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Ydrl

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  1. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from ACPF in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Congratulations!!! Ah!!! I look forward to meeting you next year!!!
  2. Like
    Ydrl reacted to ACPF in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Just got an acceptance call for Iowa for poetry! At this hour!!!
  3. Like
    Ydrl reacted to 1badgloop in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Just got an email from University of Miami - I'm a finalist there and they'd like to interview me!! Crazy!!
  4. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from seizing in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    I don't want to alarm anyone, but the poetry decisions for Iowa might finalized. Don't know when notifications are going out though... Watching the professors spend hours of their weekends here just pouring over the manuscripts together around a table was a wild sight. Godspeed to you all, drink water.
  5. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from ElCompaAV in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    I don't want to alarm anyone, but the poetry decisions for Iowa might finalized. Don't know when notifications are going out though... Watching the professors spend hours of their weekends here just pouring over the manuscripts together around a table was a wild sight. Godspeed to you all, drink water.
  6. Upvote
    Ydrl got a reaction from poefire in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    I don't want to alarm anyone, but the poetry decisions for Iowa might finalized. Don't know when notifications are going out though... Watching the professors spend hours of their weekends here just pouring over the manuscripts together around a table was a wild sight. Godspeed to you all, drink water.
  7. Upvote
    Ydrl got a reaction from jjooeeyy in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    I don't want to alarm anyone, but the poetry decisions for Iowa might finalized. Don't know when notifications are going out though... Watching the professors spend hours of their weekends here just pouring over the manuscripts together around a table was a wild sight. Godspeed to you all, drink water.
  8. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from Leeannitha in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Honestly same here.
    I'm also here with super unsolicited but hopefully helpful advice straight from after my first semester at Iowa. Take care of your health. I almost kicked the bucket due to a chronic health condition, and while I was recovering I almost kicked the bucket again from a genetic health condition I didn't know I had until I met doctors here that actually wanted to do their jobs.
    Also, the school health insurance saved my life. Look up if your funding package will come with health insurance for either free or a significant discount.
    Lastly, I still have the super comprehensive spreadsheet with my lightly outdated info from the 2022 season. Dm me if you want it.
  9. Upvote
    Ydrl reacted to feralgrad in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Hey everyone! Haven't been here in a while, but I decided to pop back in since I know the forum gets busier this time of year. I'm a fiction writer graduating in spring 2023 (*sweats*). I've had a really great experience in my program. The community has been very supportive, and I feel well-positioned to find a good job outside of graduation. I don't think any MFA experience can be "perfect," but I'm really happy with the mentoring, connections, and personal growth I've gained. (Also I'm leaving school with zero debt, and you should too!!)
    Gradcafe was super helpful during my application/decision process, so I'm happy to answer any questions!
  10. Like
    Ydrl reacted to strawberrybaldwin in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    just out of a simple curiosity, what's the consensus on switching programs? like if one was admitted somewhere but decided that maybe they wanted to go elsewhere after all? is that frowned upon?
  11. Upvote
    Ydrl reacted to koechophe in 2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Heya folks. I've been a reader for my college's literary magazine over the summer. The vast, vast majority of pieces I read are from MFA graduates or MFA candidates.

    Being in that seat where I have to say yes or no to incoming pieces has taught me a lot about what the difference between a "yes" piece is and a "no" piece is (and for reference, there have been dozens of "no" pieces and only like 2 "yes" ones... which I think is a lot like MFA applications lol). 
    Here's some advice if you're still working on your writing sample:
    -Good, solid prose is an entry requirement. I honestly thought literary magazine submissions would be filled with a lot of really mediocre writers, but they aren't. The writers are, for the most part, fabulous, and have very solid prose. You can tell these people know the craft and know the basics and principals. The writing is clean and polished from a prose standpoint. A lot of people feel like that's not important, but from my experience, it's more like it goes without saying that you already know your stuff.
    -... but good, solid prose isn't enough to get you noticed. This actually sort of threw me, since I always thought the person with the best prose, mechanically speaking, would be the "winner." But as I'm reading, that's not the case, and in fact, one of my "yes" recommendations wasn't actually quite as solid on prose (it was still good, but it wasn't as amazing as some of the other ones I've seen.) Basically, prose seems to be a "you must be this tall to enter" line, not the end-all be-all for good writing.
    -Your writing needs to feel like it is contributing to the literary conversation. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what made me say "yes" to the few I've said yes to. At the end of the day, it comes down to whether the piece felt like it had something interesting to say. I read a lot of pieces about popular topics which treated those popular topics... pretty much like everyone else does. They were well-written, and they were genuine, but it felt like a lot of them were saying things the same way everyone else has said them. 
    I doubt everyone says yes for the same reasons, but the reasons I find myself saying yes are based mostly on:
    Does this feel like a new insight?
    Does it feel like they're approaching the topic from a new angle/perspective?
    Does the work appropriately embrace complexity and nuance?
    Is there enough ambiguity in the piece to allow it to be analyzed, while also having enough specificity to feel intentional?

    The pieces I read which got a yes just went a hair further than the rejected ones. They were just a bit more unique, enough to make me think after reading them.

