sandringham

I'll hop on it. So far have applied to Brown, NYU, Columbia, Iowa, Northwestern, UCLA, UCSD, UT-Austin, and Carnegie-Mellon. Obviously really praying for 1 acceptance.
 
Currently I've heard back nothing other than automated confirmations - no yes/no/waitlist/interview from anywhere, which I'm hoping is normal!

Ok I just discovered this thread and it is a historical document... like WOAH...strangers have been convening on here for ten years to discuss a common dream...Jeremy O. Harris was on here when he applied to Yale?! GAAAH. I feel like Aang looking down the long line of Avatars that have come before him. I mean, this has got to be the most niche corner of the internet, right? Well, HELLO. I'm happy to be here with the 2021 squad. I'm a first time applicant, I've applied to Brooklyn, Hunter, NYU, Northwestern, and Brown. The relief I felt after submitting those apps lasted about 0.2 seconds and now the new wave of anxiety has set in.  I just need to know my future! I need to know if I'll be moving out of my childhood bedroom! I believe in us. Let's make those dreams come TRUE!!!

Happy New Year, y'all!!
I admit, I've been kind of theatre'd out lately. I'm trying to slowly get back in, and being forced to by work as we get into season planning helps. I'm trying to read more works by playwrights I've been lucky enough to meet/ know via NPX, and working my way from there.
I applied to 14 schools last year, and just submitted all my apps for the 5 this year. Going in with a very different energy. With everything going, it felt a little absurd, but life has to keep on. I'm just at the point where I just want to know what my life is going to look like this year cause I couldn't have guessed the last one. 
Best of luck everyone! Overthinking, though natural, will not be our friend over the upcoming months. You've done your part, the rest come what may or something. Take care of yourselves! 

Hi and welcome! From what you're describing, I don't think it's a big enough deal to truly affect your chances with that school.  If the deadline is passed, I wouldn't worry about it. If it truly bothers you, and the deadline hasn't passed, you can try to ask admissions if you can send in a version you'd prefer they look at it. Again, I truly don't think it will hold any really control over their decision making process and they won't hold something like that against you as a person or writer.

Hey guys.  
Applied for a grad school a crap-ton of times and cannot get in to save my life. 
???
Very excited to be able to share updates and commiserate and celebrate with you all.  This year I did UCSD, Brown, and Juilliard (lol). 

Hi all!
Finally getting a moment to breathe after hitting submit on the Columbia and UCSD applications (thanks for that good energy @nickelmoop)!
Welcome to the group @waitingandwaitingmaybe21! Those fees really add up. I’ve got 3 to go...
@yoinky I just read Lewiston/Clarkston by Samuel D. Hunter. Lewiston was fine but Clarkston was really beautiful and moving. I saw Heroes of the Fourth Turning when Jeremy O. Harris recently produced a few virtual performances. I can imagine it’s even more gutting with your background.
Grateful for all the kind and supportive energy. Sending out strong vibes for everyone’s applications. Looking forward to getting to the other side of this with y’all.

@waitingandwaitingmaybe21Oh man, I feel that re: app fees—got a holiday bonus at my day job, which was super exciting, but it became a lot less exciting once I realized nearly all that $$$ would just be funneled into this process. Ah, the things we do to pursue our dreams...
As we wrap up this application season, I'd also like to reiterate the above positive sentiments. The graduate school application process is exhausting, tedious, and demoralizing at the BEST of times. We're going through this process during a global pandemic. Pardon my French, but we're fucking superstars. You all should be ridiculously proud of yourselves for daring to dream big and putting in the work this year to apply, whether you filled out one application or 20.
On a semi-related note, anyone got play recommendations to read and/or watch online during this time of waiting? I just read Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery and—as someone who (perhaps unfortunately) spent some of their youth in conservative-leaning Christian schools—it really hit home. Would definitely recommend that one.
 

