manandcamel

@Character Zero Bloomington is actually a pretty slice of Indiana. It's quirky, fun, and has a good mix of restaurants and bars. It's close to Brown County, which is a beautiful state park. Good for hiking and biking. Rent is more expensive than other parts of Indiana. Hoosiers consider the school to be a party school (beware the little five) but there is a lot of town and gown pride. It's most popular for the Kelley school of business. It pulls good music gigs. The campus is mostly limestone, and has lots of greenery. Get pizza at Mother Bears, curry at Siam. Parking is tight all around. 

Congrats! At the very least, this is an affirmation that your work is on the right path. Re wait lists, I am on three currently, and just talked to my letter writer / mentor about etiquette. He told me the following: if you reach out (and you should), send a brief, polite email to your contact asking if they have an idea how their cohort is shaping up, and whether or not they think they'll have a need for the wait list. You don't need to state your interest--they know you're still interested because you're emailing them. 
Sending additional materials won't help you. At this point, the faculty / directors / whomever is overseeing the potential cohort has shown interest in you, and an extra this or that won't nudge you into a spot. My letter writer doesn't disclose rank at his program, and chooses people off the wait list based on the hole the declining candidate has just made--he looks at the waitlist candidates' styles, compares them to the confirmed cohort, and makes a decision from the pool based on their written work. That's not the style at every program, but it may give you insight. Trust your sample, and stay in touch with your contact. Good luck!

@Character Zero I don't have any direct knowledge of the program but I can talk about the university or the city of Bloomington, if you have questions.

@slouching I'm sorry this year hasn't panned out so far. Glad you have things to look forward to, though! Things have gone better than expected for me, but I'm facing a lot of ambiguity from being wait listed. TBH I'm tired of refreshing my gmail and checking my phone all the time. I will be a happier person once April 15 comes and goes. 

@momorenae I agree with @aridari in that waiting another year for the MFA seems to be your best option. I'm not a vet, but every vet post I've seen re: rounds 2, 3, etc. carries the general message that an extra year (or even a longer gap) will always improve your writing, and therefore your chances of securing a more supportive and financially secure offer. 
I looked at your post history and I am amazed at how you have persevered through some very serious medical issues. Whatever you decide to do, keep on taking care of yourself financially, emotionally, and physically. 

@momorenae I agree with @aridari in that waiting another year for the MFA seems to be your best option. I'm not a vet, but every vet post I've seen re: rounds 2, 3, etc. carries the general message that an extra year (or even a longer gap) will always improve your writing, and therefore your chances of securing a more supportive and financially secure offer. 
I looked at your post history and I am amazed at how you have persevered through some very serious medical issues. Whatever you decide to do, keep on taking care of yourself financially, emotionally, and physically. 

@momorenae I agree with @aridari in that waiting another year for the MFA seems to be your best option. I'm not a vet, but every vet post I've seen re: rounds 2, 3, etc. carries the general message that an extra year (or even a longer gap) will always improve your writing, and therefore your chances of securing a more supportive and financially secure offer. 
I looked at your post history and I am amazed at how you have persevered through some very serious medical issues. Whatever you decide to do, keep on taking care of yourself financially, emotionally, and physically. 

Yep, got my rejection yesterday. Definitely bummed, but also glad to see this application season coming to an end so I can move on and decide what to do next. Still waiting on a few more schools.

@manandcamel: Thanks. Just shot him a mail.

@sayantika email Alex Walsh (contact info available if you Google). He is the grad program coordinator for their MFA. He's responded to me fairly quickly. 

@paperpencil you should call or email. They've given decisions to others who have done so in the last week or two. 

@paperpencil you should call or email. They've given decisions to others who have done so in the last week or two. 

Thank debt it's Friday?

@Three21 I made sure to note in my original post that I was in no way equating my MA program experience with an MFA. I know it's different between disciplines, and especially between an arts oriented degree and a terminal academic/professional degree. But my point is this: that school politics are definitely at play when there is funded vs. unfunded positions at a program, and this will be especially evident if it's a large program that has both. When it comes to graduate degrees, there is an unspoken hierarchy that affects quality of education via funding. The funded students (and programs at large) are cared for more. This is a truth amongst many programs that have unfunded or funded students or both.
I should have made this particular (and major) point more clear. And my other point is, don't assume you will get the care and education you are looking for at a unfunded program until you talk to students who have attended (or attend) the program. Get some honest opinions. I mean, this extends to funded programs too (re: doing your research in general), but be especially thorough and cautious when you ask about unfunded. It's your money and debt, and you may not know what the politics and treatment are until you ask and dig deeper. An unfunded program can definitely still be rewarding, don't get me wrong, but make sure you are absolutely sure you will get what you want out of it. 
Also, idk if you read the saywhatmfa tumblr, but I've read posts about unfunded programs on there that somewhat back up what I've stated, even if my program was an MA. Take a read of those re: stony brook Southampton, calarts, Columbia, nyu (I think those are the ones). 
But yes, it's all about finding the right program, and it's not always just funded programs. There are so many different things that go into consideration when choosing a school, and my first and foremost concern is equal treatment of students and equal opportunity/education/educational quality. I hope whatever I've written helps others too, even if it's not 100% relevant to the mfa. 
And thanks for your kind words; it's been hard but I know I did get somewhat smarter afterwards ha. And thanks for the good wishes, lord knows I need it! Hoping the same for you as well.

