Just in case anyone else encounters this: I got a fellowship offer from a school; they've told me the deadline to accept is April 1.
However, this link (http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS_Resolution.pdf) shows the CGSR deadline is April 15--the link has a list of schools who have agreed to this deadline and the school in question is on it.
The resolution also says, interestingly, that every financial offer is supposed to come with a copy of the resolution... didn't happen.
I've asked this school about all this; no response yet. They may not realize their mistake. But don't be rushed into accepting an offer!
Just got a call from Richard Wiley at UNLV, I'm in for fiction with GAship!!! Can't believe it! I'm shaking! He said 6 fiction spots, about 150 applicants this year.
@leitmotifish -- sorry this is so late, but if you have any questions about Syracuse (i'm a second year poet here) i'd be happy to try to answer them. also, i would of course highly recommend coming on board :) email me at ajpurcel (at) syr.edu
Julie29, I saw that you've been accepted into several top schools. I was wondering how seriously you were considering ASU? I got wait listed there (the only positive news so far), so I was curious.
I received a call from Pacific University today; I've been accepted to the fiction program there. Best of luck to everyone. This comes on the heels of 0-11 during last year's application season, so keep working.
@Julie, I'm at ASU and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Every program has it's ups and downs, but I'm very happy I moved here from NY. Feel free to e-mail me: sasams@asu.edu. Good luck everyone
@Kabir, I am considering ASU. Right now I'm still considering all my options. I'll be sure to post on here if I decide against any program so those on the waitlist know a spot may open up.
Recent Acceptances from the FB group Names have been left out but are available in the FB group doc
March 8th - Mills College (poetry)- 1 person March 8th - Emerson College (fiction) - 1 person (ecommon website) March 8th - Columbia College Chicago (fiction) - 1 person (mail) March 8th - The New School (nonfiction) - 1 person [email instructing to phone] March 8th - Michener Center (fiction) - email - 1 person March 8th - Saint Mary's College (fiction) - 1 person (email) March 9th - McNeese (poetry) - phone - 1 person March 9th - University of San Francisco (nonfiction) - 1 person (Phone) March 9th - University of San Francisco (fiction) - 1 person (phone) March 10th - Georgia College and State University (CNF) - email - 1 person March 10th - Georgia College and State University (poetry) - email - 1 person March 10th - University of New Hampshire (UNH) - fiction - phone - 1 person March 10th - University of New Hampshire (UNH) - fiction - phone - 1 person March 10th - University of New Mexico (UNM) - fiction - email - 1 person March 13th - Arizona State University - fiction - phone - 1 person March 14th - Columbia University (fiction) - mail+phone - 1 person March 14th - University of Arizona (fiction) - e-mail - 1 person March 16th - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (fiction) - phone - 1 person March 16th - University of Memphis (fiction) - e-mail - 1 person (officially; she knew already from talking to the admin) March 17th - Old Dominion (CNF) - 1 person [email]
All of whom are not me =( Hope this helps someone!
I've recently turned down funded spots at UC-Boulder and Wyoming. I've withdrawn my name from the waiting lists at Syracuse, Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and Boise.
@grace, quick question! What genre are you? I hope once I've posted this I don't find your genre already in your last comment. in bold. and italics. and of course caps-locked....or that you've posted it before...so many ways for me look not smart
Anyways, thanks for sharing your choices! Did you decide to accept an offer somewhere else?
I'll be at Iowa in the fall. I only live 10 blocks from the workshop, which somehow seems oddly coincidental, after sending out apps all over the country.
Hey everybody! Just wondering: have any poets accepted or declined an offer from Indiana yet? Are any poets who have offers from Indiana leaning towards or away from them?
Any dirt on U of Miami (FL) fiction program? I received a wait list confirmation via email Saturday afternoon and am wondering if I have any chance of moving up the list.
@grace- Thanks for letting us know! I was accepted at uc-b for poetry, but no funding. So maybe your empty spot will move me up the funding totem pole, well see...
And WOW, well that's awesome you were accepted at iww! I guess your journey to grad school will be more of a metaphorical one...but I guess that's not too bad a thing for poets :)
Just posting this for everyone's edification, since it grates on me like your/you're and lie/lay mistakes...I'm sure as writers you all understand...but University of Colorado is abbreviated CU, not UC. Because we Coloradans are dyslexic, I guess. And because we're better than California.
Reaching out to students currently in the following programs where I am wait listed in poetry - SIU - Carbondale, Arkansas, and South Carolina.
I don't have any idea whether or not I'll make it off the wait list, but I'd love to be able to talk with poets in the programs so that I can make an informed decision quickly should that become necessary.
Got into Iowa today! So so happy. Funding is great, so happy so happy--there is hope out there! I got the call this morning, after I had already given up. So Iowa is NOT done notifying after all!
Hey-I am deciding between four schools, Iowa and Michigan being two of them. I am a super super stressed person so I will decide after I visit all of them, so far I have only visited one but am visiting 2 more this week.
So, I'm wondering if anyone here can help me....I'm looking at MFA programs and have questions. I live in Chicago and as much as I'd like to stay here for a program, there doesn't seem to be a top program nearby. UW-Madison is a hefty drive. I'm considering low-residency programs like Vermont but there must be some Chicagoans out there who can opine. Anyone? Thoughts on Columbia College? School of the Art Institute? Are low-residency programs a good substitute for those of us in areas that aren't convenient to Iowa or Stanford?
Julie29, other folks considering ASU: feel free to email me! I'm finishing up my first year and am in lovvvvveeee with this program. I'll give you the inside scoop. fixittuesday@yahoo.com
Have you checked out Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign? It's a few hours' drive from Chicago but a great program. Tiny, three year duration, excellent funding. The students have a supportive little community, there are opportunities to work closely on their stunning lit mag Ninth Letter, and all the faculty are deeply caring of the students as well as accomplished writers themselves (Alex Shakar, on the fiction faculty, is a genius -- and dispels notions that faculty on MFA programs are aesthetically crusty and conventional, because all his work is beautifully risky and daring; Richard Powers is writer-in-residence there also, though my understanding is that he only teaches one class every couple years and works closely with the prodigies). I know all this because I got an offer there this year and paid them a visit. A couple faculty members actually live in Chicago, I believe, though I'm not sure how they work out that commute.
Still waiting to hear from: UNLV (though judging from the number of acceptances I've read here, I'm assuming I'm waiting for a snail mail rejection letter)
Accepted into: Columbia University... without any funding...
Sigh.
I had been joking with friends and family that of all the schools I applied to, Columbia was the only one I half-hoped I wouldn't get into give it's utterly atrocious price tag.
So low and behold, it's apparently the only one I've gotten into! A lot of friends have been telling me I should be proud of the prestige of getting in, but I'm honestly thinking there was more a problem with my application than anything else. I had assumed if Columbia had wanted me, at least one other school would as well, though that wasn't the case. I'm actually thinking they saw my app and figured I could be goaded into going into debt for 20+ years.
Sorry about the venting, but what an absolutely mixed blessing. The most important thing for me is time to write, and a great environment for soliciting justified critical commentary, but I just don't see how that will be possible holding down at least one full-time job just to be able to afford going.
I'm currently about 60% against going to Columbia for financial reasons, and considering cutting my losses this year (my first year of trying) and trying again next with a wide net of apps.
Does anyone here know anyone that has been through the Columbia MFA program? I'd be interested in hearing from others who would actually recommend I take the plunge, thanks in advance: madeamistake1@gmail.com
Congrats to all who got in somewhere. I just heard from Boise yesterday. I was put on the shortlist-waitlist a few weeks back. The director called yesterday to let me know I was accepted with a TAship into poetry. Quite pumped. Now I must make friends in Boise. Any other poets going there?
Also anyone out in Boise that can share some news of the place, program, their potato production capabilities.
Just wanted to update my "stats." Originally, I posted that I was applying to 10 schools, but in the end, I applied to the 8 mentioned below, all in CNF. So far...
Accepted: Ohio State (funded) Pittsburgh (waitlist for funding) Rutgers-Camden (partially funded) Columbia College Chicago (nada)
Waitlist: Minnesota
Rejected: Portland State
Not heard from: American Iowa
I'm pretty ready to accept the spot at Ohio, but I just feel like I should maybe hold out a little longer to get an official response from Iowa. They'll notify acceptances by 15th April, right?
Well done to everyone for getting this far without losing it!
FYI - I noticed there's another person on here who goes by "K," but I haven't gotten round to changing my log-in. Just in case that confuses anyone...
@ K, I'm about to decline a CNF spot at Iowa, so if you're on some secret waitlist that could be good. FYI they have very little funding for CNFers this year, though.
Alabama, actually. I don't know if it seems weird to turn down Iowa for Bama, but the funding down there is good and I LOVE the flexibility of the program.
@B Cool! I really like hearing when people turn down "reputation" for what seems the best fit for them. Makes sense to me. Hope you're really happy there!
Accepted to George Mason this morning via snail mail. I'm sending Stephen Goodwin an e-mail about other acceptances etc, so I'll probably be back with more later today.
