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cecsav

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  1. Upvote
    cecsav got a reaction from cosmictones in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    That would be me. I'll be declining their offer though, as I'm pretty in love with ASU.  
  2. Like
    cecsav got a reaction from helterskelter in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Reputation matters less than opportunities and quality of life. Consider funding, cost of living,, climate, faculty, and extra-curricular programs. Personally, UNO would be the only option for me, because I am determined that I will not live through another winter. You probably have different priorities. 
  3. Like
    cecsav reacted to corgeel14 in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I just meant in the context of doing something you know is safer. I'm sure a lot of us on this forum can agree that there are other careers paths that you don't hear nearly as much people warning you that you'll go hungry in. I obviously respect that kind of professional work or I wouldn't be considering it at all. That's to say, for me I fear I could be doing it out of self-doubt and fear of the future, and that seems weak. Not that anyone who wants to do that kind of work is weak for wanting that.
  4. Like
    cecsav got a reaction from NLake in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I think @corgeel14was saying that not following their dream feels weak. I don't think they were disparaging anyone else's dreams. 
  5. Upvote
    cecsav got a reaction from Greel in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I think @corgeel14was saying that not following their dream feels weak. I don't think they were disparaging anyone else's dreams. 
  6. Like
    cecsav got a reaction from Cristie in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I think @corgeel14was saying that not following their dream feels weak. I don't think they were disparaging anyone else's dreams. 
  7. Like
    cecsav got a reaction from corgeel14 in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I think @corgeel14was saying that not following their dream feels weak. I don't think they were disparaging anyone else's dreams. 
  8. Like
    cecsav reacted to Cristie in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Anyone else doing the zoom meeting tomorrow for UMKC?
  9. Like
    cecsav reacted to koechophe in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I know this isn't helpful, but it really, really depends.
    So first off, it depends on how big the waitlist is. Then it also depends on how many people they actually accept. Then it depends on how "elite" the school is (if they have an attractive offer, people are less likely to pick a different offer).
    So there's a lot of variables. But usually you'll know sometime before april 14th if you're in or not. 
  10. Like
    cecsav reacted to lenagator1997 in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Hey Everyone!
    I just wanted to say I will be attending University of New Hampshire's MFA Creative Writing program in the fall! If any of you are as well I would love to say hi!
  11. Like
    cecsav reacted to M-Lin in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Thank you so much for taking the time to post this advice here! I feel like this should be published somewhere so someone can read this when they google "advice for MFA application". 
    Fortunately I don't think I'll need to apply for a second round, but I'm wondering why you decided to pursue a PhD beyond your MFA. I guess I'm already thinking ahead... do you mind elaborating on that a little bit? Thanks! 
  12. Upvote
    cecsav reacted to dogeared in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Hi friends! LONG POST INCOMING. I hope it is helpful.
    Some weeks back I mentioned that my institution has one final-year student in each genre join the admissions committee and review incoming apps. I got to review incoming fiction applications. I'm very grateful for the behind-the-scenes view I got of the admissions process. This week we finally had our meeting to finalize our list of offers (it was a 3-hour meeting). I wanted to offer some advice and share some observations for anyone applying again next cycle. 
    As a note, of course no advice will be universal. Every department and every writer is different. There is no surefire way to guarantee admission to a program. These are just things I've realized as an MFA student/adcom member and wished I knew before applying. 
    Your writing sample is the most important thing. I think people have been told this already, but I want to emphasis this point. Your CV is not as important. Of course, it might not hurt to have a flourishing CV, but having more publications and experience in literature/writing won't mean much if your writing sample doesn't stand out from the bunch. The CV was the last thing we looked at in applications.  
