CayceCamus

Congrats to you!!!!! it's a beautiful, wonderful thing to become more and more yourself.
You've got nothing to apologize for, and I'm honored you're sharing this news on this forum with us.

I got an email moving me onto phase 2 for Ole Miss (poetry). It arrived last night (after I gave up on everything for the night, of course) spaced out a bit from other people's emails, from what I pieced together with posts I saw on Draft. Mine was a blank email body with a word doc attached as a letter telling me that I've moved forward.
I don't think they sent out bulk emails, so it seems very possible that more may come out today!
Does anyone have any feeling/intel/premonitions for how many people make it to Phase 2 versus are eventually accepted or waitlisted? 
(this is the first time I've ever gotten good news in four total rounds of applying to various grad schools. Oh my god I needed it so badly. I hope the same feeling for everyone else, it's such a gift to get a crumb of good news right now.)

Meh. If you're aiming high I think journals typically have lower acceptance rates than MFAs - even true of journals out of MFA programs. But I know that journal rejections are always so tough even when you fortify yourself against them! I've also had stories rejected by "lower tier" journals then picked up by "higher tier" journals the next day. As always, this shit is so deeply subjective and probably has to do so much more with how we fit into an imagined cohort, etc, than we even care to admit. 

Thought you would all find this funny considering I'm waiting for a call from UMass AND Rutgers today, my phone rang from an NJ number and I had to compose myself for a moment before I picked up. It was a "your car's extended warranty" call.
Let me skip to the end credits, please. 

Just received my first notification--I'm on the wait-list for University of Oregon! There's so much I love about this program. Hoping that this means there is more good news to come. I'm glad my first notification isn't a rejection, because I've been a nervous wreck tbh 

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.

Not to be THAT person, but schools do read the SOPs. Little mistakes like the wrong name won’t throw you out of the running if the rest is good. For one, no admission committee thinks they’re the only school you’re applying to. Two, they’re human. We’re human. Mistakes happen. 
As for the person who wrote the SOP the same day as the deadline and got in, I bet it was a good SOP. Some people are just really good at writing those kinds of things. 

Wow. I kept triple checking to make sure I didn’t do that and they didn’t even care.

Hey now - that first master's made me a lot of money. Now I can afford to get an MFA ?

There is also a chance that you will get into good MFA programs too though. I understand exactly how you feel about being lost and imposter syndrome is no stranger to me. But, I think that when the time comes you'll be able to make the best choice for yourself. Also neither program is going away anytime soon. You always have a second chance. 

Tarot is great for creative writing since it is all based on archetypes. Need a conflict? Pull a card and see what it inspires based on its archetypal meaning and symbolism. Need some character development? Pull a card and see how you can incorporate its meaning into that character's motivations or history. It fosters thoughts you would not otherwise come to on your own.

I was working to become a genetic engineer for a good chunk of my college career. Even though I went a different path, genetics (and science in general), enchants me to this day. The style of research that I do is quite similar to how I researched when I was a science student. I know it wasn’t right for me though, because of how exhausted and upset I was. Despite having awesome friends, a reasonable college schedule, and decent grades, something was off. I was so convinced I had to be a science student (I got a 32 on the science ACT) that I just forgot what makes me the happiest.
I changed my major 10 times until I reached English and suddenly when I started that program it clicked. This is what I wanted so badly, a place where I could write and explore my creativity where it would be rewarded. The rigid system of science reminds me of a cage. I’m definitely not gonna keep my writing from reaching it’s true potential because of my passing scientific interests. Like I did for years. And I can’t do it anymore.
I’m not sure if that helps, if not, sorry for the ramble.

it's a good idea to not throw out your opinion until you've got at least those straight, just as a matter of general policy.
this is a nuanced, painful situation. to talk about it with due care requires understanding where people's hurt is coming from.

This is a long rant but I really want to say this to someone: I feel like I am at such a crossroads in life right now. What I want more than anything is to get into a good MFA program and be a writer, but since I got such a good offer from a top program in CS, I feel like I can't turn that down. I've put so much time into programming and have met so many peers/mentors who seem to expect so much from me and who I want to make proud. Like, my research mentor is so amazing, and the school I got into is where she got her PhD, and oh my gosh I just want to make her proud! But I just can't believe such a good program saw something they liked in my application even though I feel like I haven't put my heart into programming at all
It honestly makes me feel so guilty because CS has always been plan b in my mind, and I haven't shown it any passion, even though it is something i care about. I really care about being a good computer scientist because I think that it can make the world a better place, but I just feel so resentful of my place in CS because it is what I'm doing instead of writing. I always feel so distracted and disengaged with CS because I want to be an author. But I feel like I'm about to waste an amazing opportunity if I turn this offer down, and I don't know what to do.
And this is all super assumptive anyway, there is still a really good chance I won't get into any good MFA programs in which case I will totally take the offer. I just don't know what to make of things! I have so much impostor's syndrome right now. I feel totally unprepared to be a graduate student in CS, ESPECIALLY A TA, and I feel guilty both taking the offer and NOT taking the offer. ARGH!!! Sorry if this sounds braggy about getting into a program. I know I am really lucky to have gotten this offer, and I really don't want to take it for granted.
Anyone have any words of wisdom? Sorry for this sloppy vent post... I'm a little fried rn, hehe.

