So does anyone else have a dry erase board on which they've written their schools? It sucks to erase Brown off it but there are so many that I am pretty sure I'm rejected from but haven't received official word. Good job Brown for letting everyone know at once.
this is such an interesting debate to me. i have yet to get the nerve up to ask anyone for their sample, mostly because i'm afraid someone would ask for mine in return and i would suddenly become the laughingstock of the mfa blog. or, like, the adorable little mascot that everyone is glad to have around but no one really takes seriously. but, upon reading the myriad requests for the samples of folks -- like arna and trilbe, such big personalities here -- who have been accepted into some really prestigious and selective programs, i have never once read into that as jealousy, doubt, or skepticism on the part of the requester. if i were to request a submission sample, it would be simply to read one tiny little example of my fellow bloggers' work (many of whom i've become voyeuristically attached to over the past few months) and to get some inkling of an idea what certain schools and specific programs find intriguing. let's be careful about assuming the worst of folks here. to go straight to the dark side i think negates the overwhelming amount of support and admiration that has been flying around this site since its inception. writers can, and have, politely refused; they've offered up alternative places where their published work can be accessed; and in some cases they've happily, proudly traded samples with whomever has asked. i'm waiting for a point to emerge, which hasn't yet. hmmm. maybe just something like "can't we all just get along?"
Yes, I think they did. A short list has been drawn up. I'm away from home and my mail - have been all week - can't wait to check out all those rejections tomorrow!
Trilbe, Thanks! I love how you ALWAYS manage to congraulate everybody in bold letters, while I'm over here missing some acceptances but trying to remember everybody! You're got the organization down. Enjoy your tall, tall boys. :)
I am yet another Brown reject. Brown is the only school on my list that I never even entertained the possibility of getting into. I'm not sure what I paid $75 for... maybe just the dream! :) I'm really okay with this one. Byebye, Brown...
If anyone else has "waiting for final grad review" it just means that the department has made a decision and the grad school is going to post said decision soon...sigh...so could be good or could be bad...if anyone else was wondering about UNH and saw that. Not getting my hopes up just yet...but we all should know soon!
I'm finally posting my list of 24 (yes, 24) schools to which I've applied in fiction, and from which I've heard no good news so far:
Brown - rejected Texas - rejected WUSTL - rejected Wisconsin - rejected Syracuse - rejected Alabama - presumed rejection Michigan - presumed rejection Minnesota - presumed rejection Indiana - presumed rejection Cornell - presumed rejection Ohio State - presumed rejection Virginia Tech - presumed rejection Vanderbilt - presumed rejection Purdue - presumed rejection Iowa - trying not to presume a rejection, but hope is fading fast Hunter Brooklyn LSU University of Florida University of Virginia Johns Hopkins NYU Columbia (even though I don't know how I could afford it) University of Oregon
I know I applied to very competitive programs, but I thought that by applying to 24 I'd come out OK in this subjective process. I did lots of research into my programs, read the MFA Handbook, planned the application process out for a long period of time, and worked hard for months on all my application materials. Most of the writing in my sample has been published, all of it has been workshopped extensively, and I truly felt it was my strongest work. I've been out of school for 8 years, always with the intention of getting my MFA, and I've been in writing workshops and working with mentors this entire time. I have a nice list of publication credits in halfway-decent lit mags and a couple fairly prestigious awards. I majored in English with a Creative Writing concentration at a very good school, with a high GPA, and I did very well on the GREs.
Yet here I am with not a single positive word from any of my 24 schools.
I say this just to let you all know how crazy this selection process is. I know my writing doesn't suck; I've had plenty of external validation. I excel in the objective criteria (GPA, GRE), and I spent months working on my SOPs.
Sorry for this really long post, which has been boiling up inside me for weeks now. I've waited 8 years to apply to MFA programs because I wanted my writing to get stronger, to gain life experience, to get more feedback on my work, and even have a few publication credits as evidence that I'm on the right track. I've done all that. I decided that the timing is finally right, and I only wanted to do this application process once, so I put everything into it and applied to 24 schools. And it's increasingly looking like I'll be doing this all over again next year.
The one thing I'd do differently, besides adding a few less competitive programs to the list, is have ALC/DH look at my sample and SOP. That's the only thing I can think of that I didn't do, even though I had plenty of people (including someone who's a professor in an MFA program) review it all and provide valuable feedback. But perhaps ALC/DH could give me that extra insight that I'm somehow missing. I don't know.
This is devastating. But no matter what, I'm going to keep on writing and I'll just keep applying until I get in.
Sorry again for the long post; it's clearly been festering for a while. As tends to happen with dreams deferred.
Count me among the Brown rejected. Much as I appreciate their synchronous delivery of all rejections, opening the email and having to click the link, then another, was still enough delay to stack the anticipation, no?
If I were on a selection committee, and especially mischievous, I might send a link to a 3-D labyrinth the applicant must navigate in order to reveal the school's decision. Or, if the answer was coming by snail mail, I might send an encrypted letter accompanied by a decoder ring.
The last line would read: "We're sorry for the disappointment this may bring you, but if nothing else, consider this a complimentary lesson in how to build suspense. Good luck!"
@ emma - it makes sense that Florida's calling to get to know applicants better. For whatever reason I couldn't come up with that option in my head, and I kept thinking they were basically saying, "Will you go out with me - check yes or no. Unless my dream girl gets back to me, in which case - I'll let you know if I still like you in April."
Wow. Here I am whining internally about all the hours and money I spent applying to nine schools, and how it increasingly looks like it may amount to zilch this year -- to say nothing of how these multiple rejections are insulting my sense of my skill as a writer. I too am 8 years out of school; I've written a novel in that time but had nothing published.
You really put things in perspective - given all your efforts and accomplishments this process clearly doesn't reflect your worth as a writer. The tone of your post is impressively restrained, considering.
I wish everyone in this forum the best of luck, but I think I shall reserve my strongest wish for you, that one of your remaining schools does the right thing. Either way, I promise that if you keep writing until you get in, I will too.
You guys! Aren't you amazed that more schools don't call to 'get to know the applicant' like Florida? I'm surprised by the TOTAL importance of the manuscript. I can imagine coming across a great writer who is also an existential nightmare of a person to deal with, so what happens when this nightmare person comes to your program and you, as the writer/instructor, hate working with him?
I would put this up on the MFA School Resolution whiteboard as something all programs should consider:
1. Get to know the applicant! (Call them up, duh!) 2. Don't send chunky manila envelope FOEs with housing info (Oregon) 3. Notify rejections in a timely and CONSISTENT manner (I'M STILL WAITING SYRACUSE) 4. Stop insulting our intelligence by acting like the MFA Blog doesn't exist (Iowa adcom: ya burnt!)
Long time lurker, foolishly waiting to introduce myself on the heels of good news. But after Phillywriters much echoed rant, I wanted to share my frustrations. I too waited, workshopped, brought the good GRE, GPA, letters of rec, etc. I've had my work cheered on, not to the point of arrogance but I too felt this was the year I was ready to send my stories out (I'm fiction, btw, completed undergrad in English/Creative Writing 6 years ago).
So far here it is:
Brown - rejected Syracuse - rejected Texas (the big M) - rejected Wisconsin - rejected Michigan - presumed rejection Cornell - presumed rejection Minnesota - presumed rejection UCI - presumed rejection Iowa - ???? Hunter - hello out there? Brooklyn - neighbor? University of Virginia NYU Bennington
Being dumped 14 times is a shitty feeling. There's lots of bacon, wine, chocolate and cheese going on in these parts.
BIG CONGRATS to all those with good news! (Bigger congrats to those with good news and funding!)
And cyber-tequila shots to the rest of you in my rapidly sinking ship!
Please don't be too disheartened - from my count, you still have nine schools that are total question marks for you. That's two more programs than I even applied to(!), so it's probably too early for you to consider this cycle a bust.
And I do think it's important to keep in mind that an MFA program isn't the only platform for becoming a writer. It sounds like you've been doing a lot of work on your own - and I imagine that your ultimate aim is to be published. If this is the case, then not going to an MFA program would only be a detour from your underlying goal, but not a definitive statement on whether you'll attain it.
I worked in marketing research for a short time, and if there's one valuable idea I took away from that mixed experience, it's that markets are generally segmented, i.e., the reading audience is far from homogeneous and there are plenty of niches out there we can all find if we keep working at our craft. Maybe MFA program writers represent all these markets well, but maybe they don't.
My point is, if you get into a program this year or next - phenomenal, the support of peers and mentors would certainly be a great thing. But if not, then perhaps this has no greater meaning than that certain niches aren't for everyone. (Still, because I embrace being a hypocrite, I hope we both get into MFA programs!! :)
P.S. I'm not sure whether this is appropriate to even ask (and obviously you can say no), but might I have your permission to put your post on my blog? I talk a lot there about the experience of applying and I think that, regardless of whether you ultimately get accepted somewhere, this is such an amazing snapshot to help keep things in perspective for applicants.
Final grad school notification today! Accepted at Minnesota State Mankato via e-mail about 20 minutes ago. No definitive word on funding, but I was contacted yesterday to interview for a TA position.
My list for CNF:
OSU - accepted Mankato - accepted Minnesota - rejected
I hope everyone else gets some good news today, too!
Speaking of blogs, who all has blogs here? Send me links: emily dot ecm at gmail dot com. I've been thinking of starting my own. Are your blogs CW-related or something else entirely different?
So far there's only been one reported acceptance from Irvine, no? Anyone else hear anything?
Portland State
Any info on response times/expectations from cloudy PDX? I think someone in the program chimed in to discuss faculty, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps (s)he has some more info.
@Trilbe-loved your post on Arna's work @everyone else--Arna's work is amazing. Period. @Arna-again, thanks so much for your generosity and good luck wherever you decide to land!
I just spoke with the graduate administrator in the English Department. She said I made it to the "final cut" of applications and that admission decisions would be made on March 9th.
The first decent news I've heard.
Congratulations to everyone who has been admitted.
@cecil peoples-yes, someone did post about getting wait listed at Iowa. They received a letter. It may have appeared over at DH. Ambien ruins your memory, BTW.
Hi everyone - again congrats to all accepted. To those feeling down, I want to share this:
I know a woman who is a brilliant trumpet player, who played all her life, and who went to reputable undergraduate and graduate schools for trumpet (though they were public universities, not Juilliard).
Three times she auditioned for the same reputable symphony and three times she was rejected.
She gave up on trumpet, thinking it wasn't time. She left it altogether and didn't play for three years, working as the manager of a small music shop and feeling her future was in just that.
Then, one day, the itch resurfaced and she began playing again. It took her a year to redevelop her chops, which were gone after her hiatus. When she felt ready, she went back a fourth time and auditioned again for the symphony—finally getting the job.
Now she is the organization's first female director and conductor and is known in the field as someone to watch.
Don't know if that is any help - but it is a true and really positive story, one that proves that, in the end, timing and circumstance are no match for talent and perseverance.
Thanks, all. And no, I haven't given up hope yet. Initially I was just posting my list of 24 schools for Seth's information - and the rant just spilled forth....
No matter what, I'll keep writing. And I know the MFA isn't necessary to do that, but I long for the sense of community and the opportunity to focus exclusively on my writing for a while. I'm an academic at heart, and the idea of discussing writing at length from a writing craft perspective (as opposed to the deconstructive literary analysis of my undergrad English major days) makes me positively giddy. I hope someday to teach writing, and an MFA would help with that.
But I'm not giving up. I know this is what I want to do, so I just have to keep at it. So, yes, Ink and Beans - it's a deal! We'll both keep writing and keep trying.
And I truly am happy for all those who've had acceptances. I'm in favor of anything that helps generate great literature, and I hope that all of us keep working and writing and that those of us who go through MFA programs will emerge on the other end with even stronger writing. To me, it's not a competition. It's about creating something powerful and lasting. And I'm almost as happy reading an amazing story written by someone else as I am writing one of my own.
welp i'm assuming rejection from UNH as well then...if they aren't making final decisions until March 9th and my status is already back at the grad school it's not looking good.
Feel free to put my post on your blog, especially if you think it might somehow help others get through this crazy, crazy process with some level of sanity and self-worth intact.
Sigh. Just received my third waitlist: VCU for poetry. I know I should be excited but my enthusiasm is waning. I really don't want to be a complainer; I'm just a bit frustrated that my only acceptances have no funding available.
@ Trilbe: I really appreciated your post about Arna and reading each other's work. I feel exactly the same way.
@phillywriter: I think you're far from being counted out, though I definitely understand the sense of panic and loss that's already present. The one thing I wanted to say is *if* (and that's a big if) you don't get in anywhere, I was actually cautioned from submitting work that was completely polished, and told that if your work is too perfect, it was possible to get rejected just on the basis that a program needs to feel they actually have something they could teach you and offer you. So I (heeding the words of current MFA students) put in a couple of things that I was far from happy with and that definitely needed work, but showed potential. Just something to think about...
You still have a fair number of programs left. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! If things don't work out this year though, just remember that 1) talent aside, it's pretty much a crapshoot and 2) a year of writing/reading/editing can make a huge difference. There's a common saying that it takes so many years/hours to become really good at something (and similarly that almost every successful novelist has 3-4 failed and unpublished novels sitting in a drawer), While these are broad statements, I think the heart of the sayings are true - perseverance and hard work (coupled with talent) pays off (eventually and for the most part).
