ton of people in a very short time, and the local literary scene is fantastic and incredibly inclusive, which i think is pretty cool and probably a result of the smallness of the area.
seven years ago, i never would have guessed that i'd be applying to graduate schools in places like lake charles, tuscaloosa, carbondale, blacksburg, etc. however, my perspective on space has changed, and i've come to realize that i really can live anywhere and make it work. so, for those of y'all on the fence about location, i'd say give it a shot. it's not a commitment for the rest of your life - only two or three or four years. location is important, yes. i'd much rather live in san francisco by the ocean than pretty much anywhere else, but think about how much you'll have to write about in a place you are just getting to know!
sorry for the tl;dr. i'm desperately trying to avoid the michigan bio. ;)
i am applying to a school that waitlisted me last year. should i mention this? would it work for or against me? my first instinct says mention it. would this be tacky or poor form?
There are a couple of parks nearby, one in Moundville, and the other at Lake Lurleen. There are about six or seven state parks within a two hour radius, so if that's your thing you can definitely do that. Tuscaloosa's pretty close to Tennessee, and I know that area offers a lot of great camping. The Rec Center (which is really amazing) actually offers camping equipment for rent. Unfortunately you need a car to get anywhere in Tuscaloosa, unless you are content with staying in the campus area, which actually has everything most things you might need. But there is plenty of outdoor space in Tuscaloosa. There's a park three blocks from where I live, and the Quad,a really large field with oaks and other trees,is the centerpiece of campus. Interestingly enough, Tuscaloosa is known as the Druid City because of the abundance of oak trees in the area.
I hope this answers your question. I'm not if it does.
For those applying to Syracuse, how have you dealt with this question on their Basic Information Sheet:
"Briefly describe why you wish to study for the degree you've chosen and why you wish to study at Syracuse University. (Maximum of 320 characters. Use additional information page if more space is needed and upload document using Step 3. Essays tab)."
I'm torn between submitting the quick and easy answer they seem to want and using this as an addendum to their SOP which is limited to 500 words.
I feel like I could generate a response anywhere between 15 and 500 words for this one. What did you do?
Re: Syracuse BIF: I answered that question in 2 or 3 sentences. But since I'm re-applying, I have the option to include an additional 500 word statement about what I've been up to for the past year. That, plus the teaching statement, gave me 1500 words to explain why I deserve to get in.
Anyway, up to you, but I'd keep it brief even if not for the re-application statement.
Anybody feel like taking a look at a last minute personal statement?
I (believing the writing sample to be the most important part of the application) spent most of my time editing the sample and am just now trying to draft a personal statement. Anyway, I was hoping someone might take a look at it to see if there are any obvious and horrendous mistakes.
. . . it's only 550 words . . . and you can satisfy that desire we all have to see how other applicants are tackling the applications!
My safety school has the latest deadline -- February 15 -- and I am having the hardest time finding the motivation to bother applying. After sending all of these other applications, I don't want to go to my safety school!! But I might regret not applying, so...blah.
I keep feeling the same way with schools with later deadlines, especially given that some schools historically notify prior to those deadlines. However, I keep reminding myself that I chose each school for a reason, and that I want to give myself as many chances at having a choice as possible. Also, I have a feeling that once acceptances come out, priorities may shift, and a school we thought of as a safety might start looking like a better choice than one we had our hearts set on from the beginning. LOL. Perhaps I'm over-thinking this. ;)
The places we live our whole lives are the places we judge the most harshly and often like the least. Those spending 4 years in Tuscaloosa will probably not spend 10-15 years there. It's very different. The way I see it, no place is so bad I can't spend 2-4 years. That just isn't a long time to me.
But also, location doesn't matter that much to me, honestly, it doesn't. I live in New York City, and it's a fabulous place, but it's a terrible place for me to write. I've gotten less writing done here than any other place. Everything takes twice as long here, which gives me less 'down time' and there are too many distractions.
For me, in an mfa program, location will factor in for two reasons: weather and cost of living. Tuscaloosa passes on both those. Plus, it's 4 hours from Atlanta, a city I lived in for 13 years, but that's a personal thing.
The other thing is that any town/city that's built largely around a university is pretty different from one that is not. A university breeds a certain kind of culture, even if it is a small town in the south.
Anyway, I think one of the reasons your post hit a nerve is because it assumes that location matters a lot to everyone and comes from someone that clearly wants to flee the place they currently live.
Let me qualify my statement, because I obviously touched a nerve.
The guy above's post was about how great the program is--I admitted as much in my own post.
My comment was purely based on location. And it's true, some decent cities are within driving range.
If you're going at it alone (and with the idea that you will be cut off from the world--I think this is fallacious, but that's me)--fuck it, go for it. Apply anywhere.
Just: think twice before bringing a husband/wife/family here. I mean this sincerely and without any snobbery, ill will, and whatnot.
I've only lived here my whole life. When you grow up in the backwoods, you don't romanticize it.
Well, you didn't actually hit a nerve with me. I was just trying to answer your question and offer why you might have hit a nerve with others.
For me, location matters only really weather and cost of living. Other than that i've found that I can live and write any where. Tuscaloosa fits the weather and cost of living criteria, though honestly after living in NYC, everything seems cheap.
Also, if I were moving to Tuscaloosa for long term or indefinitely, yes, I'd have more doubts than say if I were moving to Seattle or Austin, for example. But for me in 4 years, whether you're going alone or with a family, it's not so bad.
Hey, all I'm saying is one time I'm like at a lake, reading a book, and these guys in a Chevy pickup drive by, point at me, and start laughing--and as I hear them drive away I'm hearing the word: "READING!"
What can I say, no respect. I get no respect. It's almost like being Jewish. I think. Right.
"Just: think twice before bringing a husband/wife/family here. I mean this sincerely and without any snobbery, ill will, and whatnot. I've only lived here my whole life. When you grow up in the backwoods, you don't romanticize it."
I don' t think I romanticized anything. I've lived in Alabama my whole life as well, like I said. Saying that doesn't give you any type of currency in this discussion. I just don't think it's that bad of a place. Even the poorest areas of Alabama are much richer than the countries of my ancestry. Just to put things in perspective.
And there are plenty of people here who move with significant others. You make it sound like it's extremely hard. It's not. Of course it is difficult, but it's not impossible.
The more I read your posts, the more I think that you just don't like Alabama as a state. It's fine if you don't like it, don't apply there and be done with it. I've lived here my whole life as well, a Muslim man in Alabama, and I don't hate it. I really don't know what to tell you, but continue to believe in your myopic preconceived notions if that is what you want to do. I'll tell you that the reality of things is much different.
Hey JohnStamos, we just disagree. I don't think it's impossible to live in AL. You make the program sound mighty appealing. Congrats on getting into it. I was merely providing another viewpoint I hadn't seen expressed (living in small Southern towns is dreadful). And it was a genuine curiosity I had re: people's opinions on location.
I have no interest in a flame war on a blog with mostly over-stressed folks. I feel you guys's pain, nervousness, excitement, etc.
So------ is anyone else having trouble with the Oregon personal statement? I wonder if the faculty actually expects you to have read their works? The website almost makes it seem that way.
It's interesting the conversation that's been on-going (raging?) in regard to Alabama, small-towns and the South in general.
First, Tuscaloosa isn't going to be Deliverance. If you're 'different', yes--you're going to get ridiculed by someone, somewhere at sometime. I'm sure.
This would be something to take into consideration, but I imagine that the department, faculty and your fellow students will most likely share a lot of similarities with you.
I think you'll even find a town like Tuscaloosa will be more than open to you, unless you're a cat-raping Satanist, in which case you may have to keep that hush-hush.
You know, it's funny that I have my own reservations about studying in places that aren't like Alabama. I'm an open-minded person, well-travelled and educated--but I was born in the South and raised here. I talk different, think different and hell--probably write different. I wondered how well received I would be in some places, just because of the way I sound or dress.
Did this prevent me from applying? No. I've friends from all over and know I can get along with anyone. I get excited at the possibilities of new discoveries. Does that mean I haven't held realistic expectations? Hardly.
If you really get the curled lip over living in a place like Alabama or Louisiana or some other mosquito infested, hot as hell place with people that talk slow and think it's all right to wear camo outside of a combat zone, maybe you should reconsider where you apply.
But if you're like me and look forward to an opportunity to live somewhere new, meet new people and experience life at a different pace and potentially become a more rounded person--than I encourage you to apply outside your respective 'safety' zone.
@j I think Oregon does expect you to have some knowledge of their faculty's work (if not a lot). It seems they want you to make some kind of loving statement as to why you want to snuggle up close to one of the bearded guys on their program's website.
Not that I don't want to read their stuff, but I just hadn't the time to really engross myself in it and chose not to apply for that very reason. I really, really liked the idea of Oregon and going there. But that's just a choice I had to make.
Good luck if you're applying. And I may be way off here.
The scenario that you just described (about the reading bit) - or something very similar, at least - happened to me in New York City, except without a pickup truck.
Love New York, but it's the most over-romanticized city in the world.
No matter where you live there are dumb hicks in pickup trucks laughing at a person because he or she is reading.
In NY AND the Bay Area I've been mocked/ridiculed/etc for being queer, black, SUPER FUCKING LIBERAL/ANARCHIST, etc.
I only contend that it's simply a matter of finding your peeps.
Small southern towns suck, but if you spend more than five minutes in a big city (as in actually live there) and live in places that aren't a bunch of hipsters fleeing Alabama/Kentucky/rural Pennsylvania, living in some weird secluded Williamsburg Ghetto, you'll find that Chicago/New York/Berkeley/Los Angeles can all suck, too.
Essentially, you want to tailor your manuscript to at least somewhat meet guidelines. Will it make or break you if you have several pages (like maybe 5-10) over or under? Probably not. I know people that were admitted w/ very, very short pieces and some who were admitted with very, very long pieces (that indeed go over the page limits). With that in mind, use your judgement and put yourself in the shoes of a professor sifting through hundreds of applications. Pick the stories that you think are the best. If you are still grossly over the page limits, it may be time to edit. I think it was Stephen King who said something along the lines of "Second Draft = First Draft Minus 10%". Considering you want your portfolio to be as polished and tight as possible (and to hook admission committees), it's never a bad idea to look at areas in a story that could be axed.
I'd say send the best three, or even narrow it down to two. I mean, if you have four stories that are really polished and show different facets of your writing, I would say go for it...But, I don't know. Seems a little obnoxious. Because by "at least 30" I think they mean 30-50. Of course, they didn't say that...but exploiting loopholes might not be the best thing to do in this scenario.
so for anyone feeling stressed, overwhelmed, etc, here's a story for you where you can breathe a sigh of relief and say 'thank god it didn't happen to me!'
I asked my recommenders to return their recommendations to me, so that I could turn in LoRs with my appication packets. I provided them with a self-addressed and stamped envelope for them to send me back the letters. Two did so with no problem. When I received the last packet, it was taped strangely on the top, but I didn't think much of it until I opened it the next day to find only one envelope inside. Where were my other letters? I thought MAYBE my recommender was sending the rest later, so I emailed him to double check. But no, he assured me that he had in fact sent ALL my letters together, which is what I would have expected. That's when I went back to look at the taping. On examination, it was pretty easy to see that someone had pre-maturely opened my packet. I don't know if they removed the LoRs, or if they fell out once the seal had been tampered with. And then someone stuck some funky looking tape on the seal (my recommender did not use the tape). So, 7 out of the 8 letters I was expecting are gone and lost forever somewhere floating, unstamped, half-addressed, complete with my social security number, address, and phone number in the USPS tunnels.
Luckily my recommender is more than willing to re-do my letters. BUT it means that I won't have time to wait to put them in my packets. Hoping this doesn't cause confusion for any of the schools. It's also just a pain for everyone.
Also, WTF?!? What a conspiracy! I'm afraid this is an omen that it's just not meant to be. Womp!
@blob And the postal service wonders why they're going out of business. That's unfortunate. I'm sorry. You must be ready to sic a dog on your mail man.
But don't get too worried about the letters arriving separately. Every school I emailed that specified they wanted everything to come in one big packet said it was actually alright if the letters came on their own.
They're used to getting things separately, I guess, and just put everything under one name in a file.
I'm getting out my stick to beat the dead horse into oblivion!