I got an email last week saying I was waitlisted at Arizona for nonfiction. Is it okay for me to call the program to find out where I am on the waitlist--I assume they rank waitlist candidates in some order? I also got into the New School for nonfiction, and I'd like the chance to visit before their (TNS) April 7 deadline.
Also, does anybody know anything about the Arizona or The New School programs? I got a small scholarship at TNS, but otherwise it seems prohibitively expensive.
Thanks, everyone!
--Megan
p.s. I applied to nine schools last year and got rejections across the board... so YAY!
You should definitely ask, but some programs, even if the waitlist is ranked, will not release the rankings. Policies and all. But it would be natural to ask.
Houston Update: I understand from James Kastely that he has emailed hard-copy letters to accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants as of today. So you should see those by Friday or Satuday, depending on the mail in your area. He told me I was waitlisted, btw.
I ran into the same situation; when I emailed the program to clarify, they immediately acknowledged the April 15th deadline. They didn't seem offended--I was tactful, said something like "I see you're CGSR complaint; doesn't that mean I have until April 15th? If not, please let me know. etc" I'd definitely approach them!
I was accepted to U of Arizona in nonfiction, but without guaranteed funding (they later emailed a TA position opening that I could apply for myself, so they are trying to help admitted students find their own funding, it seems). If you want to know which way I'm leaning, you can reach me at gmail; my name there is tpamperin.
Bryan: Congratulations on GMU. What is your genre? Did your letter specify details about funding? My friend applied and was accepted a month ago, had the TA interview and is still waiting to hear back :-(
I guess they don't fund everyone--but a third of people. Did your letter say if you were likely to get an interview?
@julienotjulia (cool name)- did you mean houston mailed the acceptances, waitlists and rejections? like snail mail? you said email, but it sounded like you meant regular mail. NOT TRYING TO CALL YOU OUT! just wanted to make sure cause i want to hear from them so. much.
and hey congrats on the waitlist! may everyone ahead of you be accepted to IWW, as well. :) oh and what genre are you?
Sorry, in my excitement I forgot to say which genre I'm in. I'm fiction. The letter talked quite a bit about funding, actually. I didn't get any, but they said they're "interviewing TA candidates and negotiating offers to them."
From the tone of the letter, it sounded like there was a possibility that I could end up with funding after all, but I shouldn't hold my breath.
I just got back from a vacation in France to find out I've been accepted to the University of New Hampshire in CNF! No funding (and I can't afford to go if I don't have any), but when I called them they said they should be making their final decisions by late next week. They've already sent out notices to their top candidates and are waiting to hear back from them.
Here's where I've heard from so far:
Iowa (rejected) Minnosota (rejected)
Still waiting to hear from:
Arizona New School Victoria (Canada) Guelph (Canada)
Hello! I've been accepted in fiction to UMT Missoula and Alaska Fairbanks but can't afford the plane trips to visit both of them. Does anyone know more about the Alaska Fairbanks program or have opinions on which school is more respected? It's been difficult to find any info at all on the Fairbanks program besides their own website. I'd love to hear anyone's halfway informed opinion. I don't seem to know anything at all. -thank you!
I don't know much about Fairbanks' MFA program, but winters there are COLD (60 below when I visited in November) and DARK (think 5 hours of sunlight per day).
And one of my CNF undergrad teachers went there for his MFA and I really like his writing.
I'm still waiting to hear from 5 programs, but based on the abstract responses I received on the phone and date of acceptances received posted on this blog....I'm guessing I've most probably been denied by all five.
I grew up in Boise and just moved away in August for another program! Let me know if you want to talk about Boise. It's a wonderful little city, and there's lots of things to do.
Has anyone on the Syracuse poetry wait list been admitted? I got notification that I was on the wait list about a month ago, but I haven't heard since then.
Anyone from UC Irvine poetry been rejected? Haven't heard from them, either.
So, I've got exactly a week now to decide if I want to go to George Mason. Are there any current students out there who I can interrogate about the location, program, etc.?
Yes, at George Mason at least if you're unfunded they can put the deadline at April 1. But I've been assured by other people that that deadline can usually be extended to April 15.
And my e-mail has been sent, but not replied to yet (which is expected, since they're probably ridiculously busy this time of year).
I'm still waiting to hear back from Purdue and the University of Florida. I'm assuming UF is a rejection, based on what I've read here....but has anyone heard anything from Purdue yet???
@concerned- I would wait. This is not a great time to go massively into debt, and people often do a lot better their second or third time around. I got into the Michener center on my third round of apps, and I'm really glad I didn't end up somewhere else, with worse funding, earlier.
I second Marlowe (awesome name, btw; Chandler reference?). This is also my third round of apps, and though I had acceptances in the past, the poor or zero funding was a deal breaker. It stings initially to wait and reapply, but it doesn't hurt you, as a writer. There's no time limit on the MFA, and there's no guarantee of getting some sort of teaching/professorship position post MFA, so for what it's worth, follow the funding, even if it takes another year (you may have to explain that to parents/friends/everyone a LOT though).
Thanks muchly for the advice. I've had a lot to mull over these past couple days... but I'm still holding out hope with UNLV. After Michener, it was my 2nd choice.
Anyone know if they're done with fiction acceptances?
Rejected from Iowa, and all other schools except Montana (fiction). Will be going there in September! If anyone else has any info or advice to add about Missoula or the program, please let me know. gilfilar [at] gmail.com
Called UNO again today. Accepted in poetry! Their decisions are being mailed today.
No word on funding yet. Could get nothing (which could be deal breaker, but UNO is cheap for LA residents, which I am), but the funding is tiered based on what you do. All assistantships get a tuition waiver, some get $4k for tutoring, some get more for teaching courses, and it depends on how much you teach.
@blakeeva Sorry for the delay here. I don't check in so frequently any more now that my list is whittled to 9 rejections, one waitlist and 1 haven'theardanything.
With Houston, I know a couple of people on the FB group received an email acceptance; a couple received email waitlist notices. I only received mine because I reached out to J. Kastely and he let me know. He told me though in his email on 3-22: "I just sent out the hard copy letters to applicants, which should arrive in 3-4 days, but I am emailing you an electronic copy."
If anyone's wondering about Arizona, I just called them to see the status of my application, and they said they called the last of the successful applicants last week, and are sending out rejection letters next week.
And I got a rejection letter from The New School yesterday.
If anyone out there is looking for information about George Mason, I'm a current nonfiction student who's willing to answer questions! CJWid87 at hotmail dot com.
I'm on the Miami waitlist for fiction and heard from Sheerah that she had turned down a spot in fiction last weekend so somebody should be receiving an offer but it hasn't been me, at least not yet. Have you heard anything else about the program or the waitlist?
Any digging around you can do RE: Houston funding? Somehow, while UT Austin's MA (now MFA) program seems to offer TAships and fellowship help to, I believe, all of their admits, I understand Houston is offering 100% unfunded spots to some. ??? Their website talks all about how proud they are that all of their admits get TAships and some fellowship money. But I know of 1 admit for sure who has been admitted and with not one penny of aid. What's up with Houston?
@ Dr Collins -- I'm for fiction and nope, haven't heard anything yet. A friend of mine got a fiction acceptance there, but she also got offers from Iowa and Minnesota (in non-fiction tho) and is still deliberating. Guess we're in the same boat! Fingers crossed for all of us!
Anyone hear anything from University of Arkansas or Rutgers Newark? I applied for fiction. Was rejected by Hollins, VT & Cornell. I was admitted to Chatham & UNH.
@ pedogue -- I got a phone call and email acceptance from Rutgers-Newark earlier this month. But it seems like they are still accepting folks through April. I may actually give up my spot bc they have no funding for me, which wouldn't be too bad if I lived in the NYC/Jersey area, but I'm in CA, so that's quite an issue for me.
I was accepted to Alaska as well, for fiction. Have you found out any further information about the program? I'd love to live in Fairbanks, but I'm hesitant about the program. Congrats on Montana, too. In hindsight, I wish I would have applied there! Best.
@cheja no other news to report. i'm thinking of going to visit but the flight from california is way expensive. have you been to fairbanks? write me at cecile.berberat@gmail.com ..... please
Hello GMU Applicants, QUESTION: Did anyone here who interviewed for a TA/Tutoring position ever hear back? Was anyone rejected or did anyone receive word they'd been accepted as a writing center tutor? I know several people have not been able to get a hold of anyone at Mason--and their open house starts next Friday. Any info would be extremely helpful.
Just declined offers at Syracuse, Florida (Gainseville) and Houston. I am in fiction. I did it in the last half hour or so. I did not want to post online anymore but I am because I know how much waitlisted people must want to know...so I didn't have the heart:)I am sure this will backfire in some way--but I just couldn't not tell the waitlisted people:) Good luck all--all of these three programs are amazing, and I felt sick having to decline them. All my best:)
@Leitmotifish: Congratulations on an amazing season with all those wonderful acceptances! I hope you find great happiness and success with the program you chose! Also, very considerate of you to pass on that information; I'm sure everyone waitlisted at those schools greatly appreciates it.
