badeyebrows

How exciting, congrats again! Is this the writing & publishing program that's full-res?

Congrats!! So happy to hear this. Are you planning to attend? Summer start? (VCFA is on my list to apply to for the winter start, so I'd love to pick your brain.)

That's interesting, I'm just seeing Peterson's for the first time. Surprised I didn't stumble upon it earlier in my research. I wonder where they get the acceptance rate data? If it's self-reported from the schools? I'm guessing they pull it from some other source. I've been wondering about my chances at a low-res program, since there's so little data out there compared to what you can find about traditional programs. I'm going to be applying regardless, but after the rejection this past season, it's a little hard to stomach the idea of even more rejection so soon. Also @Sleam, to follow up on our previous conversation, I'm planning to apply this summer for the winter/spring 2018 term at a number of schools, and right now my list includes Antioch, Pacific, Stonecoast, Spalding and Goucher. Might add VCFA to the list but I haven't researched them as thoroughly. I'm planning to cast a wider net when I only applied to two high-res programs last fall (I'm also going to be much more prepared, since I only decided last October that I'd apply for those two high-res programs, which was uh... pretty late in the game.)

sorry to hear it. best of luck to you with everything moving forward--maybe we'll cross paths some day in a low-res program

so gradcafe won't let me edit my original post but for any of you reading along wondering "wtf does she mean 'deifying debt?' ", just know that i woke up this morning and had a moment of terror in bed when i realized what i had said, and that it made no sense whatsoever, and that i definitely meant DEMONIZING debt. thank god it's friday.

hi all, i just wanted to emerge from my brief MFA hibernation to say 1) congrats to those of you that have posted acceptances since i was last here, 2) sorry to those of you that have faced rejections; you're in good company! and 3) i am very grateful for the productive conversation about paying for the MFA. i've spent the past few weeks researching low-res programs and there are a few that have sparked my interest even more than any full-res program i researched or applied to last fall. i've had a hard time with the idea of low-res, though, and i guess in part it's because i've internalized this idea that under no circumstances should you pay for an MFA (without pausing to consider the substantial cost of relocating to another state for a fully-funded program that only offers a paltry stipend; plus, in my case, that would mean uprooting my husband who already has a good job in the city we both love). this process has made me realize there are so many other factors that determine what truly makes a program affordable or "worth it," and it's nice to see the finances being discussed with nuance, rather than deifying debt in all circumstances. so, thanks for that! and if any of you have been through a low-res program and have wisdom to impart, or if any lurkers want to come out of the shadows to give the scoop on their good/bad/neutral low-res experiences, i would be forever grateful.

ah, that last line--i'm feeling the same way. it's hard to think about going through this again, although i have thought that maybe i should give it another go for 2018. especially since i know so much more now than i did when i fired off those applications a few months ago. but damn, i'm not 22 anymore. i've wondered if i'd even fit in with a cohort of people mostly in their early 20s in different life stages--and forgive me if i sound ridiculous, being in my late 20s, but i'm living a very different life than i was five years ago. i've thought that not getting into the two programs i applied for was perhaps a kind of blessing. this way, i still keep my job, i don't have to uproot myself or my husband, and i can of course still write, albeit not under the ~ideal circumstances~ i was pining for in a full-res program... knowing full-well that the MFA would not be a utopia where all i do is write and dissect joan didion essays. i'll stop before this devolves into a full-blown diary entry. @Sleam, yes, we're both nonfiction! if anything interesting comes of this Goucher webinar i'll let you know. i don't blame you for being hesitant to take out loans; i would feel the same way. i'm similarly not so keen on the idea of sinking my hard-earned $$$ into an MFA.

i'm very interested in this conversation. i looked into the low-res path as i was applying for full-res programs in the fall and it seemed compelling but, to all of @Hortense's points, also seemed to require the perfect cocktail of circumstances. i have a fairly well paying job right now (knock on wood). depending on the cost of tuition for a low-res program, i could break even to still earn what a TA stipend might be like in a full-res program. i'm more worried about whether i'd be able to juggle the MFA work alongside a full-time job. forty hours a week is not really a reality for me in my current role--some weeks when i'm traveling it's double that, other weeks it's more consistentently 40-50. @Sleam, which nonfiction programs have you looked into? i registered for a Goucher webinar this week and i'm looking forward to learning more about them.

great suggestion. i love her, and "eat real food" is a nice reminder right when i'm tempted to reach for a bag of sadness cheetos. hey there, i recognize you from the draft group. sorry to hear we both got the same news today. i lived for several years in iowa city, moving away then always moving back, so i think this is the final break-up for me. if i weren't at work, i'd crack open a rejection beer right now!

