jka0124

Imposter Syndrome is ironically common. You’d think it’d cancel itself out. After all, how can everyone feel like an imposter? Surely some of us can’t be faking it! I was watching a YouTube video where someone said, “Don’t tell yourself no. Let other people tell you no.” Their point was to not reject yourself in order to minimize the pain of others rejecting you. That goes hand in hand with a second thing: very often a rejection is not a “no,” it’s a “not yet.” This is true for jobs, promotions, projects, grants, etc. In the case of the CW MFA, remember that many people apply several times to get into a good program. It sounds cheesy, but I do suggest practicing positive affirmations. Nip those negative imposter syndrome thoughts in the bud and eventually you’ll train your brain to let some of those thoughts pass over you without taking them seriously.

Welcome! Good luck with your apps. Curious though: by USF, do you mean Florida or San Francisco?

Columbia costs around $72k a year. That's just tuition and fees. This is what most people pay. The best packages are around $30k for the first year with tuition remission the second year IF you get one of the extremely competitive teaching spots. Certain positions (like presiding over Our Word) also give some funding. But even with the best offer you still end up spending tens of thousands of dollars. And, again, we're talking about a package 3-4 out of 100 people in the incoming class get. NYU is slightly better. Everyone who gets in gets half tuition remission so the whole degree is around $30k. Some people get 100% tuition remission, health insurance, and an actual stipend for tuition, food, and whatever else you may need.