FalloutCoversEverything

Thanks! I did have a drink actually! It's a good day--lots of stress lifted. Even if I didn't get into an MFA program I needed to switch jobs and would have had to go through applying etc. It would have been fine, but it would have been a lot of work / additional stress. Now I have a program to go to. Yay!

Well, I just got a fully funded offer in the mail! Proof that it is never too late.

You'd be surprised! I've been in some workshops where people were openly hostile to anything that was formally experimental. This strange world with little egos we all live in. I'm in a similar position right now--I only have 3 programs left to hear from (a number based partially on some assumed rejections). I still have some small hope, but it is looking less and less likely that I'll be attending an MFA program next year. I do have one acceptance, but I haven't heard anything about funding. Waiting is painful. I might be right there with you applying again next year. Seriously though--It doesn't reflect your on your ultimate ability to be a writer. Sorry you're feeling so down right now. Don't give up. I know if I don't make it this year, I'm going to work on my submission packet and try again next go around.

Heh, seems like we got our letters at similar times. O well. =)

Yes, most likely. Waitlists often come in the mail. There was a post above that said there were no waitlists in poetry this year. I'm not sure if it's the same for fiction. Either way, you should get your decision soon enough--decisions were mailed out on March 1st. I actually just got my rejection (a little while ago) via snail mail. Sigh. Despite its ranking, it was actually kind of low on my personal list because of location. Still stings a bit though.

They have faculty that stretch beyond traditional realism (via genre, experimental form, etc.) as well as a bunch of people who specialize in translation. It's not WAY OUT THERE ("weird" seems less appropriate than "open to experimentation and genre"). That said, the program isn't exactly focused specifically on literary realism in the way many other programs are. So it is different.

Some of their graduates seem to do formal experimentation and things like that, but not all. I think it is kind of a mixed bag. But they are open to experimentation at least. I kind of want to go somewhere more realist-oriented (personally) just because I think it balances me out and makes my writing more accessible. But yeah, if you do get in you'll definately have something to think about!

Huge, huge congrats on the Michigan acceptance! It seems your thousand dollars of application fees paid off with one of the sweetest funding deals possible. Supposing one fulfills the requirements, it is functionally a three year program with an additional year to edit/revise your thesis (and submit it for publication), with one of the highest stipends possible for MFA applicants. Awesome! Again, huge congrats!

Yeah, all of that does sound super weird. I suspect the calling duties fall on faculty, who get around to it at their own pace. There must have been some kind of deadline for picking everyone, I suspect, and they ran right up to it. O well, at least people are getting in. The waitlist thing is very strange though.

Ah, well, whatever works. If you do get another stipend that is substantial (and if you're seriously debating between multiple programs), don't hesitate to mention it to the programs. My friend got a semester with no teaching and a higher stipend for doing so at a" top 10 rated program" (whatever that means). Some programs just have some money in reserve to try to snatch up people who have multiple offers, to sweeten the deal, to say "no, we want you here, don't go there." If they don't offer anything, no big deal. But you shouldn't feel like you're stepping on anyone's toes by sending an email like that. I also feel like it's good for programs like NYU to hear that their current funding structure is untenable from accepted applicants. Those are the kind of emails they can save to attempt to get the school to change its structure/policies. Although, some part of me doubts NYU will ever change. Their creative writing program (at the undergraduate level) is full of cheap adjuncts and temporary faculty--they wouldn't want to replace that will expensive teaching assistantships, or worse, actual faculty positions. But yeah, anyway, this is all abstract/etc. Glad you have someplace you're excited to go to! That's what matters! Yay! Also, your life sounds interesting--I suspect it will provide the ground for some great fiction as you jump into the work of really refining your craft over the next couple of years! O! Like what!? Give us the dirty details!

Well, then hope is alive. Do you jive with Brown's style/aesthetic? Yeah, I will. I don't want to though. I still have a few places to hear from. It isn't over until it is over. There are always examples of people who get in / get funding at the last minute. But yeah, next year I'll definately apply more widely.

Well, now there is a postal rejection posted. I guess they are coming. Sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed.

Ah, thanks for the info! Anxiously awaiting my letter. Yeah, they've been coming in a slow, steady stream. Kind of weird they couldn't send them out all at once.

As @DangerDetective said a lot of acceptances have already been posted. That said, there's a chance for a waitlist. One was posted in the results as having been received via email, but usually more than one makes it up (and they are usually received via postal service). Re: mailing: Where'd you hear that? I'd assume there'd be some postal mail rejections posted by now (I'm sure some people in Iowa applied). That said, they might have to go through some processing on campus before actually making it to the postal service.

