Low-residency MFA programs: Queens University of Charlotte Goddard College Stonecoast Southern University of Maine Pine Manor College Pacific Universit
I just heard from Queens and it was yes for Creative Non-fiction. I haven't heard from the others yet.
I am working on a memoir, however I would like to write fiction in the future and have benefited most from my fiction classes. I am a NYC native & am currently at Sarah Lawrence pursuing an MFA in nonfiction, but I had a more fruitful undergrad experience there than graduate, so I am transferring out. I feel it's really important to hone in on the craft of fiction. I am torn & do not know what to decide. I am really deciding between NYU, Columbia & Hunter.
Columbia - PROS: I love the curriculum, faculty & interdisciplinary approach CONS: NO Funding
NYU - PROS: I love the faculty, Teaching position 2nd year (good funding). I like the classes offered. CONS: Not sure if there's much of a sense of community or available office hours. Seems part-time & not sure if there are any electives
HUNTER - PROS: Hertog Fellowship, virtually free, Great professors CONS: Very small (which I usually like), but only 2 teachers.
Isn't Columbia one of those MFA programs you kind of have to attend if you're accepted, regardless of price?
I consider it like Harvard Law, or MIT, or RISD, in that it's such a great school and such a powerhouse in the field that it'd be prohibitively difficult for me to just say, "No, thanks."
But then again, I'm a huge Columbia fan and will definitely be applying there next cycle, so take this with a grain of salt.
NYU is also a great school, but I'm not sure I could pass up Columbia for it.
I don't know much about Hunter. Does it really only have two teachers?
I went to Harvard Law. Columbia's creative writing MFA program is not Harvard Law. Harvard Law has been ranked the #1 or #2 law school in the world for about seventy years. Columbia's fiction program isn't even ranked in the top 30% of programs in this country. And its poetry program is ranked #82 -- out of 150 full-residency MFA programs. HLS and Columbia cost about the same to attend -- the difference is that HLS is a three-year professional school which basically guarantees you a job upon graduation (and if you take a low-income job by choice, HLS offers the most generous, 100% loan-forgiveness program in the history of higher education), whereas Columbia will set a young poet or writer back $150,000 for a twenty-one-month course of study that does absolutely nothing whatsoever for one's chances of securing employment. Columbia can be turned down, should be turned down, and unless one is independently wealthy it's not clear how or why it should be applied to in the first instance. Increasingly, applicants who do substantial research into the programs that are available around the country (200+ full-residency MFA programs, nearly 40 of them free and ranked higher than Columbia) are coming to this conclusion.
S.
P.S. For more information, see the right-hand sidebar at this link.
Do you think the enduring popularity of Columbia lies in the belief that the money is worth spending for the connections made? Are applicants thinking of the possibility of getting an internship at a place like the New Yorker and/or working with their star-studded faculty when they take out those suffocating loans? Columbia does turn out a fair number of high-profile grads, so maybe their applicants are placing their bets on who-you-know over what-you-know.
I specifically chose not to apply to programs like Columbia simply because they don't assist their students financially. While the connections at programs like Columbia could prove invaluable over the course of a writing career, I didn't want to bet on that. I know that I can't bet that an MFA will get me a high-paying editorial job or professorship, and the loans just aren't worth the possible financial ruin later in life.
Why do you think that such "popular" or "high-end" programs like Columbia still choose to not fund their students?
Good questions. I'll try to give the short answer...
1. Columbia's popularity is no longer enduring. Application numbers have slipped dramatically along with the program's ranking. It is a program in massive, near-apocalyptic decline. I'm not sure any graduate program -- in any field -- has ever fallen so far, so fast.
2. One has no better chance of making connections at Columbia than anywhere else. Agents will read whatever is sent to them, and if it's good, they pick it up, period. There are no secret parties to go to.
3. Internships with NYC magazines are few and far between and are no better, in the long run, than stints as the Editor-in-Chief of a major, university-based literary magazine like (say) Gulf Coast in Houston.
4. There are probably 20 faculties as star-studded as Columbia's, and frankly the more stars a program has, the more faculty at that program who largely ignore their students and focus on their own social lives and book tours and so on -- which "stars" are known for doing (along with teaching much less frequently, and often much worse, than their peers).
5. Columbia no longer turns out a large number of high-profile grads relative to its program size. Remember that CU is the largest MFA program -- and the largest unfunded MFA program -- in the world. That has ever existed. It sends more grads out into the world than anyone, and that's the reason we hear about them. No other reason.
Columbia has a unique history -- their School of the Arts was devised as, and has always been, a cash cow. There's an article by someone who went there in the 1970s (is it Richard Ford, maybe? I can't remember) that explains how CU views its art programs, which is as a money-maker, pure and simple. They are not focused on artists first, and they really never have been -- it's about stats (books published, tuition brought in, &c). I'm afraid that's the sad truth about CU, which was covered up for years by ranking systems with no principle behind them except to laud famous writers and suck at the teet of Ivy League prestige.
Thanks for the feedback on Columbia.. I've read that all around your blog, Seth. I just received the Iowa Arts Fellowship: http://www.grad.uiowa.edu/iowa-arts-fellowships and a teaching position. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity, but I have a life in NYC that I don't know if I am willing to leave behind for the next three years. It's something to think about.