I just think it's funny that every year the "Southern question" gets brought up. Some snub-nosed "yankee" insults the South and ten or so Southerners come to defend it. If you don't want to live in Tuscaloosa, don't live there. If someone else does, who gives a flying hoot? Why does everybody have to make their own preferences someone else's? I don't really care either way.
I was born and raised in the East Bay Area (San Fran) and I don't get the draw, but I also don't care if someone else wants to live there; I just don't. The traffic, the people (yeesh, sometimes I prefer redneck to douche and/or yuppie), the crowdedness. Yes, the shopping/food/culture is awesome, but not enough to deal with the other stuff. I left to go to school at Auburn University (in Alabama) at 20 and while I had some culture shock and do not understand many of the Southern ways, I don't want to move back to CA any time soon and have no problem living in the South.
Besides, is this whole thing about sitting in cafes drinking coffee and talking about how art these days sucks? If so, then count me out. I want to write, I want to learn, I want to read. I'm not looking for a social circle. Just me, though.
This is even funnier, considering that when an applicant last year visited Alabama she remarked at how "hipster" everyone there was! So...
Thanks for the reassurance. I was pretty sure it would be ok. But this whole letter fiasco is just the last thing I needed on top of everything else! The positive is that it happened with the recommender i'm closest to him so going to him over this is easier than it would have been to some of the others. But I do sort of feel like the world is conspiring against me :/
@kaybay I was just thinking that it had been awhile since you posted! How are your applications going? Are you done and finished?
@kaybay I think by definition Southerners have a chip on their shoulder.
Realistically, there are differences to be experienced (both good and bad) between different programs based on geography.
But you know, it's like anything else. If you're out to make the best of it, you'll do fine. If you want to raise a stink, you're sure to find a pile of shit.
Hey Blob! The last few weeks have been busy and then I went on a small vacationy type deal. I'm back, baby :D
I'm actually done with my apps and trying not to think about the whole thing so as not to get anxious. A month feels like forever.
How far along are you with your 14+ apps? Hopefully nearing the end.
How far is every one else, too? For those finished, what are some techniques to help with the waiting? What is everyone doing?
I hope my last post didn't seem "gruff," by the way. I do understand why people get "emotional" about that stuff (not that anyone was really getting emotional), it's just that at the end of the day everyone does their own thing for their own reasons.
I'm curious, though, how high the social element of a program is on everyone's list now that it's been brought up. It's pretty low on mine. Not that I don't want to develop relationships with people. It's just that, quite frankly, I could probably do well going to MFA Program of The Cave (no relation to Plato) :D
@Todd - part of my issue with the Southern problem is that there really isn't such a thing as "Southerner" anymore. The landscape is changing pretty dramatically and less and less people come from Southern families. Lots of immigrants and lots of Northerners looking for work. So, Birmingam, for example, feels like Sacramento to me. Montgomery, AL didn't seem any different from Lansing, MI. Southern culture is more of a fantasy than a reality. The essay I sent with my applications is about this very same issue, by the way.
Just so everybody know, unless you're going to "Bob Jones University" any college town in the South is going to be relatively proggressive and open-minded. Students are too busy screwing and getting drunk to care if you voted for Obama, hehe.
i'm done and i wish i had good waiting techniques. i think i'll just have to keep doing what usually keeps me sane: reading, writing, and running.
as for the "social element" of programs, i actually do think that that is pretty important. and not just because good peers and peer relations means better, more honest and helpful critiques. i think part of an MFA program's job is to get you connected to the writing community. then we can all help each other, when it's time to get agents, pitch stories, find jobs, you name it.
i don't mean that to be cynical. i want to go to an MFA to write. but i also want to be realistic about how this will help my career.
Congrats on being done! Going on a mini-vacation sounds about perfect now!
I'm completely done with my portion of 10 apps (mailed and all). 1 more is done, just needs to be mailed. And 3 (Iowa, UCI, and LSU) still need a fair amount of work. But I'm hoping to get that done this week and next.
Re: the social aspect
I'm a homebody, so I certainly don't need a party scene or a 'going out' scene or anything like that. I would like a good reliable writing group. And I'd like at least one friend in my new location (though he/she doesn't have to come from my program).
I agree with farfromgruntled about what the benefits of a writing community, and I definitely seek that. But, I do sort of find that different from a social aspect. To me the social aspect is hanging out beyond writing and that I don't really need.
I don't think there's anything wrong with what you said. I guess what I'm saying is that I want "professional" connections and not just "buddies". You know what I mean? I'm not looking for a party :)
Well, we could be talking about an extinct Southern culture that Southerners "think" exists. The reality is that the area is not what it was even twenty years ago. You're right about some holding on to it to create a sense of belonging and place in rebellion to the dominant culture moving in and to, well, change in general. At least that's how I see it. For me, the only remnants of Southern culture are what so-called Southerners create, wanting desperately to maintain a feeling of independence and superiority. At this point, there is no going back.
Good convo, by the way! And party away my dear. I'll be snoring in bed :D
I don't know if that made any sense. I was trying to say that the feeling that Southern culture remains is created. Since change is occuring (and rapidly at that) I don't think there's any going back. There's no such thing as Faulkner's South anymore :)
on social shit: My idea of a fun night out is a fun night in. I tend to get more excited about watching re-runs of House, Buffy, Veronica Mars, True Blood, Bones, whatever, etc...than about going to clubs or cafes or whatever. I do enjoy a nice dinner every now and again. I love going to the movies.
Operas are boring.
My favorite thing about the prospect of going to school in the south - LONG ASS GROWING SEASON.
Can't wait to grow collards year round :o) And I will, damn it.
I kind of disagree that there isn't a southern culture...or that each place doesn't have a certain distinct quality to it.
I just think the fantastical ideas people have about big, hip cities are really amusing. It becomes obvious no one has spent more than five minutes in .
I purchased USPS's Track and Confirm for all my application packages and decided something was definitely amiss today when Western MI U STILL hadn't gotten my stuff even though I sent everything on the 8th and all the other schools got theirs within a few days.
Thankfully I'm able to assemble another package and my recommenders are sending new LORs directly to the school, but I never would've figured this out without Track and Confirm. Buy it, guys! It's a few extra bucks but totally worth it.
This is off-topic, and really belated, but I thought I'd mention that I received paper confirmations from Boise State and Illinois that my applications and their respective materials were received. Basically listed nline codes and such to keep track of my applications. Apparently I threw away the Illinois envelope, for some reason, but the gist of both letters was: YOU ARE NOT IN UNTIL WE SAY YOU ARE IN.
Darn. Anyway, I had my apps in on Dec. 9th, and received these letters last week, if that's at all helpful to anyone.
After reading through last year's acceptances/rejections, I've started using The Secret. Christmas Ale, Nicki Minaj & the cat keeping me company tonight.
I just saw on the PW forum that someone has posted an acceptance. It's to a low-res program I didn't apply to but it STILL makes my heart drop to my feed. I was hoping I wouldn't have to read those threads for at least a month. Eep!
on the paper application they ask for extra-curricular activities. Are people putting down current stuff or stuff they did in college? I have plenty of undergrad extra-curriculars, but not that many now..
@Todd I read it as all undergraduate english courses and that's what I'm going to give them. They have my transcript if they want to see all classes, they can refer to that.
John Hopkins has the bizarre requirement of making you write a critique of your own work. It's not a bad idea, but it's certainly something different. To others applying to JH, how are you handling it? I am thinking of devoting a page to more traditional SOP stuff, then going on to critique my work. Since they're using it as a guide to see how you'll do in a workshop, I'm going to try to not be too much of a "salesman," and give voice to a lot of my insecurities. Thoughts?
Ohio State had the most work for me. They had such specific requirements and a buttload of hoops to jump through. At least they're notifying pretty soon :)
"Congratulations! Your file is complete and awaiting review by the admissions committee. I hope to report decision notifications by the first half of February, 2011."
Made my heart skip a beat! Looks like they will be notifying at the same time they have in the past. :)
If I get in anywhere, it's going to bring about a whole new sort of problems--but I'll tackle that bull by the horns when/if it gets to me. I'm just hoping to get in, but honestly--I can wait out the notification process, or at least I can for now.
I know it's putting the cart ahead of the horse, but has anyone thought yet about arranging housing, transportation, etc?
I've got a dog. I've no idea what I'm going to do with him, until I know where I'll get in. He's a rather big dog and has separation anxiety, so apartment living is...difficult. My upstairs neighbor complained to my landlady that she had the Hound of Baskervilles living beneath her. He also is timid around traffic, because I got hit by a car while walking him.
Agh...so much to think about. Yeah, I think I can wait, but I know the waiting is going to wear on me soon as soon as acceptances start coming in.
I'm prepared to leave and go. Of course finding housing anywhere is a challenge. But I can hack it. If I do have the opportunity to go somewhere, I'll likely leave and move early to give myself time to relax and move in peace.
As for your hound of the baskerville, I'm sure you can find a place for him. I don't remember where all you're applying but with the exception of NYC, it's not difficult to find housing with space. I did my undergrad in a reasonably big city and a lot of students (undergrad and grad) would rent houses with a couple other people for cheap. This also gave them access to backyards and such. And that's in a city more pricey than most of the ones I'm looking at.
Though admittedly, I'm not sure what the cost of living is like in Madison or Ann Arbor. The rest, I have a pretty good sense.
My 'expensive' place is Seattle, but I'm still betting I can find an apartment there for half of what I have here in the city. And all of my southern schools should be cheap and provide a decent amount of space.
@Todd - I actually said "aw" out loud and made a pouty face when I read your last post. I'm such a girl. Poor thing.
I've thought about moving, too, and honestly the scariest thing for me is the money. I'm trying my darndest to save but I'm not sure if I'll have enough to get up there, pay deposits, pay pet fees (I got two doggies), set up utilities, etc... and I'm not sure if I'll have enough to hold out until I get the first stipend check from the assistantship. This assuming I end up somewhere, of course. It's just scary. Might have to hit my pops up for some money *shudders at the though*
My littlest dog is painfully neurotic too, by the way, and whines when I leave. She squeals when a draft hits her the wrong way (not kidding). She takes a while to get used to a new place, but she always does eventually settle in. I wouldn't worry about your pups, I'm sure he/she will be fine after a few months. Find a good dog park, have her make some doggie friends, give her a treat, and she'll be peachy :)
I am a tad curious as to how the roommate finding business will go. I've been very lucky (knock on wood) with roommates my whole life. But I've been living alone for 2 years and I'm not sure how easy I am to live with anymore! Plus buying all new furniture and the likes is going to be expensive. Considering that my parents were expecting to help me pay for something awful like law school, I'm hoping they can help me with some start up costs, if I get full funding.
@blob yeah, i figure i'll be able to find housing. it's just finding it. having the dog makes it more difficult, with just finding a place and roommates. He's a lil rambunctious.
i went to UGA and had an apartment on my own, and rent was $435 and utilities ran like $40-50 bucks a month. you can definitely live cheap here, but i actually hope to live cheaper than that and find roommates this second time around. i had no extra money then.
@kaybay i hadn’t even thought about the costs for deposits. i'll have to hit up the 'rents. i'm doing AmeriCorps now, and it's all I can do to pay my bills and feed myself. saving for rent deposit, utility deposits, pet, etc. yeah, completely out of the question.
yeah, he loves the dog park. he's a bit aggressive though. not in the bad way, he has a lot of energy is all and i think that puts other dogs off sometimes.
i got these air aroma/pheromone therapy plug-ins for my small apartment, and my upstairs neighbor actually commented that he had stopped making such a fuss. i would suggest these, once you do have to move into a new place with your dogs as well.
@blob i wonder how the roommate arrangement will work too. i think most of it will have to be arranged long distance, probably--craigslist.
i wonder if some programs assist in this?
i had a real difficult time when i first went to UGA finding roommates. It seems craigslist is full of nice, relaxed roommate options that are all total stoners or the super-anal ones.
I live in NYC right now. I've never lived in Seattle, but I have applied to university of washington. From all my locations, Seattle is presumably the most pricey. Not sure exactly how it compares to NYC. But somehow I imagine it's at least a bit cheaper.
I've lived in three US cities: Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. So if nothing else, I can feel a little better knowing that majority of the schools on my list will be cheaper than any other place I've lived. Seattle, being the exception.
