Hello all,
I spent a lot of time on this forum four years ago when I was applying to MFA programs. I finished my MFA in last May and landed in a tenure-track job in the fall. I guess that makes me an admissions committee member now, so I promise not to lurk here and eavesdrop on all of your application plans. However, having just gone through the process, I wanted to share a bit of what I learned. I can answer questions here, if you like, or you can contact me off-list at maryannaevans@yahoo.com.
In short, it looks like you're all following the advice that worked for me. Apply widely and to programs with varying admission rates. Research your target programs to make sure you're not missing an unusual requirement. (When I applied, some of my target programs wanted GREs, and some didn't. One wanted a critical paper. Some wanted me to learn two languages before i graduated.) Polish up your writing samples and get feedback from your fellow writers.
I graduated from the MFA program at Rutgers-Camden, which I recommend. The faculty are great and they're growing, having added another poet this year. They've just opened a Writer's House that is lovely. Many students are funded, though I think not all. Camden is right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia and its cultural opportunities, but I lived in Camden to save money and went to Philly for fun. Camden as a whole can be dangerous, but the area around the university is safe as cities go. I had a fairly long publication history in genre fiction when I started the program, but I wanted to study literary fiction and creative nonfiction, so I was essentially starting from zero. I can say without question that the MFA experience took my writing to a new level, and my editor agrees. With the publication history and the MFA, I went right to a tenure-track job. This is unusual for a recent MFA, but I can tell you that it is possible.
I'm now teaching at the University of Oklahoma in a graduate program that I've never seen mentioned in any of the creative writing groups, although it has been here for sixty years. It is not an MFA, but it is a Master of Professional Writing that focuses on genre fiction and commercial nonfiction. (Check it out, but know that our website is in the middle of a much-needed update.) Since many MFA programs are not open to writing intended for popular audiences, this is a good option for writers who have that as a goal. Some, but not all, of our students are funded. Others can generally find work on-campus or in the community. The cost of living in Norman, Oklahoma is very low. We do not currently get a flood of applications, although that could change. Being at an R1 school gives some amazing cultural advantages. In the year since I came here, we had traveling exhibits of a Shakespeare First Folio, a large collection of Renaissance books and artifacts related to Galileo, and a collection of sculptures that had never before left Rome's Capitoline Museum. Frankly, I love it here.
Good luck with all your applications. This is a stressful time, but it does pass.
