Downtozero

Most likely yes - pretty typical admissions tactic. At the school I worked at for example, we'd run a query to pull names of anyone who got rejected from one of our more exclusive tech programs and invite them to reuse their application to be considered for a more general degree. I got a similar referral from one of the MFAs that rejected me this year.

One thing that did come from the Iowa lawsuit discussed upthread is that we learned some demographic info about their app pool: "The data provided to Thomson shows that, between 2013 and 2017, of the 5,061 fiction program applicants received by the workshop, only 135 were accepted. Three of the 287 applicants older than 41 were accepted. The workshop annually receives between 800 and 1,000 fiction applicants for the roughly 25 slots available, according to an email sent to Thomson by Steven Wehling, compliance coordinator for the UI Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity. The median age for all applicants was 36, and the median age for accepted applicants was 34½." That's just Iowa of course, but I'd bet it's a pretty close representation of the overall MFA landscape.

Rutgers Newark has really bad communication. An alum on Draft said this is an ongoing issue even once you're enrolled. Think it's because it's a state school that struggles with funding to have proper admin support. That's definitely a red flag to me, even if the program/faculty themselves aren't to blame.

Yeah, not sure if any were cross posted on the results page. Think basically anyone who was interviewed got one or the other.

Yeah they've already done acceptances and waitlists.

On their webpage, UTK says that getting in to phase 2 means you "rank among admitted and waitlisted students". I take this to mean that phase 2 is a waitlist and I sort of suspect the only people who got rejected past that point may have had transcript issues (UTK has strict English credit requirements). I only saw a few people on Draft drop off after phase 2. Has anyone tried contacting them to ask about rank? Might be worth reiterating your interest, if you really want to go to UTK. I bet a lot of waitlisted students applied because round 1 was free, and once they got through they figured they may as well pay the $60 to see if they could hit a home run. Probably will have a decent amount of movement if any of their admitted students decline.

I think this is wishful thinking. I do know waitlists are coming via mail tho.

I don't think your post seemed like an attack. Troll must be making us cagey.

Is this the poet that posts in Draft? I thought they went for an MA first, not an MFA. That's different and is an ok option I think for people who aren't ready for an MFA (though personally the idea of spending that long in grad school is mind-boggling to me...practically a decade if you go for your PhD as well...) If you're talking about someone else, disregard!

I think I've seen a few people in draft that have left one program for another, but its rare and I think you may have to just start over at the new school. Most likely it would hurt your chances and narrow your options significantly.

Where are you waitlisted? People def get accepted off waitlists every year. Sorry to say, though, that your lack of a Michener rejection is probably just an admin issue.

Yup, saw that waitlist and am now feeling pretty confident acceptances must be finished. ?

Iowa is so mysterious, with each day that passes I'm like, okay surely they must be done calling accepted students....but so few acceptances have been posted?? Patiently waiting for my letter at this point.

It was my understanding that the Brown poetry acceptance was widely considered to be a troll? The one on Draft isn't a troll.

You were clear, maybe I wasn't. I didnt think you were trying to submit a new story, but you would still be asking them to consider new information. My opinion, one mostly bewildered applicant to another, is that it wouldn't help and could possibly harm you. Btw - if I were to do this process again, I would absolutely make a website for my writing and link to it on my CV. Because ad coms absolutely do Google top contenders/visit their websites, and that's a convenient way to get them to possibly consider new info without actually asking them to consider new info, if you catch my drift -- you could just add the news to your website and hope they see it.

Ya, to me also it's not really much different than being like, "hey I know its March but I just wrote this new story and I like it much more than the one I sent you, plz look". Like, they have a deadline for all application materials, if they started taking new info into account in March they'd have to extend that same courtesy to every applicant and then the admissions process would just go on forever. And like you said, I don't think pubs matter all that much to adcoms anyway.

I took his post to mean that this particular school hadn't notified anyone yet. But yeah sounds like UW probably. Crossing fingers for our Brown miracles to come thru!

Yeah, it's not likely to help you now. But congratulations! I know we all want to believe Brown hasn't notified acceptances yet, but it's a small program and there's a poetry acceptance on Draft, a fiction acceptance on the results page, and a bit of creeping I did on Twitter turned up one more acceptance that I *think* is a fiction writer. Think we're waiting on waitlists/rejections tho I'd be happy to be wrong.

There has been a little bit of Rutgers Camden activity, which I think included one fiction acceptance. I applied too, haven't heard anything, and suspect they may be done contacting acceptances/waitlists. Their funding situation was tenuous and people were getting partially funded offers from them. Though, one thing about these small cohort schools with not-great funding is that all the accepted students may decline, so they may end up contacting other applicants late in the game. All conjecture, but have heard of this happening before.

I'm at least relieved to hear Michener rejecs (and waitlists?) are on the way. Been on the edge about this one.

I've been feeling progressively more this way since December, when I started submitting apps. Now that I've been accepted to a program I'm relishing the thought of resigning soon. I hope your acceptance comes thru so you can enjoy the same feeling!

Yeah, don't do this. The answers people have been getting from program admin haven't been reliable anyway, probably because they can't predict exact dates and are overwhelmed with more pressing issues. If it was coming up on the end of March or something maybe, but for now you should just sit tight.

There have definitely been several on Draft, but no reason to believe they're done yet I don't think. Yeah, not necessarily partially funded vs fully funded but one school has a lower stipend and heavier teaching load, for example. I guess I'm also just paranoid after seeing the news about Ohio State rescinding funding offers. Seems like a good idea to keep options open, especially so early in the season. So I guess I'm answering my own question lol.

Agreed, although I'll go so far as to say that we all have a responsibility to ourselves and loved ones to keep our options open. While we're on this subject, I have a related question about MFA interviews. I received 2 interview invites this week for schools where I feel unlikely to accept because I have a better-funded offer on the table. My impulse is to take the interview anyway because you just never know, and if anything it's just good practice for other academic or work opportunities in the future. What would you all do? Am I being unethical and wasting everyone's time?

I've only seen one acceptance in each genre, but wonder if it's another case of admits not being on the forums. I haven't heard anything from them and also just realized my application still says I haven't submitted my transcripts, even though they were electronically retrieved by the grad school two weeks ago ?