Hi there! First time applier - definitely hitting up all the usual suspects and then some. I don't even want to think about how much $$ I have spent on app fees already.
Anyway - only 4 left, and hope to hear to best for everyone in the upcoming months! We've got this!
 

hows everyone doing 
i spent most of my morning hovering on one of my top schools "submit" buttons before finally taking a breath and clicking it
the work was done but that feeling of wanting to be accepted, celebrated, valued was catching in my throat
just had to remember that those things exist regardless of what happens
and that no one or two sentence tweak will be the deciding factor b/w a yes or a no 
sending love as everyone hits those buttons! you are courageous and valued. hny 

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 everyone! 

It does not feel like it should be application season again. It feels like it's been a week and also like it's been three years. 

I just wanted to say hi to all first time applicants, but also wanted to give a special shout out to people whose names I've seen on this forum for literally years. Whatever reasons we all have for applying a third/fourth/maybe fifth time, I draw on that collective strength as January approaches.

o shit y'allllll - i'm posting! hi! fellow first time applicant here
-ut austin (................ looking at monday like ) 
-university of british columbia (masters in theatre & creative writing / a wild card)
-brown
-brooklyn college 
-columbia 
Maybe Hunter? Maybe Northwestern? Maybe BU? who knows. 
 

Hi all!
First-time applicant as well. My list is:
- Juilliard
- UT Austin
- Columbia
- UCSD
- Hunter College
- Brooklyn College
- NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
I’ve read through all ten years of this forum (felt a bit like 100 Years of Solitude in its cyclical, epic nature!) and really appreciated what everybody shared, so didn’t want to just keep lurking!
@Mel Rose  @Agez@Coffee&Flowers Looking forward to going through the process with you. I invite anyone else who’s applying this year to come out of the woodwork and say hello!
@brillantina I similarly would love to hear more about Brooklyn College’s program, and if there’s a sense that Tina Satter and Anne Washburn will stick around or are only interim?
I’ve found Hunter and Brooklyn are the two programs hardest to find current info on. If anybody has info on what Hunter’s program is like under its current leadership (Christine Scarfuto), that would be much appreciated.
Also wanted to express gratitude to all the past applicants, current MFA students and graduates who continue to share your insights on this forum! Thanks for looking out for us!

Hey folks!! I've been stalking this thread for a little while and wanted to finally introduce myself! I'm a first-time applicant and I've really appreciated having this forum as a resource. I'm applying to the following schools for the fall of '21:
- UT Austin
- Brown
- Columbia
- Iowa
- Ohio
- Rutgers
I apologize if this is a loaded question, but I'm very curious about the typical age range of students/applicants for MFA Playwriting programs. How unusual is it for a student to apply for programs in their early twenties? Is someone applying after only a year or two out from undergrad going to be at a great disadvantage compared to someone who's been out in the field getting work produced?

Hi all!
First-time applicant as well. My list is:
- Juilliard
- UT Austin
- Columbia
- UCSD
- Hunter College
- Brooklyn College
- NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
I’ve read through all ten years of this forum (felt a bit like 100 Years of Solitude in its cyclical, epic nature!) and really appreciated what everybody shared, so didn’t want to just keep lurking!
@Mel Rose  @Agez@Coffee&Flowers Looking forward to going through the process with you. I invite anyone else who’s applying this year to come out of the woodwork and say hello!
@brillantina I similarly would love to hear more about Brooklyn College’s program, and if there’s a sense that Tina Satter and Anne Washburn will stick around or are only interim?
I’ve found Hunter and Brooklyn are the two programs hardest to find current info on. If anybody has info on what Hunter’s program is like under its current leadership (Christine Scarfuto), that would be much appreciated.
Also wanted to express gratitude to all the past applicants, current MFA students and graduates who continue to share your insights on this forum! Thanks for looking out for us!

