brillantina

So glad this was helpful to both you and @sandringham-- feel free to message me if you want to talk further. One of the biggest things I learned about BC was that word of mouth is the best way to learn about the program, and while there's no interview process normally, it's a good idea to be proactive and reach out to people in the BC community as a way of figuring out if it's what you want.

Hey @sandringham-- I would totally totally reach out to the program -- the way I found out more about Brooklyn was by emailing people in the English department. I originally emailed Mac, who then told me he was retiring and forwarded me along to Erin. As far as I know, Tina will be there next year, I don't know about Anne yet. Tina has fostered a great environment and the cohort below me is truly truly gifted and inspiring. Happy to answer other things that weren't already answered in the thread. I continue to be SO happy with my choice even in the midst of a pandemic.

Hey hey @Agez! Funding is still available, as far as I know -- my in-state tuition was funded for both years, and I know that there are other folks who are funded in the first year. I also love public institutions & was interested in working with undergrads that were at Brooklyn, which has been fun. I also really needed a program I could do while working part- or full-time because I couldn't take on loans to live, so I needed something that wouldn't try to colonize my whole life. My impression is that both Hunter and Brooklyn are the institutions that are best built for working-class folks in NYC, but obviously I'm biased. I would say that if you're looking for production opportunities @ Brooklyn College, I wouldn't hold your breath (this kinda kept me on the fence before, but in the end, production opportunities within the program didn't matter to me -- my goals are more to get productions at theaters or other institutions anyhow, and I'd rather learn while on the job). For the old-school "thesis" production that used to be at the Public: the partnership with the Tow Foundation and the Public for what used to be called WeaselFest seems to have fallen through. That being said, that funding and partnership only existed for 3 years.... prior to that, WeaselFest was a lot about self-production, and the legacy of Brooklyn College playwrights has been that they are risk-taking, experimental playwrights who are also self-producers. I would say that remains true and everyone is a badass; but if you're looking for a program that will epically stage your work on their mainstage before you graduate, this isn't it -- this is more of a pipeline to exciting written worlds with very close personal relationships to folks with a huge downtown theater legacy. The website IS hard to navigate and the administration can be as well, but if you are good at always asking who the right person to email is, you will find your way. The heads of the program as well as some crucial allies in the English department can be your north star. I've loved the non-playwriting classes I've taken, especially since in the English department you get to work and be mentored by award-winning poets and fiction writers if you so choose. But to be clear: when you choose Brooklyn College, you are choosing a track in the English department -- there are plenty of collaborations with the theater department, but you are not IN the theater department.

Can confirm that Erin is now at Northwestern. This year we have Tina Satter and Anne Washburn co-leading the program together. Happy to connect with folks that have questions about the culture etc !

Hi Xiaomi, David unfortunately (or fortunately for him!) cannot do anything about the numbers. I wrote like a 3-paragaph email to Julie Dobrow, elucidating exactly why I couldn't afford Columbia -- happy to share in a dm if you need an example. The one thing that's really different about mine is that I'm comparing it to my offer at Brooklyn, so in that regard, I had a bit more leverage, but we're all writers so I'm sure there's a strong case to be made regardless

Hey Xioami, I also got into Columbia off the waitlist last year although much later -- it was August when they reached out to me. They offered me 50% aid and I pushed for more. While I ultimately decided not to go because the loans STILL felt like too much of a burden for me personally (and it seemed very very hard to work while in school), I would recommend saying it's hard for you to afford to attend and keep pushing... you can technically keep negotiating until right before the school year starts, from my personal experience.

Hey y'all -- Current first-year MFA Playwriting student at Brooklyn, just want to correct the above post: Erin Courtney is the only playwriting faculty in the MFA program that has moved to Northwestern. Mac Wellman, before her, retired at the start of my first year and did not move anywhere. Elana Greenfield, who teaches tutorial, will be staying on. To those accepted or waitlisted at Brooklyn, congrats! Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Gregory just reached out to me via email, saying they want to schedule an in-person interview in the next week or so. I’m still drafting my “sorry, already going somewhere else email” but I wanted to let y’all know.

Hey @TheLumosChronicles - waitlisted at Columbia, so no aid offered there. I was gonna dm about financial aid stuff, but realized I'd much rather someone share info with me publicly! In regard to your question about Brooklyn, I think I got one of the POC scholarships (unconfirmed but seems likely). Speaking to a lot of alums and people currently in the program the aid is generally impressive regardless. From what I can tell, it's a set amount that I can use for tuition and... other costs (?), so more likely a stipend. Since I'm out of state/city my first year, there's a deficit of $5k for my first year between cost of attendance & my scholarship. HOWEVER that can be made up with teaching undergrads and they set you up really well to teach at Brooklyn, which is great for those of us who want some college teaching on the resume. I'm likely gonna pay the shortfall out of my savings so I can really focus on reading everything Erin Courtney & Mac Wellman share my first year... I wanna soak up everything I can. I'll probably hold off teaching until year two; having taught high school theater for some years, I know how much teaching can end up being all about my students and leave little room for the rest of my life, esp because teachers are so rarely paid for prep time & grading. Also like... only paying ~$5k really for grad school is totally okay with me. Hope that helps!

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well with decisions and the stress of this application process. I’ve decided to officially accept Brooklyn College; it’s a great culture fit and with the scholarship they’ve given me, I won’t have to take out any loans, which is a dream. I wanted to let everyone know in case anyone lurking is on the waitlist for New School. As anxiety inducing as this forum can be, it also has felt really comforting to have other folks who are in the similar situations on here. Best of luck to everyone and I hope y’all keep writing.

Got into Brooklyn and New School (along with @faro555, yay!). Waiting to hear about financial aid from both programs before making a choice, but am thrilled. There are so many things I truly love about both, so it won’t be an easy one. Still haven’t heard from NYU & Rutgers, and don’t expect to hear from Hunter anytime soon since their deadline was so late. Had a great interview with Columbia yesterday and would love it if they blew me out of the water in terms of financial aid, but historically that seems unlikely...

@faro555Congrats on both New School and University of Arkansas! And thanks for saying not to panic about New School. The first question I have is: what is the deadline you have to let both schools know if you're in or out? How much time do you have to deliberate? The second: Is the financial aid package for New School is finalized yet? Can you push for a bit more with the School of Drama or whomever does financial aid? In my case, my FAFSA is wildly inaccurate because I went from a high salary gig to a lower salary gig, so I've been advised by veterans to reach out to Financial Services at each school to explain my actual situation. There may be a similar thing to do for you.

Ugh. Haven't heard from Brown at all (no interview, but also no rejection). My status still just says "submitted" on the portal; I know I'm not rejected because I applied 3 years ago and that rejection looks different. What's your vote, y'all? Should I contact them tomorrow to see if it means anything?

Got an interview request from Columbia! So at least it's not so silent anymore. But apparently interviews are only 15 minutes? Which is... not a lot of time at all.

Yes! Had a great, inspiring callback weekend at New School this past weekend, but aside from them, I haven't heard anything at all, which seems very odd other than the Yale rejections most of us got mid-Feb. The last time I applied to Brown I'd already been rejected by now, so.... what gives?