@Todd - I have a miniature pinscher/rat terrier mutt from the pound (the neurotic one) and (if you're an UGA man you'll love this) an English bulldog. But he's brindle and has tiger stripes so he's an Auburn dog :P he'd kick UGA's behind!
I was just on the website earlier tonight, planning to get everything together to send off tomorrow morning (cutting it a little close, I know. Ugh.) And I noticed this little bit of information floating around:
"The deadlines below are final deadlines. PLEASE NOTE THAT many departments establish earlier deadlines for receipt of application materials. Applicants should contact their proposed departments for deadline information. In those cases, completed applications must be in the Graduate School six weeks prior to the departmental deadline. "
Um, six weeks prior? To December 31st? Even though the MFA website says to have grad school stuff in by Jan 15th...?
Should I have a meltdown now or am I missing something here, you guys?
Don't have a panic attack. I spoke to Alabama grad people earlier about another question and she said that as long as we have writing samples and SOP, we'll start processing the application and the deadline for everything else is a 'soft deadline.'
The boyfriend, who is following me wherever I go (assuming there's anywhere TO go), and I will share a place. If we split the rent we ought to be able to make do. First order of business after getting the finances worked out - a cat and a dog.
May I ask what others are doing with significant others?
@ winter: i'd be happy to read over your SOP. i'm going to work on mine next week, and i'd really appreciate a readover then if you're down!
leanne[dot]mirandilla[at]gmail.com
@ courtney: re: SOs, i'm probably going to put it out there and say i'd love him to move with me, but this fall he'd be fresh out of college and potentially moving somewhere due to a job offer, instead. so long distance is most likely what will happen. it can't be worse than my current location, though (hong kong) :/
I'm married with children, so yeah, they'll all be packing up and moving with me. I'd have had more options on where to apply if I didn't have the fam to consider, but we had to choose schools that were in locations where we could really see ourselves dragging our kids. We're kind of nomads, though, so excited about the prospect of moving somewhere new.
Yeah, my two cats will go where I go. Thankfully, it's easier to find a place that allows cats than a place that allows dogs. But there's no significant other or children, so that makes moving easy for me. Although I can just imagine the fuss my cats will raise when I have to put them in a pet carrier for a period of time. They always act like they're dying when they're in one.
Good luck to everyone trying the long distance thang.
Personally, I'd rather end a relationship on a good note than suffer through long distance before things inevitably fall apart. I don't want to assume I'll be the exception when chances are I'll be the rule.
Moving is one thing, long distance, in my opinion, is a whole different animal. Maybe moving will still be on the plate.
Also for me, I can't be sure that in 2-3 years I can guarantee where I'll be or that I can move back. I do want a teaching job or a fellowship after wards and those are probably even harder to come by than MFA spots, so if I am lucky enough to get one I will go where ever it takes me.
I'm not going to ask my girl to move. She's finishing her grad degree, and she's already been offered employment at a small engineering firm that she works at now and loves.
For her to follow me for just 2-3 years, with no idea where I'll be going after that, well, no. It doesn't make sense. Plus, I don't want that rift between us--if she did decide to follow me and regret walking out on that job later in our relationship.
Kind of to reiterate what's been said already, but after the MFA--well, I've no idea where life will take me. If I get offered a teaching job or something, you kinda gotta go where those are. So there's that too. I can't promise to come back anywhere.
So we'll be doing the long distance thing, and we'll see where that takes us. We've been together a while now (4 years). I'm not thrilled about the prospect of a long distance relationship, but I'll worry about those details if I get in anywhere.
I mean, depending on where I get in will determine the degree of separation we'll be experiencing. Ole Miss, Alabama...these are closer to home than say, Michigan.
Hey, I seem to be late in all of these conversations but oh well :)
My bf and I will probably be apart for a year or so as well. It would have been a lot easier last year had I been accepted somewhere since he was transferring anyway (he's my age, but he worked for a few years before returning to school and to finish his undergrad), but now that's in school he can't just pack up and move with me. Same as Todd said, if I get into UF it wouldn't be such a big deal, but Michigan? Yeah, kinda far away. To mimic Ivan Drago, if it dies, it dies. Just kidding. We've gone LD before and it wasn't much of a problem. We're pretty independent people.
By the way, if anyone wants to see a pic of me and my bullie, I updated my profile pic <:)
I've decided it's difficult to have steady relationships in your 20's (not that it keeps me from trying). One of the many reasons I broke up with my bf of 5 years was that he worked a committed job at Microsoft and we both knew that if I got into an MFA, I'd leave Seattle in a heartbeat-- especially if I get in at UM, which is where I did my undergrad and grew up. We'd done enough long-distance over the summers we dated in college to know that seeing each other once a month is depressing, expensive (plane tix), and a fantastic way to drift apart.
Everybody is so young, so all over the place, trying to figure themselves out... With the economy the way it is, you kind of have to move with your jobs/schooling. I graduated from college and moved to Seattle with the aforementioned ex and while it was a great learning experience, I moved for his sake, not mine, and it was a terrible strain on me and our relationship.
That being said, I've gotten very close to a new guy I met just 3 months ago and he's all for moving with me, wherever I go. I'm not sure what will happen (we're new yet) but our relationship began in such an interesting way that I kind of feel in my gut that we'll make it work.
I suppose it boils down to what you feel and the type of situation you're in. There are no rules, really. Not ever. Scary, because you have nothing to go on, but awesome, because you can write your own story, as long as you believe hard enough.
Hi! I have a question about the Iowa application, and since everyone is applying to Iowa, maybe someone has the answer.
I sent my GRE scores to the UI graduate school office but not the Writers' Workshop. Do I need to go back and send the scores to the WW? I'm trying to avoid paying another $23 if I don't have to.
Blob, I received emails when each of my recs were submitted, but you can also check on the website when you sign in. Three of my schools use the same app system, so each school is listed and when you click on them it shows who has submitted recs. However, one of my recommenders had to fill out Michigan's twice because it didn't register for some reason, so you should probably double check that.
@DMC1985 My michigan recs were hard copy. And unlike some other schools there's no place on their application status site, that I can find, that confirms recs...
I just had to bite the bullet and email Indiana to make sure they received my transcripts and GRE scores. I hate having to do that, but if the school doesn't give us another way to check, I don't think they can get too upset that we are making sure everything arrived. After all, we are paying for this process.
In response to the advice in the MFA Handbook about not mentioning specific faculty that you wish to work with, I have a rebuke that I'm wondering if any others have response?
In choosing my schools, my criteria was 1. Teaching Assistantships (vital experience and funding) and 2. Faculty
I'm a flexible person and realize location as important as education, for me. And, as I've been researching faculty I've been able to pull up quite a bit of info relating to Faculty and interests, whether poetics or pedagogy that I think is of significant use to the applicant in both their SOP and their decision of application. I don't mean to sound suspicious, but I feel the MFA Handbook instructs its readers to treat the entire system as a product and therefore focus solely on economics and treats the faculty as irrelevant to ones studies. However, for something with my temperament who is searching for "experience" over a free degree, I feel the Handbook treats faculty as if they are high schools by saying that mentioning faculty in your SOP would do more harm than good because you might speak of one and not the other and then one would have their feelings hurt? For me, if I mentioned one faculty member over another and one had their feelings hurt and therefore denied my application then I wouldn't want to study under that person anyways and will probably have saved myself a lot of time by being rejected. However, if you are looking for the most economical school and don't care at all about the community of the program your applying towards, then I understand Kealey's advice.
Does anyone have anything to add? I've just continually found the Handbook to be very biased towards a sort of MFA-product, versus an MFA-experience guide.
615 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 615 Newer› Newest»@jonathan
thanks, I do know about Pdfescape. I found out from this blog only, maybe even from you! It's been a big help. But for something that requires that much writing, it's still a hassle.
I'm sure I'm also getting more easily annoyed the further into the stress hole I go.
5 down 6 to go!! AHH
@ Pensive
I agree with Blob. Thank your recommenders now. Even if you don't get in anyplace (but you will :) ) you want to thank them for their support and effort.
I ended up sending mine these amazing chocolate-covered and ganache-filled Calmyrna figs by Fran's Chocolates in Seattle. Each fig is pretty big and cost $5.50, so I only sent one to each. Since two of my recommenders are profs from my undergrad U of M, I figured they'd like something Seattle-y. Also it gave me an excuse to get a few truffles for myself... hey, I needed a post-app reward!
http://seattlebonvivant.typepad.com/seattle_bon_vivant/2005/07/nibbling_on_cho.html
It's hard enough finding out that you had errors in your SOPs after a second read, but for those of you that have had access to your rec letters, what do you do if you find errors in those?
My boss gave me a copy of the letter she wrote for me. It's a beautiful letter, but there's this really glaring diction error... "Jenny has consistently EXCEEDED in all her areas of work..." Good LORD! When I saw that I practically pooped myself.
Given that she owns an SAT test prep company and teaches English, I would've thought she'd catch a mistake like that, but guess not. I'm totally over it-- I mean, the letters are sent, so what can you do?-- and I think it'd be silly to imagine that my apps would be hurt by her error. Mostly I think it's funny now. Has anyone else had this experience?
On a more positive note, I stumbled upon some statements of purpose I wrote for my undergrad admission into U of M, and they're actually not bad! Sure the writing sucks a bit, but the things I chose to discuss and how I wrote about them are eerily similar to what I still do now. Is it heartening to know that my writing voice has always been strong, or disheartening that it hasn't evolved more? Hah.
I had a disheartening, but humorous, typo discovery today. In my CV that I've already sent out to a bunch of schools, I described something as a "writing saloon" instead of "salon" -- as in, the wild-wild-west kind, not the intellectual gathering kind. Crikey.
@anotherjenny
errors in LoRs can't and won't matter. They're not judging you based on who writes about you or how good of a writer that person is, only what they say about you.
errors in SOPs is a whole different story. I feel like my eyeballs out over the error I made in 11 out of 14 applications. Just hoping someone's feeling generous.
@I
LOL, I'm MUCH rather go to a writing Saloon than a writing salon. There's no reason that has to be a typo...
@Blob
Ha, right? In the words of my girlfriend, "well, there was drinking, right? So it's not inaccurate."
A warning to those who are applying to Brown and using Interfolio:
Although the Brown site clearly states that a dossier service like Interfolio is OK, there are additional questions sent in the email to recommenders, making it impossible for Interfolio to send them.
MAN! Irvine's got me all messed up. I thought you had to turn in a manuscript containing the auto-sketch, the sop and the writing samples but it turns out you're just supposed to turn in the autosketch and writing samples while uploading the sop to the online app. WTF! I already submitted my online app before I found the mistake. Ugh.
Ok, thank you Gummy Bear. What is the deal with UCI? Can anyone help me because obviously I've let it get down to the wire, but it's my last 12/15 due date school. I'll clearly be at kinko's until midnight that day. Anywho, are there a total of three essays? There's the Statement of Purpose, then the Personal History Statement, then some people are saying there's like a third bio thing. Can anyone help me, por favor!?
@Paulette
There are only two. The statement of purpose/personal statement/letter of intent which is uploaded in the online application and the Creative Autobiography, which should be mailed in with the manuscript.
Us lucky poets get until January 18th to finish our applications. So it's one that i still have some work to do on.
@Kaushik - as we all know, most suburban upbringings are not as peaceful as they appear on the outside and that's certainly the case for me. It's more so that, honestly, I don't think any of that's their business :D By boring, I more so mean that I haven't traveled anywhere interesting (hey, I did go to Canada once and it was cold), I didn't grow up poor, I didn't grow up struggling with my racial identity or sexual preference. I'm certainly not saying I wish that I did, by any means. But, I just don't want to make my personal statement something that I would also send to a psychiatrist. I just don't like talking about it, heh.
And honestly, I would say that I write because it allows me to be a creator, something that my upbringing definitely tried to squash. Everything's about doing the right thing at the right time and writing is not about that at all. It's the only "place" where I can be weird, eccentric, angry, judgmental, brash, nonsensical, etc... without taking any flak for it. Pretty cool :)
Hey all, just wanted to throw my .02c in and join in the frazzled mfa applicant crowd. 6 down, 6 to go.