I was accepted to GMU's fiction program and was awarded a TA position with a full tuition waiver and a stipend. I heard probably about a week and a half ago, via email. Are you waiting to hear?
I haven't posted for a while but thought I'd leave my tally for those not on fb. I'm fiction.
Accepted University of Oregon UNCG
Waitlisted Michener LSU
Rejected Cornell Ole Miss Vanderbilt Brown Syracuse Michigan IWW
I'm planning on accepting my spot at Oregon although letting go of the LSU waitlist is proving to be difficult. I doubt I'll make it off there though, despite being "fairly high" on it. All of Michener's fiction applicants have accepted their spots so that leaves UNGC. I'll be declining their offer later today.
Gellyfish: A very dear friend interviewed for a TA with Mason--Fiction and is waiting to hear back. I guess the director is not answering emails :-( So, I was looking for any info. Thanks! :-) Did you accept their offer? My friend was interviewed at the beginning of March.
I haven't made my decision yet, but I'll let you know when I do! Mason seems like an excellent and welcoming program, but I'll know more when I go down to visit!
Anyone heard anything from Purdue? I know two on the Facebook group are in communication with P. Shreve so their acceptance in fiction seems immanent. Are they just gonna do like a mass rejection via the app status check?
I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the MFA program at American University in D.C. I've noticed that their ranking has declined from 2010...anyone knows the reason for that? I just want to know the overall quality of the program, how helpful the faculty are, things like that. Would really appreciate it!
Hi Louise- congrats! Did Bennington say where they were in the notifying process? They are the last school I'm waiting to hear from... do you know if they're admitting off a waitlist yet or still in first rounds??
Congratulations again, it looks like a fabulous program.
Thank you Carrie! I don't know where they are in their notification process, I meant to ask and then, of course, was too surprised with the phone call. They were so nice, though, I'm sure you could email or call. I hope you get good news!
So, who wants to give me their NC State spot?! :D I'm just checking in to see if anyone has indeed turned down a fiction acceptance at North Carolina State or if anyone intends to. Thanks, all!
@ l.rosenfeld re acceptance at ODU in poetry I'm also accepted in poetry and would like to hear your opinion/impressions of the program & what your decision is. Email me if you'd like at lewellynhallett [at] comcast [dot] net. Congrats, by the way! (You posted this news awhile ago but I just got on this thread.)
Seth, I know the provisional 2012 rankings are up on your site. Can you say, roughly, when they will be official, and when breakdowns in individual categories (i.e. funding, selectivity, etc.) will be available?
@ Carrie Not sure if you've heard from them yet, but Bennington has contacted all fiction people (8 this year). My deadline to accept is tomorrow, so I assume they will start with the waitlist after that? Hope this helps!!
Reading this blog it appears that there is no correlation between the length of the rejection letter, the timing of the receipt and how well-regarded your application may have been by the committee. I was laboring under the delusion that later rejections = better, since I was assuming they did these things in cycles; Round one, round two, etc. Turns out, my logic is completely wrong.
If that is the case, why are they writing these long, apologetic rejection letters? Oregon and JSU were essentially just “thanks but no thanks - good luck!” Why are some of the others feeling the need to explain just how many excellent applications they get, or point the finger at their financial department? I appreciate the attempt at tact, but it’s just overkill – I don’t need to be babied: I knew how high the stakes were going in: I know they accept 5 out of 500 in each category. Mass rejection letters that pretend to be somewhat personal are actually a little more upsetting to me, because I’m lulled into the sense that I can glean something from the language regarding where I stood with the department. Feels a bit like a sucker punch – if you don’t have the resources to write a personal rejection, be totally impersonal! It doesn’t mean don’t be polite, just don’t make excuses for yourself!
TLDR: Anyone hear from Boston yet? I sent mine in last minute and they have a March deadline. My last hope, minus the MA acceptance I’m not too thrilled about. Apparently, it’s not looking good. -_-
What are some of the "standard" texts that are used in poetry workshops at some of the top MFA programs?
(I've tried searching via the campus bookstore databases at institutions that are home to a few of the top programs, but I've had little luck going about it that way.)
I have accepted a position at Vanderbilt (fiction) off the wait list, and recently declined/will decline offers at: ASU Iowa State Florida Montana Ohio State Purdue
Just checking to see if anyone's moved up / been accepted from any of the following wait lists in poetry: Arkansas, SIU-C, South Carolina, LSU, or McNeese. Thanks! :)
Even though I didn’t get in to Iowa, I think this is a great thing for all of us and for MFA Programs in general. For a major national news program to be discussing the study of creative writing on the graduate level . . . very cool! Plus, it kind of gives you a glimpse of what an MFA program might be like.
Hi everybody, I just discovered this blog and am so relieved to have all this advice and information from people going through the same process! I'm applying for MFA in fiction in the fall (yes I know it's really early but this is what I've wanted to do forever) and I am just so absollutely nervous about the writing sample, does anybody have any good types/advice? Should I be experimenting with my writing now or sticking to what has always worked for me? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
But seriously, when is IWW going to quit trying to claim Wallace Stegner? He finished his PhD in English at Iowa in 1935 (and incidentally claimed all that PhD did for him was prove that he was qualified to teach at a university), and the Writers Workshop started in 1936.
Grumble, grumble. I might like them better if they'd decided to let me into IWW even though I only had CNF to submit this year, btw!!
Just declined my fiction spot at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Barring a waitlist miracle from Wyoming or a murmur from BU, will be reapplying after medical school in 2017...
I have a question about the April 15 deadline: It's not considered a "receive by" deadline, right?...I have an acceptance that I'll gladly take if I don't get in off my wait lists, and in the letter it says to "please sign and return this letter by April 15..." I'm thinking this is a postmark date, as people who are notified of wait list acceptances might not get that news 'til the 15th. Am I right?
Also, to respond to someone else's query: I think acceptances this late in the game are definitely still happening, as a lot of us are holding onto acceptances we might not necessarily take if we get in off wait lists.
Whoa, just got an assistantship offer from Memphis today (and turned it down, because I'm already going somewhere else.) So if anyone's still waiting to hear about funding from them, they might still be making offers!
Hi all, I’ve been glancing at this blog for the past year or two and this would be my first significant post. I’m currently in an MFA program that isn’t the right fit for me and I’m planning to withdrawal by the end of this quarter. I’m having a hard time figuring out what schools to apply to and was wondering if anyone could help me out. I definitely want to be in a studio program but one that is open to fantastical writing (like Kelly Link, Amy Bender, etc.) with full funding. I definitely want to stay clear from programs that are academic or theory heavy. Would anyone be able to make any suggestions? Thanks so much and I can’t wait to be a part of this community in for the Fall 2011 application season. JL
Thank BPM! Eh, they rejected me last year lol but I'm going to try again. I was sort of bound by geography when I applied so it will be nice to apply across the board and see what happens!
As I begin to prepare for the application process for Fall '12, I am wondering if many schools require separate letters of rec for teaching assistantship applications? I saw one or two that did and am wondering if this is common or if they generally just use the ones that were submitted for the regular app? I want to start lining up recommenders soon and so I will want to find ones that can speak to my teaching ability for those.
I applied to seventeen schools, a big handful of which required separate teaching statements slash applications, and didn't have to get separate teaching recs. I can't speak for all or even most programs, but that was my experience, at least!
Would anyone care to read and comment on the three-part comment(s) near the end of the comment thread for this post (above)? Although I tried to word my thoughts about a controversial topic very judiciously, it seems that nobody cares to comment on what may well be a relevant though little discussed topic about competitive MFA programs and the admissions process. Thank you for considering,
@Matt: For my money, since it's virtually impossible for a program to have a mandatory in-person interview -- they get applicants from all over the country and indeed all over the world -- and since I don't think there are any MFA programs that require head shots before they make their acceptance decisions, I genuinely don't know how relevant this question actually is to the application process.
Kat, thank you for responding. . . . The thing is: that is exactly what this top-ranked program practiced in its admissions process (that is the one part that I have confirmed and know for sure), so they wouldn't need the "head shots" (funny as that thought is). Anyway, I posted all of that precisely b/c I have no idea about the validity of those accounts I heard, even though they were circulated by that program's very students. Likewise I have no idea if similar stories surround the admissions of other top programs. Top-ranked MFA programs being so incredibly competitive to gain admittance to (and perhaps some folks being more than willing to go the extra step for an unofficially required interview), though, I wonder if the circumstances are perfect for certain people to take advantage. . . . So thank you for contributing; I hope some others may have some thoughts to add, too.
I could really use some guidance in terms of deciding where to apply in the fall - I have some questions that I haven't seen covered anywhere else, and I was hoping that someone might be able to give me some insight.
1. I read in one of Seth's articles that 61% of MFA programs (with more than 100 applicants) are more competitive than Harvard Law! (This is pretty discouraging.) So I have to wonder - what is the real difference in the quality of a program that is super-super-competitive (an Iowa or a Michener or a Michigan) versus one that is only supercompetitive (maybe an LSU or Arizona) versus one that's just competitive? Basically, if all of these schools are so selective, won't they all have really outstanding programs? (What I'm also trying to get at here is this - is it worth trying for several years to get into a really well-known program, or is it better to just go with the one that accepts you the first year that you apply?)
