HookedOnSonnets

Genre includes sci fi, fantasy, romance, horror, westerns, YA - basically, there are certain rules that if you're writing genre, you're following. For example, in fantasy the rules are you will be in a fantastical setting that has some sort of magical element. If you're writing a western, it'll be set in the old American west and it'll have cowboys. That kind of thing. Usually, but not always, genre is plot-driven. Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, and Stephen King write genre. Literary is a little harder to define - pretty much, if it's not genre, it's literary. If you're in a bookstore and there's just a big shelf that says "FICTION", that'd be the literary section. Usually, but not always, it's character-driven. These aren't set in stone, there is some crossover. There's magical realism, which has fantastical elements but is considered literary. Never Let Me Go is considered literary even though it's set in the future and it's about clones... same with Oryx and Crake (minus the clones, plus an apocalypse). If you want to send me some of your writing I'd be happy to look at it and tell you if I think it's genre or literary, and why. Also - I was looking around and so far I've got Stonecoast, Seton Hill, and Western State Colorado that specifically teach genre - so they are out there. EDIT: Looks like all three of those schools I listed are low-res. Back to the drawing board. There's a funded genre program out there somewhere, and as God is my witness, I will find it.

You're welcome! I did the whole thing last year, so I remember what it was like. A few more things: I've got good news for you, and bad news. First - the good news: nobody cares what undergrad school you went to. I mean that sincerely. You could have gotten a bachelor's degree in napping from a low-ranked community college and it won't affect whether they let you in or not. That's one of the great (and terrifying) things about the creative writing MFA - grades don't matter (up to a point), your major doesn't matter, your school doesn't matter. What matters is that you write well. If you are passed over, it's not because another person came from an Ivy and they wanted to keep it all in the family - it's because the other person wrote better. (Well - maybe not better, more what the program was looking for). Now the bad news: I think you might be underestimating how hard it is to get into creative writing programs, and how competitive these programs are. The JHU acceptance rate (according to this blog that I can't verify, so I don't know if it's totally accurate) is 2% - that's no safety school. I'm not sure what Cornell's is, but I'd guess they're similar. So Johns Hopkins is by no mean the soft option. Any of the top fifty schools with full funding are going to be around that range, they're absurdly hard to get into. As to your desire for a small school in a large city with small class sizes and good funding... I'll give it to you straight, NYC is notorious for its bad funding. Cornell's got it (as you know) but that's not in the city. Maybe look at WashU - that's in St. Louis, Missouri and they have excellent funding and great placements. And the Michener Program - that's in Austin, Texas and they have AMAZING funding - but a .05% acceptance rate. Probably because of their amazing funding. Portland, OR has some pretty good up-and-coming programs (and Tin House is there)... but I grew up in Portland so I might be biased. George Mason's near D.C., they fund half their MFA students. There's a few schools in Florida that I can't think of off the top of my head, but they've got good funding, maybe look those up. What I'm trying to say is, don't put all your eggs in four EXTREMELY hard to get into baskets - spread out your search a little. Definitely apply to Cornell, and Iowa, and JHU (if you actually want to go there, if not, save the application fee for another school). There are quite a few very prestigious creative writing programs - so if you want to apply to just the big names, go for it. I can think of about 20 off the top of my head that are very prestigious, and very well-known for having amazing, top-tier creative writing programs. I just hate the idea of someone only applying to three or four schools, especially when they're all in the single-digit acceptance rates. Why not give yourself the best shot possible?

Every school I recognize on the list is literary. Don't waste the application fee by giving them genre, because they will take your money and run. My professor's advice when I was applying was, "Don't give them a reason not to accept you." Why are these the schools on your list? It seems to me they wouldn't be a good fit. The good news is, there are genre schools out there. I don't have a list off the top of my head, but I think New School has one (although I'd be iffy on that because funding's poor), umm... quick google search, Seton Hill... not familiar with that, anyway, this isn't very helpful. But I do know there are schools out there who not only teach genre, they love teaching genre. They'll be excited about your work, and excited to teach you. I actually think there's a forum someone on grad cafe that has a whole list of them - I'll post it if I can find it. If you're set on that list, you could always write a purely literary story for your application, but they're not going to want you to write genre once you get in there, either. My advice is - don't try to make yourself fit the school, find a school that fits you.