Based on previous years--7-15 days. There's likely a little bit of waiting left to do.

I also just did a quick google and I found this post on THE MFA BLOG: http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com/2010/10/graphic-novel-and-mfa.html Ohio State, Michigan, UNC- Wilmington (but you can basically add any major college to this list, especially of the public variety): graphic novels are a quickly growing / popular critical discipline.

Lynda Berry teaches at UW - Madison and is associated with the creative writing program. Brian Evenson at Cal Arts is open to graphic novel work (is a fan of it). I'm sure there are many others, but those are two that I'm specifically aware of. I suspect people at Alabama's program, or Brown's fiction program, might be open to graphic novel work as well. That said, I wouldn't limit yourself based on that criteria specifically. If you can put together a solid writing sample in either realist or experimental fiction (or poetry or nonfiction, which are less competitive in terms of admission) and include some samples of your graphic work, you might find a lot to love in programs that don't directly cater to graphic novel writing. Many schools are going to have great illustration programs that you'll be able to take courses in as well as literature courses that focus on the graphic novel / manga as a medium. There is the "comics college," or CCS, but it isn't funded, and you're probably better off just doing a summer program there while at another MFA. Like, programs many programs have 3 years funding (Minnesota, LSU, Alabama), summer grant opportunities, and you might be able to pull additional funding to specifically attend CCS for a couple of weeks. You'll also learn a lot about narrative or poetic construction (depending on your genre) that you'll be able to apply to your graphic novel / manga work. In most programs, there's definately space to take something like and illustration course every semester. So, if that's your thing, go for it. Don't let the specifics of the program being focused on graphic novel work stop you from getting the time/space/funding to do your work. It wouldn't hurt to apply to some programs that lean toward that, but if you can pull a sample that stretches beyond that in terms of your primary writing sample, you'll open yourself up to a lot more opportunities. Apply widely to funded programs where you can find illustration programs / graphic novel courses. See what happens.

=( Sorry to hear about the bad news. Keep on keeping on, and remember this isn't a reflection of your ability to be a great writer. There's always other programs. There's always next application cycle.

Bummer about the half tuition. Congrats again on the admit though. At least you know they liked your sample enough to accept you, even if you didn't make the cut. Think of it as a waitlist spot that never came to fruition. I do very much think you should send them an nice email describing your other offer(s) and see what they say. They might be able to use that to secure funding from the graduate school with the email in hand--they may want to fund more people, but they may not have the leverage to do so. It may be a longshot, but it is worth it. Also, the MFA rankings tell one very, very little about the quality of programs/faculty. Don't base your decision off of the rankings. They are literally a list of programs people applied to tallied from the "MFA draft group" on facebook put in order by popularity. In fact, they were so controversial that Poets & Writers stopped publishing them (I do think they were good in their emphasis on funding though). But yeah, NYU/Columbia dropped dramatically in the rankings because of funding--but if one gets funding, they are amazing programs with fantastic faculty. Personally, I'd much rather work with Zadie Smith than a large swath of the faculty in other programs. It's worth the email.

There is so much news today but none of it is relevant to the programs I applied to, even though I still have 5 programs to hear from--all of which have responded by now in the past. Ah, the tension.

Yeah, I've definately spent more time worrying about that the last few days than I have worrying about applications.

Maybe it's some nonsense where someone in the office has to type in the emails one by one for some bureaucratic / technological reason? I feel sad for whoever has to do that work--like, come on, just write a mass rejection email and send it out. Office people in academic settings already have enough other nonsense to deal with.

Congrats on the funded admit! Yeah, I mean, you're better off going where the best/most-sustainable living situation is. But, if you do get funding at NYU, also do seriously consider the faculty. That matters too.

This is the MFA thread, but it might not be a bad idea to go for an MFA if you have any interest in creative writing. At most programs you can take both critical and creative classes and build up rec letters and work on a paper for PhD school admission while working on an MFA. If you don't have any interest in creative writing, it couldn't hurt to apply to MA programs. You also might just take a couple of classes in your area (locally) to build up some recommendations? Maybe just one a semester so the workload isn't impossible (I know teaching is pretty daunting). Or, if you're thinking about the MFA as an option, consider doing one of the summer programs (Jupiter/Naropa/Iowa) to work on obtaining a recommendation. You have lots of options. MFA might look better in the sense that it would be an additional/different degree, and it will give you certain advantages on the post-PhD job market down the road. That said, MFA admission isn't easy, so if you go that route, you'll want to make sure you have some experience with writing before applying, and to make sure you apply to a ton of (funded) programs. But yeah, it could be a great way to build up toward a PhD.