I am primarily a nonfiction writer, however I really want to pursue both fiction and nonfiction. That being said, I would really love some advice on NYU (fiction), Hunter (memoir), Iowa NWP, and Columbia Nonfiction(though the latter I already know your opinion/stats on). Any advice on asking to match or increase funding from the NYC schools? Thank you, Seth!
Thanks for your response. I have a couple more questions that you could perhaps shed some light on.
I'm waiting to hear from UT Austin, UC Irvine, and Minnesota. From the response database, and from posts on the UT and Minnesota sites, I can only gather that they've already notified their acceptances. Should I assume a rejection letter is in the mail?
Also, I've noticed that the other two schools I'm waiting on, LSU and UNO, have notified their fiction acceptances, but not poetry. Think they'll have poetry acceptances/wait lists soon?
I applied in Poetry to Antioch University (accepted) and Pine Manor College (accepted).
I applied in Poetry and Fiction to Pacific University (accepted in both), Vermont College of Fine Arts (accepted in both), and Warren Wilson College (rejected).
It's a tough choice! I'm leaning towards Pacific, mostly due to the faculty.
I only heard from Warren Wilson because I had a deadline approaching for another school. I asked if there was anything they could tell me, they could only let me know whether or not my application was still under consideration, and it's not.
Has anyone heard from Houston? I'd assumed at this point I've either been wait-listed or rejected, but I haven't seen any indication that anyone who applied this application round has heard anything. Also, has anyone been accepted to Indiana? I've seen a fair amount of posts indicating rejections, but again, no notice of acceptances.
I did my undergrad at U. Iowa, and still live there. Very familiar with their nonfiction faculty. If you need to talk, send me an email at amybernhard3@gmail.com
This is kind of off topic, but is anyone going to the Tin House workshop at Reed this summer? I just sent in my deposit (for poetry) and got DA Powell as my workshop leader(!)
Ps-ANYTHING FROM COLUMBIA POETRY? I'm going crazy!
I've been wondering the same about Houston. I (and it looks like others on this blog too) haven't heard anything. Years past indicate that they've been on the later end for acceptances, but not quite this late.
Also, has anyone else heard nothing from Virginia Commonwealth? I've seen acceptances and I believe I saw someone post that they've been rejected from there. I've received no word, good or bad.
I applied to Hunter College, Brooklyn, City and the New School. I got rejected from Hunter and Brooklyn and Still waiting on The New School and City. It was only in the summer that I really started to imagine myself as a writer. I always loved to write and since I was little it was a passion of mine and an escape from the rough patches in my life. I come from a strict West Indian family and they were keen on me becoming a lawyer (still are)and I kinda rebelled against them because I knew becoming a lawyer would't make me truly happy. I can honestly say I feel most at home when I am in workshop and surround myself amongest other writers. It was actually my fiction workshop professor who convinced me to apply to MFA programs in creative writing programs. I just really hope I get into one. I was wondering if anyone has applied to either city or The New School and if so have you heard from any of them?
Is it true that if I haven't heard from UCI that I'm probably rejected? I contacted BU and FSU and they said I wouldn't hear until the first week of April....
Was rejected from: Hollins, VTech, Cornell. Accepted to UNH & Chatham in Fiction. Has anyone heard from Arkansas & Rutgers Newark? I am checking my email/phone constantly.
University of Virginia University of Colorado at Boulder West Virginia University McNeese State University University of South Carolina Washington University at St. Louis University of California at San Diego
Great site. Just three for me this year: Boise State, Idaho @ Moscow, and Montana @ Missoula. Originally, I wasn't willing to move around, but I'm second guessing myself. Oh well, there's always next year.
Applied in fiction to UT Austin, Cornell, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, LSU, University of Florida, Rutgers - Newark, UNH, Indiana University, and Syracuse.
Indiana University Iowa Writer's Workshop University of Washington University of California-Irvine Colorado State University San Diego State University
I applied to Columbia for non-fiction and was accepted with a very generous fellowship.
Happy ending, right? Nope. Even with this very generous fellowship, I still can't justify paying that much for a writing degree. The estimated cost of attendance is $71,845 for the first year. Should've applied to fully funded programs...sigh.
Found out today by email that I was waitlisted at LSU, but the wording of the message makes me think they sent me a letter some time ago which got lost. Oh well.
This is my first time posting, but I've been sweating over this blog for a month now. I was wondering if anyone out there had heard from Ole Miss or UT Austin, acceptences or rejections? If so, what format? Thanks for the help and good luck to all who need it.
A little more info: I have applied to both MFA's in Fiction but haven't heard anything in the form of response yet. Both applications have an in progress status. What does it all mean? Again, any help would be appreciated.
Applied to: Arizona State University of Arizona UCI Montana Colo. State Minnesota Iowa Writers Workshop UT Austin/Michener Ole Miss V. Tech
Accepted at Montana, Ole Miss, and Arizona State. @CHM Austin and Ole Miss were my first two notifications (beginning of March), but I don't know how far behind the Fiction Dept. might be. I think if you are still In Progress it's a good sign.