@all who might have messed up something in their application and submitted it before realizing their mistake. i have an embarrassing story. i accidentally uploaded an SOP to a school that was actually an SOP for another school. when i talked to most people they said that whatever was uploaded was the final document and there was nothing i could do to change it. FMLx3. after 2 panic attacks, several e-mails and frantic calls, I was able to get in touch with an English dept. assistant who nonchalantly assured me she'd just replace the uploaded document with the one I provided her (and CAREFULLY reviewed). who knows if it'll actually happen, but we are all human and make mistakes and the admissions crew realize this. it was a valuable lesson and i'm much more aware of organizing my documents. which leads to my second point...
this is a general question for all: who prefers paper applications over electronic? as much as i love the convenience of submitting an app with a few clicks and i know it's 2010 and all, i'd rather send a hard copy of my materials because i feel a tangible control to my manuscript and essay. that, and i'm one of those people that needs to read it on paper to notice any small mistakes.
either way, i wish the best to everyone during this stressful time. who knows, maybe a couple of us end up in a program together :)
@Lauren
I think for a big mistake like uploading the wrong file, calling and having something changed is fine. But for a typo, calling and bothering the department seems pretty petty and I don't think I can bring myself to do it. I'll just have to hope they forgive my stupid ignorance and crazed carelessness. And if not, well, who can really blame them. *hangs head in shame*
@Lauren, I hear you on the hard versus electronic application...I like the ease of filling things out online and the fact that I don't have to print much or pay to mail...but somehow I feel more at risk of making mistakes by doing it electronically. I did my apps pretty much all at the same time and my head was kind of spinning.
Well, I submitted my last two (of twelve) applications tonight!
*Sits back with a Moscow Mule on the rocks and a rerun of SNL*
Please, someone distract me with a very shiny object until March.
Good luck, everyone!
mmm...moscow mules
@ I
I know... I just checked here (http://driftless-house.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-cw-mamfaphd-application-responses.html) for the dates I can except all my programs to notify and wrote them down... as if this offers any real comfort. It may be best to accept that there is absolutely nothing we can do now except work, wait, and maybe pray.
Actually, now that I'm not guilting myself for not workin gon my applications (which is what I'd been doing EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY since last January when I decided I wanted to apply) I've been getting tons of ideas for stories. I'm going to try writing a screenplay and I'm excited about it.
Distraction: Has anyone heard of The Magnetic Fields? Totally hilarious and catchy music. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gy-2UUA-c
Anybody applying to University of New Mexico? I just found out that 2 of my recommendations have to include addressing my ability as a TA, otherwise I need additional letters!
But wtf, I didn't know I was supposed to know/read my LoR.. how am I to know what they said?
Does anyone know if you end up sending GRE scores to the university without specifying the department code, where the scores are supposed to reach the department?
Can I somehow notify the department that my GRE scores have been sent to the university? I really hope I won't have to send them again.
Thank you Blob! (Well that sounds like a line from a terrible sci-fi script). I should probably go do that now! What time is it? The 14th! Ah!
@Paulette
This is what I've deciphered.
1) Statement of Purpose-this is more like a cover letter that you submit to a job. Write your school/work history, why you want to go to grad school, why you want to study what you want to study. Upload online (unless you're screwed like me and already submitted your app).
2) Auto-sketch-this is the SOP that you've basically written for all the other schools. You know, the one with the witty prose and catch phrases that's supposed to make that said admissions committee fall madly in love you. Send in a hard copy with your writing sample.
Hey guys,
I'm new. Hi! I can't wait to worry with all of you.
So, transcript question. I have an MA in something totally unrelated from a school in the UK. I ordered my transcripts a month ago and I still haven't seen them. I know they say programs are lenient about late transcripts, but what if they're like, say a month late? I'm worried that's how long it'll take if I have to order a second round.
Not application related UT question.
For those of you applying to UT's Michener center, what did you put as your secondary genre?
My primary genre is poetry, my secondary for UT is screenwriting, something I've done a bit of and really enjoy.
Just wanted to put out there again that if anyone wants to do some last-minute fiction swaps/reviews, I'm game. girling4444@gmail.com
done with cornell and brown, which gives me 4/8 done! yay!
tonight my mission is to get my stuff for iowa and indiana together. penn state and oregon can wait til this weekend, since they have mid-january deadlines.
so close, guys! i hope everyone's doing well :D
@ Blob
I'm applying to Michener and my primary field is fiction. My secondary is poetry, which I would love as I have written a lot of poetry over the years.
@ Blob - I'm also poetry/screenwriting for Michener.
@ deborah: i'd be up for it! my SOP won't be done for a couple of weeks though, i don't know if you'd be up for reading it then? what's your email address?
@ kaushik: exciting! i hope you get him to sign one.
i need to read much more kafka. much much more. i've only read one (two, maybe?) of his short stories.
@ the pensive monkey: ah, crap. why'd you have to mention the P&W forums? now i'm going to head over there and obsess too...
@ blob: seriously. i spent a couple of hours simply filling in the application forms one after the other with the same information...
@ kat: thanks so much. i thought resumes weren't supposed to be more than a page long, though? some schools specify 1-2 pages, though. the one-page thing has been drilled into me by my undergrad's career services dept, it's kind of hard to kick...
@ dadofwriter & eric: thanks!
@ I: maybe the readers will just think it's a get together where writers write and then challenge each other to shoot-offs? ...no?
i've been trying to work on my writing sample for the past couple of days but i'm suffering from such a block / such performance anxiety. ughhh what a bad time for it...
it's also just starting to sink in - how low the acceptance rates are. i don't like thinking about it.
i'm jealous of all the people who are already done / almost done! best of luck to you. and to the people who are still chugging along like me...
last thing: i'm definitely up for SOP swaps, but mine won't be done for a couple of weeks yet. let me know if you're willing to help or have something you want looked at, though! (leanne dot mirandilla at gmail dot com)
I got Washington Univ@St Louis done last night and Illinois. Going to get in Cornell and Brown tonight.
You have to be some tech-guru to do all these applications, all this scanning and PDF conversions and merges and just, that's what is taking me so long. Thankfully, I filled out all the tedious demographic information last month. Never thought uploading all my materials would be so time consuming, but everyone wants it different...
Oh, and I found out one of my recommenders can't get to a letter until the beginning of next week, which one of the letters I need back to get to Alabama before the end of the month. I'm hoping I can get it back and out in time.
I may not survive this, even if I get accepted somewhere.
9/9
Done.
Carry on!
Well, this was unexpected...
I just heard back from one of my recommenders with news that he may not be able to complete my letter until mid-January. He's a great guy and I was a little late in getting to him so I'm not bitter but, uhm, a practical question for those of you in the know.
Since I'm a few years removed from undergrad and not in touch with many of my former professors, there's a good chance that I may not be able to find an alternative at this late date. So let's say I submit an application to a school with a 1/1 or 1/3 deadline and let's say that application is complete except for one missing letter of rec. Will the school really disregard the entire application? Are they flexible about these types of supporting materials? Might they just consider the app without the letter?
Bottom line: do I really have to cross a school off my list just because one of the three letters of rec might not arrive until after the deadline?
@ Clever Screen Name
From what I understand, and of course they'd never publish this because they want people to get their shit in on time to make it easier on the school...but I believe with MFAs they are pretty lenient as long as they like your sample.
Which says 2 things. 1) They read samples as long as you send the sample/app/payment on time and 2) they will probably contact you to get the other stuff in if they like your stuff.
Here is a response I got from Vanderbilt when I emailed about transcripts I feared might have not made it:
"Admissions decisions begin at the program level. Faculty in the program to which you have applied will review your application and you will receive notice of their decision, regardless of the result. If application materials are missing, or more information is required, you will be contacted by that program."
Just one school but, I think, a common mindset.
@ Writer Dude
Thanks. That was pretty much my sense, or at least my hope. I'm sure enough wires get crossed and paperwork misplaced that quite a few files are missing a letter or a transcript as the review process begins. If a school really does want to attract the best writers they can find, it would seem silly not to at least take a look at the writing sample and contact those who might otherwise be accepted to find out what the deal is.
But if anyone else has experience with this, by all means, feel free to let know. Thanks!
ok, moment of extreme panic:
Are other people's materials showing up on UMass's status check?
Sweet lord, I want to get in...
Anyone else totally stuck on the teaching statement?
I have just a little experience teaching school kids and nothing else. I've never really thought about a philosophy of teaching. What to do?
There's always THAT ONE recommender who is lagging behind. I'm so glad the school doesn't count that against you. Well, I hope the school doesn't count that against you. I keep clogging his inbox with reminders. COME ON MAN DX
That sounds so ungrateful. I get that he's busy and doing me a favor. I'm just panicked right now.
I'm wondering...
Colorado specifies that they want 25 pages; however, they do not specify the font nor the spacing. Is it wrong to use this loophole in order to fit two stories? I'd keep the 12pt Times ft but I'd decrease the spacing to 1.3.
re: writing samples:
some ask for double spaces, but some don't. i'm thinking of just double spacing all of them since there's no way i'm going to painstaking edit my sample so i have one version of each.
also, what are you doing in terms of line spacing? i feel like i should space the lines out like i did my college papers, i.e. 2.0 according to microsoft word's line spacing setting.
Hello everyone!
It has been a terribly long time since I last logged into the MFA blog, although I still drift through to see what's going on from time to time!
Anyway, I saw that a lot of you were worrying about status updates on websites. I was worrying about the same thing and contacted some programs about it, and I hope what I've found out eases your minds a bit. The woman I talked to at the University of Washington in St. Louis was extremely nice and said that if your transcripts arrive slightly late, the program will not hold it against you. Rather, if any of your materials are not available when they review your application, they will send you an e-mail to tell you to get them in asap. My GRE scores were also not showing up on my online status, but when I called her she confirmed that they do in fact have the scores already, but that there have been a lot of wires crossed concerning GRE score updates.
Likewise, the Michener Center is completely behind schedule for both the GRE's sent to the Graduate School and the writing sample packets sent to the MCW. It's a little frustrating to find this out now, as I panicked two days ago when I saw an incomplete status and super-fed-exed everything to Austin again. Gah.
I hope this info assuages some of your fears. I know it did mine. I think I have a few grey hairs from my panic session, actually...
Minnow
@minnow
I'm less concerned about transcripts and scores than I am about my writing sample. My biggest concern is UMass, who's deadline was Dec. 1st, shows that NONE of my material has been received and it says to gives materials 2 weeks to show up. Well I sent mine over three weeks ago....WOMP.
@Minnow, good to know about Wash U and GRE scores. I sent mine in August and they aren't showing up. I emailed her but haven't heard back yet. I'll assume they probably have them, though, and I'm glad to know that was confirmed for you.
So Brown's deadline is today. I can't decide whether or not to pay all that cash to apply.
Word is that it's real experimental, right? Because my stuff is pretty straight up, and I don't want to waste precious dollars applying to a program that won't be interested in my style writing.
What's the word on this?
@todd
I've also heard that it's very experimental. For some, it's the holy grail because of that. And because it's curriculum is VERY loose. You take just a workshops and electives (anywhere in the grad school) and have generally fewer classes and more 'writing time' than most schools. For me, personally, the structure was a bit too loose. but I know for some this is part of the appeal.
For me, these things made it a no, but they're the very things that make it a first choice for others.
Big sigh of relief...in the past hour I have gotten several emails directly from schools notifying me that my recommendation letters are being submitted. I was getting nervous!
@I
The current Johns Hopkins stipend is $20,500. If you are single with no car and share an apt you can live nicely on this in Baltimore.
Oh my word..Kinkos/Fedex last night to send out UCI. Today I see all these typos and call the package back. Back to Kinkos twice to fix it and send it out again. Maybe applying to 18 schools was a bad idea if I don't have the time to carefully submit.
Also, question about Colorado:
They said the SOP should be 1-2 pages. Anyone have any idea on double or single spaced?
Also, I can not find the Teaching Appointment Application. Anyone have a link to it? Maybe it's obvious and I've just gone insane. I wouldn't rule it out.
Let us all take a deep breath and hang in there, and be thankful we live in a country where we are free to pursue our dreams.
Random writer's pet peeve! Spelling "yea" equals "yay!" not "yeah". CHRIST I HATE THAT.
@Gummy Bear -- AGREED!! But I find that I can't bring myself to write "yea" even when I mean it because I know people will read it "yeah," so I write "yay" instead.
Not that I find myself needing to write the word "yea" a lot...
I am D-O-N-E, DONE!! I didn't end up applying to Alabama (I think I just want a fresh start) and did apply to Penn State, so there ya go. I hate the fact that I have a month and a half to wait :(
When will this end??