My heart breaks for you. I know there's nothing I can say that will make you feel any better, so I won't even try to offer any "upside," really. Your dedication and patience with this applying thing may have actually HURT you, in that this is the most competitive year to date, BY FAR. Eight years ago you likely would have gotten in somewhere no problem (I'm guessing).
I say that not because I mean to kick you in the balls -- I'm in the same boat, in a way, but I only waited two years to apply, thinking I was doing the smart thing. It's one of the universe's real cruelties. I'm really sorry. An internet hug seems really lame and unhelpful right now, but if I could meet you in person I would just bear-hug you and not let go for an uncomfortable amount of time. There's nothing really to say, just... my heart aches for you.
Personally, the idea of going through all of this makes me emotionally crumble. I hope you have a more optimistic outlook. The one thing I can say -- ALL of your schools are hard as HELL to get into! You really aimed high, and in the most competitive, craziest year EVER! (I'm not sure how competitive LSU is [I applied there too] but it looks like it's more competitive than I originally thought. Doh). If you do go through all this again next year, try for one of the newer, less prestigious programs? You can help them build their awesomeness! Or research some of the lower-ranked programs more (I need to do this, too), find a few that you really love, that would be great for you personally. I am a firm believer in that a good MFA experience is not defined by rankings or selectivity, but by how well you and your school and profs mesh. The experience is what you make it (that goes for everyone), and to get the most out of it, you need a school that's gonna fit your exact needs. You + your school should "complete" each other. In that Jerry Maguire way. That's the true key to success in a program... at least, I believe.
This goes for Ink and Beans and K, too, where appropriate. AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, all three of you: THERE IS STILL HOPE! Look at all the people (Laura T is the best example) who have been FREAKING OUT/CRAZY-DOWN ON THEMSELVES, and then *literally* the next day: Accepted!!! Laura T got THREE within two days! (YEAH! MY GIRL LAURA T! WOOO!) Keep the hope, guys. It's good to have a realistic expectations, but here: I gotta say I think you're leaning on the pessimistic side. (As am I, but I'm trying to keep the faith... I know how hard it is!)
Anyway. This is a huge post. Eeek. Just so you know, I'm pulling for you all. Imagine a 5'3", 110 lb weakling bear-hugging you... instead of this lame internet *hug*. I look much weaker than I actually am. I'm "feisty," or so they say. Kay. That's all.
I'm interested in hearing what people have to say about this: a committee feeling they have nothing to offer an applicant because his or her work is highly polished.
I guess, to me, it would seem that no matter what degree of polish our work has, how far along we've come as writers on our own, the faculty members at these schools would still be able to teach us something, or offer incite all the richer given their extensive experience and skill.
I didn't apply to Brown. Even if I were accepted, I probably wouldn't mesh well with the whole "avante garde" crowd. Besides, I don't look good in a beret.
I wonder a little about this idea of "most competitive year ever." Sure, applications are way up, but do we really think that means there is a higher number of awesome writing samples?
I disagree about sending work that is too polished. What is TOO POLISHED? What NEEDS MORE WORK? These are going to be different things to different people depending on where an applicant is in their writing and reading life (Applicants come from a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels from already having an agent to just staring out). I think the general advice is to send your best work NOT send work that you know needs more work.
I applied to Houston for fiction. I would absolutely love to go. However, it is in *Houston*, which I've been told is one of the most hellaciously awful cities in the country. That probably frightened some people. But I figure, there's something good and interesting about any city, even the outwardly terrible ones, so I can make do. (I'm also in at Montana, btw, what genre are you?)
I didn't apply to Houston because I currently live in Texas and am ready to leave. That said, I like Houston - lots of good theater, great food and dog parks galore. That said, if you can make it through August, you can make it through anything.
I also applied to Houston, in poetry. I almost didn't apply, because I thought the program was beginning to fall off, but did so at the urging of one of my recommenders.
It's moved up substantially on my list now that I'm privy to all this new shit, to use the parlance of our times.
now if i can just get some kind of contact from george mason, i'll know (for sure, though i'm about 99% positive of it already) if i'll be doing this again next year.
Mostly been lurking here, but your comment about Houston calls for an intervention. As a houstonian, I'll tell you this: houston gets a bad rap, but it really is a very diverse, cultural city, with little pockets of every attitude you could hope to find. It IS hot, and it IS humid, especially in the summer, but winter is PERFECT.
UH campus...well...it's not great...but it's only a short hop from a lot of really fun areas.
Congratulations to all getting good news, and hold on to hope to all who haven't! This is like a big game of bingo.
Once in a while, I like to read the text on U of Oregon's CW page--their severe warning about contacting the program always kind of makes me giggle a little! (In fear.)
I won't contact you at all, Oregon! Just send me a happy letter!
Also, did anyone hear from Notre Dame yesterday?
I hate when rumors (that I help spread) aren't true!
I miss trading writing samples. There is so much talent on this board! If anyone wants to swap me (fiction or poetry or CNF!) I'll be twiddling my thumbs--
That's kind of what I figured. To be honest, I've never been to a city I didn't like -- there's something to like about almost everywhere -- and a city as big as Houston has to contain more than just oil refineries and cement (how it's been painted to me in the past). And coming from Minnesota via Boston, the phrase "perfect winter" sends little thrills of joy down my spine.
However, I don't want to start liking Houston unless they accept me -- if I'm denied I want to keep my pocket of bitterness.
Those stereotypes are, in some sense, fair. We do have oil refineries, but they are an hour outside of town in a place you would never, ever, go. Houston is surprisingly green. Lots of big roads, lots of highways, but otherwise, pretty nice. It is what you make of it.
@ WT: I was offering this only as a consideration for phillywriter, because he specifically said how much all of his work he submitted had been workshopped, had won awards, etc. In the slim chance that he doesn't get in somewhere, it seems like something that could be worth considering: possibly sending newer work that hadn't been gone through with as fine-toothed of a comb. I'm not suggesting that all work should be sent in unedited and bad. This was also advice which I took from conversations between current grad students and their faculty on adcomms, and it perhaps applies differently for fiction applicants than poetry applicants.
@ weighswithwords: I don't necessarily think there is a right or wrong answer to the point I raised, just something to consider. I do think, however, that most faculty members are just as prone to considering what they have to offer as we are. Getting an MFA is not an award you get for being the best. It's a program where presumably good writers are working to become their best and develop work they're proud of. I can totally see being on an adcomm and being faced with an applicant that makes everyone at the table go, "well he's incredible. i got nothin'."
@ Austin: Wait, why do you hate Memphis? Just hated growing up there or hate in general? It's one of the schools I've been accepted to and am considering.
After the Brown rejection, I got into Wayne State's PhD program. No funding the first year. I already have two other offers from MFA programs with funding, so I won't be attending (but it was nice after getting the thumbs down from my top choice =) )
& Congrats to the Brown Wait-list. Nice job! Good Luck!
While I appreciate your attempt to restore my bruised ego, I think Arna is proof that strong, polished work earns admission to great MFA programs. I read Arna's story, and it's brilliant. His admission into the top programs is not a fluke.
I just have to keep believing that there are many, many talented writers who will be rejected by MFA programs this year. I'd love it if Seth would weigh in on the "send-your-strongest-work" versus "send-strong-work-that-you-think-needs-improvement" argument, though.
I didn't apply to Houston because of the location. I could imagine a few years in the Florida swamps, but couldn't picture spending any time in humid, oil refinery country.
@ weightswithwords (and others) - I think there's something to be said for sending work that's not entirely "polished" - whatever that may mean. I'm not an expert by any means, but when Michigan called, the woman I talked to said they liked my sample because it was "inventive and imaginative." She said that after reading hundreds of samples it stuck out as original and refreshing. I don't mean for that to make anyone feel bad, or to trumpet my own horn, but I wanted to bring it up just to say that they weren't impressed that it was "polished" or "logically organized" or anything like that. One of the stories I sent was odd, and I got really mixed feedback from profs, but I knew it was the direction I was headed as a writer.
If the sample had been more "polished", perhaps I'd be sitting on more acceptances - there's no way to know. But I just wanted to say, from here in wintery Montana: there really is more than one way to skin a cat.
Seriously, I wouldn't know if my work appears polished or unpolished. Often, when reading works by famous authors, I'd find something to whine about, like, "Jee whiz, Carson McCullers, that sentence was awkward" or "Golly, Bill Faulkner, that second chapter of The Sound and the Fury was plain gibberish."
Most of my works have been workshopped. Some looks pristine and others look dirty. A year later, they switch places; the ones that looked clean are now dirty and the ones that were dirty are now clean.
The advice to send work out that is not polished doesn't appear to be a workable or practical advice, to me that is.
During my junior year in high school, I was convinced Brown was my top choice. Strong liberal arts program, interesting study body, the option of having no grades... perfection. And then I visited--and absolutely detested Providence. I didn't even end up applying.
For all of those who got that rejection letter and have never been to Providence... perhaps if you had visited, you wouldn't feel so bad!
I applied to Houston (in poetry) because I want to go to spring break in Mexico. ha.
@Amanda
Just a general reply to your Memphis question--I really like it. It's really hot in the summer and takes a very long time to drive anywhere 'cause it's so spread out, but there are so many things to do and places to see.
@phillywriter - I appreciate your heartfelt "rant." It was actually a worthwhile post to read. I have no words of encouragement or sympathy to offer because they won't do you right. All I want to say is: I really loved your post.
@ the hobo bobo - I remember awhile back Arna saying his story was published in the Bat City Review. I don't know how to do a fancy link, but it's here: http://www.batcityreview.la.utexas.edu/
That's the story he's sending to people as well, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps we can band together and sell out that issue.
I do think that it directly follows that if there are more applications that there are more great samples. I have a problem with the theory that those responsible for the spike this year are of a lower quality than those of us who would have applied anyway. A lot of established writers and people out of school for a while who have been hit by the economy and starting to want to go back to school. I suspect this is where most of the additional applications come from, though recent grads who don't want to face the job market right now surely make up for some of it as well. I think these writing samples are likely at about the same level as the rest. It seems to me that applications in general are up be up by roughly 50%, with some schools seeing 100% or more increases. So if there used to 200 applications with 40 great samples, there might now be 300 applications, and I'd suspect that number will climb to 60 great samples. Obviously some of those will be cute pretty quickly to take those numbers down. In fact, I remember a school or two coming out to say that not only did they receive more applications, but they received higher quality applications overall. If anybody remembers the specifics, let me know.
In conclusion: mehhh this year sucks, but NOBODY GIVE UP, I pretty had and TADA all it takes is twenty seconds for this to turn around.
ahh, see, arna is sending people a published story, not new material. my whole point in the sharing-sample issue is that it's not smart to email random people unpublished work. that's all.
I haven't heard from Brown. Now, I've already gotten rejected (or assumed rejected) from Iowa, Michigan, UT, and Vandy, and waitlisted at UNCW. So I had already crossed Brown off my list. But now I haven't heard, and I can feel the hope swelling in me.... but I *know* it's more likely that they just didn't get my application or there's another rejection email blast going out later or my application wasn't complete and was therefore wasn't considered.... whatever. But this little smidge of hope is driving me nuts! Someone extinguish it, now!
Please! I'm begging you! LOGICALLY THERE IS SOME EXPLANATION. BUT WHAT IS IT? ::muffled cry:: (I'm in my cubicle)
Whether schools are just saying "this year we've had our largest and strongest applicant pool" to soften rejections or trump up acceptances I don't know - but lots of schools have either said or written things to this effect in letter or emails.
I'd echo what others have said about not giving up hope yet. And I'd say, too, that if for any reason things don't work out I bet DH would damn near make it their personal mission to get you in somewhere (or many-wheres) next year, having read your story here. Whatever you decide, if you do end up applying next year -- and personally I'm still not at all convinced that will be necessary! -- I'd be thrilled to work with you on your application list. As you probably know, that's my specialty (though FWIW, those I worked with re: their poetry portfolios are also finding now that the process was well worth it).
Keep your chin up -- and, to answer your question, always send your best work. That won't always be the work you've published, or your most "glossed" (polished-craft) work -- but simply your best. Sometimes that's hard to judge, which is why I believe in an idea like DH. Chris Leslie-Hynan alone has read hundreds of Iowa Writers' Workshop applications and knows what it takes to impress an MFA admissions committee. And for my part, I've worked as an editor for four different national literary magazines, so I know what gets one's work noticed by editors. And it ain't merely polish, I can tell you that. Spark, too. And balls. And surprise. And ingenuity. Etcetera.
Gaaaaah. I'm a long time lurker. I might as well say that I just got waitlisted by Brown. I should be happy, but I know that I turned in a shitty writing sample, and I think if I turned in a better one, one that included a pretty decent story of mine, then I might be in, anyway I wouldn't have this doubt gnawing on my mind.
I also might as well say I'm in at ND. I got this message though awhile ago. I still have to wait about a fellowship.
Here is my list: (Fiction)
Iowa Brown (waitlist) Notre Dame (accepted) U Arizona Florida
You're absolutely right -- absent some specific, articulable reason why new MFA applicants would be of a catetgorically lower quality than those from years previous, it is a statistical fact that more applications means more high-quality applications and stronger incoming cohorts.
2011 national poetry rankings are now up at TSE. They will be updated regularly and will be locked in as the "official" national rankings (for Poets & Writers) sometime in the next few months (the "N" will be much larger by then, too, of course).
