Boomer not Ok

mailed Rutgers-Camden and they said decisions should be out by the end of the week. I don’t know if this means all decisions or just acceptances. Thanks. This is one school I'm waiting on. Not too hopeful because I think they interview prior to accepting. Was not called. I'm not sure if they did that this year, though. Also, I think someone posted a while ago, they were accepted but only with partial funding. So, not sure about the funding either.

I hear you. It’s frustrating. I’m waiting on 9 schools. 2 of them are highly unlikely, so I’m just waiting for the confirm. On another 4, there’s been movement, just none my way, so that leaves me waitlist at best on these. Realistically then, I’m down to waiting on 3, which I’m not sure about. That said, I really thought by now I would know where things stood.

I think it’s perfectly fine to query something like this. It shows you care.

I should have been more clear. This story was part of my app portfolio, which at the time I submitted my apps had been nominated by the lit mag. I get how it can look pesky and possibly backfire to reach out and say, “Hey, btw the piece I submitted now got finalized in some “best of” anthology.” I also get that adcoms don’t really care too much about pub credits and do their own evaluating. Still, I wonder if I’m a waitlist contender somewhere whether this development could help move me up the list...

Late last night a lit mag emailed me that one of my flash stories they had nominated was accepted into “Best Small Fictions” for 2021. Now I’m wondering whether I should let programs I haven’t heard back from know. Is this bad etiquette?

Thanks for this. Def considered low res if my acceptances don't work out or, if they do, I just don't get the right vibe. I am unlikely to get into a fully-funded program, so low res is definitely another alternative and it's great to know the Vermont programs seem responsive. But I am looking for community, a place to go to and see other people face to face and hopefully exchange ideas and grow as writers. I'm just not sure if this dynamic can be achieved in a low res program.

Thanks for this. I suspect you’re right about the acceptances and waitlists. I just find it odd that no one has indicated getting called for interviews and acceptances on Gradcafe but have posted results for Rutgers Newark. (But maybe I’ve missed seeing the posts.) OTOH maybe applicants were asked not to post results. I think some one indicated that Hunter requests this.

Also waiting on BU. Highly unlikely I’ll get in. Also it’s a 1 yr program which I’m ambivalent about. I really think I need more time than that, though for others I can see the attraction of completing the degree in less time. Also applied to Emerson but if that works out not sure now I’d want to relocate. But Boston is a great city...

Waiting on 9 apps. But I figure on 4 of those I’m waitlist at best. Which reminds me: did Rutgers Camden make their decisions on fiction? I’ve seen nothing in the results page about notifications for interviews or decisions. I don’t have access to Draft but maybe it’s been reported there. Anyone knows, that would help. Thanks

Hamlet's mom makes some good points here. But for me the test of "good" writing is how long the writing can sustain my interest and what at the moment I'm looking to get out of it (laughs, escape, frisson, distraction, etc.). Under this test, though, I do find myself enjoying a lot of commercial genre fiction that some discerning folk may look down on. But I do agree with the overall idea that good writing involves a kind of rhetorical manipulation of reader by writer and to some extent those rhetorical skills can be measured and judged.

Gotta say I’m enjoying the writing analysis tutorials here. It reminds me a bit of that hoary chestnut imperative: “show, don’t tell.” But what if your showing sucks and your telling is sublime? Are you done for? Anyway, I’m gonna miss this community. I got a feeling the cliched or insentient metaphorical axe is coming down this week for most of our apps.

I agree prestige is correlated with percentage of acceptance but my point is Columbia is still "competitive" but maybe not prestigious. They seem to reject many more than they accept.

They seem to find 60 or 70 folk to pay their fees and reject several hundred in the process.

While I'm still waiting on 8 other schools, my questions for them depending if I get in, would be: (1) Given I'm older, how many "older" students are there in the program? (2) How accessible is the faculty? (3) Is the teaching ethos collaborative and nurturing or one that favors nurturing competitive instincts instead? 4) What is the morale of the students like? Are they contented, happy, disappointed? (Very hard to find out this one, but any ideas would be welcome.) Specifically, and lastly in my case I also have a question that concerns their thesis requirements. I have written during COVID a novella/novel that could form the basis for the thesis requirement and would want to know if there was someone on the faculty I could work with on it closely and who would be receptive to its particular themes and areas of exploration. This is a pivotal factor for me.

