newengland1

Thanks. Also, congrats!

@Maybel Thanks for the heads-up. Can you say a little more -- did they call to schedule an interview? Or was it a surprise interview phone call? Thanks ... !

I'd like to chime in and add -- I think everyone deserves to be congratulated, whether you get in somewhere this year or not. Going through this process is grueling, but formative and I think helpful, even if it has to be repeated more than once. So, congrats to all on your efforts. We're all getting closer to our goals.

@The Walter Before PMd u.

@jamesprongs101 fuck yes! congrats, what a day! just curious - how did u hear from brooklyn? did they interview u?

thanks guys. now waiting for funding info. more anxiety lol.

thanks jnp809! so much anxiety and waiting leading up to it. i've had several drinks. they were much needed.

accepted to nyu-tisch today. over the moon. hope everyone's hanging in there.

I haven't heard anything from Brooklyn, Ohio, Rutgers (but just submitted Tues.), or Juilliard (obvi). Waiting for word from NYU post-interview, and CMU, after they requested a second script. Such limbo. Anyone have tips on how not to check email every fifteen minutes?

Totally. The same play that's an O'Neill semifinalist this year and got me an interview with NYU-Tisch was just rejected from Great Plains and PlayPenn. G-d knows what we can do besides work our butts off and run with what we get. Persist!

@lrb0192 Yay! You survived. I can relate to the strange sense of waiting post-interview ... I'm doing everything now to distract myself from thinking about them, with middling success. @GlenwoodRed Re: pizza, Pepe's for sure. Sally's, Modern, BAR, and Kitchen Zinc are all also respectable ;-)

Some news about CMU. I didn't get the snail mail rejection letter, and figured it was probably en route. But today received a nice email from Rob Handel asking for a second script, which I just sent off. It's a super early draft of a brand new play, so I'm jittery. I'll report back if I hear anything more.

@Boxedwine Cookies are great. For something more authentically New Haven, go a block further, to Mamoun's, on Howe. They're open til 3am and have delicious middle eastern pastries. (Also not far is Louis Lunch -- which is in a long-running contest for oldest hamburger place in America, or something like that. It's like a 200-year-old McDonalds, on Crown St.)

@The Walter Before Your experience sounds very similar to mine. I can't tell from what you wrote if yours was by phone or in person, but mine was via phone, with Richard Wesley, who couldn't have been more disarming. My Hunter interview last year was patently disastrous, mostly due to nerves, so I tried to be calm and prepared this time, and I knew I needed to be able to talk about my work in a compelling way. Richard's tone of voice was so gentle and welcoming that any sense of obligation I felt quickly disappeared. As with you, he wanted to know what questions I had that hadn't yet been answered. So I asked a few, but as we chatted the conversation rambled a bit, though I thought in a good way. He was in good spirits and just so kind. And he asked me only one question ... not at all about me or my play. So now I'm trying to figure out how the interview might have been helpful to him ... as surely they are interviewing more people than they can admit in one pass. I didn't at all feel that I bombed it, and I'm sure you didn't either! But it certainly wasn't the kind of interview I was expecting. And really that was a relief. Did you get any sense of when decisions would be made / sent out? Or how many applicants they take? I didn't think to ask that. Good luck at Yale. I've lived in New Haven and worked at Yale for 8+ years, and know the place all too well ...

I live in New Haven (apart from weekends in NYC) and would love to get coffee with a fellow almost-grad student, though I didn't apply to Yale. (NYU, Juilliard, CMU, Ohio, Rutgers, Brooklyn are on my list.)

Just got off the phone with Richard Wesley at NYU-Tisch. It was an informal interview. Is anyone else doing that this week? If so, I'd love to trade notes about the program.

@draconianstars sorry to hear that, but chin up! Mine may have arrived in my P.O. box today too -- but I'm out of town and can't check. Wondering how they've contacted finalists in years past ...

@plost5950, welcome back and good luck. Have you heard anything from NYU (if you applied)?

@Boxedwine, thank you! The other main one is Hunter. The program is in transition -- Arthur Kopit is leaving and they're about to hold masterclass job talks for his replacement. Not sure yet who that will be. And dunno yet if Annie and Branden are back next year? I did an MA in that department (got to do a year of MFA classes with Mark and Tina), and I'm connected enough there that I could probably figure it out. If anyone wants to chat about Hunter, feel free to PM me. Sending good vibes to all.

Hi everyone -- I've been a lurker so far this year but figured I'd chime in. Congrats to everyone who's gotten interviews so far! I applied only to one school last year, Hunter, interviewed, and didn't get in. I was so dreadfully nervous sitting at a table with Annie Baker and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. I didn't interview well, and HOPE I'll do better this year if I get interviews. My play is an O'Neill semifinalist, which was encouraging. My list this year -- for note-comparing purposes -- is NYU-Tisch, Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon, Brooklyn College, and Ohio. I may add another school or two with late deadlines. Has anyone heard yet from any of these places? @Barista? Thanks so much and GOOD LUCK TO ALL. (I find comfort in the fact that some of my favorite writers never got MFAs -- we are artists already.) -NewEngland

For those applying to CMU -- How did you send your transcripts in? Snail mail? I'm having trouble finding the address they want them sent to. Thanks if anyone can help!

Hi all, Is anyone here applying to Ohio's program? There doesn't seem to be much about the application process online -- last year's deadline (Feb. 15, 2015) is still up. But I generally have a good impression of the program. Just wrote them for info, but wondered if anyone knew anything. In particular, I'm wondering how many scripts they want with their application, how many LORs they require, and have questions about funding and teaching opportunities as a graduate student. Perhaps someone knows? Cheers, n.e.

Hello- This is my first post. Totally amazing forum. I also had an interview Tuesday at Hunter - I think they tried to get everyone in in one day. Did anyone else here interview with Annie and Branden? Wondering if they've followed up with anyone yet. I heard it would be no later than June 1.