I received that same email about the TA interview. You are making me so nervous with your acceptance at Mankato! I'm in fiction, not CNF... but I hope I get some good news!
Congratulations on your acceptance at Ohio State, too.
I grew up there. I was saying it in comparison to Houston as being hot and crime-ridden. Memphis is hotter than Paris in summer-time, generally with a heat index of about 112. And humid. But once you get used to it, its good. You might get robbed ( I did a couple times growing up) but whatever. You could get robbed anywhere. I have several friends in the MFA there. They like it quite a bit. If you can, speak with Jonathan May (a 2nd year student there). He and I are very close, and he has used the program much to his advantage.
I can't imagine the statistical likelihood of applications going up 50% and not maintaining the same crap:mediocre:good:great:brilliant ratio. Unless applications were suddenly opened up to 10th graders (or some other specific event that would cause many people with poor samples to suddenly apply at once without having the same effect on people with great samples), I just don't see this happening.
i think the percentage of "good" applications probably stays the same from year to year. considering how few people get into these programs, i think the higher number of apps equals a place or two per program at the most.
On this topic of polished writing, I've already heard from one university complaining that I'd put a famous residency on my C.V., saying that "it wouldn't go down well with many committees" given that it was linked to professional-stage writing - this university subsequently rejected me. As did Michener and Brown.
In at The Iowa Writers' Workshop and Rutgers though, with Virginia left to run. Interesting, all of my applications had a mix of development-arc poetry from 2008-2010, with an incomplete poem to start the package, so it really is a crapshoot about how polished my writing may or may not be, and how that influenced committees.
My opinion is that my poetry needs serious work, but that I have an idea of my mature voice that I feel would be able to be projected by someone reading the poems. Did they not believe me? Could they not see it? Who cares really? My responsibility to my poetry and my development does not change from any rejection - I respect those decisions, but any defiance of their conclusions will be incidental, and a rejection is no use to me.
Importantly, I can't say I personally wouldn't have rejected certain poets at points in their twenties based on their projections, and what they could produce manuscript-wise during a 2-year course: I'd have turned down Plath at 24, but not at 26-27; Crane at 23, but not at 27; Heaney at "Death of the Naturalist" 27, but not 30; hell, I would have even turned down Shakespeare at 24 (and taken Marlowe, despite his discipline problems), so I don't complain about committees, as there's bound to be "mistakes" made, or at least contradictory calls about development arcs based on degrees of polish and potential, and, as I said, the manuscript you'd be producing at the end of your two years.
The point is that there's plenty of scope to be had between rejections now and your fulfilled work later, and, significantly, it can work both ways: the fall-off arc that'll take place in some poets accepted now will be catastrophic, and I often think MFA committees should be more interested in applicants' responses to what a poet's style leaves in reserve for their 30s and 40s.
for all those who were rejected from brown: bummer! i didn't even apply (self-doubt strikes again!) even though the program looks amazing. but as my wise gram says, "what will be, will be," "everything happens for a reason," and.. my personal favorite.. "DON'T LET ANYONE SHIT ON YOU."
i think we can all learn a thing or two from that last sentiment.
I'd like to email you my list of schools, but I can't find your email address on the Suburban Ecstasies. Feel free to shoot me an email at lauramariepizzo at gmail dot com, and I'll respond with my list.
This is the thing - my committee method would be to match sure we were getting writers who could be projected to hit a mature voice during the MFA course, and produce a manuscript, even in draft, that would be developed with enough MFA overlap to become a mature work - I don't believe in preparatory volumes that pad out the move from a developing voice to the first sustained mature work. This is precisely the reason I have not published anything.
As such, I have quite an extreme view: I'm not convinced that programs can claim success without that substantial overlap between the MFA and a poet's first mature work, which, for example, would not have been the case with Plath's "The Colossus", or, more clearly, Crane's "White Buildings" - there wouldn't have been much point claiming the kind of grooming that produced those works.
glad to see the post about 11,000 rejections removed because the guy who wrote that blog, jacob m. appel, has been published in every literary journal in the world. yes, every one.
I also applied to Houston in poetry--looked like an amazing program to me, and I've heard great things about the city even if the summers suck. I've heard it's a city that is great if you know where to go. Also I'm a total nerd and there's a NASA base in Houston. That means I could be friends with a real live astronaut! Or at least see them on the street. Ok. Nerdiness done.
Also congrats on Maryland! I applied there too, but, I guess unless my mail is really slow, no more hope for me. I am from Maryland though, so it will be nice to get away, if I end up getting in anywhere!
This is what I know. All the faculty members on the committee read all the samples. And, to my knowledge, they are all finished. I think they had something like 150apps- for 15+ positions. I'm guessing acceptances will be notified soon. If you have other questions about the program--shoot me your email on here and I'll tell you what I know.
I believe your question can in part be answered by what the Iowa Writers' Workshop states on its website: "The fact that the Workshop can claim as alumni nationally and internationally prominent poets, novelists, and short story writers is, we believe, more the result of what they brought here than of what they gained from us. We continue to look for the most promising talent in the country, in our conviction that writing cannot be taught but that writers can be encouraged."
But perhaps it goes to show that it took THAT many rejections for Appel to get all those publications (although that number seems like a bit of an exaggeration). If he submitted to the advised 10-20 journals per story, I can definitely see him raking in quite a few rejections.
British Columbia: rejected Brown: rejected NYU San Francisco State Alabama (assumed rejection) UNCW: rejected Sarah Lawrence Stony Brook Southampton: missing recommendation... Virginia Commonwealth West Virginia Texas State: (assumed rejection?) Boise State The New School (assumed rejection?) MSU Mankato (TA interview scheduled... assumed acceptance?!) U of San (bombed the phone interview) Old Dominion (missing 1 of 3 transcripts; resent it yesterday) Bowling Green Eastern Washington (assumed rejection) MSU Moorhead McNeese State (waitlisted)
Today is the day I go crazy trying to figure out what this Mankato situation is like. Does the TA interview mean that I'm accepted and funding is questionable? I don't care about funding! I do want teaching experience, but funding isn't a condition of my acceptance. I'd be thrilled with a Mankato acceptance; they're actually one of my top programs. I've liked them from the start.
Thanks for weighing in Seth. But even though this is the same advice Tom emphasizes in the book (i.e. sending your best work) I do seem to remember him mentioning that selection committees will occasionally reject an applicant because they feel they have nothing to teach them, the implication being (I presume) that their work is advanced enough that the writer wouldn't benefit as much as some of his talented but greener counterparts?
I have two questions:
1) Is there really ANY truth to this? It almost seems like a silly fantasy conjured up to cope with rejection.
2) If it is true, wouldn't the school feel compelled -- if not to encourage a talented artist than at least out of common decency -- to contact the applicant to alert them of the remarkable nature of their rejection, that in fact the selection committee found their too good?
I imagine that scenario must have occurred, on extremely rare occasions. But I also would guess that if you need to wonder whether that was the case for your application, then it almost certainly wasn't.
E.g. (entirely speculative): Say Brown decides to reject Arna, then he could surmise that he's not the kind of student they feel like they want to educate. But he knows very well that his sample is excellent, given the feedback from other (perhaps more opportunistic) schools.
I too would love to learn about others blogs, and possibly trade links with you. If I get nothing out of this experience I would love to at least expand my blogosphere network.
...and yes, I write about CW and related themes, as well as more asinine topics like the Jersey Shore reality show which, go figure, gets me the most traffic by far.
Another popular post is my endorsement of the Michener Center, which I wrote last year and has been read by thousands of people. In fact, if you google "best mfa" I'm usually the second or third hit. Apparently this free publicity earned me no brownie points with Austin's program, since I was among their earliest rejections.
i'm guessing the writing department at brown has less power than other schools (like the IWW). meaning, if your writing is wonderful but your academic record isn't excellent, then the grad school won't consider (or approve) your application.
Waitlisted for the Mizzou phd (poetry) this morning via email.
@cecil: I was the one waitlisted for Iowa fiction via snail mail yesterday. The letter said I was on a "very short waiting list." Does that mean 1? 5? Who knows...
Well, waitlists from my two top choices, so there's a glimmer of hope...
Congrats to the one who got in at Mankato State. Small town southern Minnesota is actually a great place to be. I never lived in Mankato, but lived in nearby towns for 5 years, and found them surprisingly cool. I don't just mean the ambient temperature of the atmosphere, either. Though also that.
I applied to Houston in Fiction, for some good reasons and some bad reasons. Example of a good reason: I like their connection with the Writers in the Schools program. Bad reason: I heard they were one of the few schools that got as many (or more) poetry applications as fiction, and thought that gave me a better chance of acceptance.
PS, as to Houston the place (I lived in Dallas for a while, visited Houston a few times)-- It's sprawling, but things are happening there, if you've got the car to get to them.
@coreyann - SO, i called the English department at Brooklyn and asked if all of the acceptances for the fiction MFA have been sent out. The (pretty nice!) lady said I would have to check with Helen, who won't be in until 1 on Monday.
Helen, you better be expecting a flood of phone calls at 1 on Monday!
But seriously, I just wanted to know one way or the other. Here's to another weekend of worrying.
I did apply for a TAship and it sounded like they were still figuring out funding. I got the email at about 10am. Someone on Driftless house posted that she was accepted for CNF and got a call about interviewing for a TAship.
Just got my Brown Fiction MFA rejection letter in my Brown university undergrad e-mail account. After a while I just started laughing at the irony... I've taken a few fiction writing workshops Freshman year in the Lit department, so the prof's who went through my app and declined it probably know my face and name which made me laugh even further for some reason.
I guess I won't get to live in Providence anymore, I'm going to miss the professors and friends I've gotten to know over time here.
I'm still waiting on UC Irvine, NYU and Columbia. Is it normal for them to not notify this late, esp. since UC Irvine fiction deadline is December 1st? I'm debating whether to email and ask what's up.
Wait-listed at George Mason University for CNF!!!! I called to ask where they're at, and they put me on hold for a while, then came back and told me I was WAITLISTED! I'm dying! I'm midway down on the list, and forgot to ask how many people were on it, but WOO! I was told I'd get an email about it soon. So, folks, don't lose hope!! I assumed rejection this entire week! But no!
I was wondering if anyone could chime in who knows what it is like to live in Louisiana? I am in at McNeese, and just wondered about where I might possibly be living for a couple of years.....
Anyways, my list (in poetry)
McNeese-Accepted
No Word:
Columbia Columbia College Brooklyn Hunter S Connecticut Cleveland State U of Baltimore
I wonder if they're interviewing everyone who applied for a TA or just those who were accepted into grad programs? My interview isn't until after their Spring Break... I don't want to spend the next week in limbo!
Huge congratulations to you and the other Mankato acceptances.
@Jason J
U of San (Francisco, what a weird typo I made!) interview was before the application deadline. I spoke with one of the writing faculty before they'd even looked at my manuscript. I haven't heard a peep from them beyond "Got your $$ and stuff, thanks"
And in other news:
Got my Alabama rejection in the mail. What an awful letter!
I am a devoted HP fan. I bought the sixth book the second it came out, and finished it several hours later. By the time I got to the end, I was thoroughly PISSED. It took her HOW MANY 100S OF PAGES TO *spoiler alert* TELL US THAT DUMBLEDORE DIES? I bought the last book in the series, like any faithful fan, but didn't read it until a year later because I was OVER IT.
I'M OVER YOU, TOO, BROWN! puh.
Now, I've moved on to people who love me as much as I love them. Western Michigan tried to call me today but my phone is kaput because I drowned it. Did get an email though, they still have to figure out some budgetary issues and then they said they'll get in contact with me again. Very nice people from the email I received. <3
Congrats to everyone on all of their acceptances/waitlists!
Your "PSDS" Providence accent joke made me crack up. I live in Rhode Island, about 20 minutes outside of Providence, and it is SO TRUE.
I'm sorry to hear about all of these Brown rejections. I didn't apply there only because I have lived in RI my whole life and am longing to move somewhere else!
To cheer up those rejected by Brown, here are some annoying things about Rhode Island, that you won't have to deal with now! Other than "PSDS," there are all sort of annoying quirks of the RI accent, such as the letter R removed from words where it belongs and placed in words where it certainly doesn't belong; Providence is so small that you could probably run out of fun new things to do within six months of living there; last I checked, RI has the highest unemployment rate in the country and the state is completely broke; numerous other states like to use RI as a unit of measurement (ex., "that ranch in Texas is as big as Rhode Island!"); when you tell people from other countries or even sometimes other states where you are from, they will quite probably think that Rhode Island is in New York, possibly a part of Long Island.
So I rarely post, but I feel compelled to tell the Texas State people that San Marcos is one great place to be. I lived there about five years ago, and once you get off the highway (it's right between Austin and San Antonio on I 35), it's just such a cool little town with some really quirky, interesting, creative people. It does have a reputation as a party school, so you're going to run into some wasted 18 year olds, but you're also going to run into wasted Willie Nelson types, and wasted Dude from Big Lebowski types. Because everybody's creative, you're not always going to get the best service at restaurants or bars (your server is always a musician, actor, or writer first) but the bars and restaurants make up for it. The river that runs through the town is clear and cold, and when the summer is unbearable you can tube down it in an hour or two, and then grab a beer at River Pub or walk back through the park and start over. Family circumstances prevented me from applying to Texas State, but I think anybody that ends up attending is really going to like the town. (Not to mention all the great things about the program itself...)