Texas, Michener: rejected South Carolina: accepted Brown: rejected Texas (formerly the MA, now an MFA): wait-listed West Virginia: accepted Virginia Tech: wait-listed Alabama: rejected Houston: rejected Virginia Commonwealth: rejected (called them)
Thank you, Seth, for collecting and compiling all this data; it's been tremendously useful to me. Will be making a small donation in a moment.
@ Summer, When and how did you hear from UC Irvine? I applied in poetry and have been trying to contact them about my admission status, but have gotten no response so far.
Indiana Johns Hopkins Oregon Minnesota Cornell Massachusetts (Amherst) Syracuse Brown Hunter Emerson Iowa Washington (St. Louis) Iowa Houston Columbia College (Chicago) Virginia
NYU - waitlisted Brown - rejected Michigan - haven't heard Syracuse - accepted
I'm driving myself insane waiting for Michigan and NYU, it seems people have already been accepted and rejected, maybe they just don't tell people when they're on the waitlist?
As for NYU, they said I could find out as late as August, but I have to accept/reject Syracuse by April 15th. WHAT DO I DO?
This is my first time posting here, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the helpful comments and insights. This blog has been a great resource for me these past six months! Good luck to all as we move forward!
Finally, in the interest of sharing, here is where I applied (for poetry writing)
Cornell U of New Hampsire U of Houston U of Illinois Bowling Green State U of Iowa U of Massachusetts-Amherst U of Wisconsin U of Virginia Washington U-St.Louis Notre Dame U of Oregon
Why don't you just call/email Michigan? The acceptance and waitlist emails went out a long time ago -- at least those reported on the MFA Draft '11 Facebook page.
Rejected from: Minnesota Brown Washington University California @ Davis Wichita Johns Hopkins Notre Dame
Accepted at: Kansas George Mason Texas State
I'd like to note that two years ago I applied to 13 schools and was rejected across the board. Persistence is key in the MFA universe. Good luck and don't give up!
Hi, I applied to MFA programs last year and the year before last with no luck but this year I had other plans and applied only to the Iowa Summer Graduate Workshops and was accepted into the program. Has anyone attended their summer program? What was your experience? 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.
I just posted this in the application responses thread as well:
Hi all,
I just accepted at Rutgers-Newark in Fiction. I declined at UNLV. I also took myself off the waitlist at Miami (FL). Very excited to be heading back to the East Coast!
@ Dr. Collins: my friend accepted her spot at Miami. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Also -- I FINALLY heard from Riverside today -- rejected via email. Tho' of course, at this point, I didn't care! But they sure waited a long time to notify me -- it's 3 days before the April 15 deadline.
Good job getting in at Rutgers. I have yet to hear a peep from them and they are decidedly unhelpful when I call. They keep telling me that they haven't made any decisions yet and even when I pointed out that that is a blatant lie they persisted that it was the truth. If I don't get in this year (still waitlisted at UW), Rutgers is one school I will definitely not be re-applying to next year.
@ Andrew: I found myself in the same situation with Riverside as you did with Rutgers. Tho finally, I did get that rejection email from them a few days ago. I find the reception I get from each school often reflects where I am in their "priority" - if an admit, it's somewhat "wine and dine". If waitlist, it's sorta optimistically ambivalent. If "invisible waitlist" or "undecided," no peep until the last moment and constant stonewalling in communications. With Rutgers, I went from no funding to partial to full funding in the space of a month and certainly, the last stage when funding was involved, the communication was constant and much more warmly embracing. I've no doubt now that I'm in, it's all in, and i feel its a perfect fit program for me, but certainly it was different degrees of reception and contact in the lead up. It's definitely been quite an experience. Good luck with UW; I'll send out good vibes for ya!
The final results of my Poetry MFA adventure are as such:
NYU- waitlisted BU- rejected UCI- rejected FSU Tallahassee- accepted with a TA position. Hooray!! so I took that I'm I'm running with it. My first choice anyway. Happy Jess!
127 comments:
did anyone apply to Chicago State?
Has anyone heard anything from Columbia in poetry?
I applied to Portland, UNLV, Fresno, and San Jose for fiction. I have yet to hear from San Jose. Portland was a no, but Fresno and UNLV said yes.
When did you hear from UNLV--does anyone know if their acceptances have all gone out?
Low-residency MFA programs:
Queens University of Charlotte
Goddard College
Stonecoast Southern University of Maine
Pine Manor College
Pacific Universit
I just heard from Queens and it was yes for Creative Non-fiction. I haven't heard from the others yet.
I applied in fiction to the following places:
Georgia State
FSU
UF
UGA (Anyone heard?)
NC State (Same?)
Vanderbilt (ha!)
UVA
UNCG (though it's looking bad over there)
UT Knoxville MA
I applied to these programs:
Cornell, Michener Center, IWW, Michigan, Minnesota, UW Madison, Syracuse, UMass Amherst, UC Irvine, U of Oregon, LSU, U of New Orleans.
Rejected from all but Syracuse, where I'm on the wait list.
Still waiting on official word from LSU, U of New Orleans, UC Irvine, Michener Center, and Minnesota.
I've heard that Michener, Minnesota, and UC Irvine already notified their accepted applicants, so I'm assuming I got rejected.
Here's to hoping for LSU, UNO, & Syracuse!