To counter your articles, GeoDUDE: I was curious so I looked it up, found this article in the NYT. I don't want to brag or make anyone incredibly jealous of my enormous good fortune and careful breeding, but I followed in my parents' footsteps and went right into my local state college. Did their last name get me in? Or was it the 93% overall acceptance rate? Perhaps both. Perhaps... both.

Nola Ochs scoffs at your thirty-four years, and raises you a ninety-five. As long as you have the energy and the drive, you're not too old. And 34's actually very par for the course, I wouldn't be surprised if there's someone older than you in your cohort.

Each rental company has different policies. If you're living near campus they probably deal with international students with no rental history in the US all the time, so I wouldn't sweat it. When I had no credit history they asked for any one of the following: A security deposit for one month's rent (everyone else paid about a quarter of that) A pay stub showing that no more than 1/3rd of my total salary would be going toward rent Savings to show I had sufficient funds to cover the entirety of the year A cosigner with sufficient credit history The security deposit's usually the easiest way to go if you can afford to eat the cost and recoup it at the end of the year. If you have a particular rental place in mind, give them a call and ask.

Legacies are less about the contribution one particular student or employee made in the science or arts and more about, you know, continuing the legacy. Jim got his undergrad at Harvard and now Jim Junior's off to get his undergrad at Harvard. It's all about the camaraderie and the connections you make as an undergrad. And the school hopes that you'll look back fondly over your undergrad years and send a little money their way, and then when Jim III shows up they're going to be more receptive to him than they would be to Mary Noname. There are different ways to contribute. One way the undergrad legacies contribute is in alumni donations, which do carry weight. You never know, it might help a little to slap "Mom got her post-doc here" on the application - but not nearly as much as "Mom got her undergrad degree here and now I want to follow in her witty and intelligent footsteps".

Much of what you're saying is, I think, having too high of an expectation. It's school - sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not. Sometimes you click with a lot of people, sometimes you don't. And yes, you're being overworked - you're in grad school, that's par for the course. In this situation my advice would normally be to power through, get your degree, and move on. I don't know how long your program is, but a year or two isn't that much time. However, this paragraph changed my mind in your specific case: What's the cost of this degree for you, and what's the gain? It sounds to me like you're losing much more than you're getting. I agree with the comments above that it's going to be difficult for you to transfer, as programs are so specific and credits might not roll to your next school. Not to mention your lack of recs. I don't want to be harsh, but holding onto this idea that there's a perfect school out there that's just a transfer away where you'll have close friends / study buddies and supportive professors isn't realistic. I think the big question here is - is grad school right for you right now? A year off won't hurt you, and having time to step back and reconsider might be more helpful rather than scrambling to get applications out to schools that may or may not be an improvement on your current situation. I don't know the answer. I'm really sorry you're having such a difficult time, and I hope things get better for you, whatever you decide to do. And please go see that counselor that was recommended. Oh, and one note on psychologists since you asked: don't give up if you don't click with one right away. Go to another one, and then another one, and eventually you'll find one that works for you. It's unlikely your first acquaintance will become your best friend, or your first boyfriend will become your husband - it's no less likely that your first counselor will be "the one". If you find one you like I really think it will improve your situation. (edited for hilariously bad misspelling of "acquaintance")

You've got quite the spread there! While your list has great programs, they're all vastly different when it comes to how they teach their MFAs. I'm wondering if because you're just getting started, you're focusing more on the prestige of the program rather than what program will best serve you as a writer. For example, Johns Hopkins and Cornell both have extremely small class sizes while Iowa lets in a very large class - which do you prefer? Iowa is known for being extremely literary, whereas Brown is experimental - what's your style of writing? Johns Hopkins is in Baltimore, whereas Iowa is in the middle of a cornfield - do you do your best writing when surrounded by activity, or when surrounded by corn? And all of these programs are two years - which is fine, many people are specifically seeking a two year program, but since you'll be fresh out of undergrad, you might have the time to explore three year schools. Always nice to have that extra year. Bragging rights is all fine and good, getting the best education for you is better. And "opening doors" is relative - getting an MBA from Cornell might open some doors, but a Creative Writing MFA won't help you much in the job market. This is the kind of degree you get for you, to give you the opportunity to grow as a writer, it won't help you much in the job search. I think what I'm saying is don't get caught up in the prestige of the program, you'll miss out. Find fully-funded schools with excellent professors that teach the kind of writing that gels with your style, and don't worry about the reputation of the school as a whole.

