lrb0192

@Animal Liberator I have heard people receiving acceptances, rejections, and waitlists - all yesterday. Maybe give them a call or shoot Bonnie Harris an email?

Hey guys, just sending in an update: I've officially accepted my spot at Brown. I wrote to Iowa and Columbia letting them know they should pull me from consideration. I hope that clears the way and opens spots for some of you. This is my second year applying - got rejected from UCSD, rejected from Yale finals, and I gotta say, it's so very comforting to have you guys here with me moving through the same stressful motions. I am deeply appreciative of everyone's support/advocacy and it's a true testament to our community of playwrights. Keep writing, please. I know I have to. Sending you all so much love.

Hey guys, just received my finalist email from Art Borreca, so I guess Iowa notices are trickling out. Best of luck!

@jnp809 Regarding Brown - two of us have been offered admission. Neither I or the other playwright have officially accepted because we are waiting to hear back from other offers and there is a tricky situation happening there (faculty shifting). I am not sure what the waitlist situation looks like.

Thanks, everyone! Still in shock. @TBA1982 I am holding off on confirming with Brown until I head to Yale and get a vibe for that program. I am still interviewing for Columbia with David tomorrow, which feels a little strange because I don't intend to give up Brown's full ride for that program. Best of luck everyone. What an incredibly arduous process.

I have not gotten a UCSD notification, but I found out I got into Brown. I am at work and have to contain my excitement, but WHAT.

Also, yes, @greenchile, congrats!! That rules. Hope that lifts a weight from your shoulders!

@nerve Yes, I received an email from David Henry Hwang this morning notifying me of finalist interviews. I'm scheduled to have mine via Skype this Saturday. When filling out the doodle for scheduling there were about 14 other applicants listed (with names hidden, of course). @greenchile That makes sense re: UCSD. Guess that means I'm also out of the running!

@SeaLou Erik Ehn is fascinating. I actually met him when I was seventeen years old, so it was interesting to come back to speaking with him years later. The conversation was mostly about Providence as an artistic environment, my interest in narratives through new media (VR & animatronics), current commissions I'm working on, the open-model philosophy behind Brown's curriculum, and how grad students are prepped as they leave after three years. @TBA1982 I haven't heard back about my itinerary. I also would suspect I hallucinated if it wasn't for me writing down all the information as I received the call. Hopefully we hear back before the end of the week!

Just had my very kind and casual phone interview with Erik Ehn for Brown. It was mostly a call for me to ask questions, which kind of surprised me, but luckily I had plenty to ask. He said they are trying to get offers out by the end of this week or beginning of next. All out of my hands now!

Hi guys. Thanks for all your well wishes. It really means a lot to me. I am interviewing with Brown on Monday and I found out I got into SAIC with a 50% scholarship earlier this week. I also got the call from Yale this morning. I am a finalist and they are flying me out in two weeks. Nothing feels real and I am filled with anxiety, hahahaha. Good luck you guys.

@SeaLou Thanks! Unfortunately, the funding isn't great. It's a very expensive program that offers (I believe) one full ride and a few 50% packages, but cohort sizes are ~20 writers. The program is great, especially if you're a writer with other arts practices, and the facilities are incredible, but it is hard to imagine being able to afford it. Re: Brown - I got an email today from Erik notifying me I'm a finalist. We are currently scheduling an interview for next week. Good luck to everyone still waiting for news! Re: UCSD - I've been hearing rumors that the program has taken some financial hits this year. Apparently the restructuring of the program has resulted with some cut ties to La Jolla and in return some loss of school funding. If these rumors are all true, I wouldn't be surprised if the planned acceptance of one applicant this year turns into zero acceptances. Just food for thought.

In other news, had my interview for SAIC's MFA Writing program this morning. Very brief - only about twenty minutes. They are a well-oiled machine, it seems. Got to interview with current Guggenheim Fellow Jesse Ball which was pretty cool. Very kind / generous faculty, but I'm anxious about the cost of the program.

I'm in the same boat with Yale. Don't really know what it means, other than [maybe] we weren't in the first wave of rejections.

Does anyone know much about the Rutgers MFA program? Kathleen Tolan just reached out to me per Naomi Iizuka's rec and I don't know anything about the program at all.

@Boxedwine I was also offered an alternate position at UCSD. It probably is very unlikely we'll be invited over, but definitely an accomplishment in itself. Congratulations again to everyone on their positive results! Looks like I won't be attending school this Fall, so I look forward to talking with you guys again in the future.

Got the brown rejection! Not surprised, but I was hoping for a less formulaic letter. Good luck, everyone!

Hey guys. So, I just got back from my UCSD visit yesterday and it was overall a pretty awesome experience. Very packed schedule meeting one-on-one with each faculty member and grad student within the department. They are all super personable, so there was no trouble making conversation. The campus is beautiful, but the common discrepancy seemed to be that La Jolla is generally a little boring. Aside from that, there's a strong graduate community, great graduate housing options, consistent teaching of undergrad classes, and most importantly, a lot of time gifted to the writer. I don't really know what to expect waiting for the final decision. I believe I was one fo five visiting, and they are most likely taking two this year. The odds sound pretty good, but I definitely felt some apprehension over me being on the younger side of the applicant pool. Then again, that could just be me projecting my personal anxieties! Anyways, best of luck with the interviews everyone! So grateful to be sharing in this experience with you all.

@jamesprongs101 @Boxedwine Congratulations, guys! That's so awesome. Best of luck with your interviews.

Congrats @greenchile ! I fly out tomorrow night, so I will let y'all know how it went when I'm back on Friday.

So, how's that perpetual state of anxiety going, everyone?

Brand new to this site/thread. Extremely excited to join the community. First time applicant to MFA playwriting programs and I just found out from Naomi Iizuka two days ago that I'm a finalist for UCSD. I fly out in ten days to meet with faculty/students. Waiting to hear back from Columbia, Brown, and Brooklyn College. Good luck everyone!