Also, my genre is poetry.
for CNF
Accepted:
U of San Francisco
Rejected:
U of Iowa (snail mail)
Have yet to hear:
U of Arizona (assuming rejection)
U of San Jose (will notify by the 25th)
Poetry:
Accepted at:
University of Maryland (haven't heard anything on fin aid or TA positions)
Rejected:
Washington at St. Louis (no surprise)
University of Michigan
Haven't heard anything from:
NYU
Hunter College
University of Houston
Arizona State University
Indiana University
POETRY:
Brown
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Vanderbilt
Memphis
Virginia
Houston
Minnesota
Iowa
Syracuse
Washington-St.Louis
Cornell
UNC-Wilmington
I applied for the following low-residency MFA programs in non-fiction:
Queens University of Charlotte
Goucher College
Bennington College
I heard from Queens last night and was accepted. I haven't heard from the others yet.
I applied to Bennington, Pacific, and Warren Wilson. Trying desperately to decide between Bennington and Pacific
*NYU: Fiction (Accepted)
*Columbia University: Nonfiction (Accepted)
*Hunter: Memoir (Accepted)
*Iowa: NWP (Accepted)
*New School: Dual Concentration Fiction & Nonfiction (Still pending)
*Brown-Fiction (Denied)
*Brooklyn-Fiction (Denied)
*Iowa-Writers' Workshop (Denied)
I am working on a memoir, however I would like to write fiction in the future and have benefited most from my fiction classes. I am a NYC native & am currently at Sarah Lawrence pursuing an MFA in nonfiction, but I had a more fruitful undergrad experience there than graduate, so I am transferring out. I feel it's really important to hone in on the craft of fiction. I am torn & do not know what to decide. I am really deciding between NYU, Columbia & Hunter.
Columbia - PROS: I love the curriculum, faculty & interdisciplinary approach
CONS: NO Funding
NYU - PROS: I love the faculty, Teaching position 2nd year (good funding). I like the classes offered.
CONS: Not sure if there's much of a sense of community or available office hours. Seems part-time & not sure if there are any electives
HUNTER - PROS: Hertog Fellowship, virtually free, Great professors
CONS: Very small (which I usually like), but only 2 teachers.
ANY advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks,
-Naomi
@Sarah, what genre are you? Were you accepted at both Bennington and Pacific? If so, congrats!
Johns Hopkins rejection by mail, and still waiting on assumed rejections from Iowa and UCI. Yay Montana!
I applied to four low-residency programs:
Vermont (accepted)
Bennington (no word yet)
Lesley (no word yet)
Spalding (accepted)
I would welcome thoughts from alums of any of these programs!
@NAOMI --
Isn't Columbia one of those MFA programs you kind of have to attend if you're accepted, regardless of price?
I consider it like Harvard Law, or MIT, or RISD, in that it's such a great school and such a powerhouse in the field that it'd be prohibitively difficult for me to just say, "No, thanks."
But then again, I'm a huge Columbia fan and will definitely be applying there next cycle, so take this with a grain of salt.
NYU is also a great school, but I'm not sure I could pass up Columbia for it.
I don't know much about Hunter. Does it really only have two teachers?
Another,
I went to Harvard Law. Columbia's creative writing MFA program is not Harvard Law. Harvard Law has been ranked the #1 or #2 law school in the world for about seventy years. Columbia's fiction program isn't even ranked in the top 30% of programs in this country. And its poetry program is ranked #82 -- out of 150 full-residency MFA programs. HLS and Columbia cost about the same to attend -- the difference is that HLS is a three-year professional school which basically guarantees you a job upon graduation (and if you take a low-income job by choice, HLS offers the most generous, 100% loan-forgiveness program in the history of higher education), whereas Columbia will set a young poet or writer back $150,000 for a twenty-one-month course of study that does absolutely nothing whatsoever for one's chances of securing employment. Columbia can be turned down, should be turned down, and unless one is independently wealthy it's not clear how or why it should be applied to in the first instance. Increasingly, applicants who do substantial research into the programs that are available around the country (200+ full-residency MFA programs, nearly 40 of them free and ranked higher than Columbia) are coming to this conclusion.
S.
P.S. For more information, see the right-hand sidebar at this link.
Rejected from USC's PhD program in poetry—still waiting to hear from poetry PhDs at UNLV, Houston, Denver, Utah.
Hey Seth,
Do you think the enduring popularity of Columbia lies in the belief that the money is worth spending for the connections made? Are applicants thinking of the possibility of getting an internship at a place like the New Yorker and/or working with their star-studded faculty when they take out those suffocating loans? Columbia does turn out a fair number of high-profile grads, so maybe their applicants are placing their bets on who-you-know over what-you-know.
For the record, I did not apply to Columbia.
Seth,
I specifically chose not to apply to programs like Columbia simply because they don't assist their students financially. While the connections at programs like Columbia could prove invaluable over the course of a writing career, I didn't want to bet on that. I know that I can't bet that an MFA will get me a high-paying editorial job or professorship, and the loans just aren't worth the possible financial ruin later in life.
Why do you think that such "popular" or "high-end" programs like Columbia still choose to not fund their students?
Hi Monique,
Good questions. I'll try to give the short answer...
1. Columbia's popularity is no longer enduring. Application numbers have slipped dramatically along with the program's ranking. It is a program in massive, near-apocalyptic decline. I'm not sure any graduate program -- in any field -- has ever fallen so far, so fast.