well, my season is over. a few minutes ago i received my second and final rejection, from iowa (nonfiction). feeling numb with some relief mixed in, because at least i can stop existing in this purgatory of wondering what the rest of the year might bring. now i have my answer: stay in my city, stay in my job. there are worse things, but i'm still feeling crushed by this feeling of a single email extinguishing all hope. i'll probably look back on this post later and be like, "badeyebrows, you maudlin idiot." but it's been nice having some camaraderie here so i felt compelled to post. wishing the best for the rest of you xx

congrats! hold onto your enthusiasm and x out of that post!

agreed--in general, i think the group is a good resource and a fine place to commiserate. although, as others have said, the vibe here on gradcafe just suits me better. the "drama" that i saw this morning centered around a semi-fictional (i think?) SOP someone shared with the group. it touched on sensitive topics including rape, and then the thread escalated into comments (that i've only skimmed, for my own sanity/productivity at work) about trigger warnings, the merits of this guy's piece of writing, and a whole lot more. i think some of the other slightly more contentious threads about application fees and how/if white writers should write characters of color were interesting and mostly productive. this latest thread seems heavier on shenanigans, lighter on productivity. ETA: maybe it's a valuable conversation and i just haven't taken the time to read it closely, so don't take my word on it

it's such a rabbit hole. usually i have to pull myself away from reading all the acceptance/rejection news, but the latest shenanigans are next-level. i started following along and then decided i should probably get back to doing my job. ditto @manandcamel. i like it here and i'm glad this thread has remained active!

Same. But Prince is on Spotify now, so whatever, the Gophers can have Paisley Park.

Hey, I understand -- I was in Draft purgatory for what felt like forever and I started to wonder if they just decided I couldn't be in the club. And now that I'm in, I have a very love/hate relationship with the steady stream of posts. Mostly love, because solidarity is nice, but also hate because as soon as I've let MFA thoughts leave my mind, a post pops up that reminds me -- commence anxiety spiral all over again.

I don't think I ever responded to you, I'm sorry! I applied to Iowa (nonfiction) and based on notifications in past years, I'm thinking they will notify around early March. How many places are you still waiting on?

Yes! The MFA stress dreams! I don't know if you meant actual dreams, I've been having them almost nightly. I know for 99.9999% certain that I didn't get into one of my two schools, and if they could just put me out of my misery with a formal rejection, I would appreciate it. And now, time for the weekend--which means lots of pointless refreshing of emails and application portals because even though absolutely nothing happens over the weekend, I'm persistent in my foolishness.

I did see someone on the Draft was waitlisted at Minnesota for nonfiction. The ApplyYourself portal still tells me AWAITING PROGRAM DECISION but waitlist notifications went out last Friday, so safe to assume my program decision has been decided (in the negative) for a little while. Sounds like we're in a similar boat. I only applied to two programs--limited by the smaller # of fully-funded nonfiction programs and also by my current life situation and inability (or unwillingness) to make a big cross-country move.

Someone on the draft just got a waitlist notification (via email) from Minnesota, which leads me to believe they've officially wrapped up all acceptance and waitlist notifications. Hopefully they finally flip the switch from AWAITING PROGRAM DECISION for the rest of us that have been obsessively checking the online portal / awaiting official rejection for closure.

Good luck to you too! Maybe there's hope yet. Nonfiction over here.

What I would give for some closure right about now. Whoever further up lamented only applying to four schools... don't worry, I only applied to two. (One of which is Minnesota, and I haven't heard a peep, so I can go ahead and cross them off my list.) Based on the "where I applied" lists I'm seeing in the Draft, I am definitely in the minority of folks that did not cast a wide net. That said, I'm amazed by these people with not just the $$$ to apply to 20 programs, but with recommenders willing to submit letters 20 times according to all different LOR formats and requirements. Kudos to them for pulling it together. I'd lose my mind.

I'm waiting on Minnesota as well. It looked like there were some notifications that came through in late January last year... Agreed with @slouching--winter waiting is unnecessarily cruel. I'm off work today for a minor illness, which only makes it harder not to constantly refresh the admissions page and my email.

I'm glad I found this thread. I finally broke down and joined the Draft '17 group on Facebook, but it's been a few days and nobody approved my request, so here I am. I'm also a total lurker and it's probably about time I participate and pay it forward. I only applied to two programs (nonfiction) which seems very low compared to most MFA hopefuls. If I had applied to MFAs when I first started considering it years ago, I'm sure that list of schools would be much larger, but at this point--late 20s, recently married, working at an OK job, not looking to make a cross-country move--it was pretty easy to narrow down that list (and, as a consequence, narrow down my chances at acceptance). All that to say, I'm glad I'm not totally alone in purgatory while we wait!