2. How do I know which schools are realistic goals for me? Is it just foolishness to apply to the very best? (I live in Texas, and I would really like to stick around, so both UT and University of Houston would be ideal for me.)
Elizabeth; I wouldn't think too hard on it at this point. Research the faculty, the graduates, and, knowing that every MFA is difficult to get into, apply to a good many schools. You'll probably, just by doing your research, come up with the right 8-15 schools that are right for you-- some of them will be super competitive, some of them will be only greatly competitive. Either way, don't worry about it, have fun with it, and send 'em each a kick ass writing sample. Hopefully, they'll see in you the same thing you see in them, and the competitiveness becomes a secondary consideration.
If you chase "easier" to get into programs, you may end up with either a) an education you don't enjoy or b) not getting in anyway, because even the "easy" programs are competitive. I would simply search for the right programs for you and give it your best shot.
Iowa is ranked #1 nationally in fiction, and has been for four straight years -- the only years rankings have been done specifically for nonfiction programs. Columbia is presently ranked outside the Top 10, at #11.
On Seth's scale (it's probably too late to intervene anyway) but isn't the non-fiction program at Iowa cut off from the rest of the department? I recall reading that on here, and is out of the English department and not the IWW? This isn't clear to me, but might be worth asking about.
I am asking specifically about creative nonfiction.
Columbia's faculty looks phenomenal and Iowa's NWP seems like the bastard child of the IWW.
How do the two schools compare on things like alumni publishing record and overall student satisfaction (I suppose that's difficult to compare as Columbia's notorious lack of funding may skew things). But funding (at least for the program) is held equal here.
Also, Iowa's third year is strictly devoted to thesis writing, whereas I've heard that Columbia doesn't afford students the same time within the two years, thus forcing students to write their thesis while working/taking out additional loans for this ad hoc third year.
Insight from anyone who had to choose between Iowa's NWP and Columbia would be GREATLY appreciated! Ultimate decision and reasoning? Other comments also welcome as I've come up with nothing to tip the balance.
The NWP isn't the "bastard child" of anything. It's simply a separate program, in a separate building, with a separate faculty -- which is a strength, not a weakness, because it means that (for once!) creative nonfiction doesn't get treated like a bastard stepchild... which is more or less what happens in most programs that offer all three genres within the same program and building and faculty. Programs don't publish data on alumni success or student satisfaction, so the best way to judge the programs in these respects -- if you care to -- is to look at the excitement that applicants have for them, because that excitement is often based on applicants' own anecdotal research into alumni success and student satisfaction (e.g., by talking to current students, looking up the bios of their favorite nonfiction-writers, and so on). And by that measure, Iowa -- the NWP, not the IWW -- has been #1 for four straight years. By a lot. Columbia is #11. That's all I can tell you, and I think all anyone can, as the sort of data you're looking for isn't directly available from any source. I think you're on the right track, actually, in considering immutable program factors like location, faculty, duration, curriculum -- these are really the best ways to draw distinctions, if money is no object. But as far as the initial question you asked goes -- which is more prestigious -- it's Iowa, hands down, period, end of discussion.
818 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 800 of 818 Newer› Newest»Just in case anyone else encounters this: I got a fellowship offer from a school; they've told me the deadline to accept is April 1.
However, this link (http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS_Resolution.pdf) shows the CGSR deadline is April 15--the link has a list of schools who have agreed to this deadline and the school in question is on it.
The resolution also says, interestingly, that every financial offer is supposed to come with a copy of the resolution... didn't happen.
I've asked this school about all this; no response yet. They may not realize their mistake. But don't be rushed into accepting an offer!
Waitlisted in CNF at Arizona, via email
any current ASU students available to answer questions about the program?
Posted this on TSE already but: I was accepted to NEOMFA in fiction with TAship today, 3/16 by phone.
Just got a call from Richard Wiley at UNLV, I'm in for fiction with GAship!!! Can't believe it! I'm shaking! He said 6 fiction spots, about 150 applicants this year.
Freaking out!!!
@leitmotifish -- sorry this is so late, but if you have any questions about Syracuse (i'm a second year poet here) i'd be happy to try to answer them. also, i would of course highly recommend coming on board :) email me at ajpurcel (at) syr.edu
Congrats, Jean.
I got my BA from UNLV, and currently work there as well. Feel free to email me at 83silverfish (gmail) if you have any questions.
Congrats to everyone else that has been posting acceptances, too! Everyone else: don't give up hope yet.
Julie29, I saw that you've been accepted into several top schools. I was wondering how seriously you were considering ASU? I got wait listed there (the only positive news so far), so I was curious.
Accepted at Old Dominion University, via email! CNF.
I received a call from Pacific University today; I've been accepted to the fiction program there. Best of luck to everyone. This comes on the heels of 0-11 during last year's application season, so keep working.
ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING FROM COLUMBIA IN POETRY? I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE NEW SCHOOL :(
ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING FROM COLUMBIA IN POETRY? I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE NEW SCHOOL :(
@grinning fox
nothing concrete on the new hire yet. feel free to get in touch if you have other questions about PSU's program.
accepted to Old Dominion in Poetry 3.17 - email.
@Julie, I'm at ASU and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Every program has it's ups and downs, but I'm very happy I moved here from NY. Feel free to e-mail me: sasams@asu.edu. Good luck everyone
@Kabir, I am considering ASU. Right now I'm still considering all my options. I'll be sure to post on here if I decide against any program so those on the waitlist know a spot may open up.
Have any LSU poetry applicants received a rejection email yet? I know some have gone out for fiction and some have not.
But trying to gauge where the poets stand..
@Julie29, Thanks! Appreciate it. It's my first positive news, and hopefully you can imagine my desperation.
Recent Acceptances from the FB group
Names have been left out but are available in the FB group doc
March 8th - Mills College (poetry)- 1 person
March 8th - Emerson College (fiction) - 1 person (ecommon website)
March 8th - Columbia College Chicago (fiction) - 1 person (mail)
March 8th - The New School (nonfiction) - 1 person [email instructing to phone]
March 8th - Michener Center (fiction) - email - 1 person
March 8th - Saint Mary's College (fiction) - 1 person (email)
March 9th - McNeese (poetry) - phone - 1 person
March 9th - University of San Francisco (nonfiction) - 1 person (Phone)
March 9th - University of San Francisco (fiction) - 1 person (phone)
March 10th - Georgia College and State University (CNF) - email - 1 person
March 10th - Georgia College and State University (poetry) - email - 1 person
March 10th - University of New Hampshire (UNH) - fiction - phone - 1 person
March 10th - University of New Hampshire (UNH) - fiction - phone - 1 person
March 10th - University of New Mexico (UNM) - fiction - email - 1 person
March 13th - Arizona State University - fiction - phone - 1 person
March 14th - Columbia University (fiction) - mail+phone - 1 person
March 14th - University of Arizona (fiction) - e-mail - 1 person
March 16th - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (fiction) - phone - 1 person
March 16th - University of Memphis (fiction) - e-mail - 1 person (officially; she knew already from talking to the admin)
March 17th - Old Dominion (CNF) - 1 person [email]
All of whom are not me =(
Hope this helps someone!
If anyone has questions about Old Dominion, I'm a first year fiction writer here. lflat001 at ODU dot edu.
Hey fellow applicants,
I've recently turned down funded spots at UC-Boulder and Wyoming. I've withdrawn my name from the waiting lists at Syracuse, Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and Boise.
Good luck, everyone!
@Grace-- What Genre?
(Sorry if you've stated this recently... I'm not very good at digging around the mailbags.)
@grace, quick question! What genre are you? I hope once I've posted this I don't find your genre already in your last comment. in bold. and italics. and of course caps-locked....or that you've posted it before...so many ways for me look not smart
Anyways, thanks for sharing your choices! Did you decide to accept an offer somewhere else?
@Gena & blakeeva
Ah, my bad. Poetry.
re: accepting an offer
I'll be at Iowa in the fall. I only live 10 blocks from the workshop, which somehow seems oddly coincidental, after sending out apps all over the country.
Hey everybody! Just wondering: have any poets accepted or declined an offer from Indiana yet? Are any poets who have offers from Indiana leaning towards or away from them?
Thanks!
Any dirt on U of Miami (FL) fiction program? I received a wait list confirmation via email Saturday afternoon and am wondering if I have any chance of moving up the list.
I just turned down a spot at Miami. Someone on the waitlist should be notified soon.
Spot in fiction.
Any Vanderbilt admits thinking of going elsewhere?
@Sheerah you are my favorite person in the world right now, need more folks like you who don't want to go to Miami
@grace- Thanks for letting us know! I was accepted at uc-b for poetry, but no funding. So maybe your empty spot will move me up the funding totem pole, well see...
And WOW, well that's awesome you were accepted at iww! I guess your journey to grad school will be more of a metaphorical one...but I guess that's not too bad a thing for poets :)
@blakeeva
Haha, yes, I'm down with the metaphorical journeys. Awesome.