@Three21 it's not been completely positive, actually! I think Draft can be stressful, circular, and exhausting. However, I see it for what it is. Draft is just a resource for people to use, or not. YMMV. Other members can / have received an enormous amount of support and advice they may not get elsewhere. I don't have friends or family who get the MFA struggle, and I was grateful to find not one but two places that get it.
My issue with the recent Draft criticism is not that it's occurring, but that it's portraying a multi-faceted group as a flatly negative, unhelpful, and even harmful space.

Love this team we have here. I got trashed briefly on Draft and cut back, just enough to post the rejections (2), and to occasionally ask a question. I prefer this, good folks here. And thanks for the support. I'm still waiting on Portland's inevitable rejection but feeling pretty good about my writing. I've also been talking to Vermont College of Fine Art, good program for me, the writing and publishing one. Like Pdx, it has offers of fellowships and scholarships etc but no guarantees. I think I'll look into it though. I'd prefer a small college and town to a big city. Anyway, keep up the good works! I'm rooting for you all, 
s
 

@Three21 it's not been completely positive, actually! I think Draft can be stressful, circular, and exhausting. However, I see it for what it is. Draft is just a resource for people to use, or not. YMMV. Other members can / have received an enormous amount of support and advice they may not get elsewhere. I don't have friends or family who get the MFA struggle, and I was grateful to find not one but two places that get it.
My issue with the recent Draft criticism is not that it's occurring, but that it's portraying a multi-faceted group as a flatly negative, unhelpful, and even harmful space.

Re the recent Draft criticism on this thread: while there are criticisms to address, I do not think it's conducive to tear down a group that is many things to many people. A personal experience may be drop-dead awful; the group as a whole is not drop-dead awful. As @aridarisaid, it's a mixed bag of many opinions, backgrounds, skill levels, and voices. It is especially easy on that group to single out voices you do not like because you see their names, faces, and information each time they make a post. It can also be easy to overlook the voices that would be your best allies.
IMO Draft has been an excellent resource for me to connect with current students, keep tabs on my personal applications' timeline, and to give / receive support. It creates a unique environment that allows anyone to say anything about this transition period that everyone is experiencing at the same time. It also creates tensions on different levels, which will happen on a forum - especially one that literally shows where each poster is coming from and where their interests and privileges lie. 
I agree with @auroras's POV that the "star" Draft posters are the ones who polished their work until it shined. Some of them did so through Draft. @tonydoesmovie and @Three21, I know at least one of them has never sat through a workshop before. I think it's a bit false to predict (and criticize) that an applicant has "edited too much." That reads almost as if these (obviously talented) writers are putting on a facade they won't keep up. 
TL;DR: YMMV. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

HEY this was me a few weeks ago. Check your SPIRE status. I had emailed the admin in late Feb, who confirmed I am wait listed. My portal status finally changed from "applied" to "wait listed" on the 6th of March.
Per the admin, this is the first year they have had wait lists. Message me if you wanna chat.

@oc.bmjc and @Three21 you raise some legitimate concerns about Facebook draft that I can agree with, but I'm not so eager to criticize the entire group. It has its merits and downfalls, and I've voiced some of my own concerns about draft on here too. But I think it's important to remember that no forum or space that involves discussion about the mfa process is going to be perfect. Applications suck. The acceptance rates are slim. Lots of people and their pride are going to be hurt, and a few will be arrogant or callous or ignorant. There will be posts that rub people the wrong way.
Plus, Draft doesn't have one specific purpose; it's meant to be a general space for all sorts of questions about programs, so it gets messy for sure. I do think people try, for the most part, to be helpful.
Just remember that draft, and this forum, and gradcafe results, and mfa years, the tumblr, and etc. are all tools for us all to use for gathering information that is useful and pertains to our individual needs. Everything else is messy emotional excess that you can either be a part of or ignore. I'm sorry the both of you had terrible experiences on draft, and many of the points you raise are valid. Just don't let those things, and the posts of the most vocal, define an entire group with lots of different people in it. And I hope this forum provides you with what you need or are looking for.

Well, I'm happy this thread is free of that type.

Well, I'm happy this thread is free of that type.

Well, I just heard that my travelogue Van Life was awarded top honors in the Northwest Book Awards Festival! Grand winner! So happy...

Sending good vibes your way!
Well, I have one funded acceptance, one unfunded acceptance, and two wait lists. I'm much more excited about the wait list programs than I am about the funded program, so I'm waiting as long as possible to see if I have a chance at either. If April 14th comes and I hear nothing, I'm accepting my funded offer. I don't want to apply again - it's a long, expensive, stressful process, and I need a reason to move away from Indiana.

Sending good vibes your way!
Well, I have one funded acceptance, one unfunded acceptance, and two wait lists. I'm much more excited about the wait list programs than I am about the funded program, so I'm waiting as long as possible to see if I have a chance at either. If April 14th comes and I hear nothing, I'm accepting my funded offer. I don't want to apply again - it's a long, expensive, stressful process, and I need a reason to move away from Indiana.