2. One has no better chance of making connections at Columbia than anywhere else. Agents will read whatever is sent to them, and if it's good, they pick it up, period. There are no secret parties to go to.
3. Internships with NYC magazines are few and far between and are no better, in the long run, than stints as the Editor-in-Chief of a major, university-based literary magazine like (say) Gulf Coast in Houston.
4. There are probably 20 faculties as star-studded as Columbia's, and frankly the more stars a program has, the more faculty at that program who largely ignore their students and focus on their own social lives and book tours and so on -- which "stars" are known for doing (along with teaching much less frequently, and often much worse, than their peers).
5. Columbia no longer turns out a large number of high-profile grads relative to its program size. Remember that CU is the largest MFA program -- and the largest unfunded MFA program -- in the world. That has ever existed. It sends more grads out into the world than anyone, and that's the reason we hear about them. No other reason.
Hope this makes sense.
Best,
S.
Chris,
Columbia has a unique history -- their School of the Arts was devised as, and has always been, a cash cow. There's an article by someone who went there in the 1970s (is it Richard Ford, maybe? I can't remember) that explains how CU views its art programs, which is as a money-maker, pure and simple. They are not focused on artists first, and they really never have been -- it's about stats (books published, tuition brought in, &c). I'm afraid that's the sad truth about CU, which was covered up for years by ranking systems with no principle behind them except to laud famous writers and suck at the teet of Ivy League prestige.
S.
@Seth
I clearly need to take a more in-depth look at the school.
Thanks for the information and for taking the time to share it.
Thanks for the feedback on Columbia.. I've read that all around your blog, Seth. I just received the Iowa Arts Fellowship: http://www.grad.uiowa.edu/iowa-arts-fellowships and a teaching position. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity, but I have a life in NYC that I don't know if I am willing to leave behind for the next three years. It's something to think about.
I am primarily a nonfiction writer, however I really want to pursue both fiction and nonfiction. That being said, I would really love some advice on NYU (fiction), Hunter (memoir), Iowa NWP, and Columbia Nonfiction(though the latter I already know your opinion/stats on). Any advice on asking to match or increase funding from the NYC schools? Thank you, Seth!
Applied for fiction to:
Iowa
Brown
UCR
UCI
Sarah Lawrence College
NYU
Hunter
Purdue
Seth,
Thanks for your response. I have a couple more questions that you could perhaps shed some light on.
I'm waiting to hear from UT Austin, UC Irvine, and Minnesota. From the response database, and from posts on the UT and Minnesota sites, I can only gather that they've already notified their acceptances. Should I assume a rejection letter is in the mail?
Also, I've noticed that the other two schools I'm waiting on, LSU and UNO, have notified their fiction acceptances, but not poetry. Think they'll have poetry acceptances/wait lists soon?
Thanks again,
Chris
In Fiction:
Rutgers-Camden
University of Baltimore
Arizona State
UMass Boston
UNH
I was accepted into Rutgers-Camden and Baltimore. Haven't heard anything from the other programs, so I'm assuming either rejection or waitlist.
(for fiction)
tx state
washington u stl
notre dame
arizona st
minnesota
uva
american
jhu
pitt
I did all low-residency.
I applied in Poetry to Antioch University (accepted) and Pine Manor College (accepted).
I applied in Poetry and Fiction to Pacific University (accepted in both), Vermont College of Fine Arts (accepted in both), and Warren Wilson College (rejected).
It's a tough choice! I'm leaning towards Pacific, mostly due to the faculty.
in poetry
alabama :)
arizona (in w/out funding)
iowa :)
michigan :(
montana (in w/out funding)
UVA waiting to hear...
@Clintonthehorse
was that Arizona State or University of Arizona?
I'm waiting on Arizona State for poetry...*fingers crossed*
@Rachel
It was U of Arizona.
Good luck!!
Maisha, how did you hear from Warren Wilson?
ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING FROM COLUMBIA IN POETRY? I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE NEW SCHOOL :(
Sadly, I have yet to be accepted by any of the programs I applied to. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a few, but hopes are dwindling.
For the record, I applied in fiction to:
Oregon
Arizona
Minnesota
Virginia
LSU
SIUC
McNeese State
Iowa
Washington (St. Louis)
Syracuse
Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. Thanks for the resources. Below are my schools (fiction).
Boise State
Colorado State
San Diego State
UMass Amherst
U of Miami
U of Washington
West Virginia
I applied in CNF to:
The New School
Iowa
Minnesota
Arizona
Hunter
Ellen,
I only heard from Warren Wilson because I had a deadline approaching for another school. I asked if there was anything they could tell me, they could only let me know whether or not my application was still under consideration, and it's not.
Two waitlists, otherwise rejections...
For Poetry:
VCU
Johns Hopkins
Iowa
Houston
Washington Univ.
Syracuse
Brown
Virginia
Minnesota
SIUC
Oregon
Vandy
Ole Miss
GCSU
And update of my list (poetry):
Johns Hopkins (wait listed)
Ohio State (accepted)
Oregon (accepted)
U. of Washington (accepted)
Houston (haven't heard)
Virginia (haven't heard)
all rejected:
Indiana U.