Hope you get that funding at UCB! My funding there was some sort of part-time teaching assistantship, but still, that's something.
Just posting this for everyone's edification, since it grates on me like your/you're and lie/lay mistakes...I'm sure as writers you all understand...but University of Colorado is abbreviated CU, not UC. Because we Coloradans are dyslexic, I guess. And because we're better than California.
You had me right up 'til that last sentence. ;-)
@Kat, I present the following YouTube parody as evidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGpelWYFx0
Reaching out to students currently in the following programs where I am wait listed in poetry - SIU - Carbondale, Arkansas, and South Carolina.
I don't have any idea whether or not I'll make it off the wait list, but I'd love to be able to talk with poets in the programs so that I can make an informed decision quickly should that become necessary.
Got into Iowa today! So so happy. Funding is great, so happy so happy--there is hope out there! I got the call this morning, after I had already given up. So Iowa is NOT done notifying after all!
@Leitmotifish,
Do you mind sharing what genre you were accepted in?
Thanks!
Fiction!
@Leitmotifish
Whoa, congrats! That's incredible. Gets my hopes up a bit, though I shouldn't let it. Well done!
@Leitmotifish,
CONGRATS! That means you're going to Iowa, right?
(I'm a waitlist vulture circling your Michigan carrion, which is why I ask)
Huge congrats, Leitmotifish! You're absolutely KILLIN' IT!
Hey-I am deciding between four schools, Iowa and Michigan being two of them. I am a super super stressed person so I will decide after I visit all of them, so far I have only visited one but am visiting 2 more this week.
Kat thanks!!!
So, I'm wondering if anyone here can help me....I'm looking at MFA programs and have questions. I live in Chicago and as much as I'd like to stay here for a program, there doesn't seem to be a top program nearby. UW-Madison is a hefty drive. I'm considering low-residency programs like Vermont but there must be some Chicagoans out there who can opine. Anyone? Thoughts on Columbia College? School of the Art Institute? Are low-residency programs a good substitute for those of us in areas that aren't convenient to Iowa or Stanford?
Julie29, other folks considering ASU: feel free to email me! I'm finishing up my first year and am in lovvvvveeee with this program. I'll give you the inside scoop.
fixittuesday@yahoo.com
@Chris
Have you checked out Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign? It's a few hours' drive from Chicago but a great program. Tiny, three year duration, excellent funding. The students have a supportive little community, there are opportunities to work closely on their stunning lit mag Ninth Letter, and all the faculty are deeply caring of the students as well as accomplished writers themselves (Alex Shakar, on the fiction faculty, is a genius -- and dispels notions that faculty on MFA programs are aesthetically crusty and conventional, because all his work is beautifully risky and daring; Richard Powers is writer-in-residence there also, though my understanding is that he only teaches one class every couple years and works closely with the prodigies). I know all this because I got an offer there this year and paid them a visit. A couple faculty members actually live in Chicago, I believe, though I'm not sure how they work out that commute.
And I don't know of any particularly well-funded programs in the actual city of Chicago.
Fiction here.
Rejected from:
Iowa
Michener
Michigan
Oregon
UC Irvine
Syracuse
Cornell
Still waiting to hear from:
UNLV (though judging from the number of acceptances I've read here, I'm assuming I'm waiting for a snail mail rejection letter)
Accepted into:
Columbia University... without any funding...
Sigh.
I had been joking with friends and family that of all the schools I applied to, Columbia was the only one I half-hoped I wouldn't get into give it's utterly atrocious price tag.
So low and behold, it's apparently the only one I've gotten into! A lot of friends have been telling me I should be proud of the prestige of getting in, but I'm honestly thinking there was more a problem with my application than anything else. I had assumed if Columbia had wanted me, at least one other school would as well, though that wasn't the case. I'm actually thinking they saw my app and figured I could be goaded into going into debt for 20+ years.
Sorry about the venting, but what an absolutely mixed blessing. The most important thing for me is time to write, and a great environment for soliciting justified critical commentary, but I just don't see how that will be possible holding down at least one full-time job just to be able to afford going.
I'm currently about 60% against going to Columbia for financial reasons, and considering cutting my losses this year (my first year of trying) and trying again next with a wide net of apps.
Does anyone here know anyone that has been through the Columbia MFA program? I'd be interested in hearing from others who would actually recommend I take the plunge, thanks in advance: madeamistake1@gmail.com
Sorry, second-to-last paragraph of my previous comment should read:
"considering cutting my losses this year (my first year of trying) and trying again next year with a wider net of apps."
Congrats to all who got in somewhere. I just heard from Boise yesterday. I was put on the shortlist-waitlist a few weeks back. The director called yesterday to let me know I was accepted with a TAship into poetry. Quite pumped.
Now I must make friends in Boise.
Any other poets going there?
Also anyone out in Boise that can share some news of the place, program, their potato production capabilities.
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to update my "stats." Originally, I posted that I was applying to 10 schools, but in the end, I applied to the 8 mentioned below, all in CNF. So far...
Accepted:
Ohio State (funded)
Pittsburgh (waitlist for funding)
Rutgers-Camden (partially funded)
Columbia College Chicago (nada)
Waitlist:
Minnesota
Rejected:
Portland State
Not heard from:
American
Iowa
I'm pretty ready to accept the spot at Ohio, but I just feel like I should maybe hold out a little longer to get an official response from Iowa. They'll notify acceptances by 15th April, right?
Well done to everyone for getting this far without losing it!
FYI - I noticed there's another person on here who goes by "K," but I haven't gotten round to changing my log-in. Just in case that confuses anyone...
@ K, I'm about to decline a CNF spot at Iowa, so if you're on some secret waitlist that could be good. FYI they have very little funding for CNFers this year, though.
@Ib Thanks for the tips! Do you mind me asking - where will you be going instead?
Alabama, actually. I don't know if it seems weird to turn down Iowa for Bama, but the funding down there is good and I LOVE the flexibility of the program.
Just changed my username, btw, but I am the poster formerly know as lb. Good luck with your decision K!!
@B
Cool! I really like hearing when people turn down "reputation" for what seems the best fit for them. Makes sense to me. Hope you're really happy there!
@ K, thanks! I hope you're really happy wherever you end up, too! Sounds like you've got some great choices already!
Accepted to George Mason this morning via snail mail. I'm sending Stephen Goodwin an e-mail about other acceptances etc, so I'll probably be back with more later today.
@Sheera Thank you! I'll check it out. Where did you end up going?
Hi all!
I got an email last week saying I was waitlisted at Arizona for nonfiction. Is it okay for me to call the program to find out where I am on the waitlist--I assume they rank waitlist candidates in some order? I also got into the New School for nonfiction, and I'd like the chance to visit before their (TNS) April 7 deadline.
Also, does anybody know anything about the Arizona or The New School programs? I got a small scholarship at TNS, but otherwise it seems prohibitively expensive.
Thanks, everyone!
--Megan
p.s. I applied to nine schools last year and got rejections across the board... so YAY!
You should definitely ask, but some programs, even if the waitlist is ranked, will not release the rankings. Policies and all. But it would be natural to ask.
hey seth,
is temple university compliant with CGSR, or whatever the acronym is? they are asking me for my decision by the 28th..
found the list. looks like they are on it. hmmmmm..............
Houston Update: I understand from James Kastely that he has emailed hard-copy letters to accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants as of today. So you should see those by Friday or Satuday, depending on the mail in your area. He told me I was waitlisted, btw.
@inkli_11
I ran into the same situation; when I emailed the program to clarify, they immediately acknowledged the April 15th deadline. They didn't seem offended--I was tactful, said something like "I see you're CGSR complaint; doesn't that mean I have until April 15th? If not, please let me know. etc" I'd definitely approach them!
Megan,
I was accepted to U of Arizona in nonfiction, but without guaranteed funding (they later emailed a TA position opening that I could apply for myself, so they are trying to help admitted students find their own funding, it seems). If you want to know which way I'm leaning, you can reach me at gmail; my name there is tpamperin.
Tom
Bryan: Congratulations on GMU. What is your genre? Did your letter specify details about funding? My friend applied and was accepted a month ago, had the TA interview and is still waiting to hear back :-(
I guess they don't fund everyone--but a third of people. Did your letter say if you were likely to get an interview?
@julienotjulia (cool name)- did you mean houston mailed the acceptances, waitlists and rejections? like snail mail? you said email, but it sounded like you meant regular mail. NOT TRYING TO CALL YOU OUT! just wanted to make sure cause i want to hear from them so. much.
and hey congrats on the waitlist! may everyone ahead of you be accepted to IWW, as well. :) oh and what genre are you?
Anyone headed to UMass-Amherst next year? Would love to hear from you! (I'm in poetry)
mdamm970@yahoo.com
@MFAGAL
Sorry, in my excitement I forgot to say which genre I'm in. I'm fiction. The letter talked quite a bit about funding, actually. I didn't get any, but they said they're "interviewing TA candidates and negotiating offers to them."
