feralgrad

Turning down a job will not hurt your prospects elsewhere. People do it all the time (often because they've interviewed for more than one position). Not to mention that employers do not communicate with each other about candidates; there's no way for a prospective employer to find out about jobs you've turned down unless you tell them. If you get a job and have to leave after a couple months, you can simply leave it off your resume. It's common for people leave old/irrelevant information off resumes, so don't think of it as dishonest For reference, I was involved in a couple hiring processes at my old job, so I've seen the process first-hand. My mother also works in HR, so some of my advice comes from her. I'd recommend you look for a job as if you have no other potential plans. Don't mention it in the interview. Just as employers interview multiple candidates, you have every right to keep several options open.

Since it's that time of year... [gets on soapbox again] As y'all may know if you've read previous years' forums, I went through two application cycles before I entered an MFA program. My first cycle, I got into a couple programs, but I was unable to secure the funding I needed. Having to wait a year turned out to be really good for me. Looking back, I wasn't ready for grad school that first year (in terms of craft /and/ life circumstances). In the year between app cycles, I grew a lot as a person and a writer, in ways that wouldn't have been possible while in a grad program. Of course, those gains didn't fall into my lap. I was very intentional about learning from my experience the first year. I would say my biggest tips are: Apply to some less well-known programs, which will improve your chances way more than applying to many highly competitive programs. Many state schools have great funding and faculty despite not being household names! Keep looking for writing opportunities outside of the MFA world. Many of y'all are already doing the second one. @pattycat, your critique group is a great idea! I'd be more than happy to participate during the summer, when my workload is lighter. Long story short, I know it's rough right now. It's totally normal to feel discouraged and disappointed. But I hope you can also appreciate the work you did. Even if you don't end up applying again, your efforts planning, writing, and asking for LORs are still worth something! That's valuable experience you can use in many other contexts. You should be proud of yourself for that hard work, especially at a time when everything feels harder than ever. Not everyone would have done that

Honestly, I'd say cash is king -- before but especially now. Not to mention that, in my opinion, the third year makes a huge difference. I'm in my first year of a 3 year program, and I can't imagine being almost halfway done by now. Congrats, regardless! That's a good problem to have!

Sorry to say that they probably just processed your FAFSA. I'm guessing this is coming from the university's financial aid office, which is many administrative steps removed from the MFA program.

I think the challenge here is that a) It's not uncommon for official funding contracts to go out in the summer (I got mine right before the start of the semester) b) Some contracts give students no recourse if funding dries up (On that note, read your contracts carefully) Moreover, holding multiple offers til the 15th makes the process more difficult for others, but it doesn't take away opportunities. I don't think there's a clear-cut right thing to do, but I would encourage people to protect themselves. As wonderful as these programs and their faculty may be, they're at the mercy of a university system that runs as a business -- with all the unfairness and heartless choices that entails.

I made it through one of these interviews with almost no teaching experience, so you're already ahead of me! But I have some tips based on my experience: Do your research about the TA program ahead of time (e.g. which classes you'll be teaching, course load, training). Make sure you're not asking for any information that's easily available on the website. Write down at least 3 questions ahead of time -- my interviewers complimented me on my thoughtful questions, and I suspect that this helped me ace the interview despite my background Be sure to mention if you have experience with ESL students, as this is becoming increasingly valuable in the classroom Maybe all that's obvious, but I figured I'd still offer my two cents. Good luck!!

If you asked, they'd probably tell you. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya!

While I totally respect this, I don't think adcoms will see it this way. If the question is mandatory, leaving it blank will make it look like either a) you don't follow instructions or b) you thought the question was stupid. In my experience, they expect everyone to answer, even cishet white dudes. I think it's great to acknowledge you privilege in diversity statements! Additionally, I've heard people recommend discussing why you think a diverse program is important. And although it may not ring true to you, your experience as a woman is still relevant to the adcom. Personally, I think diversity statements do very little to promote diversity or make marginalized students feel welcome. With that in mind, you deserve to give yourself the best shot possible on your application.

Not sure if she counts as "up and coming," but I just read Sleep Donation by Karen Russell and loved it! Some of my classmates were disappointed by the ending, but I loved the language and worldbuilding.

This has happened to me multiple times at other schools. I guess they think it's good marketing? But really it's just mean.

I understand your feelings, but I don't think you're abandoning anything. All of these programs have a waitlist; think of how happy the applicant who gets your spot will be!

I mentioned Shirley Jackson, Octavia Butler, and Nikolai Gogol. Looking back, this didn't suggest that I know what's going on in the current literary world. However, I think it showed that I've read somewhat widely. I connected each author to my own writing goals/aesthetic.