@kaybay
congratulations! i still have another 12 mfa programs and 3 ma programs to apply to, but i expect that the rest won't take quite as much time. hoping to be done before christmas eve so that i can enjoy a couple of weeks off (and a writing retreat) before teaching next semester. :)
what are your writing plans for the interim?
@thereandbackagain -
I honestly don't know what my plans are. I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something right now even though I know I have nothing left to do. I'm teaching seven (!) classes next semester and one of them is a course I've never taught, so it looks like I'll be busy either planning or teaching. Yay.
I'm not a good waiter though. So impatient!
@kaybay
7? yikes. i thought teaching 6 last fall would kill me, but then i was also taking two classes and had four different preps. ugh. whenever i look at the class loads for graduate teaching i breathe a sigh of relief. :) i wasn't sure i'd have a job next semester, but i got the word today that it looks like i will. i'll be teaching something completely different, but i'm looking forward to that.
Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to it. Two years ago, they made us go from a seven period day with two prep periods to an eight period day with two prep periods. I work at a private school, so no union rep! Hizzah! They are going to pay me an additional $1500 to teach the course and it is an elective, so the extra pay is certainly welcome. But, I struggle with six. Seven is going to kill me. I don't know if I'm going to survive!
@ kaybay
At first I thought you meant teaching 7 college-level courses (which doesn't really make sense... but that's what immediately came to mind) and i was like, how is she going to live?! but that still is a lot. and i thought being a student and applying to grad school was bad.
congratulations to everyone who is done already! (i'm so jealous.)
hi. i haven't posted in a while.
question - is it tacky to say that funding is a major factor in terms of why a school is appealing? or should that be left out completely of a SOP because it is a) tacky, and b) a given?
(fyi 4 down, 5 to go...but still tweaking)
thanks!
I've got 4/11 done. 2 others I've just got to send out the writing sample, because they wanted hard copies. Waiting on physical LORs for 3 others from recommenders (that I priority mailed to them the 8th). Got to finish the Vandy app, send them the GRE, and apply to McNeese and I'll be done. I think I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I regret not applying to Arkansas. All right.
@Paulette,
Assuming you're asking about Colorado-Boulder, I finally found a teaching application linked at the bottom of this page: http://www.colorado.edu/English/acadprograms/gradprosp.shtml
Don't know if it's right, but I couldn't find anything else.
@ elio - The tackiness of talking about funding depends wholly on how exactly you're mentioning it. 'I really need money' might not go over as well as 'your university's financial support of its MFA candidates indicates a dedication to writing with which I identify.' The questions I'd ask in including it are: how necessary is this to say?, and how central is this to why I am applying?
re: university of nevada at las vegas:
do they have an application fee? what/where is it? i looked on their website and couldn't find it, and couldn't get someone on the phone the one time i called (going to try again)
also, i would just like to share that working on my writing sample is stressing me out SO MUCH.
@ Bama folks...
Is the Application Info Sheet the MFA dept. alludes to on their website the application itself, or is there some other sheet I need to find and fill out?
how nice! UMass just emailed me to confirm that they received my writing sample and TA application.
(Before anyone freaks out, I sent my sample about a week before the deadline and live a 20-minute drive from UMass, so your confirmation may still be coming.)
In other news, onward! I still have to finish five apps. At this point I'm being lazy because I can...
Is anyone else not checking the status of apps on the program websites? I was checking them a few weeks ago and, after finding them to be wholly inaccurate and then getting stressed, decided to stop checking and trust that all will get there fine. Am I nuts?
@ ABC
I am not checking (or at least I haven't so far). You could drive yourself crazy!
This is my third year trying for poetry programs. This time I'm applying to 13 schools. I noticed that many of you are applying to 13 as well.
Whose face do I have to sit on to get in on a fully funded gig?
@ Leanne,
UNLV's application fee is $60.
Take heart: Roberto Bolaño says, "Instead of waiting, there is writing."
http://htmlgiant.com/power-quote/roberto-bolano-instead-of-waiting-there-is-writing/
Kinda just repeating what's been stated, but just thought I'd update...I hadn't seen confirmation of my GRE scores anywhere, even though I sent four out when I took the test in August and ordered another three in November. Just heard back from Wash U that they do have them, despite what the website says. So I'm assuming the other schools do, too, with the exception of the scores I ordered separately, since ETS hasn't even charged my card yet!
Funny, ETS just charged me. Wonder if they read this blog...
oh, arkansas. your ten page minimum requirement for a critical essay is vexing me. i'm pretty sure that you don't want the 24-page paper i'm going to wind up sending you because all my other papers are only around 8 and 1/2 pages. :/ sorry for the tl;dr, but i don't know what else to do. <3
@ poets applying to virginia tech:
erica meitner was just featured on how a poem happens:
http://howapoemhappens.blogspot.com/2010/12/erika-meitner.html
Is LSU's site down for anybody else?
@ courtney
i just tried it, and it's not loading for me.
Is it safe to assume Iowa's January 3rd deadline is a postmark, since it doesn't seem to specify one way or another?
@Blob,
It says postmark deadline at the top of their "Admissions Requirements" page--so your assumption is correct. :)
@elio I don't think it's necessarily tacky but it's pretty superfluous to mention funding on a personal statement. 1, if you have enough space to write about funding, you can likely say something useful about your goals, influences, experiences, etc. 2, if you are applying to fully funding programs, like most people here are, it's useless to talk about funding since you will be guaranteed funding.
Just my opinion.
To anyone applying to Tuscaloosa, I have a question: Why?
Have you lived in small Southern cities?
I hear that U of A has a great program, but I live about an hour and a half from Tuscaloosa (in another small Southern city) and cannot imagine studying there.
Are some of you just tired of big city life? Is location truly no factor at all for you? Just wondering what non-Southerners are thinking---I get the feeling some of you have no idea what you'd be getting in to living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
@ J:
I suppose I can answer your questions, since I'm currently enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Alabama. First off, as to why, I don't think I can underline enough how supportive the program is, and the graduate school as a whole. When I came here for my visit, we (the incoming MFA candidates) actually had lunch with the Dean of the Graduate School, where he gave me the impression that the graduate school would do anything for their students. I can't even begin to describe to you how supportive the faculty, and other grad students have been. I'm not going to pretend that this type of support is something unique only to Alabama, since it obviously is not. I've talked to other grad students here, and they echo more or less the same sentiments; namely that they feel really supported here. I haven't even mentioned the funding, which is excellent. For me, it isn't even the best part of the program.
Now I've lived in small, Southern cities all my life. I grew up in Mobile, and my mother practices medicine in a small town in southeast Alabama, but I am in no way a "Southerner," as I am a first generation immigrant. I did not attend UA as an undergraduate, mostly because I wanted to go somewhere away from my high school friends. I mention this only to assure you that Tuscaloosa holds no sentimental value to me. Before I moved here, I dreaded the thought of spending my mid-20's in Tuscaloosa. And I admit, Tuscaloosa isn't the greatest city in the world. At the same time, Tuscaloosa has a much different character than the rest of the state. I don't think you can discount the effect of a large research university on a town Tuscaloosa's size. It attracts a plethora of interesting people, and in that way isn't at all typical of the preconceived notions of small, Southern cities. It also has a central location to many larger cities and activities, so it's not like you can't get away for a weekend in Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta, or the beach. I think the fact that Tuscaloosa's small actually works in the programs favor, as it seems to make everyone in the program fairly close. Despite its size, there is always something going on in town, always something interesting to do, and always great, interesting people to accompany you.
You end by saying, "I get the feeling some of you have no idea what you'd be getting in to living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama." Strangely enough, I get the distinct impression that you are the one that has no idea about what it is like to live here. I can understand your reservation, since I had similar ones before I moved. But your post seems oddly presumptuous, and dismissive. I encourage you to have a more open mind. I have no doubt people have thought seriously about the prospects of living in a city like Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with all the connotations that "Alabama" carries. The reality is that it's not so bad, and is actually quite interesting and fun, if you come in with an open mind.
Sorry if I come across harsh. That was not my intent.
JohnStamos,
I don't think you come off as harsh at all. You bring up a lot of great pts. regarding location. Almost any small town with a college or university, as you pointed out, is going to be markedly different from the surrounding area. Also, if people plan to actually use the time given to them by an MFA program to write and read a lot, does it REALLY matter where you are? Sure, we all have preferences and some people may need to consider location due to family concerns or other issues but for those without any such obligations, the "outside" world will 1) be barely noticeable and 2) be inconsequential to your daily existence. And if you do decide to explore the surrounding area, there's no better place to start than the unfamiliar and unsettling. These out of the way locales that MFA programs call home are great places to write and great places to observe and document slices of life which may very well help your writing.
Wow j, thank goodness for John Stamos, because I would have gone all kinds of snarky on your ass had he not jumped in.
You were definitely right on one point-- for me, big cities weren't necessary. I'm not applying to programs in NYC, LA, Chicago, closest are Portland and DC. But I'm having trouble grasping why you're being so dismissive of small cities/towns? Do you think just because they don't have four different theatres they lack culture? While it's true they're less likely, in some situations, to have large writing communities-- I really doubt this applies to Tuscaloosa in particular, what with the size of U of A's program. You can make a community right out of the department, it would seem. And some alumni might stick around a few years, besides. This is not to say that Tuscaloosa is right for everyone or will win an award for forward-thinking residents. But I don't think it's the opposing force to a happy lifestyle that you made it out to be.
Full disclaimer: I also grew up in Mobile before moving to Pittsburgh, but to my grat chagrin can't be considered a Southerner, because of my extremely Yankee parents. :).
Addendum: If something as insignificant as culture shock (or, perhaps, long-ingrained bias) is keeping you from a great mfa program...
...then I wish you luck in your Western or Northern US (or other countries, I suppose) metropolitan applications!
@ j:
I moved around quite a bit growing up: California, Indiana, Texas, New York, back to California...and now back to the Bush Country of Dallas, TX. I have family in the deepest parts of the South, namely Shreveport, Louisiana.
I've found from my travelsthat it's really not where you are but the people you meet. Brooklyn (where I spent my high school years) certainly had lots of theaters and museums, but I was more likely to hear an anti-semitic joke in this so-called progressive place than in Dallas. Doesn't matter, though. It's all about finding your people.
You can make anywhere your home.
Plus, I would look forward to a truly foreign experience. I think too often people think of expanding their cultural horizons as simply moving to the big city. Been there...done that. Every place has lessons to teach.
All of my top choices are in the South. LSU. McNeese. Alabama. South Carolina. My other top choices are smack dab in pretty small-town-ish, conservative places (Austin...don't care what anybody says...it may be the coolest place in Texas...but it's still very much in Texas) and Indiana...So.
I don't know. I found your comment elitist and a bit snobby. Just like my New Yorker friends when I talk about visiting family in Indiana.
So over location snobbery.
So I'm sending the excerpts of an 80-so page novella to most schools, and Iowa is the only one with a limit to accommodate it in its entirety. However, due to my dialogue scheme it is quite dense at around 37k words. Do you think just receiving such a massive, dense manuscript might piss them off? Maybe it'd be better to send a reasonable excerpt?
I want to get in on this Alabama conversation really quick, since there are some Tuscaloosans paying attention. I've driven through Tuscaloosa, spent a night in Birmingham once, and was actually surprised by how hilly and pretty Birmingham was. I've heard that Tuscaloosa is a little flatter and more industrial though. I know the program/faculty/school/etc. is great, but can anyone here with experience with Tuscaloosa talk about the what it's like to live there? Unlike WanderingTree, I'm highly affected by where I'm living for better or worse (I barely wrote a word when I lived in the Bay Area). Are there trees? Parks? Woods? Places you can go without a car that have a little more air than Oakland?
Thanks!