    Perfect and polished work isn't always the best. It sounds a bit weird -- I know. Of course, you should send what you are confident in. But ultimately, you are meant to grow stronger as a writer in an MFA program. If your writing sample doesn't show that you would benefit from graduate school, then some profs in admissions question what they would even be able to teach you. Think about whether you would benefit from workshop and formal education. The most excited manuscripts to read (which we all agreed on unanimously) were the ones that did something interesting and were kind of rough around the edges. This might not be the case for institutions that value something different than ours, but it is important to us that writers can really grow and get something out of our program. We weren't as excited about people who sent by-the-books "perfect" stories. The writing was great, but it was hard to picture these applicants in a workshop. This is difficult because we always want to submit the best work possible to programs. But to the admissions committees, this sample is all they can use to determine if you would benefit from graduate school. This is something I didn't think about until I was behind the scenes. I noticed myself much less interested in pieces that were perfect. Everyone on the committee was excited about the possibilities for growth they saw in a manuscript and for the successful risk takers that tried something interesting that surprised them. (Again, though, every program and committee will be different)  
    The mindset behind reviewing MFA apps is very different from the mindset behind reviewing litmag submissions. Luckily, I have years of experience reading for litmags. In that scenario, you want to find the polished, well-written, balanced stories that don't need as much work. The ones that are ready for publication. The mindset is different when reviewing writing samples for MFA apps. We generally were interested in innovative forms/perspectives/styles that would greatly benefit from years of workshop and formal education.   
    You do not need an MFA from a highly-ranked program. You do not need the shortest program possible. Look at funding and program fit before anything else!  Really think about why you want an MFA. Hopefully you want it because you want to become a stronger writer and work with a community of other writers. Maybe there is a faculty member at the institution you're applying to that you really admire and want to work with. Maybe you want it to pursue a teaching career in creative writing. These are all great reasons to me. But if you just want the MFA to have the MFA, chances are you will make the wrong choices when it comes to which programs to apply to. You might get accepted to these places and not feel fulfilled. When I was first applying to MFAs in 2017, I was really interested in the big-name schools that would make me feel accomplished and important on paper. And I was really interested in the shortest programs possible. I think big-name schools are still worth applying to, of course, if you genuinely believe you could thrive and grow in that school's environment then I definitely think you should apply. And I always encourage "aiming high" because why not? But make sure the faculty and culture of that place fit with your goals. And I genuinely can say that most people I know who have MFAs agree on longer, fully-funded programs being the better choice over 1-year ones. After all, you are there to learn and work on a manuscript. If you can get paid for years to really dig into your work, I would take that. 1-year programs might be stressful and overbearing, and you might finish feeling like you were able to grow or absorb any actual information. Having the time and space to experiment and question everything is really valuable. But everyone is different! Maybe you thrive under pressure or you have other commitments and life situations that make shorter programs more ideal. That totally makes sense. No matter what though, please please please look for FUNDING. If you only aim for the most popular programs, your chances for funding are lower. There is a larger applicant pool. That is a fact. Try adding some lesser-known schools with great faculties. They often have a bunch of funding for you and a smaller applicant pool. After all, if your reasoning for getting an MFA is to learn and grow as a writer, then the name of the school shouldn't be what is most important to you. I stand by this fully. And again, I still think its great to try for more famous programs...don't say no for them. AGAIN: This advice may vary by writer, by program, by admissions committee. Nothing is black-and-white. I just found these things to be really important to consider. 
    This is a lot of writing lol. I'm sorry for the wall of text. I'm happy to DM anyone who wants to talk more. I am graduating with my MFA (fiction) in May, and I've been accepted into a PhD program for English Lit and Creative Writing for the Fall. I am happy to answer any questions! Good luck!
  13. Like
    cecsav reacted to shakyboots in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Jeez how many of us did they put on the waitlist?? lol.
  14. Like
    cecsav reacted to amyiable in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    just got waitlisted at NYU as well, but I don’t think I’m going to stay on it. I’m ready for the stress of ~waiting~ to be over. ☹️
  15. Like
    cecsav got a reaction from Cristie in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Pee-wee Herman comes to mind
  16. Like
    cecsav reacted to FairleyAlfy in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Have you heard from U Florida? I’ve heard nothing, and I’m tempted to email them...