From the tone of the letter, it sounded like there was a possibility that I could end up with funding after all, but I shouldn't hold my breath.
@K,
I found out today I was waitlisted for CNF at Iowa. I emailed the program coordinator and found out that way.
I was also accepted at OSU, and so far that's where I'm learning.
Any ASU acceptees out there (besides Julie29)?
@ Megan,
I'm waitlisted at Arizona for CNF, as well. I did email and ask how high up I was, but received a semi-vague answer
Hi everyone,
I just got back from a vacation in France to find out I've been accepted to the University of New Hampshire in CNF! No funding (and I can't afford to go if I don't have any), but when I called them they said they should be making their final decisions by late next week. They've already sent out notices to their top candidates and are waiting to hear back from them.
Here's where I've heard from so far:
Iowa (rejected)
Minnosota (rejected)
Still waiting to hear from:
Arizona
New School
Victoria (Canada)
Guelph (Canada)
Just got a call from UNLV so excited! for poetry
Hello! I've been accepted in fiction to UMT Missoula and Alaska Fairbanks but can't afford the plane trips to visit both of them. Does anyone know more about the Alaska Fairbanks program or have opinions on which school is more respected? It's been difficult to find any info at all on the Fairbanks program besides their own website. I'd love to hear anyone's halfway informed opinion. I don't seem to know anything at all.
-thank you!
@Amy
Thanks for the tip! I'll email soon if I still haven't heard anything.
Are you attending the OSU Open House? I can't make it, but I'd be interested to hear your impressions if you go!
@Cecile,
I don't know much about Fairbanks' MFA program, but winters there are COLD (60 below when I visited in November) and DARK (think 5 hours of sunlight per day).
And one of my CNF undergrad teachers went there for his MFA and I really like his writing.
Not much, I know...
@K,
I am going to the open house! If you want, feel free to email me at amybernhard3@gmail, and we can hash it over in a couple weeks.
@Amy
Excellent! Will be in touch.
I'm still waiting to hear from 5 programs, but based on the abstract responses I received on the phone and date of acceptances received posted on this blog....I'm guessing I've most probably been denied by all five.
I got a phone call from UNLV yesterday. Accepted for fiction.
Email from Riverside yesterday also, (in response to am email inquiry I sent on Monday) stating my application is still under consideration.
@Chris.Inkspot
I grew up in Boise and just moved away in August for another program! Let me know if you want to talk about Boise. It's a wonderful little city, and there's lots of things to do.
@AbqPoet
Thanks for the offer. I'm planing on flying out in April to visit and meet everyone at the program. Anything you can share about Boise would be great.
@chris.inkspot
My email is adamnunez87 [at] gmail [dot] com
Shoot me an email? I've got a lot of good things to say!
Has anyone on the Syracuse poetry wait list been admitted? I got notification that I was on the wait list about a month ago, but I haven't heard since then.
Anyone from UC Irvine poetry been rejected? Haven't heard from them, either.
So, I've got exactly a week now to decide if I want to go to George Mason. Are there any current students out there who I can interrogate about the location, program, etc.?
Bryan: Why do you have one week? Is April 1st the deadline if you are given an unfunded offer?
So many people, myself included, just can't afford to go back to school without a tuition waver :-(
Did you try emailing the program director to put you in contact with students?
@MFAGAL
Yes, at George Mason at least if you're unfunded they can put the deadline at April 1. But I've been assured by other people that that deadline can usually be extended to April 15.
And my e-mail has been sent, but not replied to yet (which is expected, since they're probably ridiculously busy this time of year).
Any Indiana fiction admits leaning for or against? Just checking...thanks!
Congrats to those who were accepted!
I'm still waiting to hear back from Purdue and the University of Florida. I'm assuming UF is a rejection, based on what I've read here....but has anyone heard anything from Purdue yet???
@concerned- I would wait. This is not a great time to go massively into debt, and people often do a lot better their second or third time around. I got into the Michener center on my third round of apps, and I'm really glad I didn't end up somewhere else, with worse funding, earlier.
@concerned (& Marlowe)
I second Marlowe (awesome name, btw; Chandler reference?). This is also my third round of apps, and though I had acceptances in the past, the poor or zero funding was a deal breaker. It stings initially to wait and reapply, but it doesn't hurt you, as a writer. There's no time limit on the MFA, and there's no guarantee of getting some sort of teaching/professorship position post MFA, so for what it's worth, follow the funding, even if it takes another year (you may have to explain that to parents/friends/everyone a LOT though).
@Marlowe and Grace
Thanks muchly for the advice. I've had a lot to mull over these past couple days... but I'm still holding out hope with UNLV. After Michener, it was my 2nd choice.
Anyone know if they're done with fiction acceptances?
Rejected from Iowa, and all other schools except Montana (fiction). Will be going there in September! If anyone else has any info or advice to add about Missoula or the program, please let me know. gilfilar [at] gmail.com
Called UNO again today. Accepted in poetry! Their decisions are being mailed today.
No word on funding yet. Could get nothing (which could be deal breaker, but UNO is cheap for LA residents, which I am), but the funding is tiered based on what you do. All assistantships get a tuition waiver, some get $4k for tutoring, some get more for teaching courses, and it depends on how much you teach.
Either way, it sounds like a good experience.
@blakeeva
Sorry for the delay here. I don't check in so frequently any more now that my list is whittled to 9 rejections, one waitlist and 1 haven'theardanything.
With Houston, I know a couple of people on the FB group received an email acceptance; a couple received email waitlist notices. I only received mine because I reached out to J. Kastely and he let me know. He told me though in his email on 3-22: "I just sent out the hard copy letters to applicants, which should arrive in 3-4 days, but I am emailing you an electronic copy."
Hope that helps.
Oh and I'm fiction
If anyone's wondering about Arizona, I just called them to see the status of my application, and they said they called the last of the successful applicants last week, and are sending out rejection letters next week.
And I got a rejection letter from The New School yesterday.
So... any thoughts on New Hampshire?
Rejected from Virginia Tech. It was the only school I applied to.
@B,
Have you already declined the spot at Iowa? I'm waitlisted there, just curious!
PS, Good luck at Alabama. I've heard awesome things about their program
If anyone out there is looking for information about George Mason, I'm a current nonfiction student who's willing to answer questions! CJWid87 at hotmail dot com.
Bryan--I'm looking at you!
Anyone planning to deny their spot at Miami (FL)? Am on the waitlist there and trying to sense out my chances. :)
I just got my acceptance letter for George Mason!
@julienotjulia- Thanks a lot for the info! And dang, i hope you get in, fingers crossed for an acceptance letter any day now!
@Slayerella - are you fiction or poetry?
I'm on the Miami waitlist for fiction and heard from Sheerah that she had turned down a spot in fiction last weekend so somebody should be receiving an offer but it hasn't been me, at least not yet. Have you heard anything else about the program or the waitlist?
@Seth
Any digging around you can do RE: Houston funding? Somehow, while UT Austin's MA (now MFA) program seems to offer TAships and fellowship help to, I believe, all of their admits, I understand Houston is offering 100% unfunded spots to some. ??? Their website talks all about how proud they are that all of their admits get TAships and some fellowship money. But I know of 1 admit for sure who has been admitted and with not one penny of aid. What's up with Houston?
@ Dr Collins -- I'm for fiction and nope, haven't heard anything yet. A friend of mine got a fiction acceptance there, but she also got offers from Iowa and Minnesota (in non-fiction tho) and is still deliberating. Guess we're in the same boat! Fingers crossed for all of us!
@Slayerella
Encourage your friend to go north! Non Fiction is way more fun and who needs south beach when you have freezing winters in Minnesota and Iowa. Right?
In all seriousness, I'll keep you posted if I hear anything about Miami (FL) and you do the same. Best of luck.
Anyone hear anything from University of Arkansas or Rutgers Newark?
I applied for fiction.
Was rejected by Hollins, VT & Cornell.
I was admitted to Chatham & UNH.
@ Dr Collins -- will do!
@ pedogue -- I got a phone call and email acceptance from Rutgers-Newark earlier this month. But it seems like they are still accepting folks through April. I may actually give up my spot bc they have no funding for me, which wouldn't be too bad if I lived in the NYC/Jersey area, but I'm in CA, so that's quite an issue for me.
@Cecile
I was accepted to Alaska as well, for fiction. Have you found out any further information about the program? I'd love to live in Fairbanks, but I'm hesitant about the program. Congrats on Montana, too. In hindsight, I wish I would have applied there! Best.
@cheja
no other news to report. i'm thinking of going to visit but the flight from california is way expensive. have you been to fairbanks? write me at cecile.berberat@gmail.com ..... please
any poets hear from UC Irvine recently? I keep expecting to receive a rejection in the mail but still nothing.
Hello GMU Applicants, QUESTION: Did anyone here who interviewed for a TA/Tutoring position ever hear back? Was anyone rejected or did anyone receive word they'd been accepted as a writing center tutor? I know several people have not been able to get a hold of anyone at Mason--and their open house starts next Friday. Any info would be extremely helpful.
