Sallyj

Ah, well just to throw in another thing to consider re: UVA-- while I know you want to teach, 2 courses is actually enough to give you a sense of whether or not teaching is the right path for you. Additionally, having a UVA teaching credit on your resume is quite impressive, and it might be nice to have that first year open to just focus on your writing. I know Wisconsin is 6 students, UMass is 10 students..where does UVA fall? 4 students?

Hi! Well, first off, congratulations! You've got AMAZING options there. All three actually sound incredible, so I would go with what your gut said. That said, have you spoken to current students? Professors? Amherst + Charlottesville are both IDYLLIC places to spend 2 or 3 years (always helps with the writing!). I have a friend who just graduated from UMass and LOVED it--couldn't speak highly enough about the program, faculty, location, etc. I don't know much about the program itself, but their alumni list is quite impressive, and from what I've heard, they're extremely highly regarded, so I wouldn't put too much weight on prestige or P&W rankings. Also, people seem happy there, which is important. However, like you said, three classes is a lot, and is worth looking further into. Do you know how many students per course? This matters. Are you designing your own syllabus? Anyway, $20,000 for THREE years is a really, really unique and beautiful opportunity/gift. All a writer could ever hope for is more (funded!) time. So, I see why you're in a bind. But, like I said, can't go wrong. Did you visit all three? Which school "felt" right?

First off, congrats! Sounds like you have AMAZING offers there, and I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them. My gut says to take off Notre Dame (doesn't seem to have a lot of the things you are looking for in a program). Ultimately, what you get out of your time at any of these places is what will make it great. Purdue's faculty sounds unbeatable to me, honestly. Do you know what the teaching load is like at these schools? You want time to devote to your writing, as well. Have you spoken to current students? What are their takes? A student's happiness can reveal a lot to you. Anyway, can't go wrong. Congrats again!

Iowa has said (according to Draft) that they'll be sending out all letters by mail. A few people have gotten phone calls, so it's unclear if those letters will include other acceptances or not. Hang in there! (PS this is for fiction...poetry applicants were all emailed. Haven't heard anything about non-fiction)

I got waitlisted at Vanderbilt this morning. They told me my ranking on the wait list. I'm not feeling overly hopeful. I was waitlisted at University of Wisconsin last night, too. I'm just hoping that some miracle happens now.

Perhaps a silly question, but since I've been waitlisted at more than one school, figured I'd ask and see if anyone knows: For waitlists, do schools accept more to yield the number they want, or do they accept just the right amount and THEN go straight to the waitlist? (i.e. if someone chooses not to accept their spot at NYU, does this automatically mean that someone on the waitlist gets in?)

Seeing a lot of Iowa phone calls. If we don't get a call in the next few days, is it safe to assume it's a no?

Hi all! Just to clarify, what is Draft that one of you mentioned earlier?