A question for those of all you fiction applicants out there:
For your writing sample, did you send in just short stories, just a novel excerpt, or a combination of both? Is it better to have a combination, to prove you can do both? Just wondering...I only sent out a novel excerpt, and am now current sitting with a silent phone, empty mailbox and the pessismistic but very realistic notion that I'm going to get to repeat this whole lovely process next year. Is it better to diverisfy one's portfolio, so to speak, or stick with one form? Any thoughts?
ahh, but @Laura T don't forget about those wondrous Rhode Island things like clam cakes, Del's, Awful Awfuls (ESPECIALLY AWFUL AWFULS), RI-style clam chowder, dough boys, the calamari with peppers, mmm the list could go on (my boyfriend's family is from outside of Providence, too, and I am mildly obsessed with Rhode Island-isms and culture.. and apparently food)
as for that "R" thing, this is my favorite example. I have a friend named Ama (pronounced Ah-ma). Rhode Islanders pronounce it "Ah-mar" yet when they pronounce the word armor, they say "ah-ma" :)
fun fact: Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Italian Americans at a whopping 19 percent.
@ Folk accepted to Idaho---are any of you planning on going? I believe there are at least two of you on this blog. I was thinking about visiting and realized the nearest airport is two hours away. Moscow, ID...who would have thought.
@everyone who applied to Alabama--I checked my mail today hoping for the rejection letter which has not come. Why hasn't it come?
@Writer with a neighbor at Columbia--can you ask him when they are going to finish their application process. Sigh.
@Seth for your data:
I applied to:
University of TN MA (accepted) University of Idaho (accepted) University of Alabama (presumed rejection) Ole Miss University of Arkansas University of Georgia University of South Carolina LSU FSU
@Red Micky I am in exactly the same boat as you. I sent a novel excerpt (most because I don't have a complete polished short story since my profs end to complain that they read like beginnings of novels) and I am getting pretty much silence from the places I applied. I don't know what the general theory/rule of thumb is, but I intend to write longer works so that is what I submitted.
Thank you for not being shitty. Today is a gorgeous St Louis day. Though I still have 8 schools left to hear from, I'm feeling good and not as anxious because the sun is out, the temperature is up, and the birds hopping around the Starbucks parking lot bitching over some French fries.
I sent out a full short story, novel/novella/longer doodad excerpt, and two pieces of flash. I was most worried about how the flash would be received, but they're the only items I've had published so I threw them into the mix.
Boston University is one of the only programs I know of that states a preference, and they recommend sending in two short stories about 10-20 pages in length (I applied there and nothing I sent fit that criteria, so we'll see how that goes)...
Mostly, though, I wasn't aiming for variety so much as trying to showcase my best work and current direction.
My current tally is one acceptance, one waitlist, one rejection, which evens itself out pretty well. Waiting on 6 more...
This morning I got up and before clicking on my Gmail, I said aloud, "Come on, good email, come on good email!" And lo and behold, I found an acceptance to Minnesota State @ Mankato (fiction) waiting for me! Woot!
I figure we can add this to MB Wells' strategy of a despondent post shortly followed by an acceptance from that exact program.
@ Ian and other Mankato people
My email said they hadn't made TA decisions yet and included links to other positions I can apply for at the university. I am super jealous that you have an interview! Good luck with it. I am dying to get a TA spot.
@ Lauren
I'm an Idaho acceptee and I would love to attend the program if I can get off the waitlist for a TA. What about you?
I sent in 25 pages of the beginning of my novel. The first time I went through this I went with short stories, but that was four years ago and my working needed a lot of work (as it does today, but in a different way). I guess I went with the novel this time because I wanted to show them the promise of a finished product. I wonder what the stats are at the end of the programs: more short story volumes or more novels.
@Seth...do you think that a novel excerpt or a short story collection is a better way to go. From having read a lot of both, I find that they are very different arts and that there are those who write novels well and those that write short stories well and then there are some lucky people who write both well.
Do you think they have a greater desire for a novel writer vs. a short story writer?
On the subject of Plan B's--I'm looking at conferences. does anyone know much about the Wesleyan Writers conference? Any experiences you can tell me about? It fits my work schedule, and the price isn't too bad, but I'd love to hear any feedback, rumors, hearsay, whatever... :)
Well ok, those RI things are kind of awesome. Especially Del's, and dough boys.
That's so funny about your friend's name. I think my favorite example of the misplaced R phenomenon comes from a science teacher I had in middle school. When telling us to write something in our planners, he would say: "I have an idear, take our your agenders!" Also the ever popular question when people can't remember where they left their cars: "Where'd ya pahk the cah?" And can't forget that "Rhode Islander" is pronounced as "Rho-Dilandah," haha.
@Laura T oh yes the Rho Dilandah! Someday, I will infiltrate the peoples of the not-an-actual-island state and use my knowledge and supreme pronunciation skills to trick them into thinking I'm a born and bred Rho Dilandah!
Erm, maybe when the gods shine down on me next year and get me admitted to Brown? Yes? Please?
Lauren T, I got some interesting info on one of the schools your in. Be warned, it's not exactly great news, but it explains some things. Drop me a line: mangercratie(at)gmail(dot)com --Cratty
Yeah I like what I have seen and had a chance to talk to Daniel O. who called me the other day and said he liked the beginning of my novel. I am in at Tennessee for the MA program.
It looks beautiful there and it is a three year program. I think I will end up going into debt since I am on the waitlist and I believe a bit higher up than you. Did you speak to anyone there?
I don't know what you think about rankings, but what do you think the likelihood is that the people who got in and got TAships also got excepted to schools that are higher up and also got higher funding? I guess in terms of funding that's the only way I can move up. I really want to work at a lit mag too and the Fugue looks pretty cool. Anyway, keep me posted.
Hey folks, I have a question. If your email is, say:
johnsmith@gmail.com
why do most (if not all) of you write it down as:
johnsmith(at)gmail(dot)com
??
It seems like a big bother to elongate something that was shortened for our convenience. What gives? Am I missing something here? Sorry for being stupid.
@Antalya Your comments make me really excited that I got into Texas State! I have been hearing wonderful things about San Marcos and after living in a small town (Corpus Christi), I am excited to get out. Unlike most, I actually enjoy Texas. I like the down to earth people and the lack of pretentiousness that seems to pervade more "liberal" cities and states. San Marcos seems to be a good balance of progressive and small-town compared to cities like Austin that are insufferable hipster havens.
and @ J.R. Andrews Congrats on Texas State! Their phone call made me jump up and down all excited like.
Because John Smith just got picked up by a couple of spiders combing the Web for e-mail addresses, and has now been added to half a dozen spam lists. But maybe herbal penis enlargement is just what he needed.
@woon because people write programs that go scan the internet for phrases like ___@___.com and add them to a list which is sold to spammers. So if you write your e-mail address in a non-conventional way, your odds of getting e-mails about increasing your pork poker decrease significantly.
I am fried to a crisp after the GREs but I'm reasonably ok with the scores. A respectable 690 verbal and 610 quantitative. I hope those are good enough for the program. I will be interested to see what I get for the writing. Those of you who have taken it ... How long did it take for you to get official scores?
Now as long as they get to SUNY Albany by April 1, they'll consider me. Nothing like pulling a whole different Plan B out of thin air. LOL
2,504 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 2201 – 2400 of 2504 Newer› Newest»Glad I didn't apply to Brown (No CNF). Saves one rejection for me.
So does anyone else have a dry erase board on which they've written their schools? It sucks to erase Brown off it but there are so many that I am pretty sure I'm rejected from but haven't received official word. Good job Brown for letting everyone know at once.
@beating the dead horse of manuscript requests.
this is such an interesting debate to me. i have yet to get the nerve up to ask anyone for their sample, mostly because i'm afraid someone would ask for mine in return and i would suddenly become the laughingstock of the mfa blog. or, like, the adorable little mascot that everyone is glad to have around but no one really takes seriously. but, upon reading the myriad requests for the samples of folks -- like arna and trilbe, such big personalities here -- who have been accepted into some really prestigious and selective programs, i have never once read into that as jealousy, doubt, or skepticism on the part of the requester. if i were to request a submission sample, it would be simply to read one tiny little example of my fellow bloggers' work (many of whom i've become voyeuristically attached to over the past few months) and to get some inkling of an idea what certain schools and specific programs find intriguing. let's be careful about assuming the worst of folks here. to go straight to the dark side i think negates the overwhelming amount of support and admiration that has been flying around this site since its inception. writers can, and have, politely refused; they've offered up alternative places where their published work can be accessed; and in some cases they've happily, proudly traded samples with whomever has asked.
i'm waiting for a point to emerge, which hasn't yet. hmmm. maybe just something like "can't we all just get along?"
@Coughdrop, that's true. I appreciate not having a prolonged, painful wait.
I'll cross my fingers for everyone who hasn't heard, yet. I hope some peeps from the blog get in!
oh BROWN. but I appreciate the upfront notice.
Any scoop on NYU?
Brown rejection. Congrats to whoever got in. _Outstanding_ poetry program.
No further adventures with CD Wright for me either : (
Down with Brown as well.
Brown rejection. C.D. Wright, I suppose it was never meant to be...
Miss Private Eye
I actually feel pretty good about it, like, thanks for telling me upfront Brown, and not letting the waiting drag on for weeks/months.
I'm REALLY glad they just pulled the bandaid off though, unlike so many other programs.
Alright, how about you, NYU? Want to break my heart, too???
did someone post last night about being placed on a wait list at iowa? maybe my ambien had kicked in and i was just seeing things.
Yes, I think they did. A short list has been drawn up. I'm away from home and my mail - have been all week - can't wait to check out all those rejections tomorrow!
Bye bye Brown, good luck now! That's your lot, dead, finished, kaput, .co.uk!
JOKES!!
Who want's Brown anyway! I do!
Always next year!
My list for poetry
Michigan (rejected)
UT Austin (rejected)
Minnesota (waitlisted/declined)
Montana (Accepted)
Maryland (Accepted)
Tennessee MA (Accepted/full funding)
U Houston
UNCG
Trilbe,
Thanks! I love how you ALWAYS manage to congraulate everybody in bold letters, while I'm over here missing some acceptances but trying to remember everybody! You're got the organization down. Enjoy your tall, tall boys. :)
I am yet another Brown reject. Brown is the only school on my list that I never even entertained the possibility of getting into. I'm not sure what I paid $75 for... maybe just the dream! :) I'm really okay with this one. Byebye, Brown...
If anyone else has "waiting for final grad review" it just means that the department has made a decision and the grad school is going to post said decision soon...sigh...so could be good or could be bad...if anyone else was wondering about UNH and saw that. Not getting my hopes up just yet...but we all should know soon!
HEY, SCHOOLS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq1Hu9gdIIM
@Seth (and others who are curious)
I'm finally posting my list of 24 (yes, 24) schools to which I've applied in fiction, and from which I've heard no good news so far:
Brown - rejected
Texas - rejected
WUSTL - rejected
Wisconsin - rejected
Syracuse - rejected
Alabama - presumed rejection
Michigan - presumed rejection
Minnesota - presumed rejection
Indiana - presumed rejection
Cornell - presumed rejection
Ohio State - presumed rejection
Virginia Tech - presumed rejection
Vanderbilt - presumed rejection
Purdue - presumed rejection
Iowa - trying not to presume a rejection, but hope is fading fast
Hunter
Brooklyn
LSU
University of Florida
University of Virginia
Johns Hopkins
NYU
Columbia (even though I don't know how I could afford it)
University of Oregon
I know I applied to very competitive programs, but I thought that by applying to 24 I'd come out OK in this subjective process. I did lots of research into my programs, read the MFA Handbook, planned the application process out for a long period of time, and worked hard for months on all my application materials. Most of the writing in my sample has been published, all of it has been workshopped extensively, and I truly felt it was my strongest work. I've been out of school for 8 years, always with the intention of getting my MFA, and I've been in writing workshops and working with mentors this entire time. I have a nice list of publication credits in halfway-decent lit mags and a couple fairly prestigious awards. I majored in English with a Creative Writing concentration at a very good school, with a high GPA, and I did very well on the GREs.
Yet here I am with not a single positive word from any of my 24 schools.
I say this just to let you all know how crazy this selection process is. I know my writing doesn't suck; I've had plenty of external validation. I excel in the objective criteria (GPA, GRE), and I spent months working on my SOPs.
Sorry for this really long post, which has been boiling up inside me for weeks now. I've waited 8 years to apply to MFA programs because I wanted my writing to get stronger, to gain life experience, to get more feedback on my work, and even have a few publication credits as evidence that I'm on the right track. I've done all that. I decided that the timing is finally right, and I only wanted to do this application process once, so I put everything into it and applied to 24 schools. And it's increasingly looking like I'll be doing this all over again next year.
The one thing I'd do differently, besides adding a few less competitive programs to the list, is have ALC/DH look at my sample and SOP. That's the only thing I can think of that I didn't do, even though I had plenty of people (including someone who's a professor in an MFA program) review it all and provide valuable feedback. But perhaps ALC/DH could give me that extra insight that I'm somehow missing. I don't know.
This is devastating. But no matter what, I'm going to keep on writing and I'll just keep applying until I get in.
Sorry again for the long post; it's clearly been festering for a while. As tends to happen with dreams deferred.
