SarahWakes

I got my rejection from WUSTL today.

How lovely would it be to be like Zadie Smith, to have only 80 odd pages of a manuscript completed and a book deal? That is what I yearn for, almost as much (if not more) than a MFA admittance.

Thanks Amayan. Sigh. Three plus days to go. I will try to hope for the best.

Hey Indiana inclined folks: Two people on Facebook draft announced getting wait-listed for poetry and one person announced getting in for fiction.

I looked into a few low residency programs and they are hideously expensive.

Three people on the Draft pages said they got into WUSTL. Sigh. I am waiting for my rejection letter.

Also, one person posted acceptance to the U of O, and it wasn't me...

Doesn't New School offer any scholarships beyond the 25% off of tuition? That seems pretty lame. Just for the the Lang school it was 20k per semester. Does this mean 40k for the year? And so, if you went, it would be 30k per year in just tuition? That is fucking insane! No one should apply for that unless they are loaded, have a trust fund or something of that ilk. Just living in New York would cost in the 30k range.... you could spend 120k getting this MFA, if you finished in two years. Yikes! '

I think the sample I sent in would fit into the YA/literary genre. Any ideas (besides New School, because I refuse to live in New York) of where I might be a good fit?

That's pretty much what every person admitted to New School said (on the Facebook Draft page) they got for funding. I wasn't clear what that 25% would cover. Just the tuition?

Also odd considering that fantasy is probably the second most popular genre of fiction, after romance. Romantic fantasies have been blowing up the best sellers list, seems like, for the last decade or so. All those YA books aimed at just that combination. It's kind of a horrible development, but those books do sell....

I called the University of Oregon and spoke with Julia Schwanik, who very nicely answered that we should know their decision in the next few days. Hopefully by the 16th.

According to two people on the MFA draft, two people have been waitlisted for poetry at the University of Oregon. Also, they will supposedly notify fiction people next week. I was expecting a two week wait, which will probably happen since I am also expecting to be rejected. Yikes!

Ooops! It's in RI. I knew that... and somehow forgot.

I don't think Brown being an Ivy should matter, the MFA program should, and I don't think the funding package for Brown is that great considering just how expensive Boston is. This is from http://themfayears.com/fully-funded-programs/ Brown University: “In the first year, all graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and covers tuition, the health fee, and health insurance. Fellowships do not require employment or teaching. The stipend for the 2014-2015 academic year is $11,500 (payable at the end of the month from September through May). Between the first and second academic year, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,500 (payable at the end of the month from June through August). In the second year, all graduate students in good standing who are qualified will be awarded teaching assistantships. Teaching assistants teach one undergraduate writing workshop per semester, and receive a full stipend, tuition, health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2014-2015 academic year is $23,000.” Whereas Michener: University of Texas, James Michener Center: “each admitted student receives a Michener Fellowship of $27,500 per academic year, plus remission of all required tuition and fees.” Doing the math in my head, Michener gives out 18K more over a two year period and doesn't require /give their students (the opportunity to?) teach. I wish I had applied to the Michener!

I've heard nothing, not even a wait list possibility, and I've been on craigslist looking at housing possibilities seven months in advance... Good luck to you and hopefully, should you need it, you will be fully funded in a program that is a good fit for you.

You're right Enjay. I was there from 2000-2003 as an undergrad. I thought about applying to UW, as I really love Seattle and have friends there, but no one on the faculty remotely excited me. Then there's the fact that Shields is still there, and that's a deterrent more than anything.

I went to the University of Washington. One of the grad TA's became a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend complained about David Shields - that he was dismissive and rude towards them, especially my friend's girlfriend - and David Bosworth. I had an independent study with Charles Johnson. We only met a couple times the whole quarter and he never seemed to really care about my writing at all. And the notes he gave me were pretty superficial... He was so consumed, it seemed, with speaking engagements and whatnot that I didn't really feel mentored whatsoever. I hope he was better with his grad students, but I don't know if he was or not. My friend's girlfriend had Shawn Wong as her adviser and I think he was better. Still. I don't have the highest opinion of the faculty at UW, at least on the fiction side. Glad the poets are better.

Where did you go? Also, how well funded is it?

You're welcome Sandy Bubbles. Good luck to both of us!

I had the chance once to choose between Sarah Lawrence and Temple U. When I went to visit Sarah Lawrence, and spent a little time in one of the CNF workshops, I was not thrilled that only one out of nineteen students was a POC. I chose Temple instead - smaller classes and my cohort had about half POC, which was nice. But I didn't like the program and did terribly. This time around, if I'm accepted, I hope I won't be the only POC but it will matter a whole lot less.

I'm from Bangladesh, which used to be a part of India. Applied to the University of Oregon.

Chin up. You still got accepted to two programs. And there are still seven other potential acceptances coming your way.

These are probably the factors which decide whether I get accepted. Or, more likely, rejected. Plus- One of people writing a reference letter for me sent his letter to me the day after I'd asked him. It was a nice letter - said I was a pleasure to have in the classroom, was dedicated to improving my writing and that I was one of the best writers in his class (journalism) and he recommended me highly. Minus- I was accepted for the MFA program back in 2003 at Sarah Lawrence and Temple. I went to Temple and was kicked out after the first year. I'm not sure my writing sample was strong enough. My personal statement probably blows. Who knows- I have a masters in teaching. I taught high school English for a year on a Navajo reservation. I finished my Masters in Teaching in 20011. One odd quirk? I flunked a class I needed to have passed to graduate from UWa the summer before I went to Temple, but I didn't. So I went to grad school without having graduated from undergrad. Ha! I bet I'm one of a select few with that dubious distinction. I did finally graduate from the University of Washington... three years later.

Yes! Yes, it really is sick having to wait. Every day I wake up and think... okay, now it's only x-1=notification day. I estimate March tenth for the start of notification. Sooo..... 20 days to go. Unless they're merciful and notify us earlier.