You are going to be fine. Your writing sample is worth submitting, you have as good a chance as anybody. When I was applying, I was in exactly the same boat where I felt like my wouldn't stack up against the rest of the applicant pool. I think most people feel that to some degree. But it was fine, I got accepted to one of my favorite programs. My writing sample definitely was not amazing work - it probably wasn't even very good. But the acceptance committee saw something they liked, and that's what matters. Keep in mind they're not looking for perfection, they're looking for somebody they're excited to teach. You are good enough to apply. If you don't get in this year, you've got all of next year to sleuth around and figure out how to improve. But don't torture yourself by comparing your writing to others' right before you begin to apply, all that's going to do is raise your anxiety about a thousand percent. What is helpful is sending your sample out to people you trust (maybe classmates from your creative writing courses - or even people on Gradcafe) to ask them for advice - focus on improving your own sample as much as you can and don't worry about what the other applicants are doing. Good luck!

What do you *snap* mean it's *smack* hard to *pop* concentrate when people are *loud, wet swallow* chewing gum? I withdrew from a class once because there was a line of girls who would sit in the back row open-mouthed smacking their gum. I couldn't hear a word the lecturer said. I heard only moist mouth sounds.

I don't want to use up my venting quota, but I went to pick up my car after the mechanic called to say the oil leak was fixed... halfway home, my "check oil" light came on. Turned it right back around - when I got out it was spewing oil. The mechanic brings it back into the shop and comes out five minutes later with, "That's a different leak. You must have scraped the underside of your car on something." Yes. That's the likely explanation.

Ha, no! I didn't mean to insult New Jersey, I just meant that right now I live 3,000 miles away from NJ, and when I go to school I'll still be 1,000 miles away. Do not and will not in the future* would have been better worded.

Don't lose hope, It doesn't necessarily mean you're rejected - could be any number of things (glitchy website, they made a decision but haven't posted it, etc). Since the deadline was only April 15th, the best thing to do is wait. Checking website statuses is bad for your health - I know when I did it, all it did was make me incredibly anxious (and the results didn't get there any faster). Like watching water boil.

Feeling like venting. I've been chronically single by choice for years - ever since halfway through my undergrad when I made the huge mistake of taking a year off school to live with my much older boyfriend in a different state. When that (shockingly) turned out badly, I decided I was going to fully commit to school and worry about finding a guy later. I got really passionately into Creative Writing and started applying to MFAs - I got into a good one, and when I told my friends / family / loved ones the responses came like this. Best friend: "Oh, congrats. But aren't you worried about your small cohort?" Me: "What do you mean?" Best friend: "I mean, you know, wouldn't it be nice if there were lots of guys to choose from?" Mom: "*cuts me off in the middle of telling her about my new school* Oh, before I forgot, I met this WONDERFUL man the other day - he's a carpenter, he was doing the deck, and he is just so handsome and I really think you should meet him. He lives in New Jersey (*I do not and will not live near New Jersey*), he's a little over forty, and you know he'll be wonderful father because he already has a thirteen year old daughter! I really think you should meet him - what's your schedule like?" Me: "Well, I'm pretty booked up for the next three years." Mom: "Maybe I'll invite him for Christmas." Friend's mom: "Oh, I was hoping you would go to (different writing program) and meet a nice home-grown farm boy. The men in (my new city) are so pretentious." Am I just sending out desperate vibes, or what? Sometimes I want to grab a random guy off the street to bring home just to get everyone off my back. Edit: I only just turned 25. I'm not exactly counting my eggs, here.