cecsav

Hello all. 
Just popping in to show my support for you all in the upcoming application season. I was here as a first time applicant last year and am now at ASU pursuing my MFA in poetry. I'm happy to provide any answers if you have questions about the application process, writing sample, ASU, etc. I applied to twelve fully funded programs and was accepted into five of them. 
Let me know if there is any way I can be of assistance! I know it can be a harrowing time.
:)  C

Hello all. 
Just popping in to show my support for you all in the upcoming application season. I was here as a first time applicant last year and am now at ASU pursuing my MFA in poetry. I'm happy to provide any answers if you have questions about the application process, writing sample, ASU, etc. I applied to twelve fully funded programs and was accepted into five of them. 
Let me know if there is any way I can be of assistance! I know it can be a harrowing time.
:)  C

Hello all. 
Just popping in to show my support for you all in the upcoming application season. I was here as a first time applicant last year and am now at ASU pursuing my MFA in poetry. I'm happy to provide any answers if you have questions about the application process, writing sample, ASU, etc. I applied to twelve fully funded programs and was accepted into five of them. 
Let me know if there is any way I can be of assistance! I know it can be a harrowing time.
:)  C

Finally accepted to University of New Mexico! Lol

Arguably the most popular subject on this message board, lol
my suggestion is to figure out what the monthly payment is going to be on your loans, once the loans are due. calculate this number, take a look long, hard look at it, and ask yourself: is it worth it? how long will I have to make these monthly payments? 10 yrs? 30? will I ever pay them off? 
it's the sort of program that could burden you with debt for (literally) the rest of your life if you're not careful, so, be careful I guess. Personally I don't recommend it. there are all sorts of problems with the program in addition to the cost, I've heard (profs allegedly tend to favor the people with the best funding, for example)

I’m curious about this (please don’t read my questions as passive aggressive, I think it’s totally valid to reject an offer): if you weren’t interested enough to go if accepted, why did you apply? Did you not get the aid offer you had hoped for? Did you meet the faculty or students after the fact and realize the program wouldn’t be a good fit? Did your circumstances change? Or was it simply a change of heart?
I applied to a number of programs, but would’ve been happy to accept an offer of admission from any of them. So for my own sake, are there things to watch out for if you are accepted that you wouldn’t have thought to watch out for when you applied?

hey people! i've officially committed to the university of alabama, so if anyone else that's going there wants to connect, hit me up! 

Not a dumb question at all. So US graduate programs in general calculate an amount that is called the total Cost of Attendance (COA) or some variation of that. This is the sum of tuition, fees, estimated housing costs (varies whether you select on or off-campus), food, transportation, med. insurance (if applicable), etc.--basically everything it will take for you to live and go to class there. Then from that they will subtract your EFC (estimated financial contribution, i.e. money out of your pocket) based on your FAFSA results, grants, fellowships, scholarships, etc--we'll call this "Funds." The resulting amount will be the gap between COA (cost of attendance) and your funds, i.e. your "Need." As a US citizen/permanent resident, you are entitled to federal loans with fixed low interest rates in amounts up to this total "Need" estimated by the school. Yearly, up to $20,500 of this "Need" will be covered by the Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan (about 4.3% this year, which is fixed for the life of the loan), then anything beyond that can be covered by the Grad PLUS Loan (about 5.3% this year, again, fixed for the life of the loan). Again, the max amount of that PLUS loan will depend on the remaining "Need" calculated by the university, and you don't even have to borrow the full amount if you think it's unnecessary. This Grad PLUS loan is the only loan that will do a credit check, but I know people who have had pretty bad credit be approved easily.

So all of this aid is packaged to you, and after it's applied to tuition and fees, the remaining amount is refunded to your account in one big check (each semester). That money you can spend however you wish, but obviously you'll want to actually spend it how it was intended--to live. Lol

One of the primary benefits of these federal loans, aside from ease of access and low fixed rate, are the various income-based federal repayment options that allow you to not live life in total abject poverty after graduation by handing over 50% of your paycheck every month. https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans
Pro Tip: I'm not a fan of going into debt at all, BUT for anyone who plans to take out these low-interest federal loans AND has any sort of higher-interest balance on a credit card/car/private loan, consider utilizing the generous COA estimate (really it's almost always more than you need) and borrow enough to also pay down those debts and essentially convert them to lower interest long-term federal loans. It makes general financial sense and your credit rating will improve immediately.

Thank you so much for that bit on Wisconsin! I didn’t know when they notified people. With the pandemic and all, the timelines seem wonkier & subject to change. Hope we both get good news very soon. (and yep! That's the one)
If you’re still up to apply, here are some resources: 
> Rising Scholars Postdoc Fellowship 
https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Rising-Scholars-Postdoctoral-Fellows_R0022634
(I can’t apply because I earned my degree in 2018, but if you finished your MFA any time between 2019 and now, you should apply! Deadline is April 12th though)
> Great blog with post-mfa fellowship info! 
https://post-mfa.tumblr.com/fellowships
(I just found this today. Has a lot of fellowships with deadlines that go beyond May, so you'll have plenty time to prepare.)
I’m sad that a lot of these places have specifications on when you received your degree. I should’ve applied last year, but granted, I'm just happy I survived 2020 lol. 