It seems Columbia MFA is very competitive despite the funding. I'm not sure of the "hard" numbers of fiction acceptances, but I think it's around 60-70 a cohort. If anyone knows for sure, please advise. But since, I suspect, many of these 60-70 "acceptances" are already applying to all the other NYC area programs or top-tiers (IWW, Syracuse etc.) , they probably lose more than a few of them to less expensive programs. I can understand ponying up to the cost of Columbia's MFA if you have access to their faculty and can afford it, but if I got in, I would want to know how accessible they really are. Are they there to teach? Are they invested in their students? Or they there for Columbia's PR Department and a paycheck and just want to be left alone to do their own writing when they get some precious time?

You could be right about NYU $ vs. SLC. I think Columbia is the most expensive tuition-wise of all the programs and I don't think they give out much $.

Same here. I will miss this community when things wind down and the tea leaves reveal where we all (or don't) end up.

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.

Looking at past results, NYU seems to keep their waitlist going until late summer... not sure how? I thought everyone has to make their choice by April 15th. I guess NYU expects you'll forfeit your deposit if you've gotten into another place and reserved your spot...but maybe they get some last minute late summer bails and some tuition fees they were counting on evaporate and they need to fill the hole in their balance sheet..? I hear you about going for a program with a smaller class. I guess if you mesh with the cohort, it's great; if not, it could be very alienating I imagine. I applied to most NYC schools but as I have had no news (except SLC) from any of them, I am thinking best case I'm a waitlist at NYU, Hunter and Brooklyn. I don't think Columbia does interviews and not sure when they respond. OTOH, I think the odds of getting into at least 1 NY area program must be ok, considering the total amount of seats available when you add up all NY area programs in relation to the amount of applicants (ASSUMING of course the applicants are all applying to the same places, which is a big but not unreasonable assumption).

Just wondering about folk who applied to NYC area programs how much overlap there is among the applicants? If most of these programs are getting 500 plus apps for fiction, then I figure many or a decent % of these applicants are applying to the same schools. I figure the yield rates at NY, Columbia, New School etc. must be quite a lot higher than their acceptance rates. Even competitive programs like Hunter and Brooklyn must lose accepted applicants to other programs, if they're all chasing the same people. So, I wonder if these programs maintain robust waitlists...? But maybe the applicant pools to these programs are basically discrete, which would seem weird.

Nice to meet you. I can very much relate here. I wince when I look at my first batch of SOPs I sent out to the schools on the Dec 15 deadline. Luckily, I revised it so, for at least half my apps, I felt it was more on the side of meh than just plain awful. SOP was a nightmare for me. I liked about half the pieces I submitted in my portfolio, but wish now I hadn't submitted a longer borderline CNF piece, as I was applying for fiction. But I liked it at the time...

Thanks. Good to know about the faculty. I also found their MFA courses interesting. The school does have a good rep for writing and Bronxville is a nice area, so it's tempting...good luck on your other 8 decisions.

Congrats on all the SL acceptances. Also made it. At the time I applied, I noted the program seems to boast a largish faculty and has bi-weekly meetings with your writing advisor, which seems a decent feature. Other than this, I do not know much about it. Still waiting to hear back from 8 other programs. I wonder what is happening with Rutgers Camden? I have not seen any posted results on Gradcafe or even interview calls, but maybe I missed them, bc I heard they had made calls for interviews...?

Thanks for writing this. I suppose all of us have our different reasons for wanting to pursue an MFA and it's worthwhile to examine what those reasons really are, although I'm sure there's plenty of overlap among us. I've been writing for about 8 years on and off with a bit of success but COVID upended my non-writing career and made me rethink priorities. Now I just want more time to hustle magic out of my soul through writing full time. But I'm not sure whether in reality an MFA would be helpful, even if it forces me to write everyday. I applied to a wide range of programs within commuting distance. I was not especially invested in any one. My thinking was if I get in somewhere, then I would investigate more deeply: try to suss out the vibe and moral of the students and who is actually doing the teaching. OTH, assuming this cycle does not work out (looking probable), I may try a low-residency or maybe take another shot at this next year.

Also a ?ell casualty. 2 down 9 to go.