Kaitipoola

Meowlly, you're extremely wise not to use Facebook. Since I've heard absolutely NOTHING from my schools yet (even a school I'm 100% sure I was rejected by), the MFA Draft is rapidly driving me insane. Also, best of luck to you with your applications! I also applied to Vanderbilt. As for everyone else: heard anything? Waitlists, rejections, acceptances?

Does anyone know whether there is an interview stage for top 50 MFA programs? If so, any clue what the interviews are like? Just saw someone on the Facebook MFA Draft who was invited to interview with a school. I'm applying to the following MFAs: Washington University in St. Louis, U Virginia, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Brown, U Michigan, U Wyoming, U Florida, Louisiana State U. The following MA programs with a Creative Writing emphasis: U Maine, U Missouri. Any interview knowledge to share regarding these schools? I was kind of hoping there was nothing to do but wait for acceptance/rejection at this point...

By the way, do all MFA applications require you to send in an official transcript? I thought that they would only require that you send in an official one in the case of acceptance, but U Michigan seems to want them in before the application deadline. Since I'm going to be out of the country, this could get interesting... http://www.rackham.umich.edu/prospective-students/admissions/transcripts

Hello, TonyB! I admire the confidence you showed in applying to only three schools, and very prestigious ones at that. As for the genre writing, I'll keep pursuing that but have heeded the advice about the writing sample. Speaking of, have you refurbished your writing sample from last year, or are you submitting something entirely new? Here's to better luck this time around! -Poola

bhr, Thanks for the heads-up! Duly noted. I'll just head over there now and see what I can find. -Poola

Hi, all! I'm posting this thread because I have not yet found anything for Fall 2015 MFA applicants thus far. I'm hoping that this could be a thread where we all get to share advice, updates, uncontrollable anxiety, etc. regarding the application process. As for my own grad school situation, I'm an English (Creative Writing Emphasis) BA graduate who plans on applying to around 11 or 12 programs. All of them are fully funded or have a strong chance at full funding, as I won't be able to attend a graduate program if I have to pay tuition. I plan on applying to the following MFA programs: Brown, Cornell, Vanderbilt, WUSTL, Syracuse, U.T Austin (Michener), U Florida, U Wyoming, U Michigan, U Virginia. The MA English programs (which offer an emphasis in Creative Writing) that I'm considering are U Maine and U Missouri. I have a fairly strong academic record but realize that the MFA programs base their choice almost entirely on the writing sample. Since most of the creative writing I did for my BA was in the short-forms genre (and the novel excerpt I was planning on submitting is unacceptable because it falls into the "magical realism" category), I'm currently in the process of writing a story for my sample. Writing with so much at stake is stressful, to say the least, and my procrastination is all the more problematic because I leave the country to teach English abroad at the end of August. Yes, that's right - I'm going to be applying to English graduate programs while out of the country. Specifically in a country that doesn't speak much English. Or have dependable WiFi access. Am I insane? Yeah. Anyway, I don't know if anyone has questions, concerns or curiosity about other applicant's experiences so far, but I know that I do. I'm eager to hear where everyone else is in the process - do you have your letters of recommendation assembled, writing sample written, program choices solidified? Good luck to everyone! -Poola

Phew! That bit about the math section is reassuring - thank you. Since you consider a Ph.D to be more practical for your own future plans, does that mean that you intend to enter into academia as a profession? Have you thought about what your area of specialization/study will be? Definite agreement with the torch comment (noticed the irony there) and flying in the face of pragmatism. Who needs bread and water, anyway? We've got us some literature.

Thanks for the warm welcome, by the way! I wrote that in my first response, but it didn't make it into the second. -Poola