Michigan
Syracuse
Cornell
Vanderbilt
Has anyone heard from Houston? I'd assumed at this point I've either been wait-listed or rejected, but I haven't seen any indication that anyone who applied this application round has heard anything. Also, has anyone been accepted to Indiana? I've seen a fair amount of posts indicating rejections, but again, no notice of acceptances.
@ALIOMI,
I did my undergrad at U. Iowa, and still live there. Very familiar with their nonfiction faculty. If you need to talk, send me an email at amybernhard3@gmail.com
This is kind of off topic, but is anyone going to the Tin House workshop at Reed this summer? I just sent in my deposit (for poetry) and got DA Powell as my workshop leader(!)
Ps-ANYTHING FROM COLUMBIA POETRY? I'm going crazy!
@ Rachel
I've been wondering the same about Houston. I (and it looks like others on this blog too) haven't heard anything. Years past indicate that they've been on the later end for acceptances, but not quite this late.
Also, has anyone else heard nothing from Virginia Commonwealth? I've seen acceptances and I believe I saw someone post that they've been rejected from there. I've received no word, good or bad.
I'm poetry btw
Okay, I'm creating a new mailbag. Let's keep this topic to what the thread is called.
S.
For Poetry:
Wisconsin
Minnesota
UMASS
Oregon
Houston
Iowa
So. Illinois
Alabama
Washington U-St. Louis
Montana
UVA
Vanderbilt
I applied to Hunter College, Brooklyn, City and the New School. I got rejected from Hunter and Brooklyn and Still waiting on The New School and City. It was only in the summer that I really started to imagine myself as a writer. I always loved to write and since I was little it was a passion of mine and an escape from the rough patches in my life. I come from a strict West Indian family and they were keen on me becoming a lawyer (still are)and I kinda rebelled against them because I knew becoming a lawyer would't make me truly happy. I can honestly say I feel most at home when I am in workshop and surround myself amongest other writers. It was actually my fiction workshop professor who convinced me to apply to MFA programs in creative writing programs. I just really hope I get into one. I was wondering if anyone has applied to either city or The New School and if so have you heard from any of them?
i applied to the following programs in poetry:
american u (accepted)
sarah lawrence (accepted)
chatham (accepted)
brooklyn
the new school (rejected)
columbia
Where I applied for Fiction...
Full Residency:
Penn State
Cornell
UVA
Washington (St. Louis)
Notre Dame
Maryland
Low Residency:
Warren Wilson
Vermont
Bennington
I only applied to three schools this year (as I am pursuing a second MFA in Poetry).
Wyoming-declined
Boise -waitlisted then accepted two days ago.
Colorado State- who cares I'm going to Boise with a full ride.
I applied to UC San Diego, Portland State, University of Iowa, California College of the Arts, and Mills College, all in poetry.
I was rejected by Iowa, waitlisted by UCSD, and accepted at CCA, and I'm still waiting to hear from the other two.
Poetry:
BU
FSU-tallahassee
UCI
NYU (waitlisted)
Is it true that if I haven't heard from UCI that I'm probably rejected? That makes me want to throw up a little....
Poetry:
BU
FSU-Tallahassee
UCI
NYU (waitlisted)
Is it true that if I haven't heard from UCI that I'm probably rejected? I contacted BU and FSU and they said I wouldn't hear until the first week of April....
I applied for fiction to:
1. UC Davis
2. LSU
3. Johns Hopkins
4. Virginia
5. NYU
6. Cornell
7. Virginia Tech
8. Washington St.Louis
9. Memphis
10. Arizona
11. UNLV
12. Minnesota
Was rejected from: Hollins, VTech, Cornell.
Accepted to UNH & Chatham in Fiction.
Has anyone heard from Arkansas & Rutgers Newark?
I am checking my email/phone constantly.
I applied to Pacific University: Non-fiction
and I got in!
never posted:
in fiction:
iowa
michigan
syracuse
uc irvine
idaho
wyoming
in poetry:
syracuse
idaho
umass
Update:
Rejected from Brooklyn in Poetry
My list (FICTION)
University of Virginia
University of Colorado at Boulder
West Virginia University
McNeese State University
University of South Carolina
Washington University at St. Louis
University of California at San Diego
Great site. Just three for me this year: Boise State, Idaho @ Moscow, and Montana @ Missoula. Originally, I wasn't willing to move around, but I'm second guessing myself. Oh well, there's always next year.
And if it matters, all three were for fiction. Do people usually apply in two genres?
Applied in fiction to UT Austin, Cornell, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, LSU, University of Florida, Rutgers - Newark, UNH, Indiana University, and Syracuse.
Accepted at Purdue and UNH
Waitlisted at Illinois and Ohio State.
Haven't heard from LSU, Florida, or Rutgers.
Rejected from the rest.
UT Austin Michener in playwriting, secondary field in screenwriting. Only place I applied, only place I got in!
For fiction:
Brown
Brooklyn
Irvine
CalArts
University of San Francisco
San Franscisco State University
Mills
Columbia
IWW
Michigan
Sarah Lawrence
Hunter
applied in fiction
waitlist:
syracuse
rejected:
wash u at st. louis
michener center
indiana
alabama
minnesota
brown
cornell
haven't heard:
iww
asu
for poetry...
rejected:
vandy
wisconsin (madison)
notre dame
waitlisted:
houston
haven't heard from:
alabama
I take it then that Houston has let those admitted know?... Has anyone heard anything from U. of Virginia?