Sigh. Just got an email from Pittsburgh saying that they *still* haven't received a LOR from one of my recommenders, which was due over a week ago. I hope they don't count it against me! Will they not look at my application until all the materials are in, or will they look at my writing sample along with everyone else's?
jumping in on the small town/big city discussion.
i'm 40 now, so some of my considerations will be tempered a bit by age (i.e. i'm not seeking out great bar/club scenes - but then i wasn't doing that at 22 either) but i wanted to lend my perspective on this.
until i was 34, i lived in big cities. i grew up in miami, moved to san francisco at 22, then moved to seattle at 30. i love all of those places. san francisco is home to me, no matter where i live. i'm all about the big cities. i like living where there is always something to do. when i was 34, after a series of tech related economic downturns (i was way underemployed), i moved to a small town in kentucky (approx 30,000 people or so). i was greeted by the closest church proclaiming that marriage = man + woman. i am a lesbian and jewish. this was not the welcome i was hoping for.
however, after almost seven years of living here, i can honestly say that i quite like it. the people here aren't at all like i would have imagined coming from places like miami, sf, and seattle. i've gotten to know a ton of people in a very short time, and the local literary scene is fantastic and incredibly inclusive, which i think is pretty cool and probably a result of the smallness of the area.
seven years ago, i never would have guessed that i'd be applying to graduate schools in places like lake charles, tuscaloosa, carbondale, blacksburg, etc. however, my perspective on space has changed, and i've come to realize that i really can live anywhere and make it work. so, for those of y'all on the fence about location, i'd say give it a shot. it's not a commitment for the rest of your life - only two or three or four years. location is important, yes. i'd much rather live in san francisco by the ocean than pretty much anywhere else, but think about how much you'll have to write about in a place you are just getting to know!
sorry for the tl;dr. i'm desperately trying to avoid the michigan bio. ;)
this may be a redundant question, but....
i am applying to a school that waitlisted me last year. should i mention this? would it work for or against me? my first instinct says mention it. would this be tacky or poor form?
@ inkli__11
I would mention it. It shows that you are driven to be part of their program.
6 of 9 MFA apps down. 3 more to go, plus the 4 MA apps. Gahhhh, it never ends.
@ Karissa
you're getting there!
i'm at 13 of 20 mfa and 1 of 3 ma done.
hoping to finish with 3 more mfa by the time the post office closes tomorrow.
@DMC 1985
There are a couple of parks nearby,
one in Moundville, and the other at Lake Lurleen. There are about six or seven state parks within a two hour radius, so if that's your thing you can definitely do that. Tuscaloosa's pretty close to Tennessee, and I know that area offers a lot of great camping. The Rec Center (which is really amazing) actually offers camping equipment for rent. Unfortunately you need a car to get anywhere in Tuscaloosa, unless you are content with staying in the campus area, which actually has everything most things you might need. But there is plenty of outdoor space in Tuscaloosa. There's a park three blocks from where I live, and the Quad,a really large field with oaks and other trees,is the centerpiece of campus. Interestingly enough, Tuscaloosa is known as the Druid City because
of the abundance of oak trees in the area.
I hope this answers your question. I'm not if it does.
For those applying to Syracuse, how have you dealt with this question on their Basic Information Sheet:
"Briefly describe why you wish to study for the degree you've chosen and why you wish to study at Syracuse University. (Maximum of 320 characters. Use additional information page if more space is needed and upload document using Step 3. Essays tab)."
I'm torn between submitting the quick and easy answer they seem to want and using this as an addendum to their SOP which is limited to 500 words.
I feel like I could generate a response anywhere between 15 and 500 words for this one. What did you do?
Re: Syracuse BIF: I answered that question in 2 or 3 sentences. But since I'm re-applying, I have the option to include an additional 500 word statement about what I've been up to for the past year. That, plus the teaching statement, gave me 1500 words to explain why I deserve to get in.
Anyway, up to you, but I'd keep it brief even if not for the re-application statement.
Anybody feel like taking a look at a last minute personal statement?
I (believing the writing sample to be the most important part of the application) spent most of my time editing the sample and am just now trying to draft a personal statement. Anyway, I was hoping someone might take a look at it to see if there are any obvious and horrendous mistakes.
. . . it's only 550 words . . . and you can satisfy that desire we all have to see how other applicants are tackling the applications!
My safety school has the latest deadline -- February 15 -- and I am having the hardest time finding the motivation to bother applying. After sending all of these other applications, I don't want to go to my safety school!! But I might regret not applying, so...blah.
@ The Pensive Monkey
I keep feeling the same way with schools with later deadlines, especially given that some schools historically notify prior to those deadlines. However, I keep reminding myself that I chose each school for a reason, and that I want to give myself as many chances at having a choice as possible. Also, I have a feeling that once acceptances come out, priorities may shift, and a school we thought of as a safety might start looking like a better choice than one we had our hearts set on from the beginning. LOL. Perhaps I'm over-thinking this. ;)
@j
The places we live our whole lives are the places we judge the most harshly and often like the least. Those spending 4 years in Tuscaloosa will probably not spend 10-15 years there. It's very different. The way I see it, no place is so bad I can't spend 2-4 years. That just isn't a long time to me.
But also, location doesn't matter that much to me, honestly, it doesn't. I live in New York City, and it's a fabulous place, but it's a terrible place for me to write. I've gotten less writing done here than any other place. Everything takes twice as long here, which gives me less 'down time' and there are too many distractions.
For me, in an mfa program, location will factor in for two reasons: weather and cost of living. Tuscaloosa passes on both those. Plus, it's 4 hours from Atlanta, a city I lived in for 13 years, but that's a personal thing.
The other thing is that any town/city that's built largely around a university is pretty different from one that is not. A university breeds a certain kind of culture, even if it is a small town in the south.
Anyway, I think one of the reasons your post hit a nerve is because it assumes that location matters a lot to everyone and comes from someone that clearly wants to flee the place they currently live.
Let me qualify my statement, because I obviously touched a nerve.
The guy above's post was about how great the program is--I admitted as much in my own post.
My comment was purely based on location. And it's true, some decent cities are within driving range.
If you're going at it alone (and with the idea that you will be cut off from the world--I think this is fallacious, but that's me)--fuck it, go for it. Apply anywhere.
Just: think twice before bringing a husband/wife/family here. I mean this sincerely and without any snobbery, ill will, and whatnot.
I've only lived here my whole life. When you grow up in the backwoods, you don't romanticize it.
@j
Well, you didn't actually hit a nerve with me. I was just trying to answer your question and offer why you might have hit a nerve with others.
For me, location matters only really weather and cost of living. Other than that i've found that I can live and write any where. Tuscaloosa fits the weather and cost of living criteria, though honestly after living in NYC, everything seems cheap.
Also, if I were moving to Tuscaloosa for long term or indefinitely, yes, I'd have more doubts than say if I were moving to Seattle or Austin, for example. But for me in 4 years, whether you're going alone or with a family, it's not so bad.
Hey, all I'm saying is one time I'm like at a lake, reading a book, and these guys in a Chevy pickup drive by, point at me, and start laughing--and as I hear them drive away I'm hearing the word: "READING!"
What can I say, no respect. I get no respect. It's almost like being Jewish. I think. Right.
"Just: think twice before bringing a husband/wife/family here. I mean this sincerely and without any snobbery, ill will, and whatnot.
I've only lived here my whole life. When you grow up in the backwoods, you don't romanticize it."
I don' t think I romanticized anything. I've lived in Alabama my whole life as well, like I said. Saying that doesn't give you any type of currency in this discussion. I just don't think it's that bad of a place. Even the poorest areas of Alabama are much richer than the countries of my ancestry. Just to put things in perspective.
And there are plenty of people here who move with significant others. You make it sound like it's extremely hard. It's not. Of course it is difficult, but it's not impossible.
The more I read your posts, the more I think that you just don't like Alabama as a state. It's fine if you don't like it, don't apply there and be done with it. I've lived here my whole life as well, a Muslim man in Alabama, and I don't hate it. I really don't know what to tell you, but continue to believe in your myopic preconceived notions if that is what you want to do. I'll tell you that the reality of things is much different.
Hey JohnStamos, we just disagree. I don't think it's impossible to live in AL. You make the program sound mighty appealing. Congrats on getting into it. I was merely providing another viewpoint I hadn't seen expressed (living in small Southern towns is dreadful). And it was a genuine curiosity I had re: people's opinions on location.
I have no interest in a flame war on a blog with mostly over-stressed folks. I feel you guys's pain, nervousness, excitement, etc.
So------
is anyone else having trouble with the Oregon personal statement? I wonder if the faculty actually expects you to have read their works? The website almost makes it seem that way.
It's interesting the conversation that's been on-going (raging?) in regard to Alabama, small-towns and the South in general.
First, Tuscaloosa isn't going to be Deliverance. If you're 'different', yes--you're going to get ridiculed by someone, somewhere at sometime. I'm sure.
This would be something to take into consideration, but I imagine that the department, faculty and your fellow students will most likely share a lot of similarities with you.
I think you'll even find a town like Tuscaloosa will be more than open to you, unless you're a cat-raping Satanist, in which case you may have to keep that hush-hush.
You know, it's funny that I have my own reservations about studying in places that aren't like Alabama. I'm an open-minded person, well-travelled and educated--but I was born in the South and raised here. I talk different, think different and hell--probably write different.
I wondered how well received I would be in some places, just because of the way I sound or dress.
Did this prevent me from applying? No. I've friends from all over and know I can get along with anyone. I get excited at the possibilities of new discoveries. Does that mean I haven't held realistic expectations? Hardly.
If you really get the curled lip over living in a place like Alabama or Louisiana or some other mosquito infested, hot as hell place with people that talk slow and think it's all right to wear camo outside of a combat zone, maybe you should reconsider where you apply.
But if you're like me and look forward to an opportunity to live somewhere new, meet new people and experience life at a different pace and potentially become a more rounded person--than I encourage you to apply outside your respective 'safety' zone.
@j I think Oregon does expect you to have some knowledge of their faculty's work (if not a lot). It seems they want you to make some kind of loving statement as to why you want to snuggle up close to one of the bearded guys on their program's website.
Not that I don't want to read their stuff, but I just hadn't the time to really engross myself in it and chose not to apply for that very reason. I really, really liked the idea of Oregon and going there. But that's just a choice I had to make.
Good luck if you're applying. And I may be way off here.
as soon as I put these two packets in the mail today i am DONE. 11 for 11. now christmas, new years, and waiting.
The paper app at LSU was so lame. Glad to have finished mine already.
Only a few more apps to go. Then I'll be freaking out waiting to find out.
I need to go on vacation or something.
@j (sorry to beat a dead horse)
The scenario that you just described (about the reading bit) - or something very similar, at least - happened to me in New York City, except without a pickup truck.
Love New York, but it's the most over-romanticized city in the world.
No matter where you live there are dumb hicks in pickup trucks laughing at a person because he or she is reading.
In NY AND the Bay Area I've been mocked/ridiculed/etc for being queer, black, SUPER FUCKING LIBERAL/ANARCHIST, etc.
I only contend that it's simply a matter of finding your peeps.
Small southern towns suck, but if you spend more than five minutes in a big city (as in actually live there) and live in places that aren't a bunch of hipsters fleeing Alabama/Kentucky/rural Pennsylvania, living in some weird secluded Williamsburg Ghetto, you'll find that Chicago/New York/Berkeley/Los Angeles can all suck, too.
@j:
re: Oregon Personal Statement
I'm not applying to Oregon, but I wondered the same thing about Florida's awhile ago.
To handle this, I looked up a bunch of the works on Amazon and read the book previews to see what I liked.
It's a bit like cheating, but I couldn't bring myself to feel too bad about it.
indiana asks for "at least 30 pages" of fiction.
do you think it would be obnoxious to send 4 stories totaling over 70 pages?
input is much appreciated.
Inkli,
Short answer: YES.
Essentially, you want to tailor your manuscript to at least somewhat meet guidelines. Will it make or break you if you have several pages (like maybe 5-10) over or under? Probably not. I know people that were admitted w/ very, very short pieces and some who were admitted with very, very long pieces (that indeed go over the page limits). With that in mind, use your judgement and put yourself in the shoes of a professor sifting through hundreds of applications. Pick the stories that you think are the best. If you are still grossly over the page limits, it may be time to edit. I think it was Stephen King who said something along the lines of "Second Draft = First Draft Minus 10%". Considering you want your portfolio to be as polished and tight as possible (and to hook admission committees), it's never a bad idea to look at areas in a story that could be axed.
inkli:
A bit, maybe, yeah.
I'd say send the best three, or even narrow it down to two. I mean, if you have four stories that are really polished and show different facets of your writing, I would say go for it...But, I don't know. Seems a little obnoxious. Because by "at least 30" I think they mean 30-50. Of course, they didn't say that...but exploiting loopholes might not be the best thing to do in this scenario.
so for anyone feeling stressed, overwhelmed, etc, here's a story for you where you can breathe a sigh of relief and say 'thank god it didn't happen to me!'