Hi! I'm a current second year at Hunter College (on here because I'm applying to Juilliard, as many MFA students do!). Christine is an amazing person and I love having my program run by a dramaturg! She's kind, funny, and a wonderful teacher who gives great feedback and is also INCREDIBLY organized (which I think is an extremely rare combo). The way the program is structured is Christine bookends teaching you in two semesters: one is a class on adaptation in your first semester, and then the other is basically gearing you up for your thesis play while also analyzing plays and preparing you for life after the program. Each semester you take a playwriting course w/ a visiting professor that's either focusing on generating pages or revision. Teachers of the last few years have been Lisa D'Amour, Clare Barron, Lloyd Suh, and Maria Striar to name a few. You take 3 courses a semester (on top of the above mentioned: History of Theater for 2 semesters, Play Analysis, and then electives of your choice) and then also have 3-hour master classes w/ different writers every few weeks, and when there wasn't covid, we were seeing plays around New York every 2-3 weeks w/ heavily discounted $10-15 tickets. Your thesis presentation is a weeklong 29-hour workshop with a great director and NY Theater actors. They've been trying to make changes to the program so that your work is heard out loud more and are given more practical experience throughout. The program is all about presenting you with different ways to approach theater instead of forcing you into one mode, and the 5 of us all have really different styles of writing. I've really loved my time in the program and have found the transition to be very smooth...I definitely feel "heard" and they're very open to what students have to say. This website has a bit more info:  https://www.huntertheatre.net/mfa
Feel free (anyone) to message me if they want more info on Hunter!

Hello everyone—been on-off stalking this forum since quite literally last February; turns out I can only spend so much time re-reading posts at my desk job before giving in and making an account. Figured now was the best time to bite the proverbial bullet and join you all! (May I just say: it's been incredibly nerve-racking and inspiring in equal measure to see everyone's application stories. Also turns out @jamesprongs101 from a few years ago is The Jeremy O. Harris?? Wow. Just read YELL and I'm obsessed.) 
@sandringhamour lists look very similar! Except no Hunter for me (three other schools instead), and Dramatic Writing instead of Musical Theatre Writing at NYU. I dearly love and appreciate anyone who can write musicals because boy oh boy I would be so damn bad at that.
ANYWAY: break a metaphorical leg or five, everyone!! Hope we all get into the best program possible for our artistic development. And also ideally get funding. Funding's good too.

Hi all!
First-time applicant as well. My list is:
- Juilliard
- UT Austin
- Columbia
- UCSD
- Hunter College
- Brooklyn College
- NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
I’ve read through all ten years of this forum (felt a bit like 100 Years of Solitude in its cyclical, epic nature!) and really appreciated what everybody shared, so didn’t want to just keep lurking!
@Mel Rose  @Agez@Coffee&Flowers Looking forward to going through the process with you. I invite anyone else who’s applying this year to come out of the woodwork and say hello!
@brillantina I similarly would love to hear more about Brooklyn College’s program, and if there’s a sense that Tina Satter and Anne Washburn will stick around or are only interim?
I’ve found Hunter and Brooklyn are the two programs hardest to find current info on. If anybody has info on what Hunter’s program is like under its current leadership (Christine Scarfuto), that would be much appreciated.
Also wanted to express gratitude to all the past applicants, current MFA students and graduates who continue to share your insights on this forum! Thanks for looking out for us!

Hi all!
First-time applicant as well. My list is:
- Juilliard
- UT Austin
- Columbia
- UCSD
- Hunter College
- Brooklyn College
- NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
I’ve read through all ten years of this forum (felt a bit like 100 Years of Solitude in its cyclical, epic nature!) and really appreciated what everybody shared, so didn’t want to just keep lurking!
@Mel Rose  @Agez@Coffee&Flowers Looking forward to going through the process with you. I invite anyone else who’s applying this year to come out of the woodwork and say hello!
@brillantina I similarly would love to hear more about Brooklyn College’s program, and if there’s a sense that Tina Satter and Anne Washburn will stick around or are only interim?
I’ve found Hunter and Brooklyn are the two programs hardest to find current info on. If anybody has info on what Hunter’s program is like under its current leadership (Christine Scarfuto), that would be much appreciated.
Also wanted to express gratitude to all the past applicants, current MFA students and graduates who continue to share your insights on this forum! Thanks for looking out for us!