sylviaplate

I’m a current MFA at UH and the department just let us know they’re ready to start sending acceptances! This coming week is UH spring break so not sure if they’ll wait to make calls, but news is coming soon

I think that someone was me! Our cohort has 8 MFAs - 5 fiction, 3 poetry, and there are I think 4 PhDs (1 fiction, 3 poetry). The second year cohort is bigger - 19 admits across MFA and PhD. The website says ~20 admitted per year across both genres, but that accounts for both MFA and PhD. I think it also says somewhere that acceptance rate is 3-5%, but I'm guessing that's also across both MFA and PhD. Edit to answer more questions lol: I think there were originally 5-6 MFA spots, but a PhD admit last minute pulled from the program and some additional funding opened up. I was told the waitlist was short, but didn't get a number.

Happy April! Sending all my fellow waitlisters good vibes - hope we get good news (or, y'know, any kind of definitive news so we can actually plan our futures and move on with our lives) soon ❤️

I’m still waiting on my letter, too - wouldn’t be surprised if it got lost in the mail or delivered to a wrong address, but who knows. Sometimes is just takes a while.

Honestly, this part of the app process is the worst. I strongly recommend leaving Draft - at this point in the cycle, the stress and disappointment it causes far outweighs any helpful resource sharing going on, at least for me. If the good news is coming, it'll come. Not so good news will still come, too - and in both instances, you won't have days/weeks of deep anxiety and dread after seeing someone else's news come before your own. This is hard and we all gotta take care of ourselves - sending good vibes!

I'm fiction, too. Definitely a long waitlist, but honestly to be in the top 16 applicants out of almost 400 feels (for me) like a win in and of itself. We're on the right track! So nice. Huuuuge ego boost to have Danielle Evans in my inbox lol

SAME! First piece of good news after two rejections - I don't have any helpful info, but I'm planning to ask how long the waitlist is and if it's ranked (maybe these are answered in the email already, but I lost my ability to read after the first sentence). There might be some helpful resources in Draft, but I left the group a couple days ago and have yet to be re-admitted. Congratulations! Hope there's more good news in both our futures!

It was such a nice rejection note?? It felt very heartwarming and encouraging for a minute before the actual rejection part settled in lol

Lmao Syracuse, Houston and Iowa pushing out acceptances on the same day I had an absolute emotional breakdown over job stress is actually very chill and cool for me, personally.

Same and same - oof. best of luck on the rest of ‘em!

Someone did mention she was leaving. And to think I was *this* close to applying to VT! Always go with your gut, I suppose. Premature congrats to any future VT poets who get to work with her! Editing to say I'm glad the announcement came after I submitted my app - at the very least, I don't look like I didn't do my research.

Good to know! A bummer, sure, but better to be well-informed. Would *love* if she got a position at a program with guaranteed full funding, because even if I did get into Boulder, the money will unfortunately be the deciding factor.

I did - a lot of the articles/tips I read about SOPs suggested it, as it gives the adcoms a good sense of who you are as a reader, which of course influences you as a writer. I mentioned Kim Addonizio, Sharon Olds, Hanif Abdurraqib, and I think Rita Dove. Looking back, I wish I'd just included one or two so it didn't seem like I was just giving a laundry list to seem widely read, but no going back! I only name-checked a prof. at one school (Khadijah Queen at CU Boulder) - I figure they can spot a suck-up pretty easily, so if I couldn't honestly say that a professor had a big impact on me or sparked my curiosity, I left it out. (Not a dig on any professors at the programs to which I applied, but rather I've only read their writing that's available for free online and can't speak to their wider body of work). Oh, and I used a Mary Karr quote about memory/reality relating back to my writing interests. Felt a little schmooze-y to use in my Syracuse app, but at that point in the app process I was too exhausted to change it.

With you on this. It’s my first application round and I *know* to more or less expect rejections across the board, but it’s a hard thing to actually internalize. My probable rejection from WUSTL is making me nervous for the more popular / ‘prestigious’ programs, but trying to remind myself that 1) yes, it’s all subjective, 2) it only takes one acceptance and 3) life goes on. All the news on Draft today gave me a minor anxiety attack, but it’s honestly soothing to have a broader community full of people going through the same thing and getting the same rejections. We’re in it together!! Anyway, trying to distract myself and get excited for the future, whatever that may look like. Best of luck to you and everybody else.

Thank you so much, and so sorry for your loss. I appreciate you (and everyone else) sharing pieces with which you have such personal, deep connections. I read Allie Brosh's first illustrated book and remembered how well she conveyed her experience with depression. I'll definitely be checking out the new one.

My sister was 30, too. I'm sorry for your loss, and thank you so much for sharing.

Any recommendations on poems dealing with grief? I just experienced a really difficult, unexpected loss of a family member and am wondering what people have turned to for comfort or what ya’ll think best articulates the feeling. Short stories or essays also welcome, if you feel so inclined.

To anybody that applied to Houston or WashU - did you receive login info for a school-specific application portal? Looking through my emails / submission verifications, all I have for these schools are the applyweb portal links.

I feel you - checked my app portals and realized that my most valuable letter of rec wasn't received at two schools.... It is what it is (unless the admissions offices I just emailed exhibit some major acts of kindness), but I'm definitely kicking myself over it. Congrats on the publication! In the midst of all this, I'm sure it's great to have something to celebrate.

It was indeed about MySlice - I will never be the person to be proactive about those things ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Aaaand the anxiety’s kicked in! Got a Syracuse financial aid email today and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Long few weeks ahead ? Hope everyone takes the time to step away from email/forums/screens and do things that don’t cause inconsolable dread.

Good to know about Ohio State! Makes sense given their app was due a little bit ahead of the other places I applied. Not sure if it's exciting or scary - Ohio is one of my top programs, but because of the earlier app deadline, I didn't get the benefit of time to keep tweaking to SOP and sample as I kept applying. Oh well! Best not to linger on the 'what ifs.' Also appreciate the advice - I'm very fortunate to be working right now, and it's been nice to have *that* to stress about instead of apps.

I'm forcing myself to believe it'll be a longer wait so I don't start compulsively checking applicant portals too soon - best of luck!

Hi all! I've been lurking for a while, but I just submitted my last app (!) and think it's time to actually participate, if only to exorcise some of the anxiety. This is my first grad app cycle, and I've been oscillating from curious excitement and optimism to soul-crushing doom - fun! Applying for poetry at Syracuse, Iowa, Michigan, Vanderbilt, UW-Wisconsin, WashU, Ohio State, CU Boulder, and University of Houston. Feel like the next couple months of waiting on decisions are going to be rough - hope everyone's surviving and keeping themselves distracted