@Miss Parker
Thanks for the heads up. It's still purgatory but at least it sounds like there's some forward momentum. Just tell us already!!
I think I just realized that Brown was my top choice. Oh, the joys of unrequited love. So much for working with Carole Maso..
Good luck to everyone on here! Hope somebody gets some good news from RI.
@Victoria Schwab
Are you in poetry or fiction? How did you hear?
Fiction. I emailed to ask.
Count me among the Brown rejected. Much as I appreciate their synchronous delivery of all rejections, opening the email and having to click the link, then another, was still enough delay to stack the anticipation, no?
If I were on a selection committee, and especially mischievous, I might send a link to a 3-D labyrinth the applicant must navigate in order to reveal the school's decision. Or, if the answer was coming by snail mail, I might send an encrypted letter accompanied by a decoder ring.
The last line would read: "We're sorry for the disappointment this may bring you, but if nothing else, consider this a complimentary lesson in how to build suspense. Good luck!"
@ emma - it makes sense that Florida's calling to get to know applicants better. For whatever reason I couldn't come up with that option in my head, and I kept thinking they were basically saying, "Will you go out with me - check yes or no. Unless my dream girl gets back to me, in which case - I'll let you know if I still like you in April."
Goodbye Hermione!
@ Wandering Tree
Aww, that's so sad!
@phillywriter
Wow. Here I am whining internally about all the hours and money I spent applying to nine schools, and how it increasingly looks like it may amount to zilch this year -- to say nothing of how these multiple rejections are insulting my sense of my skill as a writer. I too am 8 years out of school; I've written a novel in that time but had nothing published.
You really put things in perspective - given all your efforts and accomplishments this process clearly doesn't reflect your worth as a writer. The tone of your post is impressively restrained, considering.
I wish everyone in this forum the best of luck, but I think I shall reserve my strongest wish for you, that one of your remaining schools does the right thing. Either way, I promise that if you keep writing until you get in, I will too.
thanks triibe!
You guys! Aren't you amazed that more schools don't call to 'get to know the applicant' like Florida? I'm surprised by the TOTAL importance of the manuscript. I can imagine coming across a great writer who is also an existential nightmare of a person to deal with, so what happens when this nightmare person comes to your program and you, as the writer/instructor, hate working with him?
I would put this up on the MFA School Resolution whiteboard as something all programs should consider:
1. Get to know the applicant! (Call them up, duh!)
2. Don't send chunky manila envelope FOEs with housing info (Oregon)
3. Notify rejections in a timely and CONSISTENT manner (I'M STILL WAITING SYRACUSE)
4. Stop insulting our intelligence by acting like the MFA Blog doesn't exist (Iowa adcom: ya burnt!)
I'm sure there are more!
Dry Leaves,
So much for my small role in the next HP film as WanderingTree Wigglesworth, a feisty transfer student with a penchant for cheeky charms.
Brown rejection here as well! At least I can cross off Providence as a possible place of residence. Le sigh.. it's pretty in the fall too..
Trying saying "PSDS" really fast.
What are you saying? "Pierced ears" in a Providence accent.
Long time lurker, foolishly waiting to introduce myself on the heels of good news. But after Phillywriters much echoed rant, I wanted to share my frustrations. I too waited, workshopped, brought the good GRE, GPA, letters of rec, etc. I've had my work cheered on, not to the point of arrogance but I too felt this was the year I was ready to send my stories out (I'm fiction, btw, completed undergrad in English/Creative Writing 6 years ago).
So far here it is:
Brown - rejected
Syracuse - rejected
Texas (the big M) - rejected
Wisconsin - rejected
Michigan - presumed rejection
Cornell - presumed rejection
Minnesota - presumed rejection
UCI - presumed rejection
Iowa - ????
Hunter - hello out there?
Brooklyn - neighbor?
University of Virginia
NYU
Bennington
Being dumped 14 times is a shitty feeling. There's lots of bacon, wine, chocolate and cheese going on in these parts.
BIG CONGRATS to all those with good news! (Bigger congrats to those with good news and funding!)
And cyber-tequila shots to the rest of you in my rapidly sinking ship!
@phillywriter
Please don't be too disheartened - from my count, you still have nine schools that are total question marks for you. That's two more programs than I even applied to(!), so it's probably too early for you to consider this cycle a bust.
And I do think it's important to keep in mind that an MFA program isn't the only platform for becoming a writer. It sounds like you've been doing a lot of work on your own - and I imagine that your ultimate aim is to be published. If this is the case, then not going to an MFA program would only be a detour from your underlying goal, but not a definitive statement on whether you'll attain it.
I worked in marketing research for a short time, and if there's one valuable idea I took away from that mixed experience, it's that markets are generally segmented, i.e., the reading audience is far from homogeneous and there are plenty of niches out there we can all find if we keep working at our craft. Maybe MFA program writers represent all these markets well, but maybe they don't.
My point is, if you get into a program this year or next - phenomenal, the support of peers and mentors would certainly be a great thing. But if not, then perhaps this has no greater meaning than that certain niches aren't for everyone. (Still, because I embrace being a hypocrite, I hope we both get into MFA programs!! :)
@phillywriter: Don't give up hope just yet. There are still plenty of schools you're waiting to hear from. I'll be wishing you the best.
@ phillywriter
P.S. I'm not sure whether this is appropriate to even ask (and obviously you can say no), but might I have your permission to put your post on my blog? I talk a lot there about the experience of applying and I think that, regardless of whether you ultimately get accepted somewhere, this is such an amazing snapshot to help keep things in perspective for applicants.
Feel free to e-mail me at jamescooney20 at yahoo.
@Austin
Congratulations on Montana and Maryland! I know Stanley Plumly's the bomb. My top choice (for poetry) is UT Houston.
Final grad school notification today! Accepted at Minnesota State Mankato via e-mail about 20 minutes ago. No definitive word on funding, but I was contacted yesterday to interview for a TA position.
My list for CNF:
OSU - accepted
Mankato - accepted
Minnesota - rejected
I hope everyone else gets some good news today, too!
Speaking of blogs, who all has blogs here? Send me links: emily dot ecm at gmail dot com. I've been thinking of starting my own. Are your blogs CW-related or something else entirely different?
@everyone
UC-Irvine
So far there's only been one reported acceptance from Irvine, no? Anyone else hear anything?
Portland State
Any info on response times/expectations from cloudy PDX? I think someone in the program chimed in to discuss faculty, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps (s)he has some more info.
Heads up, team! It's not over yet..
@Trilbe-loved your post on Arna's work
@everyone else--Arna's work is amazing. Period.
@Arna-again, thanks so much for your generosity and good luck wherever you decide to land!
Re: UNH
I just spoke with the graduate administrator in the English Department. She said I made it to the "final cut" of applications and that admission decisions would be made on March 9th.
The first decent news I've heard.
Congratulations to everyone who has been admitted.
@cecil peoples-yes, someone did post about getting wait listed at Iowa. They received a letter. It may have appeared over at DH.
Ambien ruins your memory, BTW.
Hi everyone - again congrats to all accepted. To those feeling down, I want to share this:
I know a woman who is a brilliant trumpet player, who played all her life, and who went to reputable undergraduate and graduate schools for trumpet (though they were public universities, not Juilliard).
Three times she auditioned for the same reputable symphony and three times she was rejected.
She gave up on trumpet, thinking it wasn't time. She left it altogether and didn't play for three years, working as the manager of a small music shop and feeling her future was in just that.
Then, one day, the itch resurfaced and she began playing again. It took her a year to redevelop her chops, which were gone after her hiatus. When she felt ready, she went back a fourth time and auditioned again for the symphony—finally getting the job.
Now she is the organization's first female director and conductor and is known in the field as someone to watch.
Don't know if that is any help - but it is a true and really positive story, one that proves that, in the end, timing and circumstance are no match for talent and perseverance.
@Andrew Sottile
Can you tell me what your admissions status says on the my unh?
@ Miss Parker
It says something regarding "departmental review."
Thanks, all. And no, I haven't given up hope yet. Initially I was just posting my list of 24 schools for Seth's information - and the rant just spilled forth....
No matter what, I'll keep writing. And I know the MFA isn't necessary to do that, but I long for the sense of community and the opportunity to focus exclusively on my writing for a while. I'm an academic at heart, and the idea of discussing writing at length from a writing craft perspective (as opposed to the deconstructive literary analysis of my undergrad English major days) makes me positively giddy. I hope someday to teach writing, and an MFA would help with that.
But I'm not giving up. I know this is what I want to do, so I just have to keep at it. So, yes, Ink and Beans - it's a deal! We'll both keep writing and keep trying.
And I truly am happy for all those who've had acceptances. I'm in favor of anything that helps generate great literature, and I hope that all of us keep working and writing and that those of us who go through MFA programs will emerge on the other end with even stronger writing. To me, it's not a competition. It's about creating something powerful and lasting. And I'm almost as happy reading an amazing story written by someone else as I am writing one of my own.
welp i'm assuming rejection from UNH as well then...if they aren't making final decisions until March 9th and my status is already back at the grad school it's not looking good.
that's it for me. i'm done. good luck everyone!
@Ink and Beans
Feel free to put my post on your blog, especially if you think it might somehow help others get through this crazy, crazy process with some level of sanity and self-worth intact.
Best wishes to all.
Sigh. Just received my third waitlist: VCU for poetry. I know I should be excited but my enthusiasm is waning. I really don't want to be a complainer; I'm just a bit frustrated that my only acceptances have no funding available.
@ Trilbe: I really appreciated your post about Arna and reading each other's work. I feel exactly the same way.
@phillywriter: I think you're far from being counted out, though I definitely understand the sense of panic and loss that's already present. The one thing I wanted to say is *if* (and that's a big if) you don't get in anywhere, I was actually cautioned from submitting work that was completely polished, and told that if your work is too perfect, it was possible to get rejected just on the basis that a program needs to feel they actually have something they could teach you and offer you. So I (heeding the words of current MFA students) put in a couple of things that I was far from happy with and that definitely needed work, but showed potential. Just something to think about...
count me as a brown reject too.
Just wanted to let everyone know that UNCG is hosting the Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference.
I gotta get off their alumni mailing list! Jesus! Every freaking day it's something!
Has anyone heard or seen a status change from FSU? They had said this week...
Phillywriter,
You still have a fair number of programs left. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! If things don't work out this year though, just remember that 1) talent aside, it's pretty much a crapshoot and 2) a year of writing/reading/editing can make a huge difference. There's a common saying that it takes so many years/hours to become really good at something (and similarly that almost every successful novelist has 3-4 failed and unpublished novels sitting in a drawer), While these are broad statements, I think the heart of the sayings are true - perseverance and hard work (coupled with talent) pays off (eventually and for the most part).
@Ena
Stanley Plumly is the bomb, and I have a hard time believing that more people don't want to study at Maryland.
@everyone
Who else applied to Houston? I've seen maybe one person in all of my searches through this blog. Is there any particular reason you did/did not apply?
@ phillywriter
My heart breaks for you. I know there's nothing I can say that will make you feel any better, so I won't even try to offer any "upside," really. Your dedication and patience with this applying thing may have actually HURT you, in that this is the most competitive year to date, BY FAR. Eight years ago you likely would have gotten in somewhere no problem (I'm guessing).
I say that not because I mean to kick you in the balls -- I'm in the same boat, in a way, but I only waited two years to apply, thinking I was doing the smart thing. It's one of the universe's real cruelties. I'm really sorry. An internet hug seems really lame and unhelpful right now, but if I could meet you in person I would just bear-hug you and not let go for an uncomfortable amount of time. There's nothing really to say, just... my heart aches for you.
Personally, the idea of going through all of this makes me emotionally crumble. I hope you have a more optimistic outlook. The one thing I can say -- ALL of your schools are hard as HELL to get into! You really aimed high, and in the most competitive, craziest year EVER! (I'm not sure how competitive LSU is [I applied there too] but it looks like it's more competitive than I originally thought. Doh). If you do go through all this again next year, try for one of the newer, less prestigious programs? You can help them build their awesomeness! Or research some of the lower-ranked programs more (I need to do this, too), find a few that you really love, that would be great for you personally. I am a firm believer in that a good MFA experience is not defined by rankings or selectivity, but by how well you and your school and profs mesh. The experience is what you make it (that goes for everyone), and to get the most out of it, you need a school that's gonna fit your exact needs. You + your school should "complete" each other. In that Jerry Maguire way. That's the true key to success in a program... at least, I believe.
This goes for Ink and Beans and K, too, where appropriate. AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, all three of you: THERE IS STILL HOPE! Look at all the people (Laura T is the best example) who have been FREAKING OUT/CRAZY-DOWN ON THEMSELVES, and then *literally* the next day: Accepted!!! Laura T got THREE within two days! (YEAH! MY GIRL LAURA T! WOOO!) Keep the hope, guys. It's good to have a realistic expectations, but here: I gotta say I think you're leaning on the pessimistic side. (As am I, but I'm trying to keep the faith... I know how hard it is!)
Anyway. This is a huge post. Eeek. Just so you know, I'm pulling for you all. Imagine a 5'3", 110 lb weakling bear-hugging you... instead of this lame internet *hug*. I look much weaker than I actually am. I'm "feisty," or so they say. Kay. That's all.
@amanda & everybody
RE: polished work and what an MFA can offer?
