FairleyAlfy

The best book I read in 2020 was The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Wow. My two favorite novels of all time are those... haha. I even have Timshel tattooed on my wrist.

Yikes! Hang in there! I mean lots of people look at apartments in the area of the programs they've applied. You're not alone in that! I have not fallen down that rabbit hole yet. haha I have found other rabbit holes though. I have researched several past students of the MFA programs I've applied and read all the writing I could get my hands on. It's a way of comparing my own style to previous students, but the research just ends up making me extremely self-conscious. Hang in there!

Has everyone finished applying? Are we all in the excruciating wait mode? I've been trying a bunch of different distractions. It doesn't help that I lost my job because of the pandemic. On the plus side, I got a typewriter for Christmas!! I adore writing on it so far. Another silver lining is that we only have two more days of 2020!!

Averno by Louise Gluck and Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. I am already a fan of both books, highly recommend.

SAME! I word salad a lot when I talk ?

I think the website is still having technical difficulties. I hope everyone is doing well! Hang in there! Keep doing things you enjoy and that aid in keeping your mind busy during this time of limbo.

First off, I do not write dialogue for the most part unless I think a poem might benefit from it. I am a poet. The formatting was a minor issue. Grammatically and structurally, everything was correct. She did not think the error severe enough to lower my chances of acceptance. I am just OCD about my writing sample. Second, you have a similar writing style to Marshall Goodman, and it is weirdly coincidental that as soon as he gets banned from the chat, you magically appear with the same pretentious, robotic, and inhumane aura. Despite your sheer tendency for assholery (I'm aware that's not a word before you try "to teach" me about word usage), I wish you a safe holiday season and much luck with your writing. All the best, Annalee

Agreed! I know it's a very low acceptance rate, but if I don't at least try, I will always wonder. Plus I was able to get a application fee waiver which was a relief.

I was thinking the same thing...I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same guy who made a different account. ?

I contacted Cornell Admissions, and they got back to me pretty quickly. She was super nice, and said not to worry about the formatting. All she cares about is the quality of the writing and if I submitted all the required documents. You were right! Thank you for your help!

Thank you! I'll do that. I'm a ball of nerves. ?

I was looking through all my completed applications because I have lots of anxiety, and I realized that I sent the wrong writing sample to Cornell!!!! OMG....I don't know what I should do. Should I try to email and ask if they will let me replace the writing sample? Send help...

I wish I would have tried Interfolio....That would have been so much easier than my professors getting 13 email requests...Now I know. Thank you for the information!

I love Kaveh Akbar! This year, I came across some talented voices. Paige Lewis' Space Struck is a brilliant collection. They are also good friends with Kaveh Akbar. Jericho Brown's The Tradition is phenomenal and read it with tissues. I also love Hold Like Owls by Julia Koets.

Agreed! All I really want is a kind, supportive faculty and good funding. I don't have a long list of requirements. I certainly don't care if it's prestigious or not. At the end of the day, all publishers care about is if you churn out excellent writing, and not if you studied at an Ivy League college.

I feel this.... I wish I would have revised my SOP....I feel like certain parts are kind of sappy....I also read a sample SOP yesterday, and it sounded so much better than mine. I think I don't sound academic or smart enough. I chose a more conversational/personal tone instead of using big words and intellectual perfume, and I'm kind of regretting it. I might just be overthinking ?

No, I just used the electronic submission platform that most universities had. I'm not quite sure what Interfolio is. I keep hearing about it.

Yea, that's a good plan. Professors usually just upload a letter from the email that the university sends, and since your professors already have your letter written, it's not too much of a hassle just to upload one more electronically, but I get where you're coming from. I feel guilty because my professors are on winter break right now and are still having to answer emails for requests. You have the time left before most deadlines to add another, and I'm sure they will be gracious about it. They understand that MFA programs are competitive.

Finally finished my last application on Sunday so that makes 13 total!! I was going to apply to 15, but I just don't have the money or the energy to apply. Plus I overloaded my professors with reference requests. They are being super nice about it though. I'm going to have to send them all gift baskets for being so great. I thought once I submitted my last application that I would be relieved, but a whole new wave of anxiety just hit me. haha If I get 13 rejections from all 13 applications, someone is going to have to pull me out of the depths of despair... Good luck to everyone!! Stay safe and healthy!

Welcome to the group! I'm in CA as well.

Thank you for the information! Super helpful! I don't mind a cornfield. haha I'm from Mississippi so I'm use to a farming landscape.

I love living on the West Coast. It's so beautiful. I imagine that it does influence your writing. I've been influenced by the landscape, and I've only lived here for two years. Good luck with your fiction applications!

I just read it! Beautiful poem, I'm going to have to get one of her books now. I just read Louise Gluck's The Wild Iris. I'm obsessed with her work now. Highly recommend the read! She's also great with imagery. I didn't notice a theme until my professor pointed it out. I'm from Mississippi and born into a super religious (sometimes cultish) family. I haven't been able to write about my upbringing until I moved to California, and what came out was southern gothic haha. I would be curious to hear where everyone is from if you guys don't mind sharing.

I mean when it comes down to it, the teaching load is not a huge factor, but I've heard of students being overworked and stressed out because of the large teaching load and course load. Most programs though are two courses a semester max. I don't have a preference. I realize that BU is only one year, and I'm not a huge fan of that. I imagine trying to complete all the requirements for an MFA in one year is going to be super stressful, but I admire the faculty, and I love Boston. If it ends up being the only place that accepts me, I'll go, but if I have a couple of options (unlikely haha), then I'll probably choose a two or three year program over BU. To answer the age question, I'm 25. I completed my undergrad a couple of years ago.