Applied in poetry to...
Cornell
Wisconsin
NYU
Virginia
Washington St. Louis
IWW
J. Hopkins
Oregon
Syracuse
I'm new to the MFA application process, but this blog has been very helpful!
I applied in fiction:
NYU
IWW
Indiana
IC Irvine
Hollins
The New School
UVA
Michigan
ASU
Boston
Waitlisted: NYU and Hollins
Haven't heard from: Boston, ASU, UVA, and The New School
I've read that other people have received letters from The New School already, is it strange that I haven't heard anything yet?
for poetry:
accepted
Brooklyn
Montana
rejected
UTAustin
Iowa
Texas State
Poetry - applied to:
Indiana University
Iowa Writer's Workshop
University of Washington
University of California-Irvine
Colorado State University
San Diego State University
for fiction:
iowa state
k state
wustl
umkc
colorado
I applied to Columbia for non-fiction and was accepted with a very generous fellowship.
Happy ending, right? Nope. Even with this very generous fellowship, I still can't justify paying that much for a writing degree. The estimated cost of attendance is $71,845 for the first year. Should've applied to fully funded programs...sigh.
Trolling in this thread won't be allowed. The purpose of this thread is listed at the very top of the thread -- in the post title.
If you want to troll here, go to the mailbag, and moderators will review your post to see whether it should be immediately deleted.
P.S. LV, That was of course not directed to you or anyone else here, but a poster whose comment has had to be deleted three times. --S.
I applied to Queens University Low Res, Warren Wilson, Murray State.
Accepted at Queens (yesterday)
Still waiting on the others
Fiction:
Spalding University
Warren Wilson
Applied in Fiction to:
Minnesota
Iowa
Idaho
Brooklyn
LSU
Houston
Arizona
and
George Mason
CNF:
-Penn State University
-University of Pittsburgh
-Chatham University
-Hollins University
-UNCW
-NEOMFA (Northeast Ohio MFA Consortium)
Was accepted by NEOMFA. Waiting to hear about funding.
Has anyone heard anything from Penn State who applied in creative nonfiction??
Found out today by email that I was waitlisted at LSU, but the wording of the message makes me think they sent me a letter some time ago which got lost. Oh well.
This is my first time posting, but I've been sweating over this blog for a month now. I was wondering if anyone out there had heard from Ole Miss or UT Austin, acceptences or rejections? If so, what format? Thanks for the help and good luck to all who need it.
A little more info: I have applied to both MFA's in Fiction but haven't heard anything in the form of response yet. Both applications have an in progress status. What does it all mean? Again, any help would be appreciated.
In Poetry:
Applied to: Arizona State
University of Arizona
UCI
Montana
Colo. State
Minnesota
Iowa Writers Workshop
UT Austin/Michener
Ole Miss
V. Tech
Accepted at Montana, Ole Miss, and Arizona State.
@CHM Austin and Ole Miss were my first two notifications (beginning of March), but I don't know how far behind the Fiction Dept. might be. I think if you are still In Progress it's a good sign.
Final Count in Poetry:
Rejections:
Michener
Iowa
Wisconsin
Illinois
Houston
Michigan
Virginia
Alabama
Cornell
Brown
Vandy
Arizona
Waitlists:
Florida (UF)
Accepted:
UC Irvine
Johns Hopkins (off waitlist - attending)
Have now heard back from everywhere:
For Poetry, in the order I received them--
Texas, Michener: rejected
South Carolina: accepted
Brown: rejected
Texas (formerly the MA, now an MFA): wait-listed
West Virginia: accepted
Virginia Tech: wait-listed
Alabama: rejected
Houston: rejected
Virginia Commonwealth: rejected (called them)
Thank you, Seth, for collecting and compiling all this data; it's been tremendously useful to me. Will be making a small donation in a moment.
@ Summer,
When and how did you hear from UC Irvine? I applied in poetry and have been trying to contact them about my admission status, but have gotten no response so far.
My complete list for Poetry:
Indiana
Johns Hopkins
Oregon
Minnesota
Cornell
Massachusetts (Amherst)
Syracuse
Brown
Hunter
Emerson
Iowa
Washington (St. Louis)
Iowa
Houston
Columbia College (Chicago)
Virginia
I just got my acceptance email to Florida State Tallahassee in Poetry. Waiting hear back from BU and UCI, and I'm on NYU's waitlist.
I've been reading all month. Not sure if it was good or bad for the stress. Whatever it was, it was addictive.
Fiction:
NYU
Brooklyn College
UMass Amherst
University of Oregon
University of Iowa
University of Virginia
UT Austin
Johns Hopkins
Hello, I have been avoiding this blog for emotional reasons :) but here's my data... I applied in fiction:
5 "NO"
Michener
Amherst
UC Irvine
Arizona State
Iowa
2 "YES"
Seattle Pacific (low-res)
U of Arizona
Hi All,
NYU - waitlisted
Brown - rejected
Michigan - haven't heard
Syracuse - accepted
I'm driving myself insane waiting for Michigan and NYU, it seems people have already been accepted and rejected, maybe they just don't tell people when they're on the waitlist?