Do you mean the lit mag at that school published your essay? Because most lit mags are staffed by students, not faculty. (I've heard people suggest that grad students at some programs read apps, but I don't think this is true. My program certainly doesn't work this way.) Generally speaking, lit mags housed in universities are pretty separate from the MFA programs from an administrative standpoint. By all means mention it in your CV, but unfortunately it's no indication of whether your work is well-aligned with the program's faculty.

I'd recommend doing a workshop -- online, at your local community college, or a local organization. Anything you have to pay for, even if it's a small sum, will guarantee the other writers will be serious. Really, you only need 2-3 people who "get" your work to push it to the next level. For example, as a genre fic writer, I used this site while I was working on my portfolio for my second round of apps. I used a free 30 day trial, but yearly memberships are only 50 bucks, I think. I got a few helpful reviews, and my portfolio was much better for it. (I also made any friends who would bother give me feedback, of course.)

There are no hard and fast rules for portfolios. If you flash pieces are strong, it's better to include those than a short story you feel less confident about. Not to mention that flash fiction is read and taught in MFA programs. As for the publishing credits, I've never heard that it's "bad etiquette" to include them. Honestly, that sounds silly to me. I've also read at least a couple program websites that state you should include credits on your CV.

Hello/welcome/congrats! I don't have special insight into these programs, but I have tips for sussing them out. I'd highly recommend reaching out to the admissions coordinator (or whoever is in a similar position) and asking to speak to current students/alumni. That was my strategy for learning what programs/towns were like for queer students. As far as name recognition goes, my impression is that this is significantly less important for employment prospects than other disciplines. My program, for example, has a good placement rate because of the local job market and the fact that the university frequently hires from within. Again, this is the sort of insight you can get from students/alumni. Another thing to keep in mind is the training/opportunities you'll get in your program. For example, my program is known in the local market for having strong pedagogical training for TAs. It also has two journals and a small press, which is great for people who want to get into publishing. Are these programs offering opportunities/extracurriculars in your field of choice? Hope that's helpful even if I'm lacking program-specific knowledge!

Seconding @jka0124. I'd also add that people who got in with first draft SOPs probably (definitely) had outstanding portfolios. I think most of us are/were more anal about them than necessary, but they still matter -- especially when chosing between applicants of similar quality.

February is tough (whether you're applying to schools or not, honestly). I say: don't underestimate the power of distraction! I played a lot of Stardew Valley this time last year.

At the time, I was working an admin position in an office. Pretty dry,lots of spreadsheets, but it was a relaxed environment.

Honestly? I wrote at work. I had a very hectic home life that didn't leave me much time to myself, so if I had downtime on the job, I used it. Maybe not useful for your specific situation, though.

So their website says, "We offer a funding package to all admitted MFA students. The funding package includes a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a monthly stipend for two academic years." Poets & Writers also claims they're fully funded. However, the faculty's word is more valuable than whatever is on the website. My guess is that they've been fully funded in the past, but the pandemic has changed that. I've heard that something similar happened at VCU (though that could just be a rumor). That said, nothing wrong with throwing your hat into the ring for those few funded positions!

This is what I found on their website: https://las.depaul.edu/academics/english/student-resources/Pages/graduate-assistantships.aspx To summarize, it seems that all grad students in the English department (including those from the MA programs) compete for 6 GTA positions, which only cover 2 classes and give you an $8k stipend. Since most programs suggest 3 classes per semester, that isn't full funding. Moreover, I'd guess the GTA positions are highly competitive. As a general observation, any MFA program that doesn't proudly advertise their great funding has poor funding. (Not to sound harsh -- I wish I'd known this my first app cycle.)

I went to an open house for them a couple years back, during my first round of applications (back when those things were still in-person). Feel free to reach out if you want my 2 cents based on that!

Personally I'm more prone to comparing myself against others (generally to my own detriment) than imposter syndrome specifically. Sometimes I feel inadequate, but I don't feel like an imposter, since I still did the work required to get into my program. As we all know, applications are a long and difficult process. And you did that work too! One thing they stress in grad school is that writing (or any creative endeavor) is not an innate talent. It's a skill that must be honed over the course of years. That involves a lot of bad drafts and rejections. Writing something you think is sub-par doesn't make you an imposter -- quite the opposite. It proves you're putting in the work.

Chiming in to say that there's absolutely no shame in getting rejected from a publication -- especially a big one. I read for both my school's lit mags, which are well-respected but by no means household names. We still get inundated with submissions, and great pieces get turned down regularly. Heck, I've seen pieces I loved get turned down for pieces I thought were "meh." Like MFA apps, it's as much about luck as skill. Usually your success comes down to 1-3 people, and there's no unbiased way to judge art ¯\_(ツ)_/¯