:-) Thanks
Just declined offers at Syracuse, Florida (Gainseville) and Houston. I am in fiction. I did it in the last half hour or so. I did not want to post online anymore but I am because I know how much waitlisted people must want to know...so I didn't have the heart:)I am sure this will backfire in some way--but I just couldn't not tell the waitlisted people:) Good luck all--all of these three programs are amazing, and I felt sick having to decline them. All my best:)
@Leitmotifish: Congratulations on an amazing season with all those wonderful acceptances! I hope you find great happiness and success with the program you chose! Also, very considerate of you to pass on that information; I'm sure everyone waitlisted at those schools greatly appreciates it.
I just turned down an acceptance in CNF at U of Arizona; I also asked to be taken off the waitlist for Hollins University (I applied in all 3 genres).
I hope this will be good news for someone here--good luck!
@ MFAGAL
I was accepted to GMU's fiction program and was awarded a TA position with a full tuition waiver and a stipend. I heard probably about a week and a half ago, via email. Are you waiting to hear?
Hi all,
I haven't posted for a while but thought I'd leave my tally for those not on fb. I'm fiction.
Accepted
University of Oregon
UNCG
Waitlisted
Michener
LSU
Rejected
Cornell
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Brown
Syracuse
Michigan
IWW
I'm planning on accepting my spot at Oregon although letting go of the LSU waitlist is proving to be difficult. I doubt I'll make it off there though, despite being "fairly high" on it. All of Michener's fiction applicants have accepted their spots so that leaves UNGC. I'll be declining their offer later today.
@B Amy, yep. Good luck!!
Gellyfish: A very dear friend interviewed for a TA with Mason--Fiction and is waiting to hear back. I guess the director is not answering emails :-( So, I was looking for any info. Thanks! :-) Did you accept their offer? My friend was interviewed at the beginning of March.
@ MFAGAL
I haven't made my decision yet, but I'll let you know when I do! Mason seems like an excellent and welcoming program, but I'll know more when I go down to visit!
Anyone heard anything from Purdue? I know two on the Facebook group are in communication with P. Shreve so their acceptance in fiction seems immanent. Are they just gonna do like a mass rejection via the app status check?
I finally got my snail-mail rejection from Arizona today.
In other news, San Jose State has had to delay their original notification date of March 25 to early April, prob around the 5th or 6th.
That is the last school I'm waiting on.
I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the MFA program at American University in D.C. I've noticed that their ranking has declined from 2010...anyone knows the reason for that? I just want to know the overall quality of the program, how helpful the faculty are, things like that. Would really appreciate it!
@amenah, if you search MFA Draft '11 I think it will come up. I'm not sure this link will work....
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_111211268949325
ask to join and someone will let you in!
FYI--A spot should open up at ASU fiction. Declined last night.
Hi, Everyone!
Just wanted to share that I received a phone call acceptance to Bennington for fiction today.
If anyone has any experience with the program, I'd love to know your thoughts. Good luck to everyone!!!
@Julie29, thanks for letting us know! Best wishes with whichever school you decided to go with!
Has anyone plugged the lit journal that some applicants who met on the MFA Blog set up?
http://www.facebook.com/RevolutionHouse
:D
And also
http://www.revolutionhousemag.com/about.html
@x- WHOA! so flipping cool a lit journal has come out of the mfa applicant community! and i don't use "flipping" for just any cool thing...
Hi Louise- congrats!
Did Bennington say where they were in the notifying process? They are the last school I'm waiting to hear from... do you know if they're admitting off a waitlist yet or still in first rounds??
Congratulations again, it looks like a fabulous program.
Thank you Carrie!
I don't know where they are in their notification process, I meant to ask and then, of course, was too surprised with the phone call.
They were so nice, though, I'm sure you could email or call. I hope you get good news!
So, who wants to give me their NC State spot?! :D I'm just checking in to see if anyone has indeed turned down a fiction acceptance at North Carolina State or if anyone intends to. Thanks, all!
Any thoughts on SF State vs. San Diego State for Poetry?
@ l.rosenfeld
re acceptance at ODU in poetry
I'm also accepted in poetry and would like to hear your opinion/impressions of the program & what your decision is. Email me if you'd like at lewellynhallett [at] comcast [dot] net.
Congrats, by the way!
(You posted this news awhile ago but I just got on this thread.)
Seth, I know the provisional 2012 rankings are up on your site. Can you say, roughly, when they will be official, and when breakdowns in individual categories (i.e. funding, selectivity, etc.) will be available?
I just got accepted into the Iowa Writers' Workshop summer program. Has anyone here participated in this program? Have any thoughts on it?
Thanks.
@ Carrie
Not sure if you've heard from them yet, but Bennington has contacted all fiction people (8 this year).
My deadline to accept is tomorrow, so I assume they will start with the waitlist after that?
Hope this helps!!
Hey GELLYFISH: Did you decide to take GMU's offer? ;-)
Reading this blog it appears that there is no correlation between the length of the rejection letter, the timing of the receipt and how well-regarded your application may have been by the committee. I was laboring under the delusion that later rejections = better, since I was assuming they did these things in cycles; Round one, round two, etc. Turns out, my logic is completely wrong.
If that is the case, why are they writing these long, apologetic rejection letters? Oregon and JSU were essentially just “thanks but no thanks - good luck!” Why are some of the others feeling the need to explain just how many excellent applications they get, or point the finger at their financial department? I appreciate the attempt at tact, but it’s just overkill – I don’t need to be babied: I knew how high the stakes were going in: I know they accept 5 out of 500 in each category. Mass rejection letters that pretend to be somewhat personal are actually a little more upsetting to me, because I’m lulled into the sense that I can glean something from the language regarding where I stood with the department. Feels a bit like a sucker punch – if you don’t have the resources to write a personal rejection, be totally impersonal! It doesn’t mean don’t be polite, just don’t make excuses for yourself!
TLDR: Anyone hear from Boston yet? I sent mine in last minute and they have a March deadline. My last hope, minus the MA acceptance I’m not too thrilled about. Apparently, it’s not looking good. -_-
What are some of the "standard" texts that are used in poetry workshops at some of the top MFA programs?
(I've tried searching via the campus bookstore databases at institutions that are home to a few of the top programs, but I've had little luck going about it that way.)
Thank you!
I have accepted a position at Vanderbilt (fiction) off the wait list, and recently declined/will decline offers at:
ASU
Iowa State
Florida
Montana
Ohio State
Purdue
Good luck to those on wait lists!
@Matt
UNCW has a good list for fiction and poetry here:
http://uncw.edu/writers/documents/MFAreadinglist_001.pdf
Just checking to see if anyone's moved up / been accepted from any of the following wait lists in poetry: Arkansas, SIU-C, South Carolina, LSU, or McNeese. Thanks! :)
Accepted off the wait list to Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program, today!
Ever wondered what the Iowa Writers Workshop looks like? Check out this segment on PBS’s News Hour with Jim Lehrer:
Link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june11/iowawriters_04-07.html
Even though I didn’t get in to Iowa, I think this is a great thing for all of us and for MFA Programs in general. For a major national news program to be discussing the study of creative writing on the graduate level . . . very cool! Plus, it kind of gives you a glimpse of what an MFA program might be like.
Hi everybody, I just discovered this blog and am so relieved to have all this advice and information from people going through the same process! I'm applying for MFA in fiction in the fall (yes I know it's really early but this is what I've wanted to do forever) and I am just so absollutely nervous about the writing sample, does anybody have any good types/advice? Should I be experimenting with my writing now or sticking to what has always worked for me? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
Cool link, Eliza, thanks for sharing.
But seriously, when is IWW going to quit trying to claim Wallace Stegner? He finished his PhD in English at Iowa in 1935 (and incidentally claimed all that PhD did for him was prove that he was qualified to teach at a university), and the Writers Workshop started in 1936.
Grumble, grumble. I might like them better if they'd decided to let me into IWW even though I only had CNF to submit this year, btw!!
I just posted a version of the personal statement I used this year on my (new) blog.
In case anyone here might want some inspiration for next year's essay:
https://wildwickedwords.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/my-personal-statement-for-mfa-programs-in-creative-writing/
It is by no means perfect, but maybe the fact that I've gotten into some competitive schools suggests that it ain't bad.
Courtney, it's beautiful!
I posted a comment. I want to edit my comment, but I can't. I'm kind of tearing my hear out.
Hair. Hair out. How did I misspell "hair."
Sheerah, why don't you copy/paste with the edits and re-submit, and I'll delete your first one.
Just declined my fiction spot at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Barring a waitlist miracle from Wyoming or a murmur from BU, will be reapplying after medical school in 2017...
2017? What a ways away...haha
Just turned down an unfunded offer for nonfiction at U of New Hapmshire; hope that helps someone here.
I have a question about the April 15 deadline: It's not considered a "receive by" deadline, right?...I have an acceptance that I'll gladly take if I don't get in off my wait lists, and in the letter it says to "please sign and return this letter by April 15..." I'm thinking this is a postmark date, as people who are notified of wait list acceptances might not get that news 'til the 15th. Am I right?