As for NYU, they said I could find out as late as August, but I have to accept/reject Syracuse by April 15th. WHAT DO I DO?
This is my first time posting here, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the helpful comments and insights. This blog has been a great resource for me these past six months! Good luck to all as we move forward!
Finally, in the interest of sharing, here is where I applied (for poetry writing)
Cornell
U of New Hampsire
U of Houston
U of Illinois
Bowling Green State
U of Iowa
U of Massachusetts-Amherst
U of Wisconsin
U of Virginia
Washington U-St.Louis
Notre Dame
U of Oregon
Applied for Poetry:
Brown
CSU
Iowa
Arkansas
Columbia College
Brooklyn
The New School
LSU
@Clusterhead
Why don't you just call/email Michigan? The acceptance and waitlist emails went out a long time ago -- at least those reported on the MFA Draft '11 Facebook page.
Bowling Green State, Poetry: Waitlisted
Old Dominion, Poetry: Accepted, at first without $, then with $
@ClusterHead
Just curious, are you in fiction or poetry?
I'd tell NYU of your impending dilemma, they might be willing to negotiate with you.
I already received my rejection letter from Michigan, so you might still be in the running!
Best of luck.
I applied to Wyoming, Penn State, and Alaska (Fairbanks) in Creative Nonfiction.
Was rejected at Wyoming, still waiting on Penn State, and was accepted in Alaska. On the waitlist for a TA position.
Can anyone offer advice about the program there?
Hello everyone,
I applied in Fiction to the following schools.
Rejected from:
Minnesota
Brown
Washington University
California @ Davis
Wichita
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Accepted at:
Kansas
George Mason
Texas State
I'd like to note that two years ago I applied to 13 schools and was rejected across the board. Persistence is key in the MFA universe. Good luck and don't give up!
This year I applied to both fiction and poetry programs without much luck so far. Still wondering if this might have been a mistake...
This was my final list.
Fiction:
Penn State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Washington, St.L
UC Irvine
Texas State
Poetry:
Indiana
Wisconsin
Houston
Cornell
Colorado, Boulder
Hi, I applied to MFA programs last year and the year before last with no luck but this year I had other plans and applied only to the Iowa Summer Graduate Workshops and was accepted into the program. Has anyone attended their summer program? What was your experience? Thanks.
Fiction:
Brown
UMass Amherst
Syracuse
Cornell
WUSTL
Fiction:
Brown
Southern Illinois
Illinois
San Diego
Cal Arts
Arizona State
New School
WUSTL
Iowa
I was accepted to the Poetry MFA at:
Washington University in St Louis
University of Virginia
Boston University
New York University
University of Michigan
Full funding at all. :)
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.
Has anyone else heard yes or no from BU? It's taking forever!
I just posted this in the application responses thread as well:
Hi all,
I just accepted at Rutgers-Newark in Fiction. I declined at UNLV. I also took myself off the waitlist at Miami (FL). Very excited to be heading back to the East Coast!
Slayerella-
Any word on your friend who was weighing her choices between Minnesota, Iowa and Miami?
most importantly, congrats on the acceptance!
Just declined my spot at University of Alaska, Fairbanks (fiction)...
@ Dr. Collins: my friend accepted her spot at Miami. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Also -- I FINALLY heard from Riverside today -- rejected via email. Tho' of course, at this point, I didn't care! But they sure waited a long time to notify me -- it's 3 days before the April 15 deadline.
@Slayerella
Nooo! You were supposed to convince her to go elsewhere. just kidding, congrats to both of you. Good luck in Newark
@Slayerella
Good job getting in at Rutgers. I have yet to hear a peep from them and they are decidedly unhelpful when I call. They keep telling me that they haven't made any decisions yet and even when I pointed out that that is a blatant lie they persisted that it was the truth. If I don't get in this year (still waitlisted at UW), Rutgers is one school I will definitely not be re-applying to next year.
@ Andrew: I found myself in the same situation with Riverside as you did with Rutgers. Tho finally, I did get that rejection email from them a few days ago. I find the reception I get from each school often reflects where I am in their "priority" - if an admit, it's somewhat "wine and dine". If waitlist, it's sorta optimistically ambivalent. If "invisible waitlist" or "undecided," no peep until the last moment and constant stonewalling in communications. With Rutgers, I went from no funding to partial to full funding in the space of a month and certainly, the last stage when funding was involved, the communication was constant and much more warmly embracing. I've no doubt now that I'm in, it's all in, and i feel its a perfect fit program for me, but certainly it was different degrees of reception and contact in the lead up. It's definitely been quite an experience. Good luck with UW; I'll send out good vibes for ya!
Now that I've "officially" been rejected by every school I applied to, I might as well post my list...
Fiction:
UVA
UC Irvine
NYU
Hunter
Texas State
Houston
Virginia Tech
The New School
Wash U. St.Louis
Memphis
The final results of my Poetry MFA adventure are as such:
NYU- waitlisted
BU- rejected
UCI- rejected
FSU Tallahassee- accepted with a TA position. Hooray!! so I took that I'm I'm running with it. My first choice anyway. Happy Jess!
Good luck and congrats to everyone out there--
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