I asked my recommenders to return their recommendations to me, so that I could turn in LoRs with my appication packets. I provided them with a self-addressed and stamped envelope for them to send me back the letters. Two did so with no problem. When I received the last packet, it was taped strangely on the top, but I didn't think much of it until I opened it the next day to find only one envelope inside. Where were my other letters? I thought MAYBE my recommender was sending the rest later, so I emailed him to double check. But no, he assured me that he had in fact sent ALL my letters together, which is what I would have expected. That's when I went back to look at the taping. On examination, it was pretty easy to see that someone had pre-maturely opened my packet. I don't know if they removed the LoRs, or if they fell out once the seal had been tampered with. And then someone stuck some funky looking tape on the seal (my recommender did not use the tape). So, 7 out of the 8 letters I was expecting are gone and lost forever somewhere floating, unstamped, half-addressed, complete with my social security number, address, and phone number in the USPS tunnels.
Luckily my recommender is more than willing to re-do my letters. BUT it means that I won't have time to wait to put them in my packets. Hoping this doesn't cause confusion for any of the schools. It's also just a pain for everyone.
Also, WTF?!? What a conspiracy! I'm afraid this is an omen that it's just not meant to be. Womp!
@blob
And the postal service wonders why they're going out of business.
That's unfortunate. I'm sorry. You must be ready to sic a dog on your mail man.
thanks, wanderingtree and courtney.
Blob,
That would seriously make me cry :o(
But don't get too worried about the letters arriving separately. Every school I emailed that specified they wanted everything to come in one big packet said it was actually alright if the letters came on their own.
They're used to getting things separately, I guess, and just put everything under one name in a file.
I'm getting out my stick to beat the dead horse into oblivion!
I just think it's funny that every year the "Southern question" gets brought up. Some snub-nosed "yankee" insults the South and ten or so Southerners come to defend it. If you don't want to live in Tuscaloosa, don't live there. If someone else does, who gives a flying hoot? Why does everybody have to make their own preferences someone else's? I don't really care either way.
I was born and raised in the East Bay Area (San Fran) and I don't get the draw, but I also don't care if someone else wants to live there; I just don't. The traffic, the people (yeesh, sometimes I prefer redneck to douche and/or yuppie), the crowdedness. Yes, the shopping/food/culture is awesome, but not enough to deal with the other stuff. I left to go to school at Auburn University (in Alabama) at 20 and while I had some culture shock and do not understand many of the Southern ways, I don't want to move back to CA any time soon and have no problem living in the South.
Besides, is this whole thing about sitting in cafes drinking coffee and talking about how art these days sucks? If so, then count me out. I want to write, I want to learn, I want to read. I'm not looking for a social circle. Just me, though.
This is even funnier, considering that when an applicant last year visited Alabama she remarked at how "hipster" everyone there was! So...
@chelsea
Thanks for the reassurance. I was pretty sure it would be ok. But this whole letter fiasco is just the last thing I needed on top of everything else! The positive is that it happened with the recommender i'm closest to him so going to him over this is easier than it would have been to some of the others. But I do sort of feel like the world is conspiring against me :/
@kaybay
I was just thinking that it had been awhile since you posted! How are your applications going? Are you done and finished?
@kaybay I think by definition Southerners have a chip on their shoulder.
Realistically, there are differences to be experienced (both good and bad) between different programs based on geography.
But you know, it's like anything else. If you're out to make the best of it, you'll do fine. If you want to raise a stink, you're sure to find a pile of shit.
Hey Blob! The last few weeks have been busy and then I went on a small vacationy type deal. I'm back, baby :D
I'm actually done with my apps and trying not to think about the whole thing so as not to get anxious. A month feels like forever.
How far along are you with your 14+ apps? Hopefully nearing the end.
How far is every one else, too? For those finished, what are some techniques to help with the waiting? What is everyone doing?
I hope my last post didn't seem "gruff," by the way. I do understand why people get "emotional" about that stuff (not that anyone was really getting emotional), it's just that at the end of the day everyone does their own thing for their own reasons.
I'm curious, though, how high the social element of a program is on everyone's list now that it's been brought up. It's pretty low on mine. Not that I don't want to develop relationships with people. It's just that, quite frankly, I could probably do well going to MFA Program of The Cave (no relation to Plato) :D
@kaybay But how cool would it be if the MFA Program of the Cave was at Fraggle Rock? Ha ha.
I like to get out, so yeah--I'll do my work and everything, but I want to get out and meet people and do stuff.
The social element was probably like middle-tier for me when making decisions.
@Todd - part of my issue with the Southern problem is that there really isn't such a thing as "Southerner" anymore. The landscape is changing pretty dramatically and less and less people come from Southern families. Lots of immigrants and lots of Northerners looking for work. So, Birmingam, for example, feels like Sacramento to me. Montgomery, AL didn't seem any different from Lansing, MI. Southern culture is more of a fantasy than a reality. The essay I sent with my applications is about this very same issue, by the way.
Just so everybody know, unless you're going to "Bob Jones University" any college town in the South is going to be relatively proggressive and open-minded. Students are too busy screwing and getting drunk to care if you voted for Obama, hehe.
i'm done and i wish i had good waiting techniques. i think i'll just have to keep doing what usually keeps me sane: reading, writing, and running.
as for the "social element" of programs, i actually do think that that is pretty important. and not just because good peers and peer relations means better, more honest and helpful critiques. i think part of an MFA program's job is to get you connected to the writing community. then we can all help each other, when it's time to get agents, pitch stories, find jobs, you name it.
i don't mean that to be cynical. i want to go to an MFA to write. but i also want to be realistic about how this will help my career.
yay nepotism?
hmm, meant to put the quotes around "university" only. So much for my attempt at being funny!
@kaybay
Congrats on being done! Going on a mini-vacation sounds about perfect now!
I'm completely done with my portion of 10 apps (mailed and all). 1 more is done, just needs to be mailed. And 3 (Iowa, UCI, and LSU) still need a fair amount of work. But I'm hoping to get that done this week and next.
Re: the social aspect
I'm a homebody, so I certainly don't need a party scene or a 'going out' scene or anything like that. I would like a good reliable writing group. And I'd like at least one friend in my new location (though he/she doesn't have to come from my program).
I agree with farfromgruntled about what the benefits of a writing community, and I definitely seek that. But, I do sort of find that different from a social aspect. To me the social aspect is hanging out beyond writing and that I don't really need.
Far from gruntled -
I don't think there's anything wrong with what you said. I guess what I'm saying is that I want "professional" connections and not just "buddies". You know what I mean? I'm not looking for a party :)
What's wrong with you all? Not looking to party? Come on now. ;)
@Todd
Well, we could be talking about an extinct Southern culture that Southerners "think" exists. The reality is that the area is not what it was even twenty years ago. You're right about some holding on to it to create a sense of belonging and place in rebellion to the dominant culture moving in and to, well, change in general. At least that's how I see it. For me, the only remnants of Southern culture are what so-called Southerners create, wanting desperately to maintain a feeling of independence and superiority. At this point, there is no going back.
Good convo, by the way! And party away my dear. I'll be snoring in bed :D
I don't know if that made any sense. I was trying to say that the feeling that Southern culture remains is created. Since change is occuring (and rapidly at that) I don't think there's any going back. There's no such thing as Faulkner's South anymore :)
hey kaybay!
on social shit: My idea of a fun night out is a fun night in. I tend to get more excited about watching re-runs of House, Buffy, Veronica Mars, True Blood, Bones, whatever, etc...than about going to clubs or cafes or whatever. I do enjoy a nice dinner every now and again. I love going to the movies.
Operas are boring.
My favorite thing about the prospect of going to school in the south - LONG ASS GROWING SEASON.
Can't wait to grow collards year round :o) And I will, damn it.
I kind of disagree that there isn't a southern culture...or that each place doesn't have a certain distinct quality to it.
I just think the fantastical ideas people have about big, hip cities are really amusing. It becomes obvious no one has spent more than five minutes in .
@kaybay
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
YOKNAPATAWPHA 4EVA!
...
...
:).
Holy cats!
I purchased USPS's Track and Confirm for all my application packages and decided something was definitely amiss today when Western MI U STILL hadn't gotten my stuff even though I sent everything on the 8th and all the other schools got theirs within a few days.
Thankfully I'm able to assemble another package and my recommenders are sending new LORs directly to the school, but I never would've figured this out without Track and Confirm. Buy it, guys! It's a few extra bucks but totally worth it.
This is off-topic, and really belated, but I thought I'd mention that I received paper confirmations from Boise State and Illinois that my applications and their respective materials were received. Basically listed nline codes and such to keep track of my applications. Apparently I threw away the Illinois envelope, for some reason, but the gist of both letters was: YOU ARE NOT IN UNTIL WE SAY YOU ARE IN.
Darn.
Anyway, I had my apps in on Dec. 9th, and received these letters last week, if that's at all helpful to anyone.
10 of 17 DONE!
After reading through last year's acceptances/rejections, I've started using The Secret. Christmas Ale, Nicki Minaj & the cat keeping me company tonight.
I'm finally nearing the close as far as applications go. 7/11 done. Waiting on paper LORs to arrive in the mail to finish the rest...
I just saw on the PW forum that someone has posted an acceptance. It's to a low-res program I didn't apply to but it STILL makes my heart drop to my feed. I was hoping I wouldn't have to read those threads for at least a month. Eep!
LSU question:
on the paper application they ask for extra-curricular activities. Are people putting down current stuff or stuff they did in college? I have plenty of undergrad extra-curriculars, but not that many now..
Okay, on the LSU paper application--its says lists ALL undgraduate courses, then ANY graduate English courses taken.
This may be a dumb moment (probably is), but are they wanting a list of all undergraduate courses or just undergraduate English courses?
@Blob I would assume you could include those activities from college, and all the way up to present
@Todd
I read it as all undergraduate english courses and that's what I'm going to give them. They have my transcript if they want to see all classes, they can refer to that.
@Blob that's what I thought originally too. I think that's correct. At this point, I'm over thinking everything...
LSU gets my vote for most tedious application!
John Hopkins has the bizarre requirement of making you write a critique of your own work. It's not a bad idea, but it's certainly something different. To others applying to JH, how are you handling it? I am thinking of devoting a page to more traditional SOP stuff, then going on to critique my work. Since they're using it as a guide to see how you'll do in a workshop, I'm going to try to not be too much of a "salesman," and give voice to a lot of my insecurities. Thoughts?
Ohio State had the most work for me. They had such specific requirements and a buttload of hoops to jump through. At least they're notifying pretty soon :)
For those applying to Kansas:
I just got this in an email from Lydia Ash:
"Congratulations! Your file is complete and awaiting review by the admissions committee. I hope to report decision notifications by the first half of February, 2011."
Made my heart skip a beat! Looks like they will be notifying at the same time they have in the past. :)
ugh, I don't even have all my applications out and I'm dreading notification season. DREADING it.
Yet, I also can't wait for it...
I wish I could fast forward to April when I'll probably know the good and/or the bad and it'll be warming up.
If I get in anywhere, it's going to bring about a whole new sort of problems--but I'll tackle that bull by the horns when/if it gets to me. I'm just hoping to get in, but honestly--I can wait out the notification process, or at least I can for now.
I know it's putting the cart ahead of the horse, but has anyone thought yet about arranging housing, transportation, etc?
I've got a dog. I've no idea what I'm going to do with him, until I know where I'll get in. He's a rather big dog and has separation anxiety, so apartment living is...difficult. My upstairs neighbor complained to my landlady that she had the Hound of Baskervilles living beneath her. He also is timid around traffic, because I got hit by a car while walking him.
Agh...so much to think about. Yeah, I think I can wait, but I know the waiting is going to wear on me soon as soon as acceptances start coming in.
@todd
I'm prepared to leave and go. Of course finding housing anywhere is a challenge. But I can hack it. If I do have the opportunity to go somewhere, I'll likely leave and move early to give myself time to relax and move in peace.
As for your hound of the baskerville, I'm sure you can find a place for him. I don't remember where all you're applying but with the exception of NYC, it's not difficult to find housing with space. I did my undergrad in a reasonably big city and a lot of students (undergrad and grad) would rent houses with a couple other people for cheap. This also gave them access to backyards and such. And that's in a city more pricey than most of the ones I'm looking at.