Hey yall -- Finally got admitted to Facebook MFA Draft '21 group. Whew! There's SO much info there it's overwhelming tbh.
Yet another day of no communication from UNM......... Trying to stay grounded by reminding myself how fortunate I am / have been during this global pandemic & hope it stays that way. Gratitude & meditation, am i rite? One day at a time......

Guess who was the trolllll...
Seriously, just don't reply to antagonistic accounts made in the last 24 hours.

I thought I was the oldest (or second oldest maybe?) on here. 
I'm looking at apartments now to move down in July. Both of my kids will start college here in MO, so that makes it hard, but ASU offered me moving expenses to get moved out there, so that part's amazing

I'm turning UMKC down (with full funding and a stipend), so maybe they'll come through for you! 

Hi again yall - Still waiting approval for MFA Draft '21. Anyone w/ access to Draft hear any news from U New Mexico? I applied for CNF.
I think, for my own sanity, if I don't hear back from them by this Friday 4/9, I'm going to sign my one acceptance letter & mail it off.
This admission process is really trying to teach me patience lol

Hahaha. Skip the BBQ. Go to Southwest Blvd and eat Mexican food!

The loan is a lot less strict than grants and scholarships. You can use it on just about anything you want. They only really care that it gets paid back. Also, as a grad student, you shouldn't have to purchase a meal plan. It's probably cheaper (and healthier, and tastier) to prepare your own food at home. 

Just think of it as a performance art piece.
Also, if you don't quote or reply but just report, I can delete the posts without messing up the thread for future readers.

Nope. No communication from UNM. 

No word from them yet, this was New Orleans. 

I didn't mean it that way. it is all about the writing sample. that I know. I didn't hear anyone say they disqualified anyone for low grades. What I meant was that nobody should be discouraged or made to feel bad about getting anywhere. writing and reading are very subjective things. that's all. I know Columbia has high tuition and it has low selectivity and all of that stuff and maybe my sample was a bit better than all those who got rejected.... I get all of that.
What I don't get is the bias against it in terms of trashing everything. I might not go there because of several reasons but I would never say stuff to make others feel. We all know deep down in our hearts we aren't special. I have read Cady's posts. I never said I am tempted to believe I am that 1 percent. of course not. I realised my sample wasn't good very early on. 
I just find it very unfair when people talk about respect and temptation and all of those things to those who got in there. Maybe they are just sharing a bit of news that they got in somewhere. Someone asks a question here about asking a professor at some place about things and they don't get to hear they are not that one percent. All I asked was if I can ask a question when the professor calls. That's all. 
Also, I don't know why the professor made the sales call and why Columbia wanted to charge me, etc. I don't know why the fact that maybe someone got somewhere and everyone seems to be telling them they are just not good enough and so on and so forth. I am not special. And Columbia is not hard to get into. But those two are not the only truths here. 

Wanted to thank everyone for going through this together for the past months, it felt like forever! I'll be attending Brooklyn College in the fall. To those who are going to apply again next year, hats off to you -- you are some strong minds! To share another anecdote - I learned today that a writer was rejected by every school she applied but Iowa (not this year, a while ago). Just want to remind everyone again how subjective this application process can be. After all, what is good writing anyway? I will be on my way to figure that out, hope everyone here will, too, inside or outside the university system. Good luck to all of us!!! 

Hi all - New here! First season applying to MFA programs. Decided in late Nov that I wanted to apply to MFA programs, so chose from schools that had 1/15 deadlines, not on the "US Northeast" & low-cost of living.
Applied to 5 MFA schools for CNF - U of Wyoming (R), LSU (R), U of Tennessee (WL), West Virginia U (A), and U of New Mexico (P). I'm happy about WVU but haven't read much about them here/elsewhere. UTK seems like a strong program, but 2yrs makes me nervous. If anyone has thoughts about WVU or UTK, I'd welcome them.
I emailed UNM earlier this week & got a standard response back saying they're making offers by the end of this month & into the next, but the process often takes until the 4/15 date & to look out for an email from their Associate Chair. Since UNM is my dream school, I'm hoping this means I haven't been rejected yet.... 
Does anyone know when UNM's MFA program usually makes their decision? Have checked the Results forum but it doesn't seem like there's enough data.... Also not on social media, but if anyone sees anything on FB Draft, can someone kindly let me know? Thank you so much!

I'll be at ASU

I'll be at ASU

I'll be at ASU