Wow, I just wrote an insanely long response, and it got deleted. Here I go again - I will probably be more to the point this time around, so don't please confuse my exasperation with technology for terseness! Question 1, about life after the MFA: I hope to do some work that interweaves my passion for environmental/animal advocacy with my love of writing. Ideally, I would join/start a publication that used literary art to further social and environmental undertakings. Long story short, I went into my BA thinking I was going into Environmental Law, that idea died quickly, and I fell further in love with English (which has always been a part of my life, having an English teacher for a mother.) No cemented career choice, however, which may be in some part due to the fact that I'm quite young. Also, I'm in the midst of writing a novel - which, alas, is too "genre" for me to send in as a fiction sample - and will probably continue writing such nonsense ad infinitum. It's true that I have become quite comfortable with teaching over the years, which I can probably thank my mom for to some degree: aside from helping her out from time to time, I've been tutoring in college writing centers for the past 4 years, and also have done fellowships and residencies in teaching while at university. As for the Ph.D, given my young age, my reluctance to choose teaching as an all-out career, and the fact that I've never lived anywhere near the grad schools that are financially eligible for me to apply...6-7 years seems like a LONG time. 2-3 years seems like a much better time commitment for me, and I figure, hey, if a school is willing to pay for me to teach a subject I love and become a better writer, then there's no better way to spend this chapter of my life. You, on the other hand, are clearly comfortable with committing to a Ph.D. *Tips hat.* Given your impressive history of publications, it sounds like Cornell's MFA/Ph.D program could be perfect for you! It's true that Cornell is almost freakishly selective; I'm throwing my hat at the MFA program, same with Brown, but less in an expectant way and more in a 'Hey, I once applied to Cornell for graduate school' kind of way. However, SOMEONE has to get in, and why not us? (While I'm sure there are reasons people other than us may get accepted, my idea is that, if a few people weren't brave enough to apply, there would be no program.) For the MA, the writing sample I'm using is an except from my Honors senior thesis, which was an analysis of the supernatural, Christianity and the feminist spirit in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Would love to hear what you're writing about, and what you're reading for the subject test. Re. the GRE, I also did 'well' in the verbal and writing sections - at least I think I did (what's the grad school range for 'doing well?) - but scored abysmally in the math. Several of the schools I'm applying to ask for GRE scores. Do you think an extremely low math score will factor in acceptance to an English program? God, I hope not. It's a pleasure to "meet" you, as well, Wyatt's Torch! I'm sure you're right about how quickly the application period will fly by...I'm planning on applying the first day that each application is open so that I can focus on surviving in a foreign country, and September seems to approach at break-neck speed! Cheers, Poola

I know people haven't posted here for a while, but...any MFA applicants in the house? I couldn't find a thread for MFA people and tried to start one, but was directed here. Would be happy with any exchange of advice/ideas/mutual anxiety. I'm pretty new here, as this is my first round, and would love to hear from people who are tucking in to applications a second time. Here's the gist of what I posted in the attempted MFA thread: I'm an English (Creative Writing Emphasis) BA graduate who plans on applying to around 11 or 12 programs. All of them are fully funded or have a strong chance at full funding, as I won't be able to attend a graduate program if I have to pay tuition. I plan on applying to the following MFA programs: Brown, Cornell, Vanderbilt, U Washington in St. Louis, Syracuse, U.T Austin (Michener), U Florida, U Wyoming, U Michigan, U Virginia. The MA English programs (which offer an emphasis in Creative Writing) that I'm considering are U Maine and U Missouri. I have a strong academic record but realize that the MFA programs base their choice almost entirely on the writing sample. Since most of the creative writing I did for my BA was in the short-forms genre (and the novel excerpt I was planning on submitting is unacceptable because it falls into the "magical realism" category), I'm currently in the process of writing a story for my sample. Writing with so much at stake is stressful, to say the least, and my procrastination is all the more problematic because I leave the country to teach English abroad at the end of August. Yes, that's right - I'm going to be applying to English graduate programs while out of the country. Specifically in a country that doesn't speak much English. Or have dependable WiFi access. Am I insane? Yeah. Anyway, I don't know if anyone has questions/curiosity about other to-be-applicant's experiences so far, but I know that I do. I'm eager to hear where everyone else is in the process - do you have your letters of recommendation assembled, writing sample written, program choices solidified? Good luck to everyone! -Poola

Hi, all! I'm posting this thread because I have not found anything for Fall 2015 English applicants thus far (though Communications and Anthropology people already have their respective threads - we need to step up our game!) I'm hoping that this will be a thread where we all get to share advice, updates, uncontrollable anxiety, etc. regarding the application process. As for my own grad school situation, I'm an English (Creative Writing Emphasis) BA graduate who plans on applying to around 11 or 12 programs. All of them are fully funded or have a strong chance at full funding, as I won't be able to attend a graduate program if I have to pay tuition. I plan on applying to the following MFA programs: Brown, Cornell, Vanderbilt, U Washington in St. Louis, Syracuse, U.T Austin (Michener), U Florida, U Wyoming, U Michigan, U Virginia. The MA English programs (which offer an emphasis in Creative Writing) that I'm considering are U Maine and U Missouri. I have a very strong academic record but realize that the MFA programs base their choice almost entirely on the writing sample. Since most of the creative writing I did for my BA was in the short-forms genre (and the novel excerpt I was planning on submitting is unacceptable because it falls into the "magical realism" category), I'm currently in the process of writing a story for my sample. Writing with so much at stake is stressful, to say the least, and my procrastination is all the more problematic because I leave the country to teach English abroad at the end of August. Yes, that's right - I'm going to be applying to English graduate programs while out of the country. Specifically in a country that doesn't speak much English. Or have dependable WiFi access. Am I insane? Yeah. Anyway, I don't know if anyone has questions/curiosity about other to-be-applicant's experiences so far, but I know that I do. I'm eager to hear where everyone else is in the process - do you have your letters of recommendation assembled, writing sample written, program choices solidified? Good luck to everyone! -Poola