slouching

GPA is not the most important factor in MFA admissions, although some programs will request that applicants meet a certain minimum requirement (this could be for the cumulative GPA and/or GPA in English classes). The other thing to look out for will be the admissions requirements of each university's graduate school--in other words, what's required of applicants to all graduate programs offered by a university. From what I have seen, it's quite common for grad schools to require at least a 3.0, though I'm sure there are places out there with lower minimums.

Is anyone else waiting on Indiana??

@manandcamel I've yet to hear anything from Indiana, Alabama, Notre Dame, and UW-Seattle. Assuming most (if not all) of those are rejections--for maybe a month now, I've just been operating under the assumption that I've been shut out this year. I'm somewhat aware of the notifications that have gone out, but admittedly stopped my obsessive checking of the GC results page some time ago to preserve some of my sanity. I feel pretty okay about things at this point, and have other opportunities in my life to be excited about, so it's fine. How's your application season going?

Yep, got my rejection yesterday. Definitely bummed, but also glad to see this application season coming to an end so I can move on and decide what to do next. Still waiting on a few more schools.

Me! Haven't heard from them yet, but god, I'd love to go there.

I was considering LSU fairly seriously, but ultimately decided not to apply. Coming across the Tumblr was part of that, but there were other factors, too (location being a big one). Will definitely be keeping an eye on the Tumblr page you shared, if, as expected, this season doesn't end well for me (and if I decide to apply again).

Thanks for sharing! While researching programs to apply to, I discovered that there's also a Tumblr like this for LSU specifically .

Yeah, "utterly defeating" is a way I'd describe this experience as well. If I'm shut out this season, I will definitely apply to grad school again in the fall, but I'm not sure if I'd be willing to go through MFA admissions again (my undergrad major was in another field, and I have long considered pursuing graduate studies outside of creative writing). I've found that allowing myself to explore my options beyond the MFA (both academic and otherwise) has done a lot to ease the anxiety and feelings of inadequacy that this process has brought about. I did not, but came close--honestly, the main reason I didn't is that I couldn't bring myself to pay another $100 to apply somewhere that would probably just reject me, lol.

I'd do the scholarship as well. Who knows the ways in which an experience like that could shape your writing? Either way, congrats, @pdh12, on your success this season! It sounds like no matter what you choose, you've got some great times ahead of you.

I'm a bit late on this, but congrats! Hope it works out for you!

@BLeonard thanks for the support! Hope you enjoy your vacation and that you receive some good news soon.

Nothing but rejections over here, which has been pretty hard...I knew going into this that there was a possibility I wouldn't get in anywhere, but now that decisions are coming back, it feels much more real. Still waiting on several schools, but not feeling optimistic, and have already started thinking about the next application cycle and whether or not I'd want to subject myself to this particular kind of hell again. I'm wondering how everyone's reading and writing habits have been impacted by this process. I've started a few new pieces recently, but for the most part, I find myself wanting to do things that allow me to think about something other than poetry (mine or anyone else's).

Finally rejected from Minnesota. There goes my dream of being close to Paisley Park.

Was just thinking these ought to be coming soon...will be fun to take a break from receiving rejections I did not entirely expect to receive one I absolutely did.

@aheather @pdh12 thank you both for the kind words! Aaaaand just received my WUSTL rejection, finally.

Same here! It's great to see someone from here get into a program they're super excited about. No good news yet. Have been attempting to keep myself busy and away from the internet so my grad school anxieties don't overwhelm me. Of course, just when I thought I'd cultivated a relatively relaxed approach to this whole process, I log on and see that ND and Alabama have been notifying for poetry... On the bright side, I recently got a job offer I'm thrilled about, and just renewed my lease to stay in an apartment that I love. Trying to focus on the positive, which is totally unlike me, haha.

Hey, congrats, @pdh12! It seems like a really great program.

I know, right? I'm still waiting on official rejections from Minnesota and WUSTL. I got my rejection email from Syracuse today, and while I'm obviously bummed, there's definitely something I can appreciate about actually being told what the decision is. Welcome, @nooncity!

Just received a rejection from Arizona via email. Really felt like it was a good fit. Ugh. It's still early, but feeling like this application season isn't going to end well for me...

Checking admissions portals, my email, etc. makes me miserable, but it's really difficult for me to stop doing it. Have been attempting to distract myself with anything that requires me to step away from my computer and phone, whether it's preparing food, going for walks, or doing little chores around the house. Been watching a lot of movies, too, and trying to work on some new writing projects. This is what I'm telling myself. At this point, would be thrilled to receive even a waitlist notification from any of the places I applied to.

@BananaPancakes, the cross-posts are appreciated! I'm not on Draft, but it's been great to get the occasional update on what's happening over there. Seems like Arizona's poetry notifications should be coming soon...getting super nervous.

Yep, same concerns over here. I did end up applying, because the MFA program seems great, but I still have some concerns about the extent to which my experience there (should I be fortunate enough to get in) would be impacted by ND's embrace of Catholicism. @manandcamel, thanks for the insight.

This was important to me as well. I really wanted to apply to programs that offer a variety of opportunities for students-- so teaching, yes, but also working on a literary journal, doing relevant volunteer work/internships, etc. Even if the job market wasn't so insane, I don't know if I'd want to teach post-MFA, so I definitely would like to use the experience to try out some different things.

Congrats, pdh! This early period of waiting is totally awful, but we should all start hearing from a lot more places over the next few weeks. As far as teaching goes, I think what ended up being more of a deal breaker for me was the possibility of getting stuck teaching freshman comp and nothing else. A heavy teaching load certainly wouldn't be ideal, though.

Surprised to see that Arizona's started notifying for at least one genre...a new thing to be nervous about!