mess_mess

People -
1. don’t feed the troll. 
2. Where ? is ? IOWA.

Thank you to everyone who showed their work; I'm always curious about what other MFA applicants' writing looks like, and I loved looking at it all.
I'm still waiting on some journal submissions. I submitted a few poems three or four months before applying to MFA programs in hopes that an acceptance from a journal would help my chances, but the few I applied to turned me down. I've now been so caught up in MFA apps that I've sort of forgotten about submitting to journals altogether. 

I just got the call from Julie Agoos!! I’m in at Brooklyn for poetry!! 
 
I have not heard a single thing from any of the schools I applied to until today.  So to say I’m shocked & thankful is an understatement.   

Hey everyone! I found this forum back in 2019 for that application cycle and have checked in on and off. I applied to 7 schools for the 2019-2020 app season, got rejected by 6 and waitlisted at 1, UNC Wilmington. I ended up getting in to UNCW but sadly having to defer because of the pandemic among other things. I then decided to apply to 4 schools this app cycle that are closer in location to me, and have so far gotten into New England College and UMass Boston. I was wondering if anyone here has an opinion on UMass Boston or knows anything about it that I might not? I don’t think I’ll be going to NEC just because I’m realizing the low residency model isn’t for me, though Chen Chen is a professor there and a great poet. I’m also pretty sure I’ll be emailing UNCW soon and telling them I can’t attend altogether, as much as the location and program appeal to me, they didn’t give me funding and it would be a huge move. I like UMB’s MFA program so far based on my research and what they’ve told me about it, but anyone’s thoughts would be welcome  

Just woke up to an update on my Notre Dame portal. I was wait listed! So, so happy. I doubt I'll get off the wait list, but I'm a bit relieved since almost every other place has rejected me. In case I don't get in, I'll likely be applying again in a year or two!

Come join me hehehe

I'm right there with ya. I'm not super happy with what I'm doing career wise... I want to run away elsewhere and be a writer. That is all. Even if we don't get in anywhere, I hope our situations still change for the better. Or if we end up in the same program, we can smoke together :') ❤️

Babes, I was just waitlisted at Michener for fiction!! ❤️❤️❤️

Honestly, I feel like this is a question on a lot of people’s minds right now. Especially mine. I don’t know what the future of funding at schools is gonna be like, or if the schools are going to have more incoming class size cuts. I really really hope New Hampshire can come through with the TA-ship.

I’m in the same boat, waiting to hear about the other NYC schools with an acceptance from SLC. If anyone thinks of really good questions, please share because I want us all to be prepared to get the info to help us choose the right program. I do love a lot of SLC’s aspects, though. Especially teaching opportunities in so many different areas. I’d have to move from Brooklyn further up, though. 

This is actually an enormous help, thank you for all this information! The student to teacher ratio and mentoring were one of the enormous pluses during my research and I live in Bk but was trying to decide if I should just move uptown or near the school. Uptown wins! If I don’t get an offer with more funding, I feel good about SLC. Thanks!

Poets and Writers used to do a comprehensive ranking, but they haven't done it since 2012 because they realized there's no good method to objectively rank schools.

Where are these ranking numbers coming from anyway? No one has developed a generally accepted ranking system for MFA programs as far as I know. Columbia is expensive, it's an ivy, people go there, not me though, who cares, this is boring.

I see a lot of Sarah Lawrence acceptances on this thread... Congratulations to all of you! Because that's the case, I'm going to out myself and tell you I did the entirety of undergrad at SLC from 2008-2012. I love good ol' Sadie Lou (as us alums call it).
One of the reasons it's known for being a writing institution is because all students must do a ton of writing, even if the literary arts isn't a focus. There are numerous creative scholarly publications, and there's also a well-known, well-attended poetry festival every spring. I will say that undergraduate and graduate students don't interact very much. Most of the graduate classes are in Wrexham, which is a cool Tudor-style building on the edge of campus. The creative writing grads that I did meet as an undergrad were brilliant, diverse, and seemed happy; money didn't even come in conversations even though we were in school during the Great Recession. Yes, SLC is an expensive school, but they are very self-conscious about it and like to help every student the best they can. One of the reasons SLC is so costly is because it runs on the Oxford tutorial system with a low student-to-teacher ratio. This sets it apart from other liberal arts institutions. 
A little about Bronxville... it's a quiet, upper-class Westchester town with not much to do. If I were you, don't live there. Live in the city! If you want to get technical about it, SLC is in Yonkers. You can take a 50min local train ride or a 35min express train from Grand Central in Manhattan (or an even shorter one from 125th St in East Harlem) to either the Fleetwood or Bronxville stations. I can't emphasize enough how easy it is to get to and from the city, and most professors commute via the Metro-North. 
Overall, suppose you like your offer and are leaning towards Sarah Lawrence. In that case, you won't be disappointed with their prestigious faculty, proximity to New York City, appreciation for the literary arts, and reputation.
Hope this helps. 

Totally, it is. I just thought it was a funny comment to suggest that there aren't people who will pay out the ass for their kids to get an Ivy League on the resume.

You underestimate the rich and connected.

Idk why but this feels like a “once more unto the breach dear friends” kind of day. Sending good vibes to all I hope we all get good news today!!!!!

NYU gives half-tuition remission upon admission so I think it might end up being less expensive than SLC. I was also accepted to SLC(fiction) but the $ math might not work... please keep us posted on SLC, if you will, should you find out some interesting answers! 
I think Columbia is possibly next week? And New School probably will notify, too, judging from the previous results. It is almost the end... 

SLC has a massive "proximity" value for me, so it was always quite high on my list. It's very commutable, so I could live at home. The other NYC schools are also commutable but would take me more time. I am preparing a list of questions for SLC, so I'm considering it quite seriously. But I'm still waiting to hear back from 8 schools and really thought by this time I would know better where things stood. 

U of Florida, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, Notre Dame, U of Maryland, Columbia, Emerson College, and Boston U. All for fiction. Looks like Florida sent out its acceptances and the two CUNY schools have their interviews going, so I'm not too confident about those.
On a more positive note, a lit magazine accepted one of my stories today.

is it just me or does waiting for apps just make you hate your day job even more its like can't wait for that ACCEPTANCE to come thru and LEAVE (sorry in my feelings right now)

ahaha thank you ! i got a fellowship toooo so i guess i'm special double shot !! 

I've lurked for a long time and had to finally say how much of a relief it's been to read everyone else's struggle going through the application process and now the decisions. It's so wonderful seeing how supportive everyone is of each other and their successes and even the mutual middle fingers when there are rejections. You're all delightful and I'm so glad to not feel completely alone in this hair pulling, nauseating thing we've all done. 
I have an acceptance from SLC with a small scholarship, but am still waiting on Brown, Iowa, Columbia and NYU. I ate an entire large bag of candy today as my lunch with one shoe on because I'm definitely not stressing over the waiting whatsoever. nope, super chill over here. Probably not even gonna buy another bag of candy from the dollar store. Anyone know a good dentist?

I got an acceptance via email this afternoon! No further info about financial support or aid yet. I think they do a semi-rolling thing that staggers aid and places, but I'm not sure of the specifics.

I got an acceptance via email this afternoon! No further info about financial support or aid yet. I think they do a semi-rolling thing that staggers aid and places, but I'm not sure of the specifics.