Though admittedly, I'm not sure what the cost of living is like in Madison or Ann Arbor. The rest, I have a pretty good sense.
My 'expensive' place is Seattle, but I'm still betting I can find an apartment there for half of what I have here in the city. And all of my southern schools should be cheap and provide a decent amount of space.
@Todd - I actually said "aw" out loud and made a pouty face when I read your last post. I'm such a girl. Poor thing.
I've thought about moving, too, and honestly the scariest thing for me is the money. I'm trying my darndest to save but I'm not sure if I'll have enough to get up there, pay deposits, pay pet fees (I got two doggies), set up utilities, etc... and I'm not sure if I'll have enough to hold out until I get the first stipend check from the assistantship. This assuming I end up somewhere, of course. It's just scary. Might have to hit my pops up for some money *shudders at the though*
My littlest dog is painfully neurotic too, by the way, and whines when I leave. She squeals when a draft hits her the wrong way (not kidding). She takes a while to get used to a new place, but she always does eventually settle in. I wouldn't worry about your pups, I'm sure he/she will be fine after a few months. Find a good dog park, have her make some doggie friends, give her a treat, and she'll be peachy :)
re: moving
I am a tad curious as to how the roommate finding business will go. I've been very lucky (knock on wood) with roommates my whole life. But I've been living alone for 2 years and I'm not sure how easy I am to live with anymore! Plus buying all new furniture and the likes is going to be expensive.
Considering that my parents were expecting to help me pay for something awful like law school, I'm hoping they can help me with some start up costs, if I get full funding.
Also, I want a dog!
@blob yeah, i figure i'll be able to find housing. it's just finding it. having the dog makes it more difficult, with just finding a place and roommates. He's a lil rambunctious.
i went to UGA and had an apartment on my own, and rent was $435 and utilities ran like $40-50 bucks a month. you can definitely live cheap here, but i actually hope to live cheaper than that and find roommates this second time around. i had no extra money then.
@kaybay i hadn’t even thought about the costs for deposits. i'll have to hit up the 'rents. i'm doing AmeriCorps now, and it's all I can do to pay my bills and feed myself. saving for rent deposit, utility deposits, pet, etc. yeah, completely out of the question.
yeah, he loves the dog park. he's a bit aggressive though. not in the bad way, he has a lot of energy is all and i think that puts other dogs off sometimes.
i got these air aroma/pheromone therapy plug-ins for my small apartment, and my upstairs neighbor actually commented that he had stopped making such a fuss.
i would suggest these, once you do have to move into a new place with your dogs as well.
what type of dogs do you have?
@ Blob
Do you live in Seattle now, or you might be if you get into a program?
I live in Seattle (well, on the Eastside) and I can give you the lowdown on the cost-of-living situation.
It's pretty pricey, but that's coming from growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood in metro Detroit.
@blob i wonder how the roommate arrangement will work too. i think most of it will have to be arranged long distance, probably--craigslist.
i wonder if some programs assist in this?
i had a real difficult time when i first went to UGA finding roommates. It seems craigslist is full of nice, relaxed roommate options that are all total stoners or the super-anal ones.
i ended up on campus...
@anotherjenny
I live in NYC right now. I've never lived in Seattle, but I have applied to university of washington. From all my locations, Seattle is presumably the most pricey. Not sure exactly how it compares to NYC. But somehow I imagine it's at least a bit cheaper.
I've lived in three US cities: Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. So if nothing else, I can feel a little better knowing that majority of the schools on my list will be cheaper than any other place I've lived. Seattle, being the exception.
I have a border collie named Zeppelin and she is the best dog ever. She goes where I go.
Thank you. That is all.
@Todd - I have a miniature pinscher/rat terrier mutt from the pound (the neurotic one) and (if you're an UGA man you'll love this) an English bulldog. But he's brindle and has tiger stripes so he's an Auburn dog :P he'd kick UGA's behind!
@kaybay ha ha! an auburn bulldog? interesting. sounds beautiful. i'm sure those two make quite the pair.
@writerdude zeppelin? nice name.
Soooo, with all this talk about Alabama...
I was just on the website earlier tonight, planning to get everything together to send off tomorrow morning (cutting it a little close, I know. Ugh.) And I noticed this little bit of information floating around:
"The deadlines below are final deadlines. PLEASE NOTE THAT many departments establish earlier deadlines for receipt of application materials. Applicants should contact their proposed departments for deadline information. In those cases, completed applications must be in the Graduate School six weeks prior to the departmental deadline. "
Um, six weeks prior? To December 31st? Even though the MFA website says to have grad school stuff in by Jan 15th...?
Should I have a meltdown now or am I missing something here, you guys?
@smithea
Don't have a panic attack. I spoke to Alabama grad people earlier about another question and she said that as long as we have writing samples and SOP, we'll start processing the application and the deadline for everything else is a 'soft deadline.'
Anyone interested in reading over a quick 600 word statement of purpose and seeing if there are any super obvious, super horrific typos?
winter,
I'll read your statement and maybe send you mine, if you want.
stopthesunshine@yahoo.com
re: moving
The boyfriend, who is following me wherever I go (assuming there's anywhere TO go), and I will share a place. If we split the rent we ought to be able to make do. First order of business after getting the finances worked out - a cat and a dog.
May I ask what others are doing with significant others?
@ winter: i'd be happy to read over your SOP. i'm going to work on mine next week, and i'd really appreciate a readover then if you're down!
leanne[dot]mirandilla[at]gmail.com
@ courtney: re: SOs, i'm probably going to put it out there and say i'd love him to move with me, but this fall he'd be fresh out of college and potentially moving somewhere due to a job offer, instead. so long distance is most likely what will happen. it can't be worse than my current location, though (hong kong) :/
re: significant others
if i get in anywhere, the boy and i will have to do long distance. again. i know we'll make it, but i'm not looking forward to it.
also, now that i've lived with someone i love for two years, i am not sure i can handle living with a stranger again.
I'm married with children, so yeah, they'll all be packing up and moving with me. I'd have had more options on where to apply if I didn't have the fam to consider, but we had to choose schools that were in locations where we could really see ourselves dragging our kids. We're kind of nomads, though, so excited about the prospect of moving somewhere new.
Yeah, my two cats will go where I go. Thankfully, it's easier to find a place that allows cats than a place that allows dogs. But there's no significant other or children, so that makes moving easy for me. Although I can just imagine the fuss my cats will raise when I have to put them in a pet carrier for a period of time. They always act like they're dying when they're in one.
re: Significant others
Good luck to everyone trying the long distance thang.
Personally, I'd rather end a relationship on a good note than suffer through long distance before things inevitably fall apart. I don't want to assume I'll be the exception when chances are I'll be the rule.
Moving is one thing, long distance, in my opinion, is a whole different animal. Maybe moving will still be on the plate.
Also for me, I can't be sure that in 2-3 years I can guarantee where I'll be or that I can move back. I do want a teaching job or a fellowship after wards and those are probably even harder to come by than MFA spots, so if I am lucky enough to get one I will go where ever it takes me.
The woman I am seeing will not be moving with me, unfortunately...I'll have to find some new unsuspecting woman to stalk.
BAZING! HEYO! Waka waka.
Carry on!
re: SOs
I'm not going to ask my girl to move. She's finishing her grad degree, and she's already been offered employment at a small engineering firm that she works at now and loves.
For her to follow me for just 2-3 years, with no idea where I'll be going after that, well, no. It doesn't make sense. Plus, I don't want that rift between us--if she did decide to follow me and regret walking out on that job later in our relationship.
Kind of to reiterate what's been said already, but after the MFA--well, I've no idea where life will take me. If I get offered a teaching job or something, you kinda gotta go where those are. So there's that too. I can't promise to come back anywhere.
So we'll be doing the long distance thing, and we'll see where that takes us. We've been together a while now (4 years). I'm not thrilled about the prospect of a long distance relationship, but I'll worry about those details if I get in anywhere.
I mean, depending on where I get in will determine the degree of separation we'll be experiencing. Ole Miss, Alabama...these are closer to home than say, Michigan.
Hey, I seem to be late in all of these conversations but oh well :)
My bf and I will probably be apart for a year or so as well. It would have been a lot easier last year had I been accepted somewhere since he was transferring anyway (he's my age, but he worked for a few years before returning to school and to finish his undergrad), but now that's in school he can't just pack up and move with me. Same as Todd said, if I get into UF it wouldn't be such a big deal, but Michigan? Yeah, kinda far away. To mimic Ivan Drago, if it dies, it dies. Just kidding. We've gone LD before and it wasn't much of a problem. We're pretty independent people.
By the way, if anyone wants to see a pic of me and my bullie, I updated my profile pic <:)
I've decided it's difficult to have steady relationships in your 20's (not that it keeps me from trying). One of the many reasons I broke up with my bf of 5 years was that he worked a committed job at Microsoft and we both knew that if I got into an MFA, I'd leave Seattle in a heartbeat-- especially if I get in at UM, which is where I did my undergrad and grew up. We'd done enough long-distance over the summers we dated in college to know that seeing each other once a month is depressing, expensive (plane tix), and a fantastic way to drift apart.
Everybody is so young, so all over the place, trying to figure themselves out... With the economy the way it is, you kind of have to move with your jobs/schooling. I graduated from college and moved to Seattle with the aforementioned ex and while it was a great learning experience, I moved for his sake, not mine, and it was a terrible strain on me and our relationship.
That being said, I've gotten very close to a new guy I met just 3 months ago and he's all for moving with me, wherever I go. I'm not sure what will happen (we're new yet) but our relationship began in such an interesting way that I kind of feel in my gut that we'll make it work.
I suppose it boils down to what you feel and the type of situation you're in. There are no rules, really. Not ever. Scary, because you have nothing to go on, but awesome, because you can write your own story, as long as you believe hard enough.
Hi! I have a question about the Iowa application, and since everyone is applying to Iowa, maybe someone has the answer.
I sent my GRE scores to the UI graduate school office but not the Writers' Workshop. Do I need to go back and send the scores to the WW? I'm trying to avoid paying another $23 if I don't have to.
Thanks!
has anyone found a way to track LoRs for Michigan?
I'm worried about mine having been received or not. But can't seem to find a place to check for this..
Blob, I received emails when each of my recs were submitted, but you can also check on the website when you sign in. Three of my schools use the same app system, so each school is listed and when you click on them it shows who has submitted recs. However, one of my recommenders had to fill out Michigan's twice because it didn't register for some reason, so you should probably double check that.
@DMC1985 My michigan recs were hard copy. And unlike some other schools there's no place on their application status site, that I can find, that confirms recs...
@ Blob
I just had to bite the bullet and email Indiana to make sure they received my transcripts and GRE scores. I hate having to do that, but if the school doesn't give us another way to check, I don't think they can get too upset that we are making sure everything arrived. After all, we are paying for this process.
In response to the advice in the MFA Handbook about not mentioning specific faculty that you wish to work with, I have a rebuke that I'm wondering if any others have response?
In choosing my schools, my criteria was 1. Teaching Assistantships (vital experience and funding) and 2. Faculty
I'm a flexible person and realize location as important as education, for me. And, as I've been researching faculty I've been able to pull up quite a bit of info relating to Faculty and interests, whether poetics or pedagogy that I think is of significant use to the applicant in both their SOP and their decision of application. I don't mean to sound suspicious, but I feel the MFA Handbook instructs its readers to treat the entire system as a product and therefore focus solely on economics and treats the faculty as irrelevant to ones studies. However, for something with my temperament who is searching for "experience" over a free degree, I feel the Handbook treats faculty as if they are high schools by saying that mentioning faculty in your SOP would do more harm than good because you might speak of one and not the other and then one would have their feelings hurt? For me, if I mentioned one faculty member over another and one had their feelings hurt and therefore denied my application then I wouldn't want to study under that person anyways and will probably have saved myself a lot of time by being rejected. However, if you are looking for the most economical school and don't care at all about the community of the program your applying towards, then I understand Kealey's advice.
Does anyone have anything to add? I've just continually found the Handbook to be very biased towards a sort of MFA-product, versus an MFA-experience guide.
Sorry about the spelling errors, I've been spending a great deal of time working on my Apps. lol
Post a Comment