exvat

Whew, I feel this. Wishing you peace and confidence. I wish I'd started refuting those negative thoughts way earlier in my own life, but can report that with practice and support, they can be ignored.

Yup, R confirmed

UMass Amherst update: my portal status just changed to "Decided - Decision Pending". Looks like the axe is comin', y'all 🕊️

Amazing! Congrats!!

Wooo! Congrats!

Thank you so much for sharing, and absolute best of luck to you—and your friend. It's been hard learning how morally and ethically untethered universities have become, especially around what should have been a slam dunk "right side of history" humanitarian issue. If I'm honest, it gives me pause about Columbia specifically.

Reflecting on "fit" for a program, it occured to me that there may not be many programs "for" me. Lotta red/orange flags (none legal) to American culture and universities, which can't exactly be ignored on a CV, in my personal statement, or poems. My readers and recommenders get me, but they know me—ya know? Pretty much the only "green" flag I can find in my overarching story is that I've survived and am doing great these days; but yowza is my past kinda extra, to the degree that I'm worried there isn't a cohort "for" me. Anyone else feel similarly? Or resonate and can report from the other side of program acceptance?

Yeesh, already fantasizing about what I'll do with my life instead of an MFA. Maybe pack a bag, lap the cat, hop in our lil EV, and hit the road... Cue "Graceland" 😂

I feel ya, and best of luck. Also feeling like this is another year of all rejections.

Hadn't thought about that, but yeah, people sweeping with acceptances is awesome for waitlisted folks, huh? Fingers crossed for all 🤞

Only speaking from personal experience as someone with Solid Pub Creds (pff), but I'd say "some". They can indicate persistence, dedication, "objective" evaluations of excellence, blah blah blah. But if you wanna get down to physics: in means that those people sent their work to editors and editors published it. That's all. You could be a new and young or old and experienced poet with bonkers work, and the first people who ever see that work are an admissions committee. Bam, zero pubs, genius is recognized. And if you get a handful of those (or similar) in a year, then all those pub creds suddenly don't stack up compared to unmined diamonds. Hope that helps 🙏

I dunno the origin of the cow, but every time, I think of the moo cow from the opening of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

When Columbia and NYU drop, I'll probably hear that moo on the wind over my own notifications.

Not complaining, but sharing some personal data to contribute to the discussion of "work sample quality vs. fit for a program". My work sample contains 3 poems that appeared in 3 different elite litmags, 1 in a v good one, and several new poems that are as good or better. I don't have any stats on this, but I have to imagine this is toward the "more published" end of the manuscript stacks. My CV as stuff like major workshops, conferences, etc. I'm currently looking at 2 rejections (from small competitive programs; one school was my alma mater, tho v different department) and 2 pending. My recommenders think the world of me, and have recognizable/revered names. While I certainly didn't apply anywhere thinking I was owed or even likely to receive acceptance, I do now question statements like, "Work sample is everything," given my record between this cycle and last time I applied (0-6, looking at possible 0-8). Especially when a program beats that drum loudly, such as on their website, in faculty Q&As, etc. So to folks who are sweating their work sample quality, I say: chiiiillll, it's all subjective, and overall fit for a program is—whether or not they say it—a huge consideration. To folks who might be overly confident in their work samples: love the confidence, but remember that overall fit is yooge. TLDR: work sample ain't erthang; fit is real!

Grateful for the info! Thanks. Though it does look like I'm down to only Columbia and NYU now, with no way to fund either myself. Ah well.

Not speaking with any real authority here, but I've heard of programs and committees that fall anywhere on the spectrum from "we know what we're looking for" to "let's just see what the pool brings this year". Also, the subjective nature of all this means that one committee could think an applicant is nothing special, while another committee could think they're the next generational talent and award them a prestigious fellowship. Those stories abound.

I don't have Facebook, and the Results page here is pretty empty for UMass Amherst. What's the status/timeline of their Poetry announcements?

Is there a Buzzfeed quiz for which MFA programs to apply to based on favorite Radiohead albums? Asking for an Amnesiac guy I know who got his first rejection today.

Lol may you all have such love in your life that others get outraged at your rejections on your behalf

Just got my Vanderbilt rejection letter, poetry. 0a/0w/1r/3p

OUTTA REACTIONS BUT YEAH YA DID 🎉🙏

Thank you for your service 🙏 😂

Reading Murakami and vaping a bowl in hopes that my cat will look up at me and oracularly speak my application decisions ✨

Thank you! 🙏 (Outta reactions)

I'm 0/0/4p atm and gotta say, with nothing else going for me in my life at age 39.8 aside from decent health (🙏🙏🙏), I feel pretty sure I'm gonna be fine if I don't get into an MFA this second cycle. Maybe I get a job and try to rebuild my life, maybe I join a monastery for a bit, maybe I just get a van and drop out of society with my kitto. I dunno. But I'll be fine, if bummed and directionless.