turtlesfordays

Oh shoot! I just received an offer of admission from the University of Maryland! I’m going to Maryland!

I’m curious about this (please don’t read my questions as passive aggressive, I think it’s totally valid to reject an offer): if you weren’t interested enough to go if accepted, why did you apply? Did you not get the aid offer you had hoped for? Did you meet the faculty or students after the fact and realize the program wouldn’t be a good fit? Did your circumstances change? Or was it simply a change of heart? I applied to a number of programs, but would’ve been happy to accept an offer of admission from any of them. So for my own sake, are there things to watch out for if you are accepted that you wouldn’t have thought to watch out for when you applied?

I would say if Columbia is your dream, then apply. Some students do receive funding, but also spend some time thinking about whether it would still be worth it to you even if you don't receive funding and have to pay tuition prices while paying to live in NYC, one of the most expensive cities in the US. Whether it's a rip off is up to you and your personal financial situation and what you expect to get out of the program. Columbia has famous professors and it is right in the heart of the publishing world, but personally (especially as someone who isn't wild about NYC) I would definitely not be willing to pay to go when some students do receive funding and when there are other programs that are fully funded. Here's a perspective piece on the price of attending Columbia from an international student: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/07/columbia-costs-mfa/593215/ And to respond to the whole open admission thing, while Columbia does have a significantly higher acceptance rate in comparison to other programs it is not open admission. From what I could find (I used collegelearners.com), in previous years the acceptance rate was around 40%, though this year was probably lower considering how many more people applied everywhere. I couldn't find any concrete information about what percentage of students receive funding or full funding, but if you put some work in and look through the financial aid and scholarship page(s) on the Columbia website you might be able to find that out. Finally, I would suggest checking out the book MFA vs. NYC (I was able to check it out at my library, didn't even have to buy it) for some more perspectives on the MFA from professors and people who have actually gone to MFA programs unlike most of us here (who have done research, probably a lot, but don't have that sweet, sweet personal experience).

The guy before was a troll because they were being rude and telling people they won't succeed and to give up hope, which I don't think is helpful. (I think most of us know that acceptance rates are low at most schools--between 0.5% and 3%, but that's no reason to give up hope if we believe we have submitted our best work, because every year people do get in and go.) I'm just saying you should only go to an MFA program if you are fully funded or independently wealthy enough not to go into debilitating debt over tuition fees. (And by debilitating, I mean debt that makes you unable to write after you graduate or otherwise depressed or anxious.) This is advice I've picked up from reading soooo many articles on MFA programs and affording them. Here's a couple MFA advice articles that might be helpful to clear things up further: https://www.flavorwire.com/476264/27-writers-on-whether-or-not-to-get-your-mfa https://www.tiffanyhawk.com/blog/should-i-get-an-mfa And here's a list of some fully funded MFA programs: https://readtheworkshop.com/resources/fully-funded-programs/

Don’t take this as a “rain on your parade” type of response, but pretty much every article on MFAs out there says do not pay for the MFA. Especially now when there are more MFA programs than ever and more schools fully funding their students than ever. The only decent exceptions I’ve heard were one from someone who wanted to stay in the city where their partner worked and their kids went to school and another where the person was able to continue working (so that was a low res option, and definitely a good choice if you want the MFA, but want to hold onto your career while you get it). As much as the troll sucks, I have seen it said in more reputable places from non-trolls that those well known professors at Columbia, as good as they might be, do have favorites (how could anyone not, I mean we all have favorite authors) and that your level of funding is at least a decent indication about how likely you are to be one of those favorites. Unless you are wealthy enough where the cost will not limit your future options (and a load of debt will typically limit your future options), do not pay for an arts degree when you don’t need the degree to do what you enjoy doing. I believe the MFA will help you improve and will give you that sweet, sweet time to write, but you do need to consider the situation you’ll be in once you are on the other side. Will you be able to keep focusing on your work when you have a mountain of debt (likely forcing you to take a job for the money and not for the passion) and a degree that won’t guarantee you a career? Sorry, that sounds grim, but I just think it would be dreadful to go in, pay a lot, maybe even have a great MFA experience, but then be too consumed with financial worry afterwards to keep writing. Please don’t take this as discouragement, I want everyone who wants to go to MFA programs to go, but I also don’t want people to come out the other side and end up bitter about it. Because that’s how you breed trolls. TLDR: Only go to an MFA program if you are fully funded. Consider what your position will be like after the MFA if you have a load of debt. Do what is right for you, but be honest and realistic.

You might ask about diversity, community (are students competitive with each other or more collaborative), and whether most students are able to manage the workload. And maybe consider asking about teaching responsibilities if that is relevant.

I just had a Zoom call with Maryland about the waitlist. Apparently, they are only accepting 2 this year (which I had heard previously), and both encouragingly and tragically I was told that in a previous year when they had 4 spots open they would've accepted me. So now I just have to hope someone declines their fiction offer from Maryland so I can go!

Acceptance rates at most schools (especially fully funded programs like many of the non-NYC big name schools) have acceptance rates of about 0.5-3% (based on what I was told in rejection letters this year and research from previous years). So I would say refrain from believing that any aspect of who you are is preventing you from getting in. There are just too few acceptances and too much subjectivity in writing to say for certain what would give you a better or worse chance. Still, for anyone applying again, the advice I always see from schools is that you should submit your best work. Don’t submit work that you just wrote because you probably won’t have a clear idea of its quality. Plan ahead, get feedback on your sample, and remember that most schools are looking for literary fiction (if you want to focus on popular or genre fiction you will have to really research to find the right schools for that). This is some of what I’ve learned from my research, I hope it is helpful!

I emailed Irvine. I was told that if you haven’t been waitlisted or accepted at this point you’ve been rejected. Not a surprise, but in an embarrassing twist, I was emailing Iowa at the same time and ended up accidentally telling Irvine I thought my letter had been lost in the mail. Irvine was like “what is ‘mail’?”

I checked the results page and tragically it looks like V Tech sent out some acceptances and waitlists at the beginning of this month, so I'm not super optimistic. But that's how this thing goes! The chances are low, but my hopes, they are always high.

Just checked, mine says the same. But no way to see what the decision is...emails soon I guess.

Apparently haha

@SpaceJunkI’m on the waitlist for Maryland too! The infernal treadmill as I’ve begun to call it. @Ydrland I were wondering if all waitlisted people got the same email. What did yours say?

Ah! I should’ve done that! I just told her she made my Friday haha

Let’s make it in together ✌️