spacedumpster

I fully agree that higher education should be free. To your point about schools giving you a warning on acceptance rates, every school I applied to is fairly transparent about the number of spots in the program versus the number of applications received, whether in the FAQs, or right in the homepage. I can understand being frustrated to learn this after the fact, but it's ultimately up to you to research the programs to which you are applying.

Another non-English major here. Arizona State was the only school I applied to that asked for an academic writing sample (specifically just for TA funding). I included a research paper that I wrote for an academic composition course, which focused on the proliferation of conspiracy theories in contemporary American culture.

Sounds like you put a lot of thought into your choice of school. I'm super impressed that you completed your application on such a short timeline, too. Welcome to the forum and best of luck!

Same here. Oregon State is the only two year program to which I applied. I'd be glad to go there, but the couple of thesis ideas that I am knocking around are already ambitious for a three year timeline, so I would definitely need to rethink things if that's the route I take.

Perhaps we'll both end up at Michener or UF, and we can make that a reality in the fall!

No, but I'm compulsively consulting the I Ching to use divination to determine whether or not I will get accepted this year! Here's part of the reading I just got: "In his large and splendid house, no friends or family dwell. He sees no one pass through his gate for three years. Misfortune." The "three years" part has me feeling hopeful, but the rest sounds pretty dismal hahaha.

Just so long as you find it again.

Wondered this just moments ago, after remembering my partner's admission process for her MFA in Fine Arts. I should probably brush up on my interview skills, seeing as all of the schools I applied to guarantee funding. They're probably going to want to see that I'm not some sort of clever goblin before they pay me to teach kids.

As is my right as a native Ohioan who is immeasurably sick of hearing about Ohio State Football for the last 31 years, I hereby dub you an Honorary Ohioan for this statement.

Aaaand cue anxiety over the fact that I don't have a website. ?

It would not surprise me, but also might be more effort than anyone would care to put in. If you're concerned about it, just set all your shit to private. I use a pseudonym on all my social media, so I think I'm good unless they're combing facial recognition databases.

Hey feralgrad, anything floatin' around the rumor mill at your school re: the applicant pool this cycle? ? Numbers compared to previous years, stage in review, timelines, etc? Obviously everywhere is going to be different, but it might give us anxious toe-tappers a lil' something to extrapolate from.

Here's mine w/ primary reasoning: 1. Michener (mainly because I'm not super keen on teaching, and Austin seems like a dope place to live) 2. University of Florida (solid funding, have some friends in Gainesville, and I had an excellent conversation with the program director) 3. Arizona State University (applied at the recommendation of a friend/former professor, director is Matt Bell whose work is not too far from my own, and living in the desert like a scaly lizard person sounds neat)

Driven through Corvallis but never spent any time there. I lived in Portland from 2008-2011, but I honestly did not get around all that much when I lived there. I have family all over Oregon (they all moved there after I left, guess I'm a trendsetter) I've been back a couple of times since I moved away. Far and away my favorite state I've spent any amount of time.

Did not apply to UofO, but it will surely be on my list if I don't get in somewhere this year!

I specifically applied to Oregon State because I miss living in the PNW. Well, that and full funding.

Yeesh, the more I keep reading that line I wrote, the more it irks me. Hahaha. Think I'm gonna change that to "vision of cognitive dissonance." Some nice internal rhyme going on, better rhythm. Yes. Please replace that sentence in your brains now, everyone. ?

Ugh, calm down with the praise, y'all! ? The inevitable MFA rejections around the bend are going to hit TOO hard if you keep stroking the ego I have worked so hard to suppress! Genuinely, though, thank you all for your encouragement based just on this silly little story. I hope I get the chance to read work by each and every one of you at some point.

Re: your question as to how a story can be just a page-- flash fiction is generally categorized as work under 1,000 words. There are even magazines which publish "micro fiction" exclusively, which usually maxes out at just 100 words! The meaning conveyed in that sentence is this: the narrator presents as a peaceful and enlightened free spirit, but is in reality the cold, antisocial leader of a death cult. That sentence is kind of clunky to be honest, so I get where your confusion stemmed from.

Thanks so much for the kind words. That's awesome you were in journalism! My grandfather was a newspaper reporter for many years. I wrote my very first stories on his electric typewriter as a kid. My sister completed her undergrad in journalism, and I research like mad whenever I'm working on a story, so I think the bug got us too!

Haha, that's all there was to it actually! The end. Thanks for reading! Your desire for a second page might just be the impetus for me to finally build it out a bit more, though. I initially wrote the story for a workshop, and there are some choices I had to make to work within the constraints of the prompt. I think I could improve it with a little more free wheeling.

I love the rejection wall!! Personally, I just delete them from my Submittable account immediately so it's like it °~*never even happened*~° ?

Same, I'm totally fascinated by spirituality but deeply skeptical of anything--a byproduct of 12 years of Catholic school, perhaps haha. Pardon me while I make another unsolicited recommendation! If you're into comics or graphic novels, you might also dig Forming (link) by Jesse Moynihan. Epic metaphysical fantasy rooted in Abrahamic myth and arcane mysticism, but, like, edgy and full of weird slang.

I read that some years ago and seem to remember enjoying it. If you're into that sort of thing, you should definitely read some of Terence McKenna's work (The Archaic Revival, Food of the Gods, True Hallucinations all recommended), or listen to his possibly even more engrossing talks. Some of his ideas are pretty woo-woo, but the man had an exquisite grasp of language, and he was definitely tapped into some special part of human consciousness.

Also, yes a bunch of people barfed.