Hortense

There is an acceptance from Iowa today (2/12)--search results under "fiction."

One poetry acceptance from UMass yesterday. Sorry to break news that is going to worry you. But it's only one, so it's possible they're not done. Rejections from Arizona (all genres), Pittsburgh (one for fiction) and Syracuse (several for poetry). Did you leave Draft?

No worries. Nine more to go. I'm looking forward to early March, too. Should know by then whether I got in at the two schools where I think I have the best chance. But honestly I've already started thinking about next year's apps--so many things I'd like to do over.

Mine, too (for fiction). I'm drinking tonight and trying to reprioritize--don't want to think about stupid MFA stuff so much.

Indeed.

Some WUSTL fiction waitlists are showing up in GradCafe results. Anyone heard anything? I'm wondering if this means that acceptances went out yesterday (b/c in years past waitlist and rejection notifications have gone out the day after acceptances). Update: Poetry acceptance today reported on Draft. And a fiction acceptance on GradCafe.

Nervous wreck. Applying my feelings to a new story, so that helps a bit. Basically assuming I didn't get accepted to anyplace I applied in December (b/c my apps weren't as polished as I would have liked). Oddly, this thought helps a bit, too, though it's going to sting when the actual rejections pour in. Hopeful about my January apps.

Yeah, I did not apply because I had concerns about the university, not the writing program itself. The program is definitely one of the more innovative/ avant-garde. It'd put it in same category as Brown, WashU, Arizona, Alabama. But the university as a whole? Not progressive and not for me. Speaking of innovative programs, anyone have an opinion on which programs (especially for fiction) lean towards innovative/ experimental/ avant-garde/ non-realistic writing? I'd would say that's true of all of the above. And Syracuse. Maybe also Colorado. Not sure where else.

It's a high-quality flagship state university in a cool city. When I was in undergrad (not at Minnesota) they had a few cutting-edge humanities departments. The creative writing program has been solid for many years. Charles Baxter, a fiction professor, is a big name.

Sorry to hear this! At least it's one less school to worry about. Where else did you apply that you think might make decisions soon?

I heard that Brown and Virginia Tech interview finalists. Those are the only programs I've heard of doing interviews for fiction/ poetry/ CNF. Somebody on Draft was interviewed at Columbia recently, but it was for screenwriting/ theater programs.

Did anyone else refuse to apply to certain schools because they required too much teaching? Or if that's the norm, is anyone actually cool with the idea of teaching two classes per semester? Can you even do that and still have time to write? i didn't apply to Arizona and Alabama even though the programs are a great fit for me mainly because the teaching load seems too heavy. But now that Arizona is making offers, my stomach is in knots about it.

Could be a sign. Is it a creative writing fellowship? Congrats either way.

Good to hear. I found some of his fiction online, and it's really good, so I thought he might be a fiction applicant.

That explains it! Thanks for the update. Sorry about the unhappy news. I have a feeling that there's been at least one big program that's sent out notifications for fiction and that it's being kept under wraps (b/c of that guy on Draft who was asking for advice on contacting current students and then wouldn't say which program he'd gotten into). Ugh. Yes, the refresh button is evil.

You're welcome. And in case it's helpful, there are also acceptances from Purdue and Minnesota (both poetry) documented in Draft. Purdue on Jan 27th and Minnesota on the 30th. Personally, I'm dying to hear from WashU. And if they reject me, then I'll start dying to hear from Syracuse. ?

All I can confirm is that on Draft a poetry applicant who lives abroad posted that the program contacted her and asked when a good time to call her would be. That was a couple of days ago, I think. The post disappeared shortly thereafter. To me it suggests that they've made their decisions for poetry, but I wouldn't assume they've actually sent out notices yet. Also, in previous years they've sent out poetry acceptances earlier than fiction acceptances (based on info in Draft).

Haven't heard anything from them personally, but on Draft somebody posted that the program told them they'd most likely send out decisions the first or second week of February.

No first-hand knowledge of this program, but have you joined the Facebook MFA Draft '17 group? There is a person in the group who's attending WMU and who has been a fountain of useful information.

Yeah, now I can be stressed about Syracuse, not just WUSTL. I'm assuming you applied there--good luck! Does Syracuse notify poetry before fiction? Seems a little early for fiction. As for Hopkins, I'm just scratching my head. They have something like 19 tenure or tenure-track members. So that means that the last 19 times they did the hiring, they felt that a POC was not the best qualified? Or maybe they tried to hire POC but couldn't get them? Obviously I wasn't in on their decision making, but it just seems outrageous to me. And even their support staff is all-white, but wouldn't those hires be local? Hopkins has a huge endowment, and they're way prestigious. I think the writing program was basically one of the top-top programs until the last 10 years or so. So I don't understand why they would find it impossible to hire a diverse faculty and staff.

Anyone applying to Johns Hopkins? Or decide not to apply there because of the lack of diversity in the faculty? They have a very large faculty, and they all appear to be white.

I definitely followed this reasoning when I decided where to apply, i.e., anywhere I get in is probably a good fit. On the other hand, the more I've learned about the programs, the more I've realized that certain qualities really appeal to me, e.g., innovative forms courses, programs that don't place so much emphasis on, say, realist/ modernist fiction. So I think that might be an indicator of fit. Also, when it comes to writing the SOP, I found it was easier to write about the programs that excited me. If a program didn't excite me all that much, then the SOP was just such a slog. No major outliers. Maybe Florida a little bit because they require some TA duties first year, or Syracuse because they have a 2/1 teaching load second year. I really gave preference to schools with 0 teaching first year and 1/1 second year or beyond. But Syracuse and Florida have great programs and offer some fellowships, so I felt they were worth applying to.

Do you know about the affordingthemfa.com website? It says UWashington is fully-funded and identifies several sources of funding, not just TA-ships. I don't have any first-hand knowledge of the program, though. EDITED: Oh, I just saw that slouching also pointed you to an interview on that website. Also check out the U of Washington profile page. I hear you about Tuscaloosa. 'Bama has a really cool program, but the location and the 2/2 teaching load are deal breakers for me, so I didn't apply. Yeah, I would go to any of the schools I applied to as well, though I definitely feel like some might be a better fit than others. If I have to apply again next year, I think I will narrow down the list to just the programs that seem like the best fit. But then it'll be a pretty short list and my odds will be even worse ?

Curious to know if anyone has a "favorite" school or set of favorites other than the obvious ones, i.e., Iowa, Michigan, Michener, Cornell. For me, it's WashU, Florida, and Syracuse for fiction (all of which lean more experimental/ innovative or have faculty I really like).

Got dinged by UT Austin this week. Felt like a kick in the teeth, for about an hour, and then I felt okay (though a bit more worried than before). Anyone anxiously awaiting a decision from WashU in St. Louis? Usually they notify around this time (late Jan/ early Feb). One of my top choices for fiction, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.