I'm interested in hearing what people have to say about this: a committee feeling they have nothing to offer an applicant because his or her work is highly polished.
I guess, to me, it would seem that no matter what degree of polish our work has, how far along we've come as writers on our own, the faculty members at these schools would still be able to teach us something, or offer incite all the richer given their extensive experience and skill.
What do others think?
got on the waiting list at Brown U !
hooray! so much better than out right rejection! must apply next year!
love you guys - been following for many weeks!
good luck to all!
I didn't apply to Brown. Even if I were accepted, I probably wouldn't mesh well with the whole "avante garde" crowd. Besides, I don't look good in a beret.
I wonder a little about this idea of "most competitive year ever." Sure, applications are way up, but do we really think that means there is a higher number of awesome writing samples?
Amanda,
I disagree about sending work that is too polished. What is TOO POLISHED? What NEEDS MORE WORK? These are going to be different things to different people depending on where an applicant is in their writing and reading life (Applicants come from a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels from already having an agent to just staring out). I think the general advice is to send your best work NOT send work that you know needs more work.
@Woon
I can't stop laughing at your beret comment. Well played!
@ Austin
I applied to Houston, in fiction- what genre are you?
Gotta say the new funding makes it an even more attractive option... Really hoping fortune smiles on us.
@ Austin --
I applied to Houston for fiction. I would absolutely love to go. However, it is in *Houston*, which I've been told is one of the most hellaciously awful cities in the country. That probably frightened some people. But I figure, there's something good and interesting about any city, even the outwardly terrible ones, so I can make do. (I'm also in at Montana, btw, what genre are you?)
I didn't apply to Houston because I currently live in Texas and am ready to leave. That said, I like Houston - lots of good theater, great food and dog parks galore. That said, if you can make it through August, you can make it through anything.
I didn't apply to Houston because it's in the city of Houston.
I applied to Houston in poetry. Growing up in Memphis, I can't imagine a city being more hellacious. But why is it that some call it hellacious?
Also, that funding blows my mind. I really hope it works out.
@ Austin
I also applied to Houston, in poetry. I almost didn't apply, because I thought the program was beginning to fall off, but did so at the urging of one of my recommenders.
It's moved up substantially on my list now that I'm privy to all this new shit, to use the parlance of our times.
brown doesn't want me either, folks.
now if i can just get some kind of contact from george mason, i'll know (for sure, though i'm about 99% positive of it already) if i'll be doing this again next year.
good luck to all of those still waiting!
Emma--
Mostly been lurking here, but your comment about Houston calls for an intervention. As a houstonian, I'll tell you this: houston gets a bad rap, but it really is a very diverse, cultural city, with little pockets of every attitude you could hope to find. It IS hot, and it IS humid, especially in the summer, but winter is PERFECT.
UH campus...well...it's not great...but it's only a short hop from a lot of really fun areas.
Congratulations to all getting good news, and hold on to hope to all who haven't! This is like a big game of bingo.
Once in a while, I like to read the text on U of Oregon's CW page--their severe warning about contacting the program always kind of makes me giggle a little! (In fear.)
I won't contact you at all, Oregon! Just send me a happy letter!
Also, did anyone hear from Notre Dame yesterday?
I hate when rumors (that I help spread) aren't true!
I miss trading writing samples. There is so much talent on this board! If anyone wants to swap me (fiction or poetry or CNF!) I'll be twiddling my thumbs--
fixittuesday at yahoo dot com
--Fiction Courtney
Nothing from ND my end, sigh!
@ Nicholas --
That's kind of what I figured. To be honest, I've never been to a city I didn't like -- there's something to like about almost everywhere -- and a city as big as Houston has to contain more than just oil refineries and cement (how it's been painted to me in the past). And coming from Minnesota via Boston, the phrase "perfect winter" sends little thrills of joy down my spine.
However, I don't want to start liking Houston unless they accept me -- if I'm denied I want to keep my pocket of bitterness.
Emma--
Understandable.
Those stereotypes are, in some sense, fair. We do have oil refineries, but they are an hour outside of town in a place you would never, ever, go. Houston is surprisingly green. Lots of big roads, lots of highways, but otherwise, pretty nice. It is what you make of it.
Good luck on UH.
@ Wandering Tree Wigglesworth
I wonder where Rupert Grint is going to school. Maybe you could apply there?
@ WT: I was offering this only as a consideration for phillywriter, because he specifically said how much all of his work he submitted had been workshopped, had won awards, etc. In the slim chance that he doesn't get in somewhere, it seems like something that could be worth considering: possibly sending newer work that hadn't been gone through with as fine-toothed of a comb. I'm not suggesting that all work should be sent in unedited and bad. This was also advice which I took from conversations between current grad students and their faculty on adcomms, and it perhaps applies differently for fiction applicants than poetry applicants.
@ weighswithwords: I don't necessarily think there is a right or wrong answer to the point I raised, just something to consider. I do think, however, that most faculty members are just as prone to considering what they have to offer as we are. Getting an MFA is not an award you get for being the best. It's a program where presumably good writers are working to become their best and develop work they're proud of. I can totally see being on an adcomm and being faced with an applicant that makes everyone at the table go, "well he's incredible. i got nothin'."
@ Austin: Wait, why do you hate Memphis? Just hated growing up there or hate in general? It's one of the schools I've been accepted to and am considering.
Also rejected from Brown. Anyone else still in Michener limbo?
Got my Brown rejection. Time to take the train down to Providence for some serious TPing.
After the Brown rejection, I got into Wayne State's PhD program. No funding the first year. I already have two other offers from MFA programs with funding, so I won't be attending (but it was nice after getting the thumbs down from my top choice =) )
& Congrats to the Brown Wait-list. Nice job! Good Luck!
Best, Aaron
Is anyone feeling brave enough to phone Notre Dame today?
Mila, PSDS mad me LOL. Thank you!
@Amanda
While I appreciate your attempt to restore my bruised ego, I think Arna is proof that strong, polished work earns admission to great MFA programs. I read Arna's story, and it's brilliant. His admission into the top programs is not a fluke.
I just have to keep believing that there are many, many talented writers who will be rejected by MFA programs this year. I'd love it if Seth would weigh in on the "send-your-strongest-work" versus "send-strong-work-that-you-think-needs-improvement" argument, though.
I didn't apply to Houston because of the location. I could imagine a few years in the Florida swamps, but couldn't picture spending any time in humid, oil refinery country.
@ weightswithwords (and others) - I think there's something to be said for sending work that's not entirely "polished" - whatever that may mean. I'm not an expert by any means, but when Michigan called, the woman I talked to said they liked my sample because it was "inventive and imaginative." She said that after reading hundreds of samples it stuck out as original and refreshing. I don't mean for that to make anyone feel bad, or to trumpet my own horn, but I wanted to bring it up just to say that they weren't impressed that it was "polished" or "logically organized" or anything like that. One of the stories I sent was odd, and I got really mixed feedback from profs, but I knew it was the direction I was headed as a writer.
If the sample had been more "polished", perhaps I'd be sitting on more acceptances - there's no way to know. But I just wanted to say, from here in wintery Montana: there really is more than one way to skin a cat.
re. polished vs. unpolished work
Seriously, I wouldn't know if my work appears polished or unpolished. Often, when reading works by famous authors, I'd find something to whine about, like, "Jee whiz, Carson McCullers, that sentence was awkward" or "Golly, Bill Faulkner, that second chapter of The Sound and the Fury was plain gibberish."
Most of my works have been workshopped. Some looks pristine and others look dirty. A year later, they switch places; the ones that looked clean are now dirty and the ones that were dirty are now clean.
The advice to send work out that is not polished doesn't appear to be a workable or practical advice, to me that is.
@phillywriter
I feel for you. I don't know what to say, except I really hope you get in somewhere. I'm rooting for you.
During my junior year in high school, I was convinced Brown was my top choice. Strong liberal arts program, interesting study body, the option of having no grades... perfection. And then I visited--and absolutely detested Providence. I didn't even end up applying.
For all of those who got that rejection letter and have never been to Providence... perhaps if you had visited, you wouldn't feel so bad!
@Austin
I applied to Houston (in poetry) because I want to go to spring break in Mexico. ha.
@Amanda
Just a general reply to your Memphis question--I really like it. It's really hot in the summer and takes a very long time to drive anywhere 'cause it's so spread out, but there are so many things to do and places to see.
Also, where can one read Arna's story?
@Andrew Sottile, Miss Parker
Where on the MyUNH site are you seeing the "departmental review" message? I can't seem to find it.
@phillywriter - I appreciate your heartfelt "rant." It was actually a worthwhile post to read. I have no words of encouragement or sympathy to offer because they won't do you right. All I want to say is: I really loved your post.
@ the hobo bobo - I remember awhile back Arna saying his story was published in the Bat City Review. I don't know how to do a fancy link, but it's here: http://www.batcityreview.la.utexas.edu/
That's the story he's sending to people as well, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps we can band together and sell out that issue.
Re: More applications/More competitive
I do think that it directly follows that if there are more applications that there are more great samples. I have a problem with the theory that those responsible for the spike this year are of a lower quality than those of us who would have applied anyway. A lot of established writers and people out of school for a while who have been hit by the economy and starting to want to go back to school. I suspect this is where most of the additional applications come from, though recent grads who don't want to face the job market right now surely make up for some of it as well. I think these writing samples are likely at about the same level as the rest.
It seems to me that applications in general are up be up by roughly 50%, with some schools seeing 100% or more increases. So if there used to 200 applications with 40 great samples, there might now be 300 applications, and I'd suspect that number will climb to 60 great samples. Obviously some of those will be cute pretty quickly to take those numbers down.
In fact, I remember a school or two coming out to say that not only did they receive more applications, but they received higher quality applications overall. If anybody remembers the specifics, let me know.
In conclusion: mehhh this year sucks, but NOBODY GIVE UP, I pretty had and TADA all it takes is twenty seconds for this to turn around.
I don't know if:
more applications = more high quality applicants (i.e., writing samples)
but I do know that:
more applications = less AdCom time with my application
ahh, see, arna is sending people a published story, not new material. my whole point in the sharing-sample issue is that it's not smart to email random people unpublished work. that's all.
:)
Okay. I'm going nuts.
I haven't heard from Brown. Now, I've already gotten rejected (or assumed rejected) from Iowa, Michigan, UT, and Vandy, and waitlisted at UNCW. So I had already crossed Brown off my list. But now I haven't heard, and I can feel the hope swelling in me.... but I *know* it's more likely that they just didn't get my application or there's another rejection email blast going out later or my application wasn't complete and was therefore wasn't considered.... whatever. But this little smidge of hope is driving me nuts! Someone extinguish it, now!
Please! I'm begging you! LOGICALLY THERE IS SOME EXPLANATION. BUT WHAT IS IT?
::muffled cry:: (I'm in my cubicle)
Re: largest application pool, strongest samples:
Whether schools are just saying "this year we've had our largest and strongest applicant pool" to soften rejections or trump up acceptances I don't know - but lots of schools have either said or written things to this effect in letter or emails.
Phillywriter,
I'd echo what others have said about not giving up hope yet. And I'd say, too, that if for any reason things don't work out I bet DH would damn near make it their personal mission to get you in somewhere (or many-wheres) next year, having read your story here. Whatever you decide, if you do end up applying next year -- and personally I'm still not at all convinced that will be necessary! -- I'd be thrilled to work with you on your application list. As you probably know, that's my specialty (though FWIW, those I worked with re: their poetry portfolios are also finding now that the process was well worth it).
Keep your chin up -- and, to answer your question, always send your best work. That won't always be the work you've published, or your most "glossed" (polished-craft) work -- but simply your best. Sometimes that's hard to judge, which is why I believe in an idea like DH. Chris Leslie-Hynan alone has read hundreds of Iowa Writers' Workshop applications and knows what it takes to impress an MFA admissions committee. And for my part, I've worked as an editor for four different national literary magazines, so I know what gets one's work noticed by editors. And it ain't merely polish, I can tell you that. Spark, too. And balls. And surprise. And ingenuity. Etcetera.
Keep those lists coming!
S.
Gaaaaah. I'm a long time lurker. I might as well say that I just got waitlisted by Brown. I should be happy, but I know that I turned in a shitty writing sample, and I think if I turned in a better one, one that included a pretty decent story of mine, then I might be in, anyway I wouldn't have this doubt gnawing on my mind.
I also might as well say I'm in at ND. I got this message though awhile ago. I still have to wait about a fellowship.
Here is my list: (Fiction)
Iowa
Brown (waitlist)
Notre Dame (accepted)
U Arizona
Florida
@Ashley
You're absolutely right -- absent some specific, articulable reason why new MFA applicants would be of a catetgorically lower quality than those from years previous, it is a statistical fact that more applications means more high-quality applications and stronger incoming cohorts.
Be well,
Seth
@Seth, I know you weren't offering help to me, but if I don't get in anywhere this year, I'd also really appreciate help for next year.
Poetry Rankings Update.
2011 national poetry rankings are now up at TSE. They will be updated regularly and will be locked in as the "official" national rankings (for Poets & Writers) sometime in the next few months (the "N" will be much larger by then, too, of course).
@Lindsay
I received that same email about the TA interview. You are making me so nervous with your acceptance at Mankato! I'm in fiction, not CNF... but I hope I get some good news!
Congratulations on your acceptance at Ohio State, too.
