genericincognito

I accepted at Ohio, and I know at least one other person has too. So at least 2 of their 3 spots are filled. I still haven't heard anything from Brooklyn College. Congrats to those accepted! To those planning to reapply next year, best of luck and keep on chugging. This was my third year rolling the grad school dice.

@lavendercloud, No, I'm not going to wait for Brooklyn College. The vagueness of the response and the lateness of their timeline makes me think that admitted applicants have already been notified anyway. Besides, Ohio wants an answer by next week.

For those waiting to hear back from Brooklyn College, here's what the administrator told me when I emailed to ask about their timeline: "The playwriting admissions process is currently ongoing. We aim to notify playwriting applicants within the next two weeks. Many thanks for your patience!"

Thanks, Singsalot! With an Ohio offer in hand, it's a lot to mull over. For reference, this is my third year applying to Northwestern. (As I told them in my interview, this is my third year applying--and also my last year applying. Brazenness FTW!) I was convinced for a while that I didn't want to leave Chicago, so I only applied to one school. I also hadn't really thought through the issue of funding. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm less willing to go into debt and more willing to move for the right opportunity. So, Northwestern seems less appealing than it once did...but we'll see how it shakes out.

Hey gang, I was admitted to Northwestern and wait listed at Iowa. The admitted Iowa students have until March 27 to decide, so I should know after that. Anyone else hear from those schools?

Thanks for the insight, Tate! The two track system (Michener vs. T&D) certainly makes for an interesting admissions dynamic. Good luck!

Tate: Any idea if your fellow interviewees were being considered for T&D as well as Michener? I'm still waiting on a decision from T&D and trying to suss out my odds--which is a futile exercise I realize, but I can't resist the urge to read the tea leaves.

I got into Ohio! The program director made me a verbal offer at the end of my phone interview today. I'm really excited and still a bit in shock. I'm planning to visit next Friday to see if I can envision myself in rural Ohio for the next 3 years. Location is really the biggest impediment. Lavendercloud, thanks again for the insight. We may indeed wind up classmates!

Lavendercloud - Your post is a godsend! Thank you! I have my phone interview this afternoon, and it's very helpful to know all this going in. I second what Princess says about the community found on this board. The application process is lonely and brutal--but it's made far less so when you can commiserate with like-minded people. I hope to eventually cross paths with you folks in real life

Woah, congrats, lavendercloud! Any tips for the phone interview? Also, what has you so sold on Ohio?

Congrats, Princess! That's terrific news! And thank you for sharing that Teddy Roosevelt quote. A worthy reminder to focus on the work, rather than the validation/criticism thereof. Update on my end: Received an email yesterday about scheduling a phone interview at Ohio. So, apparently they're still working their way through applications.

Did anyone else who applied to Ohio receive an opaque email from Charles Smith? It thanked me for applying and explained the program's timeline for making decisions (offers tendered by mid-March). Then it closed with this line: "Thank you again for your interest and best of luck to you in finding a graduate program that suits your needs." Since lavendercloud was notified yesterday about interviews, I figured that I was out of the running. Still, this email raises more questions than it answers. It's not a rejection--but then what is it?

Oh well. Good to know about Yale. Also, congrats, lavendercloud! I have a Skype interview with Northwestern next week. I'm excited but have reservations because it's so expensive. I was really hoping a better funded program would come through. I had my hopes set on Ohio in that regard, but it looks like I didn't make the shortlist. Le sigh.

Rejected from Brown as well. I agree that Erik Ehn's letter seemed in slightly poor taste. "Your faith in the program is a prompt to our efforts; I hope we are able to sustain a degree worthy of the attention you've paid." I can't help but hear: Thanks for paying us $75, suckerrrrrr!

Keep on indeed! I partly agree with you about Bengal Tiger although at least it's about an interesting subject and is overtly theatrical. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about The Flick. This song has become my MFA application soundtrack: Also this:

Thanks for the comforting words! Friends and family can chime in with upbeat advice, but it always feels most impactful coming from playwrights in the same boat. Speaking of The Flick, I wonder what MFA committees would think of it. Because in my opinion, it doesn't really resonate on the page on account of being so understated and subdued. I guess you just got to go with your gut and stay true to your own aesthetic. That seems to be Annie Baker's guiding principle and it has served her well.

Barista, for your sake, I hope you're not next! But thanks for suggesting optimistic theories about rolling rejections. The process seems so shrouded in mystery. I'd love to be a fly on the admission committee wall.

I found out by checking the website on a whim. Being cut relatively early in the process feels like salt on the wound. Like, damn, I didn't even get a second look? Doesn't seem to bode well for my other applications. Oh well. Just got to write a better play, I suppose. Except I'm not really sure what that looks like. It's hard to be objective about one's work, isn't it?

Denied from Michener Sigh...

@Barista - My favorite teacher is no longer at Chicago Dramatists unfortunately. That said, if you can get into Will Dunne's scene shop class (it fills up really quickly and they give preference to returning students), it'll probably be worthwhile.

@Barista - I've taken a few classes at Chicago Dramatists. One was great, one was terrible, and one was somewhere in between. The teachers were good (and one was terrific!), but I think the value of the class mostly derives from the level of engagement of the other students, and that varies widely. But sometimes you luck out. I really connected with the people in one of my classes, and we've since formed a writing group. Facebook's MFA Draft '15 has alerted me to the fact that some people have already been rejected from Michener. They apparently do rolling rejections and slowly winnow down the applicant pool. IT HAS BEGUN!

USCD asks for both a 4 page personal essay and a 1 page Statement of Purpose. I'm struggling to differentiate between these samples and not repeat myself. Any advice from veteran applicants?

I was officially rejected from Northwestern. Wah wah.

@secondact I emailed Northwestern and was told they continue making descisions through May and June. Although last year they didn't update my online status (rejected) until August...so who knows?

@secondact I didn't interview this year. I inteviewed last year though. This is my second year applying...and probably my second year being SOL. It's a shame because I really love the program. Also, I want to stay in Chicago.