Also, to respond to someone else's query: I think acceptances this late in the game are definitely still happening, as a lot of us are holding onto acceptances we might not necessarily take if we get in off wait lists.
@Partimer you should double check with your schools.
I have been accepted to a school that has a 'receive by deadline.' I can always overnight, etc. But still, you should make sure.
Partimer,
Which wait lists are you chillin on, if I may ask?
julienotjulia,
For Poetry: VTech and Texas' MFA as administered by the English Dep't, not the Michener Center.
Best of luck to us all!
Oh and thanks Blob! I just sent an email inquiry.
Whoa, just got an assistantship offer from Memphis today (and turned it down, because I'm already going somewhere else.) So if anyone's still waiting to hear about funding from them, they might still be making offers!
Hi all,
I’ve been glancing at this blog for the past year or two and this would be my first significant post. I’m currently in an MFA program that isn’t the right fit for me and I’m planning to withdrawal by the end of this quarter. I’m having a hard time figuring out what schools to apply to and was wondering if anyone could help me out.
I definitely want to be in a studio program but one that is open to fantastical writing (like Kelly Link, Amy Bender, etc.) with full funding. I definitely want to stay clear from programs that are academic or theory heavy. Would anyone be able to make any suggestions?
Thanks so much and I can’t wait to be a part of this community in for the Fall 2011 application season.
JL
Hi all,
FYI - I declined a CNF spot at Minnesota this morning. Hope that's good news for someone!
Also, in case it's helpful for any wait listers to know, I recently declined spots at Rutgers Camden, Pittsburgh, and Columbia College (Chicago).
@JL.
I think Amy Bender is a graduate of UC Irvine. I would certainly put that one on your list.
Thank BPM! Eh, they rejected me last year lol but I'm going to try again. I was sort of bound by geography when I applied so it will be nice to apply across the board and see what happens!
Final countdown:
Iowa Writers Workshop--admitted (and going!)
Michigan--Admitted
Syracuse--Admitted
Florida (gainsville)--Admitted
Houston--Admitted
Johns Hopkins--Waitlisted
Irvine--NEVER HEARD FROM
UVA--REJECTED!!!!!!!!
Arizona State University--REJECTED!!!!!
Me, for fiction:
Iowa--nope
Syracuse--nope
UMass--broke my heart
Minnesota--nope
Texas State--yes
Michigan--waitlisted
11th hour admit off the waitlist and going to Michigan!
Thank you, Leitmotifish, if you are indeed the one who turned down Michigan on Friday! I will definitely buy your book someday.
Monique!
I am the one who turned down Michigan on Friday!
When did they let you know?
(Just sorta interested to see how quick it was...) I sent my email out at 10:34 AM.
Michigan is amazing. Congrats!
Leitmotifish:
The call came at 1:30pm.
Have a wonderful time at Iowa!
As I begin to prepare for the application process for Fall '12, I am wondering if many schools require separate letters of rec for teaching assistantship applications? I saw one or two that did and am wondering if this is common or if they generally just use the ones that were submitted for the regular app? I want to start lining up recommenders soon and so I will want to find ones that can speak to my teaching ability for those.
Thanks!
I applied to seventeen schools, a big handful of which required separate teaching statements slash applications, and didn't have to get separate teaching recs. I can't speak for all or even most programs, but that was my experience, at least!
Monique,
Huge congratulations on your acceptance. I'm headed there in the fall as well. Want to get in touch? Email me at thetancole @ gmail.
Thanks Kat, I will probably line up one just in case.
http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com/2011/01/current-top-40-mfa-programs.html
Would anyone care to read and comment on the three-part comment(s) near the end of the comment thread for this post (above)? Although I tried to word my thoughts about a controversial topic very judiciously, it seems that nobody cares to comment on what may well be a relevant though little discussed topic about competitive MFA programs and the admissions process. Thank you for considering,
Matt
@Matt: For my money, since it's virtually impossible for a program to have a mandatory in-person interview -- they get applicants from all over the country and indeed all over the world -- and since I don't think there are any MFA programs that require head shots before they make their acceptance decisions, I genuinely don't know how relevant this question actually is to the application process.
Kat, thank you for responding. . . . The thing is: that is exactly what this top-ranked program practiced in its admissions process (that is the one part that I have confirmed and know for sure), so they wouldn't need the "head shots" (funny as that thought is). Anyway, I posted all of that precisely b/c I have no idea about the validity of those accounts I heard, even though they were circulated by that program's very students. Likewise I have no idea if similar stories surround the admissions of other top programs. Top-ranked MFA programs being so incredibly competitive to gain admittance to (and perhaps some folks being more than willing to go the extra step for an unofficially required interview), though, I wonder if the circumstances are perfect for certain people to take advantage. . . . So thank you for contributing; I hope some others may have some thoughts to add, too.
Hi all. I have a big dilemma and desperately need some guidance.
Funding held equal, which program is better for creative nonfiction: Iowa or Columbia?
Appreciate your help!
Matt,
There is no Top 30 MFA program that requires in-person interviews, officially or unofficially.
S.
Guy,
Iowa.
S.
Hello all!
I could really use some guidance in terms of deciding where to apply in the fall - I have some questions that I haven't seen covered anywhere else, and I was hoping that someone might be able to give me some insight.
1. I read in one of Seth's articles that 61% of MFA programs (with more than 100 applicants) are more competitive than Harvard Law! (This is pretty discouraging.) So I have to wonder - what is the real difference in the quality of a program that is super-super-competitive (an Iowa or a Michener or a Michigan) versus one that is only supercompetitive (maybe an LSU or Arizona) versus one that's just competitive? Basically, if all of these schools are so selective, won't they all have really outstanding programs? (What I'm also trying to get at here is this - is it worth trying for several years to get into a really well-known program, or is it better to just go with the one that accepts you the first year that you apply?)
2. How do I know which schools are realistic goals for me? Is it just foolishness to apply to the very best? (I live in Texas, and I would really like to stick around, so both UT and University of Houston would be ideal for me.)
Any words or wisdom would be appreciated! Thanks!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth;
I wouldn't think too hard on it at this point. Research the faculty, the graduates, and, knowing that every MFA is difficult to get into, apply to a good many schools. You'll probably, just by doing your research, come up with the right 8-15 schools that are right for you-- some of them will be super competitive, some of them will be only greatly competitive. Either way, don't worry about it, have fun with it, and send 'em each a kick ass writing sample. Hopefully, they'll see in you the same thing you see in them, and the competitiveness becomes a secondary consideration.
If you chase "easier" to get into programs, you may end up with either a) an education you don't enjoy or b) not getting in anyway, because even the "easy" programs are competitive. I would simply search for the right programs for you and give it your best shot.
Thanks, BPM! Are you in a program yourself right now? (Or have you finished one?) If so, where?
Guy -
Iowa doesn't *as* have much of a rep as Columbia in non-fiction, and if the money is good then you ought to at least talk to both.
Guy,
Iowa is ranked #1 nationally in fiction, and has been for four straight years -- the only years rankings have been done specifically for nonfiction programs. Columbia is presently ranked outside the Top 10, at #11.
S.
On Seth's scale (it's probably too late to intervene anyway) but isn't the non-fiction program at Iowa cut off from the rest of the department? I recall reading that on here, and is out of the English department and not the IWW? This isn't clear to me, but might be worth asking about.
I am asking specifically about creative nonfiction.
Columbia's faculty looks phenomenal and Iowa's NWP seems like the bastard child of the IWW.
How do the two schools compare on things like alumni publishing record and overall student satisfaction (I suppose that's difficult to compare as Columbia's notorious lack of funding may skew things). But funding (at least for the program) is held equal here.
Also, Iowa's third year is strictly devoted to thesis writing, whereas I've heard that Columbia doesn't afford students the same time within the two years, thus forcing students to write their thesis while working/taking out additional loans for this ad hoc third year.
Insight from anyone who had to choose between Iowa's NWP and Columbia would be GREATLY appreciated! Ultimate decision and reasoning? Other comments also welcome as I've come up with nothing to tip the balance.
Guy,
The NWP isn't the "bastard child" of anything. It's simply a separate program, in a separate building, with a separate faculty -- which is a strength, not a weakness, because it means that (for once!) creative nonfiction doesn't get treated like a bastard stepchild... which is more or less what happens in most programs that offer all three genres within the same program and building and faculty. Programs don't publish data on alumni success or student satisfaction, so the best way to judge the programs in these respects -- if you care to -- is to look at the excitement that applicants have for them, because that excitement is often based on applicants' own anecdotal research into alumni success and student satisfaction (e.g., by talking to current students, looking up the bios of their favorite nonfiction-writers, and so on). And by that measure, Iowa -- the NWP, not the IWW -- has been #1 for four straight years. By a lot. Columbia is #11. That's all I can tell you, and I think all anyone can, as the sort of data you're looking for isn't directly available from any source. I think you're on the right track, actually, in considering immutable program factors like location, faculty, duration, curriculum -- these are really the best ways to draw distinctions, if money is no object. But as far as the initial question you asked goes -- which is more prestigious -- it's Iowa, hands down, period, end of discussion.
S.
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