laura_b

I see on the MFA Draft '13 Facebook group that some people are already getting acceptances.

Anyone know anything about Lake Charles? Specifically cost of living and safety/crime? I'm thinking about applying to McNeese's MFA program since it's free and they only ask for your writing sample and a letter up front.

I have heard bamboo is a good plant for cleaning the air, and they are very easy to take care of. I got the stalks at a store in the mall called Earth Bound and planted them in glass stones in bowls. All you have to do is water them with non-chlorinated water.

I only applied to University of Arkansas. It will be kind of a miracle if I get in. Number of posts ... I think.

I know it's a little early for acceptance/rejection notices. Anyone else on here apply for the CW MFA this year? Where did you apply? What's your top choice? Freak-outs welcome.

I just popped into this thread to say that I envy you visual artists. You get to post your portfolios willy-nilly and get feedback.

I already have my MA, and I am going for an MFA. I just filed my FAFSA for 2013/14. It just occurred to me that they might not fund a second master's.

Thanks! Maybe I will start worrying about other people's apps now too lol. I think it's worse now that the whole thing is out of my hands. The person I emailed with from Arkansas said it could be as late as April 1 before I hear anything. It's going to be a long four months.

I found out today that the application I have been freaking out over was received and processed, so the post office didn't eat it. Now the long wait until April 1.

A question for everyone - If the tracking on my application packet says "delivery status not updated," does that mean they lost it? I'm about to cry. I sent it USPS Priority Mail.

I like Pages better than Word myself, but there can be compatibility issues if you have to send attachments. You have to save the file as a .doc and sometimes it won't open on the other person's computer. Footnotes, headers, etc, are very easy to do in Pages. Keynote, the presentation program that comes with Apple iWork, is amazingly better than PowerPoint, and you can even save the files as quicktime movie. I can't imagine typing papers on an iPad or any other tablet though.

^I do now. Thanks, I didn't even think of that! I'm hoping they are just holding mail for the school and it will be delivered tomorrow. I'm really wishing I had just driven it up there myself now.

Reading these posts, I am really glad I don't have kids to worry about yet! If I don't get in anywhere, I'm going to start sending query letters to agents and publishers. I have been saving my novel to workshop it first if I get into a program. I may also buy a new car with the money I have been squirreling away.

Now I am really losing my mind. My application to Arkansas was supposed to have been there on Dec 29. I keep checking several times a day and still no delivery confirmation. According to the USPS website, it's sitting at the Fayetteville post office. I'm praying it's safe and sound, but I keep worrying something bad might have happened to it. The school is supposed to have opened today. It's my top choice too.

If you didn't earn enough to file, that in itself qualifies as demonstrating need. I have filled them out in years I did not file taxes and it was no problem. You just choose the "will not file" option and it asks you questions from there.

I mailed my last application by Priority Mail on Thursday morning, and the tracking still does not show delivery confirmation yet. I was supposed to have delivered on Saturday. It arrived in Fayetteville overnight and has been sitting there ever since. I am starting to imagine all the horrible things that could have happened to it. It's been raining and I can just see the application sitting ruined in a box full of water. Why can't UA have an online application?

One of my undergrad professors collaborated on an article with someone from a university in Canada. On paper, it seems like they were distanced, but they actually worked on the project and wrote the paper while they were in England together. That probably isn't the norm, but it's one way.

Have you looked into state parks and national parks? They hire a lot of seasonal employees in the summer. I used to work summers in the nature center and gift shop at a state park.

^Probably. My top school gives out $11,500 yearly stipends for those holding an MA already (like myself). According to the TA manual on their website, a TA at 50% works 20 hours which includes teaching two classes each semester. They also offer a $20k stipend for "distinguished MFA scholars" for those with high GPAs and GRE verbal scores, but unfortunately my GRE is just below the cutoff. My AW score is 5.5, but I don't know if that could make up for the verbal score. I am just not a good test taker unless it's an essay test. My second choice only pays $8,000 per year. I will be so disappointed if I manage to get a spot in one of these programs, but then can't afford it. Is it possible to get much in loans on top of a TA? I would only take FAFSA loans. I am not getting myself into a mess with private loans.

How do you find an average of $10,000/year adequate for living on? I can't figure it out. Rent, utilities and health insurance alone would eat it right up.

Most of the programs I applied to have TAs teach six hours (two classes) each semester. Between class time, office hours, grading, etc, how many hours of work does that add up to each week? Is it possible to manage that, classes and an extra part time job? I am a little worried that if I get into a program, I will end up being too busy to devote extra time to writing. Paid time to write is one of my main goals in pursuing the MFA in the first place, so that would obviously be very defeating. My top choice program is located in the same metro area as a large community college, and if I get in there I was thinking I might be able to take on a section or two as an adjunct. Would 12 hours of teaching spread over two campuses be more or less difficult than six hours of teaching plus waiting tables or writing for the local paper or whatever? I would assume most TAs probably have another job, since the stipend isn't really enough to live on by itself.

If they put you teaching two classes per semester, is it do-able to have another part-time job on top of that? Anyone who can speak from experience?

If all your loans are federal loans (the ones you get offered through filling out a FAFSA), you can get an income based repayment plan. Under this plan, they only charge you what you can pay according a formula based on your income. The best part is that anything left over after 20 years is completely forgiven. If $15,000 is all you will have in loans all together, that's not bad at all. You would be more in debt than that for a new car. Is your dream worth at least as much as a Ford Focus?

Have you considered trying to sell this to a publisher? If you organized it and added some good copy, I can see it selling to the right publisher. As for MFA programs in art, from what I have seen, they usually require so much coursework in art and art history. Some allow you to be admitted on a conditional basis if you agree to take so many undergraduate hours to make up the deficiency. I minored in art (mostly illustration and drawing) as an undergraduate and looked into MFAs in visual art, but found that I would have to make up a lot of undergraduate coursework, specifically art history, and it wasn't worth it for me so I stuck with writing.

My MA advisor always told us that writing a thesis is very important for getting into a PhD program, but that's only her word for it.