@amanda
I grew up there. I was saying it in comparison to Houston as being hot and crime-ridden. Memphis is hotter than Paris in summer-time, generally with a heat index of about 112. And humid. But once you get used to it, its good. You might get robbed ( I did a couple times growing up) but whatever. You could get robbed anywhere. I have several friends in the MFA there. They like it quite a bit. If you can, speak with Jonathan May (a 2nd year student there). He and I are very close, and he has used the program much to his advantage.
@ Ena
If we both get in to Houston, perhaps we can go to Mexico together?
I just got a call from california. CUE MY POUNDING HEART. But it was a secretary at sdsu calling me back to answer some residency questions.
IRVINE WHERE YOU AT??
think I'm gonna call them today.
This needs to end.
I can't imagine the statistical likelihood of applications going up 50% and not maintaining the same crap:mediocre:good:great:brilliant ratio.
Unless applications were suddenly opened up to 10th graders (or some other specific event that would cause many people with poor samples to suddenly apply at once without having the same effect on people with great samples), I just don't see this happening.
Heyo, been reading, occasional poster. Here's my list (Fiction), finally:
Rejected:
Montana
Syracuse
UMass-Amherst
Silence (with plenty of assumed rejections) from:
Michigan
Minnesota
Vanderbilt
Iowa
Oregon
UVA
Arizona State
Sarah Lawrence
Congrats to all those who've been receiving happy news!
Oh, I didn't need to elaborate, I see my theory was already confirmed by Seth.
oops. a little clarification.
i think the percentage of "good" applications probably stays the same from year to year. considering how few people get into these programs, i think the higher number of apps equals a place or two per program at the most.
@Morgan
Keep us posted if you call Irvine..
On this topic of polished writing, I've already heard from one university complaining that I'd put a famous residency on my C.V., saying that "it wouldn't go down well with many committees" given that it was linked to professional-stage writing - this university subsequently rejected me. As did Michener and Brown.
In at The Iowa Writers' Workshop and Rutgers though, with Virginia left to run. Interesting, all of my applications had a mix of development-arc poetry from 2008-2010, with an incomplete poem to start the package, so it really is a crapshoot about how polished my writing may or may not be, and how that influenced committees.
My opinion is that my poetry needs serious work, but that I have an idea of my mature voice that I feel would be able to be projected by someone reading the poems. Did they not believe me? Could they not see it? Who cares really? My responsibility to my poetry and my development does not change from any rejection - I respect those decisions, but any defiance of their conclusions will be incidental, and a rejection is no use to me.
Importantly, I can't say I personally wouldn't have rejected certain poets at points in their twenties based on their projections, and what they could produce manuscript-wise during a 2-year course: I'd have turned down Plath at 24, but not at 26-27; Crane at 23, but not at 27; Heaney at "Death of the Naturalist" 27, but not 30; hell, I would have even turned down Shakespeare at 24 (and taken Marlowe, despite his discipline problems), so I don't complain about committees, as there's bound to be "mistakes" made, or at least contradictory calls about development arcs based on degrees of polish and potential, and, as I said, the manuscript you'd be producing at the end of your two years.
The point is that there's plenty of scope to be had between rejections now and your fulfilled work later, and, significantly, it can work both ways: the fall-off arc that'll take place in some poets accepted now will be catastrophic, and I often think MFA committees should be more interested in applicants' responses to what a poet's style leaves in reserve for their 30s and 40s.
Wreckinglight,
Your last post reminds me of another somewhat related question: Can MFA programs even claim the success of graduates that go on to receive acclaim?
for all those who were rejected from brown: bummer! i didn't even apply (self-doubt strikes again!) even though the program looks amazing. but as my wise gram says, "what will be, will be," "everything happens for a reason," and.. my personal favorite.. "DON'T LET ANYONE SHIT ON YOU."
i think we can all learn a thing or two from that last sentiment.
@Lydia
Sarah is wonderful. I worked with her as an undergrad and she was one of my LORs. She's talented and fabulous.
I got my Alabama rejection today. I've been expecting this one for a while, so it doesn't even hurt.
Lynh Tran at Irvine keeps putting me through to voicemail. What she doesn't know is that I will not relent. I have plenty of downtime at work today.
@Seth
I'd like to email you my list of schools, but I can't find your email address on the Suburban Ecstasies. Feel free to shoot me an email at lauramariepizzo at gmail dot com, and I'll respond with my list.
@Arna: Any chance you'd be willing to pass the story along to another? Would love to read it.
the hobo bobo @ gmail . com
@WanderingTree.
This is the thing - my committee method would be to match sure we were getting writers who could be projected to hit a mature voice during the MFA course, and produce a manuscript, even in draft, that would be developed with enough MFA overlap to become a mature work - I don't believe in preparatory volumes that pad out the move from a developing voice to the first sustained mature work. This is precisely the reason I have not published anything.
As such, I have quite an extreme view: I'm not convinced that programs can claim success without that substantial overlap between the MFA and a poet's first mature work, which, for example, would not have been the case with Plath's "The Colossus", or, more clearly, Crane's "White Buildings" - there wouldn't have been much point claiming the kind of grooming that produced those works.
glad to see the post about 11,000 rejections removed because the guy who wrote that blog, jacob m. appel, has been published in every literary journal in the world. yes, every one.
@Austin
I also applied to Houston in poetry--looked like an amazing program to me, and I've heard great things about the city even if the summers suck. I've heard it's a city that is great if you know where to go. Also I'm a total nerd and there's a NASA base in Houston. That means I could be friends with a real live astronaut! Or at least see them on the street. Ok. Nerdiness done.
Also congrats on Maryland! I applied there too, but, I guess unless my mail is really slow, no more hope for me. I am from Maryland though, so it will be nice to get away, if I end up getting in anywhere!
@weighswithwords,
RE: Portland State
This is what I know. All the faculty members on the committee read all the samples. And, to my knowledge, they are all finished. I think they had something like 150apps- for 15+ positions. I'm guessing acceptances will be notified soon. If you have other questions about the program--shoot me your email on here and I'll tell you what I know.
Best!
Danielle
@coreyann - any word back on those emails? i really don't think i can wait another weekend haah
@sabine
nope, no response at all! aghhhh. i'm with you. i can't take the waiting. and i think my mail already came today... nothing in my box. sigh.
@WanderingTree and Wrecking Light
I believe your question can in part be answered by what the Iowa Writers' Workshop states on its website: "The fact that the Workshop can claim as alumni nationally and internationally prominent poets, novelists, and short story writers is, we believe, more the result of what they brought here than of what they gained from us. We continue to look for the most promising talent in the country, in our conviction that writing cannot be taught but that writers can be encouraged."
Cecil,
But perhaps it goes to show that it took THAT many rejections for Appel to get all those publications (although that number seems like a bit of an exaggeration). If he submitted to the advised 10-20 journals per story, I can definitely see him raking in quite a few rejections.
@coreyann - if i call, will you virtually hold my hand over the interwebz?
My list, in fiction:
British Columbia: rejected
Brown: rejected
NYU
San Francisco State
Alabama (assumed rejection)
UNCW: rejected
Sarah Lawrence
Stony Brook Southampton: missing recommendation...
Virginia Commonwealth
West Virginia
Texas State: (assumed rejection?)
Boise State
The New School (assumed rejection?)
MSU Mankato (TA interview scheduled... assumed acceptance?!)
U of San (bombed the phone interview)
Old Dominion (missing 1 of 3 transcripts; resent it yesterday)
Bowling Green
Eastern Washington (assumed rejection)
MSU Moorhead
McNeese State (waitlisted)
Today is the day I go crazy trying to figure out what this Mankato situation is like. Does the TA interview mean that I'm accepted and funding is questionable? I don't care about funding! I do want teaching experience, but funding isn't a condition of my acceptance. I'd be thrilled with a Mankato acceptance; they're actually one of my top programs. I've liked them from the start.
As for phillywriter and his list of 24: my heart goes out to you. I have been out of school for 4 years. I planned on getting my MFA right out of school, but my mom died. It took me a while to be able to function, let alone write. I've been planning for this and saving money. My fiancée helped me research schools and put all the application packets together: absolutely could not have done this without her. It's been stressful, but she's been very supportive and helped me stay optimistic. We went into February thinking that with our application list so carefully selected to balance program size, funding, and location that surely, surely, ONE school would accept me. Now looking at March... not so sure.
I just want one acceptance. At least one acceptance...
RE: sending best work
Thanks for weighing in Seth. But even though this is the same advice Tom emphasizes in the book (i.e. sending your best work) I do seem to remember him mentioning that selection committees will occasionally reject an applicant because they feel they have nothing to teach them, the implication being (I presume) that their work is advanced enough that the writer wouldn't benefit as much as some of his talented but greener counterparts?
I have two questions:
1) Is there really ANY truth to this? It almost seems like a silly fantasy conjured up to cope with rejection.
2) If it is true, wouldn't the school feel compelled -- if not to encourage a talented artist than at least out of common decency -- to contact the applicant to alert them of the remarkable nature of their rejection, that in fact the selection committee found their too good?
@sabine:
YES. consider your hand held. apologies for crushing your fingers. =)
@sabine:
YES. consider your hand held. apologies for crushing your fingers. =)
@Danielle
Thanks so much for your reply! If you want to hit me at jason ed collins at hotmail dot com, that would be super cool.
Accepted in fiction to Minnesota State University - Mankato today via email!!!
wandering tree,
my bad, that was posted on DH. i get these two blogs confused. but yes, 11,000 rejections is extreme.
@Ink and Beans
I imagine that scenario must have occurred, on extremely rare occasions. But I also would guess that if you need to wonder whether that was the case for your application, then it almost certainly wasn't.
E.g. (entirely speculative): Say Brown decides to reject Arna, then he could surmise that he's not the kind of student they feel like they want to educate. But he knows very well that his sample is excellent, given the feedback from other (perhaps more opportunistic) schools.
@ Emily
I too would love to learn about others blogs, and possibly trade links with you. If I get nothing out of this experience I would love to at least expand my blogosphere network.
Mine is www.inkandbeans.com
...and yes, I write about CW and related themes, as well as more asinine topics like the Jersey Shore reality show which, go figure, gets me the most traffic by far.
Another popular post is my endorsement of the Michener Center, which I wrote last year and has been read by thousands of people. In fact, if you google "best mfa" I'm usually the second or third hit. Apparently this free publicity earned me no brownie points with Austin's program, since I was among their earliest rejections.
Ingrates.
i'm guessing the writing department at brown has less power than other schools (like the IWW). meaning, if your writing is wonderful but your academic record isn't excellent, then the grad school won't consider (or approve) your application.
@Mary
did you apply for a TA? When did you get your email?
Mankato, why are you doing this to meeeeeee?
Laura,
sethabramson[@]yahoo.com
S.
Waitlisted for the Mizzou phd (poetry) this morning via email.
@cecil: I was the one waitlisted for Iowa fiction via snail mail yesterday. The letter said I was on a "very short waiting list." Does that mean 1? 5? Who knows...
Well, waitlists from my two top choices, so there's a glimmer of hope...
Congrats to the one who got in at Mankato State. Small town southern Minnesota is actually a great place to be. I never lived in Mankato, but lived in nearby towns for 5 years, and found them surprisingly cool. I don't just mean the ambient temperature of the atmosphere, either. Though also that.
@Austin--
I applied to Houston in Fiction, for some good reasons and some bad reasons. Example of a good reason: I like their connection with the Writers in the Schools program. Bad reason: I heard they were one of the few schools that got as many (or more) poetry applications as fiction, and thought that gave me a better chance of acceptance.
PS, as to Houston the place (I lived in Dallas for a while, visited Houston a few times)-- It's sprawling, but things are happening there, if you've got the car to get to them.
Arna -- I'd like to read your sample too, though I plan ALSO to buy Bat City review :)
I've given you my address before, but just in case --
easybeatmaker@yahoo.com
Thank you!
@coreyann - SO, i called the English department at Brooklyn and asked if all of the acceptances for the fiction MFA have been sent out. The (pretty nice!) lady said I would have to check with Helen, who won't be in until 1 on Monday.
Helen, you better be expecting a flood of phone calls at 1 on Monday!
But seriously, I just wanted to know one way or the other. Here's to another weekend of worrying.
Out of curiousity, who else got waistlisted or accepted to UIUC?
@sabine
I'm so impressed!!! good job. and thanks.
GOD when will the weekend be ovvvver?
When yinz guys pick up Bat City to read Arna -- maybe also read my poems! ;)
@Ian
I did apply for a TAship and it sounded like they were still figuring out funding. I got the email at about 10am. Someone on Driftless house posted that she was accepted for CNF and got a call about interviewing for a TAship.
Just got my Brown Fiction MFA rejection letter in my Brown university undergrad e-mail account. After a while I just started laughing at the irony... I've taken a few fiction writing workshops Freshman year in the Lit department, so the prof's who went through my app and declined it probably know my face and name which made me laugh even further for some reason.
I guess I won't get to live in Providence anymore, I'm going to miss the professors and friends I've gotten to know over time here.
I'm still waiting on UC Irvine, NYU and Columbia. Is it normal for them to not notify this late, esp. since UC Irvine fiction deadline is December 1st? I'm debating whether to email and ask what's up.