I don’t know if this makes any difference to your “devil’s advocate” approach, but this person also used their position as a poet to commit these crimes. I don’t want to elaborate as you have google, but giving a platform back to someone who once used it to prey upon children is wrong under every moral code, I would have to think. 

Those of you who are accepted to multiple programs, or who are holding out for an answer from a first choice program, may find this info from the U-W Madison MFA Admissions page useful (sorry for the huge font - couldn't seem to get out of it after cutting and pasting from the site!):
Wisconsin Protocol
Like most institutions with a graduate program in creative writing, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools and as such is bound to the following resolution: "Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution." You can see the full resolution as well as a list of council members by clicking here.
We at Wisconsin advise any applicant who is feeling pressured to accept another MFA program's offer before the April 15th deadline to simply send the program a friendly email that states, "I see that your institution is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools. As such, I believe that I have the right to consider your offer up until the April 15th deadline as established by the council. Thanks so much!" Most universities are big places where one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. Showing them you know your rights will help ensure that your rights are respected. At Wisconsin, our promise is simple:
We will make our decisions by March 15th. Should you be placed on our waitlist, we will tell you up front. We won't put off giving you an answer about your status simply so we won't have to tell you you've been waitlisted. While we will tell you if you are on our waitlist, we will not discuss the nature of the waitlist, e.g. how many students are on it, where a particular student’s place is. We will respect the April 15th deadline as established by the Council of Graduate Schools. Out of respect to you, (not lack of interest!) we will not call you repeatedly just to "check in with you" to see if you've made a decision. All our students are fully funded, which means we won't at any time threaten to yank or alter funding to pressure you to say yes before April 15th.  
Finally, we urge all MFA applicants to know their rights and to ask the schools they're applying to in advance if they are members of the Council of Graduate Schools. If they're not familiar with the CGS's resolution, send them a link to this page. We hope that by spreading the word regarding applicants' rights, all students can begin their graduate studies on the right path.

PoFo frustrates the hell out of me. I was always cautious around them (just because they have so much power and not a lot of diversity) but this is really bad. I’ve seen some strong arguments on both sides about where we draw the line in publishing and how nebulous that can be. But I don’t think it should be controversial to not publish friggin’ pedos. Like can we all agree that’s a perfectly fine line to draw? ?

Yeah that is a common assumption about it. Certainly people use it that way, but in my experience and view more people use it as a psychological tool. If you are stuck on an issue in life you can pull a spread and apply each archetype to your situation and analyze it. It helps you tangibly connect ideas that are not connected in your mind. It can produce some really creative thoughts and solutions to problems. Like anything else, it is a tool that can be used to help or exploit.

Yeah that is a common assumption about it. Certainly people use it that way, but in my experience and view more people use it as a psychological tool. If you are stuck on an issue in life you can pull a spread and apply each archetype to your situation and analyze it. It helps you tangibly connect ideas that are not connected in your mind. It can produce some really creative thoughts and solutions to problems. Like anything else, it is a tool that can be used to help or exploit.

Tarot is great for creative writing since it is all based on archetypes. Need a conflict? Pull a card and see what it inspires based on its archetypal meaning and symbolism. Need some character development? Pull a card and see how you can incorporate its meaning into that character's motivations or history. It fosters thoughts you would not otherwise come to on your own.

I take a very Jungian approach towards tarot and make no claims of being psychic, though that would be very convenient right about now.  I'm also not really interested in "proving" their value to another person, especially a stranger on the internet, if it's something that doesn't resonate with them. As far as I'm concerned, no offense taken--I can handle a bit of sass. I just hate having my time wasted. 
On another note, have you guys been keeping up with what's happening with the Poetry Foundation right now? What are your thoughts? 

Tarot is great for creative writing since it is all based on archetypes. Need a conflict? Pull a card and see what it inspires based on its archetypal meaning and symbolism. Need some character development? Pull a card and see how you can incorporate its meaning into that character's motivations or history. It fosters thoughts you would not otherwise come to on your own.

Tarot is great for creative writing since it is all based on archetypes. Need a conflict? Pull a card and see what it inspires based on its archetypal meaning and symbolism. Need some character development? Pull a card and see how you can incorporate its meaning into that character's motivations or history. It fosters thoughts you would not otherwise come to on your own.

Yeah that is a common assumption about it. Certainly people use it that way, but in my experience and view more people use it as a psychological tool. If you are stuck on an issue in life you can pull a spread and apply each archetype to your situation and analyze it. It helps you tangibly connect ideas that are not connected in your mind. It can produce some really creative thoughts and solutions to problems. Like anything else, it is a tool that can be used to help or exploit.