  17. Like
    cecsav reacted to koechophe in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I broke down and sent out some follow-up emails a few days ago, and it was actually a good experience (Whoever recommended against doing so seems pretty wrong imho). 
    University of Southern California confirmed I wasn't getting in, they said my decision letter never went out due to a clerical error. The director also said, "If you don't accept another offer, we would welcome your application again next year," which I'm taking as a good thing, even though she definitely could've been just saying that.
    Oklahoma State University got back to me and said they should be sending out decision letters "in the next few days." That gives me some level of hope that I'll hear from them soon (also that it's not necessarily a "no")
    Tl:DR: it's totally appropriate to follow-up mid march.
  18. Like
    cecsav reacted to jka0124 in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    At this point, just ignore the troll, jamesstrickington. 
  19. Like
    cecsav reacted to goodcynara in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    @Ydrl: You might enjoy this engaging podcast of Victoria Chang interviewing in-house literary publicist for Copper Canyon Press, Laura Buccieri, who continues to work as a poet and sounds like the loveliest person:
    Host Victoria Chang and guest Laura Buccieri, Director of Publicity at Copper Canyon Press, discuss the life of a literary publicist: strategies for gaining reviews, managing author expectations, discovering the story of a book, the longevity of poetry, and Laura’s commitment that every book gets heard. Part 1 of 2.
    https://antiochlitcit.libsyn.com/antioch-litcit-3-laura-buccieri
  20. Like
    cecsav reacted to Ydrl in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Y'know, I felt this way last year. I understand your frustration, this process sucks, adcoms suck, waiting sucks, applying sucks, rejections, waitlists, unfunded acceptances suck. Basically everything sucks until you try enough times to get in.
    Let me ask you this: Would you want this entire process to take an entire year / a year and half rather than a couple months? Because realistically, if every adcom read every manuscript to completion, it could take that long for every schools to be out instead of by April 15th. Purgatory season would be way, way longer, and we're already maxed out on stress. My anxiety is bad enough already.
    Look me in my chihuahua eyeballs and tell me that everyone should wait for over a year for answers.
    If you want this, go a second round. The idea of getting all worked up like this and not committing to trying again is making me queasy.
  21. Like
    cecsav reacted to Cristie in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Do you ever just wonder if your name is on a white board in a room somewhere and someone is holding the dry erase marker as the roundtable discusses your fate? Like the cap is off while the debate is going on and someone stands there waiting to draw that red line. Or is it yes and no stacks in massive piles on that table? HOW does it happen--this process about my future?
    If they had a live stream...I'd be Netflixing that shit 24/7. 
    Do you guys have these kinds of thoughts too or am I just losing it staring at my email/phone and waiting?
  22. Like
    cecsav reacted to orangeslice in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    I GOT INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON. Literally speechless. No word on funding yet but hopefully soon. Came after 11 straight rejections. There is hope, people!!
    1a/0w/11r/4p
  23. Like
    cecsav reacted to hot_toddy in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Still no word on acceptances from UF or BU? Those and IWW are looking like my last hope I just want to be put out of my misery at this point haha
  24. Like
    cecsav reacted to lunch in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Will a video of the panel be posted online for those unable to attend?
     
  25. Like
    cecsav reacted to forthetruththeyburnyou in 2021 Applicants Forum   
    Hi, all. Just one more, day-of reminder that The Workshop is hosting a free panel for MFA applicants and you can still register over at readtheworkshop.com/events/
     
    And I'll be generally around if anyone has questions about CU Boulder--just @ me. Last year I started up an Ask An MFA Alum thread on here, so if you'd like a tiny bit of intel, there's already some out there. Feel free to add more questions over there or over here, and I'll get to them ASAP. 
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