aridari

@manandcamel that's good to know, I'm not gonna bother either. I just think it's pretty dumb to make applicants wait this long for a response, especially if it's a pending rejection. Isn't this why there's waitlists? Idk.

Just in case any of yall are waiting on U of W Seattle for fiction, I emailed the other day and was told that all initial offers are out, and they're still waiting on responses. There's no official waitlist, but 2 applicants are on an unofficial one. Otherwise, until they confirm their incoming class, no one will be officially rejected. This makes me more than a little mad. But the coordinator was very nice and answered all my questions so I'm not mad at her. Anyways, congrats to all of you with acceptances and waitlists!

@momorenae I saw your other posts, where you discussed your situation in more detail. I'm sorry you've had a lot going on, esp. regarding your health. I think that your health, combined with your undergrad debt, is a good reason to hold off for one more year and reapply in the fall. With your particular personal situation, I'd recommend trying for a fully funded program. A lot of them include health insurance in their packages, and you'd have a lot less to worry about without having to go into debt (or a lot more of it). I know it sucks to be in an uncertain place, but going somewhere unfunded will probably cause more stress that you don't need. And even if the job offer isn't secured, I'd put more of my time and effort into getting it, or a temp job, if I were you. You can save and give yourself some more time to recover, and get your sample and app ready for another round. Hope this helps!

Update about Boston U for fiction. Called yesterday and Catherine answered (she's super nice, so I wouldn't be too scared to call her with questions); she said that the initial 10 offers have already been made, but that there is a possibility of movement and further acceptances depending on who declines from those first ten, and that they're hoping to finalize everything by the end of the month. Not sure if there's an official waitlist or if it's a secret one. She said not to "lose hope," so I'm assuming it's the latter? Either way, not feeling great.

@Three21 it was actually the other end - someone complained that there's ageism against young students in adcom decisions. I mean, I think there's honestly ageism on both spectrums of the age range going on. And I've also heard more people claim that programs are full of students straight out of undergrad so idk. But also, applying to mfas will never be transparent, and if there's ageism going on, we sure won't know about it. Ageism exists for sure, but that particular discussion wasn't really thorough bc of the drama ha.

It was a convoluted mess but the moderators and most people came out in support for him, and he sure didn't take it lying down. He was piiiiiiissed, and very understandably so. And the ageism one was convoluted too...I agreed with both sides but man it was not handled well by anyone. Yeah, it's definitely never ever ok to impose historically Eurocentric standards of "English" or "education" (read:class and race, cause that is always tied) on others, but the literary world is a particular repeat offender. I mean, cmon, the literary world is supposed to be innovative and is a huge cultural force. We need more different voices and perspectives in the lit world, and there's still lots of work to be done.

@oc.bmjc oh yeah, it was a mess. People were arguing about ageism and that was already pretty charged, and then someone joined in calling other people trolls, and then she went after someone by insulting his English. It was pretty racially driven because he's very clearly poc and has a distinct way of typing, and it was so dismissive and entitled and comments like that are racist, bottom line. I was pretty damn insulted myself as a woc, having experienced similar types of comments in my lifetime. There's been a lot of censoring and blocking and such since then, but yeah. Only bothering to type this out here because comments like that are never ok, and only highlight problems at large and in the community. The poster of that language defended herself by saying she was biracial, but no. Nonono. Wish I could give info about Queens college!

Hey @outflare, I'd rather not say what school I discussed in my post. But I did mention the New School because that was a program I got into my first time around. But do take other people's opinions into account too, for any of the funded programs, positive or negative! Especially if they themselves attended the program. I'm glad my post was helpful, or sparked some curiosity. @Sleam I'm sorry about the rejections, but the one school with the potential TAship sounds like a solid possible choice! Maybe reach back out to them again? And honestly, whether or not the TAship works out or not, I think the fact that you're finding the other programs suited to your needs is really good. You've got choices! And yeah, Draft was pretty crazy. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda like to read the drama that happens there, but yesterday's was bad. That "good English" thing was pretty damn racist imo.

@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.

Hi all. Here's my two cents on unfunded programs, based on my personal experience. I graduated last year from an unfunded MA program at a prestigious university. To say I have come out of the program extremely unsatisfied with the entire experience would be an understatement. It's more that I regret it, honestly. In my department, the difference in quality of education, interaction with faculty, resources, and basically everything you can think of was laughably and noticeably huge between the PhD students and MA students. We weren't allowed to take certain courses. We had limited access to the department library. We had very little time with faculty. Almost no one was there to help us with our theses. We had only one advisor taking care of MA things. The PhD students, on the other hand, had no such restrictions, and had access to time and resources and people without question. I took classes at that university's mfa program, and found that some of the students there were not happy with their own situations as unfunded students. The debt is substantial, there's competition and some resentment between the funded and unfunded students. This is a program many people want to attend. I also found that this disparity in education and care was not unique to my department or to the mfa program. This was a very wide issue in a variety of different departments at the university I attended. This is not to glorify the PhD students. They had their own issues, and very big ones at that. But when it comes to money, and whether or not you're funded, I have found that it almost directly correlates to the quality of education you get. You'd think it would be the opposite, considering how much higher education is. This is not an authoritative post. I am not going to tell you not to attend an unfunded program based on what I say. I don't know what the unfunded mfas are like, and if they are worth the money, since I did not attend one; many factors like faculty and time and such should go into that decision. But the disparity in money in my program translated into a difference in care, in quality of instruction, and it gave me massive stress and insecurity. I am not proud of my debt, even if people are impressed with my degree. In my opinion, funding does unfortunately go hand in hand to how much the department and it's faculty will care about you, and therefore how much you will learn. I got into the new school mfa my first round with a personal email and a somewhat nice scholarship. But I was unwilling to chance a similar experience I had in my MA, and I found no guarantees the debt was worth it for me. I hope this was useful to you all. And of course, this is my experience and what I have learned from it. Take it, if you'd like. And good luck to us all, for the rest of this season.

@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.

I saw your post; thanks for keeping it real over there! @tonydoesmovie lol too true, too true And heads up for Brown; poetry interviews and acceptances have gone out, but more hidden was a Brown fiction waitlist today via email (it's a bit hearsay, but I'm assuming it's probably true). Drat, there goes my 0.000000001% chance!

You're totes right about Facebook. Def makes me feel terrible about myself sometimes, I won't lie. People will only advertise what is going well and not what is not working. It's definitely good to remember that the mfa process is intensely competitive and hard. And @Scheherazade I think I know who you're talking about, and I can't help but think the same thing. At times she has sound advice, but almost everything she writes comes off as condescending. I think the fact that she's a draft veteran, and that we've got our names and faces plastered on everything we write, are both at work here. Which is why another vet made that tumblr for mfa info, which is great but yeah. Draft is I think a better resource for info on specific programs, and for finding out admission related news. This forum has been pretty great. Y'all are cool. Sorry about the rejections, but also hooray for the positive mentality and pamper session! Gonna take some of your positive vibes and try to apply it to my frazzled brain ha.

I don't think that's necessarily the case; I know the April 15th decision deadline is more strictly followed but schools tend to take their time in terms of notifications. Some even note around when they notify, which can be as late as the end of March or early April. It'd be nice if they followed that deadline tho...

Congrats on the waitlist! They're tricky, as most programs don't tend to give much detail about the list to applicants on them, and every school is different. Regardless, there have been many stories of people getting off of them. Just keep in touch with the school, and ask them (general, or if you have them, specific) questions about the waitlist process while letting them know you're enthusiastic and interested. They may or may not answer all your questions but it's not bad etiquette to ask, as long as you're polite.