    I hope some of this helps. I also highly recommend looking for opportunities to volunteer for a literary magazine. It's been one of the single best experiences for making me look at my writing in a harsher light. 
    Best of luck!
     
  12. Like
    Ydrl reacted to Rm714 in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Got a call this morning from Columbia - in for fiction with a scholarship far greater than I'd imagined. I'm so grateful and thrilled. Thanks to a fantastic potential external scholarship opportunity, I might be able to afford it if I choose to go, especially combined with the scholarship they gave me. My mentor, an NYT bestselling author, went to Columbia, so this one actually meant a lot to me. This closes out my season at 7a/0w/5r. 
    This group - all of you guys - helped me get through this. This season had so many ups and downs, and it's been a true honor to see so many of you succeed. To those still waiting, or those who didn't get the results you wanted, you're all still amazing, and nothing will ever make you not be a writer. 
    Sorry for the gushy post. Lots of love going around!
  13. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from orangejuicefiend in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    There a very small poetry youtuber named Dimitri Reyes who went there. I'm sure if you found a way to contact him he'd answer your questions, he's a pretty chill guy.
  14. Like
    Ydrl reacted to spencerlr in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Got my rejection from Iowa fiction via snail mail! Congrats to yrdl and everyone else who got in or waitlisted. There was a handwritten note on it that said they liked the narrator of my first story so that's a bittersweet win in my book lol. Definitely going to accept UCF's offer if I get nothing else major in the next few days
    Vanderbilt rejected me (for fiction) last week. I'm close to a lot of people who go to Vandy or work there, and they said it's a pretty typical Vandy move to make an MFA with a huge stipend that accepts 3 people to get high up on a selectivity rankings chart. Hope you get in though!
  15. Like
    Ydrl reacted to MDP in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Might be jumping the gun a bit, but I've started a thread for next year's application cycle: 
    Don't know about you all, but I'm hoping to distract myself from the rejection sadness by doing some new writing and getting excited for future possibilities. DM me on here if you want to get added to the workshop spreadsheet.  Congrats to all who have gotten in so far!
  16. Like
    Ydrl reacted to panglosian in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Waitlisted at VCU for poetry!!! I asked them about my status and they forwarded the notification, I think poetry might be coming out for others soon if so. 
  17. Like
    Ydrl reacted to SteveHolt in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Just received the phone call for University of Florida! Very surprising as after eight rejections I had emotionally prepared for applying again next year. Anyways, they said they're only accepting two fiction and two poetry applicants this year, so I'm posting on the off chance that anyone here has attended and can answer questions about the program, or if any of my fellow acceptees are here.
  18. Like
    Ydrl reacted to oubukibun in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Hiya,
    I'm in an adjacent boat to yours (applied to Rutgers-Camden), but haven't heard a peep, so either they are still making decisions or just waiting to update portals with rejections.
    I know this is incredibly helpful to you, haha, but I just wanted to share so you don't feel quite so lost rowing the foggy waters.
    Also, congrats!! 
     
    P.S. Certainly just take this as my opinion and not the gospel of truth, but...  Wouldn't it be best to accept a guaranteed position than to gamble on a waitlist known to be quite long?  I don't know how much Rutgers-Newark gives in funding, but I can't fathom it's less than NYU for applicants on a waitlist.  Again, just my own speculation.  I don't go to casinos for a reason, lol.  The only gambles I take are on the page.
  19. Like
    Ydrl reacted to orangejuicefiend in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    I've been lurking on this forum without an account for a while and wanted to say congratulations to everyone! I was accepted into the Rutgers Newark program for poetry and have some questions regarding the program, since it's been hard to find much information about them online. Does anyone have insight into the program itself or their general reputation within the community? I was waitlisted for NYU as well -- is that worth waiting for (in relation to the Rutgers Newark acceptance)? Has anyone else heard from Rutgers Newark for poetry?
  20. Like
    Ydrl reacted to fireplace in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Hi! I just thought I'd share for helpfulness & folks waiting to hear. a few weeks ago I was shortlisted at Hunter; I visited and interviewed and was just fully accepted a few days ago! 
  21. Like
    Ydrl reacted to floralhell in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Is it typical to be asked not to post on social media about getting into a school? I got a call yesterday from a program letting me know I'd been accepted first off the waitlist, and at the end of the call they asked me to keep it under wraps. I'm super excited but feeling a little nervous about sharing news! 
  22. Like
    Ydrl reacted to retrotyping in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Waitlist notifications for fiction went via email this morning, not sure about poetry though! 
  23. Like
    Ydrl reacted to Sydup in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Waitlisted at Virginia Tech for fiction! Pure elation. Someone didn't hate what I wrote! 
  24. Like
    Ydrl reacted to alligator mississippiensis in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. I am waitlisted for Iowa fiction, and literally ANY news about the admissions decisions/fiction cohort/class size/waitlist process would be greatly appreciated. I was rejected from every other program I applied to and going to Iowa would be dream come true!! Thanks! <3 
  25. Like
    Ydrl got a reaction from Nightwitch in 2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum   
    They've sent out poetry as well, of which I accepted my offer. I did find out that 30 fiction and 20 poetry applicants will be admitted.
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