Wait-listed at George Mason University for CNF!!!! I called to ask where they're at, and they put me on hold for a while, then came back and told me I was WAITLISTED! I'm dying! I'm midway down on the list, and forgot to ask how many people were on it, but WOO! I was told I'd get an email about it soon. So, folks, don't lose hope!! I assumed rejection this entire week! But no!
@ Arna
I'm joining the ranks. May I read your story as well?
hansenma at onid dot orst dot edu
Congrats to all the recent acceptances!
way to go Chrissy!!!!
@Ian
re: U of San interview, was this interview recent or what?
people, if you want to read arna's story it's only eight bucks. you can order it online. plus, you get to read many others young authors! poems too!
there is a reason why writers struggle to make money. we don't want this turning into the music industry.
Did anyone else apply to ODU? I know Dh says they notify pretty late, but I'm wondering if anyone has any funding info on them.
I was wondering if anyone could chime in who knows what it is like to live in Louisiana? I am in at McNeese, and just wondered about where I might possibly be living for a couple of years.....
Anyways, my list (in poetry)
McNeese-Accepted
No Word:
Columbia
Columbia College
Brooklyn
Hunter
S Connecticut
Cleveland State
U of Baltimore
Chrissy, congratulations on the George Mason waitlist!!
@Mary
I wonder if they're interviewing everyone who applied for a TA or just those who were accepted into grad programs? My interview isn't until after their Spring Break... I don't want to spend the next week in limbo!
Huge congratulations to you and the other Mankato acceptances.
@Jason J
U of San (Francisco, what a weird typo I made!) interview was before the application deadline. I spoke with one of the writing faculty before they'd even looked at my manuscript. I haven't heard a peep from them beyond "Got your $$ and stuff, thanks"
And in other news:
Got my Alabama rejection in the mail. What an awful letter!
Thanks, Laura T! I know you're kicking butt and taking names, congrats to you, too, even though I've said it a lot!
Gah, even though it's a waitlist, I'm so excited!!
I am a devoted HP fan. I bought the sixth book the second it came out, and finished it several hours later. By the time I got to the end, I was thoroughly PISSED. It took her HOW MANY 100S OF PAGES TO *spoiler alert* TELL US THAT DUMBLEDORE DIES? I bought the last book in the series, like any faithful fan, but didn't read it until a year later because I was OVER IT.
I'M OVER YOU, TOO, BROWN! puh.
Now, I've moved on to people who love me as much as I love them. Western Michigan tried to call me today but my phone is kaput because I drowned it. Did get an email though, they still have to figure out some budgetary issues and then they said they'll get in contact with me again. Very nice people from the email I received. <3
Congrats to everyone on all of their acceptances/waitlists!
Got my offical rejection letter in the mail from Michigan today. I do have to say it was rather nice in the wording. Oh well.
Still waiting from:
Florida
Florida State
Louisiana State
Penn State
Notre Dame
Alabama (Assumed rejection)
Vanderbilt (Assumed rejection)
@ Mira,
Your "PSDS" Providence accent joke made me crack up. I live in Rhode Island, about 20 minutes outside of Providence, and it is SO TRUE.
I'm sorry to hear about all of these Brown rejections. I didn't apply there only because I have lived in RI my whole life and am longing to move somewhere else!
To cheer up those rejected by Brown, here are some annoying things about Rhode Island, that you won't have to deal with now! Other than "PSDS," there are all sort of annoying quirks of the RI accent, such as the letter R removed from words where it belongs and placed in words where it certainly doesn't belong; Providence is so small that you could probably run out of fun new things to do within six months of living there; last I checked, RI has the highest unemployment rate in the country and the state is completely broke; numerous other states like to use RI as a unit of measurement (ex., "that ranch in Texas is as big as Rhode Island!"); when you tell people from other countries or even sometimes other states where you are from, they will quite probably think that Rhode Island is in New York, possibly a part of Long Island.
(I do actually have a soft spot for RI, though.)
Chrissy, thanks for the congratulations :D
So I rarely post, but I feel compelled to tell the Texas State people that San Marcos is one great place to be. I lived there about five years ago, and once you get off the highway (it's right between Austin and San Antonio on I 35), it's just such a cool little town with some really quirky, interesting, creative people. It does have a reputation as a party school, so you're going to run into some wasted 18 year olds, but you're also going to run into wasted Willie Nelson types, and wasted Dude from Big Lebowski types. Because everybody's creative, you're not always going to get the best service at restaurants or bars (your server is always a musician, actor, or writer first) but the bars and restaurants make up for it. The river that runs through the town is clear and cold, and when the summer is unbearable you can tube down it in an hour or two, and then grab a beer at River Pub or walk back through the park and start over. Family circumstances prevented me from applying to Texas State, but I think anybody that ends up attending is really going to like the town. (Not to mention all the great things about the program itself...)
A question for those of all you fiction applicants out there:
For your writing sample, did you send in just short stories, just a novel excerpt, or a combination of both? Is it better to have a combination, to prove you can do both? Just wondering...I only sent out a novel excerpt, and am now current sitting with a silent phone, empty mailbox and the pessismistic but very realistic notion that I'm going to get to repeat this whole lovely process next year. Is it better to diverisfy one's portfolio, so to speak, or stick with one form? Any thoughts?
ahh, but @Laura T don't forget about those wondrous Rhode Island things like clam cakes, Del's, Awful Awfuls (ESPECIALLY AWFUL AWFULS), RI-style clam chowder, dough boys, the calamari with peppers, mmm the list could go on (my boyfriend's family is from outside of Providence, too, and I am mildly obsessed with Rhode Island-isms and culture.. and apparently food)
as for that "R" thing, this is my favorite example. I have a friend named Ama (pronounced Ah-ma). Rhode Islanders pronounce it "Ah-mar" yet when they pronounce the word armor, they say "ah-ma" :)
fun fact: Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Italian Americans at a whopping 19 percent.
@ Folk accepted to Idaho---are any of you planning on going? I believe there are at least two of you on this blog. I was thinking about visiting and realized the nearest airport is two hours away. Moscow, ID...who would have thought.
@everyone who applied to Alabama--I checked my mail today hoping for the rejection letter which has not come. Why hasn't it come?
@Writer with a neighbor at Columbia--can you ask him when they are going to finish their application process. Sigh.
@Seth for your data:
I applied to:
University of TN MA (accepted)
University of Idaho (accepted)
University of Alabama (presumed rejection)
Ole Miss
University of Arkansas
University of Georgia
University of South Carolina
LSU
FSU
These are for fiction.
@Red Micky
I am in exactly the same boat as you. I sent a novel excerpt (most because I don't have a complete polished short story since my profs end to complain that they read like beginnings of novels) and I am getting pretty much silence from the places I applied. I don't know what the general theory/rule of thumb is, but I intend to write longer works so that is what I submitted.
@weather
Thank you for not being shitty. Today is a gorgeous St Louis day. Though I still have 8 schools left to hear from, I'm feeling good and not as anxious because the sun is out, the temperature is up, and the birds hopping around the Starbucks parking lot bitching over some French fries.
@ Red Mickey
I sent out a full short story, novel/novella/longer doodad excerpt, and two pieces of flash. I was most worried about how the flash would be received, but they're the only items I've had published so I threw them into the mix.
Boston University is one of the only programs I know of that states a preference, and they recommend sending in two short stories about 10-20 pages in length (I applied there and nothing I sent fit that criteria, so we'll see how that goes)...
Mostly, though, I wasn't aiming for variety so much as trying to showcase my best work and current direction.
My current tally is one acceptance, one waitlist, one rejection, which evens itself out pretty well. Waiting on 6 more...
Hope that helps.
..make my heart happy.
(Forgot to finish my sentence as I was writing it.)
Kind of a lurker on here but now I have to share!
I got in yesterday for poetry at Texas State over the phone! Here's my list in poetry:
Texas State - Accepted!
SIUC - Rejected
Mcneese - Waitlisted
LSU - ?
Columbia College Chicago - ?
Colorado State - ?
Iowa - ?
Any other Texas State People feel free to email me at: johnrwandrews@gmail.com
This morning I got up and before clicking on my Gmail, I said aloud, "Come on, good email, come on good email!" And lo and behold, I found an acceptance to Minnesota State @ Mankato (fiction) waiting for me! Woot!
I figure we can add this to MB Wells' strategy of a despondent post shortly followed by an acceptance from that exact program.
@ Ian and other Mankato people
My email said they hadn't made TA decisions yet and included links to other positions I can apply for at the university. I am super jealous that you have an interview! Good luck with it. I am dying to get a TA spot.
@ Lauren
I'm an Idaho acceptee and I would love to attend the program if I can get off the waitlist for a TA. What about you?
@Red Micky--
I sent in 25 pages of the beginning of my novel. The first time I went through this I went with short stories, but that was four years ago and my working needed a lot of work (as it does today, but in a different way). I guess I went with the novel this time because I wanted to show them the promise of a finished product. I wonder what the stats are at the end of the programs: more short story volumes or more novels.
@Seth...do you think that a novel excerpt or a short story collection is a better way to go. From having read a lot of both, I find that they are very different arts and that there are those who write novels well and those that write short stories well and then there are some lucky people who write both well.
Do you think they have a greater desire for a novel writer vs. a short story writer?
Rejected by Brown today. Damn them for making me click a link to find out. Previously rejected by:
Wisconsin
Texas
Syracuse
SIUC
Still waiting on:
Arkansas
BGSU
NCST
New Hampshire
Penn St
Vanderbilt
VCU
All for fiction.
On the subject of Plan B's--I'm looking at conferences. does anyone know much about the Wesleyan Writers conference? Any experiences you can tell me about? It fits my work schedule, and the price isn't too bad, but I'd love to hear any feedback, rumors, hearsay, whatever... :)
Thanks in advance.
Leslie
I've been to the Wesleyan Writers' Conference.
Drop me an email at lowqualitysound at gmail.
@ sabina,
Well ok, those RI things are kind of awesome. Especially Del's, and dough boys.
That's so funny about your friend's name. I think my favorite example of the misplaced R phenomenon comes from a science teacher I had in middle school. When telling us to write something in our planners, he would say: "I have an idear, take our your agenders!" Also the ever popular question when people can't remember where they left their cars: "Where'd ya pahk the cah?" And can't forget that "Rhode Islander" is pronounced as "Rho-Dilandah," haha.
Congratulations J.R. Andrews and DigAPony!
@Laura T oh yes the Rho Dilandah! Someday, I will infiltrate the peoples of the not-an-actual-island state and use my knowledge and supreme pronunciation skills to trick them into thinking I'm a born and bred Rho Dilandah!
Erm, maybe when the gods shine down on me next year and get me admitted to Brown? Yes? Please?
re. Las Vegas=horrible?
As a tourist, I love Vegas. The buffets, man. The buffets!
Lauren T,
I got some interesting info on one of the schools your in. Be warned, it's not exactly great news, but it explains some things. Drop me a line:
mangercratie(at)gmail(dot)com
--Cratty
@digapony--
Yeah I like what I have seen and had a chance to talk to Daniel O. who called me the other day and said he liked the beginning of my novel. I am in at Tennessee for the MA program.
It looks beautiful there and it is a three year program. I think I will end up going into debt since I am on the waitlist and I believe a bit higher up than you. Did you speak to anyone there?
I don't know what you think about rankings, but what do you think the likelihood is that the people who got in and got TAships also got excepted to schools that are higher up and also got higher funding? I guess in terms of funding that's the only way I can move up. I really want to work at a lit mag too and the Fugue looks pretty cool. Anyway, keep me posted.
re. email address lingo.
Hey folks, I have a question. If your email is, say:
johnsmith@gmail.com
why do most (if not all) of you write it down as:
johnsmith(at)gmail(dot)com
??
It seems like a big bother to elongate something that was shortened for our convenience. What gives? Am I missing something here? Sorry for being stupid.
Waitlisted at Brown; that emailed link isn't just out-and-out rejections.
Other than possibly Arna, assuming he applied there and decides to go elsewhere, who'd give up a spot?
@Antalya Your comments make me really excited that I got into Texas State! I have been hearing wonderful things about San Marcos and after living in a small town (Corpus Christi), I am excited to get out. Unlike most, I actually enjoy Texas. I like the down to earth people and the lack of pretentiousness that seems to pervade more "liberal" cities and states. San Marcos seems to be a good balance of progressive and small-town compared to cities like Austin that are insufferable hipster havens.
and @ J.R. Andrews Congrats on Texas State! Their phone call made me jump up and down all excited like.
@ Woon
Because John Smith just got picked up by a couple of spiders combing the Web for e-mail addresses, and has now been added to half a dozen spam lists. But maybe herbal penis enlargement is just what he needed.
@woon because people write programs that go scan the internet for phrases like ___@___.com and add them to a list which is sold to spammers. So if you write your e-mail address in a non-conventional way, your odds of getting e-mails about increasing your pork poker decrease significantly.
@Woon haha I did that initially because I was new to blogger commenting and followed everyone else's example. Sheep, anyone?
I am fried to a crisp after the GREs but I'm reasonably ok with the scores. A respectable 690 verbal and 610 quantitative. I hope those are good enough for the program. I will be interested to see what I get for the writing. Those of you who have taken it ... How long did it take for you to get official scores?
Now as long as they get to SUNY Albany by April 1, they'll consider me. Nothing like pulling a whole different Plan B out of thin air. LOL
My spam folder currently has in it 14 emails advertising Viagra.
Post a Comment