[Fall 2017 MFA]

Curious — do programs ever reject students for being too good/overqualified?  I know this can be the case if a student is already a published author, but do they ever look at a writing sample and say, "There's no way this student is going to come here — they're going to get into Iowa/Michigan/UVA"?  I've heard of this happening at undergrad institutions when the college can tell that they are clearly a "safety school" for an applicant (and it's known as "yield protection"), but I wonder if it goes on at the graduate level.  (For example, there's a recent posting on the GC results where an applicant mentions getting into some "top-ten" programs but rejected by Rutgers Camden, which further piqued my interest.)

(Not that this is the case with my own rejections, obviously =P but have been wondering about it nonetheless!)

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Someone on Draft posted a UVA fiction acceptance. Sigh. (Happy for the applicant, though)

[Fall 2017 MFA]

UVA acceptance up...

[Fall 2017 MFA]

8 minutes ago, badeyebrows said:

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!

Agreed. I've found this thread to be much more positive and less anxiety-inducing than Draft, honestly!

[Fall 2017 MFA]

lots of drama in Draft right now...

[Fall 2017 MFA]

15 minutes ago, MFA17OrBust said:

Do you get the sense U Mich is finished notifying? TGC shows only a couple of fiction acceptances. Wondering how many are showing up on Draft? 

I think so—there were a few on Draft  pretty sad about it

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Does anyone know if NWP calls or emails acceptances? Not a chance, but curious because there are entries for both on the GradCafe results from previous years.

[Fall 2017 MFA]

There's an NWP rejection on Draft...ahh

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Anyone know how many people move on to Phase II at UMiss? (For either genre.)

[Fall 2017 MFA]

4 minutes ago, Tif said:

Yes, it would be inappropriate.

I'm thinking of this like a job interview. EVERYTHING you do and say could possibly affect your chances. For instance, if I were to get calls regarding a position in February from someone who had already been told that they'd hear back by a certain date (let's say, April 1), I'd take that as a sign the person either doesn't pay attention to instructions or is way too needy (IE, they wouldn't be a good independent worker and would seek a lot of extra input instead of following their directions). 

It's one thing to make sure they have all your materials, but another to call and ask specifically about YOUR chances. Either they'll give a generic answer or it'll impact how they see you as a candidate. Neither option gives you what you're looking for. 

Great reply—that's what I figured. Oof. 

[Fall 2017 MFA]

How inappropriate would it be to email Iowa and straight-up ask what my status is, instead of waiting for weeks? Thoughts?

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Do we know what order Iowa calls in? Alphabetic? Fellowship vs. assistantship? 

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Looking at previous years' results, seems like Iowa will start calling for fiction this week. Eep. Not a chance but still want to be able to cross it off my list!

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Still eagerly awaiting my WUSTL rejection! How hard would it be, really, to make all decisions (after acceptances/waitlists are announced) available on the portal instead of making me refresh my email for days? 

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Does anyone have a sense of UMinnesota's general reputation/culture/vibe? I'm just curious—there seems to be information/strong opinions about this kind of thing for other similarly ranked schools.

[Fall 2017 MFA]

6 minutes ago, slouching said:

I almost don't even mind the idea of getting rejected, just dying to hear something.

Exactly...it's not the decisions that are going to kill me (fully expecting to get rejected at most [or even all] places!) but the anxiety of waiting. I just need closure!

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Any news on WUSTL? They've notified around this time in past years. 

[Fall 2017 MFA]

23 hours ago, pdh12 said:

Michener is most definitely the hardest to get into--don't let it get you down!!  How many schools did you apply to? Good news is bound to come

 

I ended up applying to 12 schools—but all are fully funded and highly competitive, so I'm definitely prepared for the worst. I keep telling myself that I only have to get into one! 

[Fall 2017 MFA]

Received my Michener rejection today while on Status Check and am totally devastated. It was my dream program, and it sucks to have a rejection as my first news. 

All my programs are highly competitive, so I was expecting this for most of them—but still, ouch.