dasiena

I've always felt so intensely frustrated with the idea of "signs." My mother is extremely religious, so everything was a "sign" with her. She'd see a mourning dove, and it was a visitation from our dead loved ones. She'd see a license plate from her favorite US state, Colorado, and it was a sign to move there. Her total at McDonalds is $11.11? A sign from God, according to her. He blessed the McChicken order. 
I never got it. City pigeons are doves, but we don't consider them dead family members. We see license plates from places like Kansas all the time--is that not a sign to move to Kansas? After her blessed McDonalds order, I pointed out a dead opossum on the side of the road. Is that not a sign? Is that not a bad omen?
...But I still notice "signs." Even if I don't like them, I notice them constantly. A mention of a school in a TV show, a random person on the street wearing a branded hoodie... I got a waitlist from Minnesota shortly after having its mascot, a thirteen-lined ground squirrel, visit my porch.
You've given me a lot to think about, Writernity! Maybe this is just a quirk of being human--a way to cope with stress and uncertainty. It might be healthy to indulge in little rituals and superstitions. I'll try to let myself get excited about huskies and cowboys and horses from here on out. 

Great news. I just got a call from Iowa City with an acceptance!

Crying in front of two hundred construction workers and I can’t tell them why because they wouldn’t understand. But you people will. 
Irvine!

OMGGGGGGG! I am crying right now. Claire Watkins from UCI just called me. I'm in for Fiction!  Still shaking. There are 5 in the fiction cohort this year. 

thank you sm for the info @cowboifairy! also, mad at you, because now I want to go to Brown even more than I did before 🤣

I've spoken with several Iowa alumni, and the general consensus I've received is that many people don't go into an MFA having a literary agent — they are found through their previously published work, such as in a literary journal, and an agent who sees potential will reach out to them from there. It often happens to be luck (and a combination of Iowa's reputation for people who attend) that finding an agent happens while a student is still undergoing their MFA. I did hear a story about an Iowa student who received a million-dollar book deal while still in the MFA program there. But that was stressed to me as largely atypical and not really representative of the average MFA experience. 

Yeah happily! I did my undergraduate degree at Brown, so this information might not be fully accurate but is what I noticed from being in some of the same classes/spaces and working with the faculty. I really love this program, and I would love as many people to get the chance to hear more about it as possible!
I think the reason they get that reputation is because their program focuses a lot less on professional skills and more on inviting experimentation that refines craft. For example, one workshop is called "Foreign Home" and forces you to choose two things you have never done before, learn everything you can about them, and then bring them back into your 'home' craft/genre. For someone who has a clear vision of what they want to use an MFA to accomplish, the program might not fit as it tries to keep agents out and doesn't offer the pre-professional courses that can assist those clear goals. Workshops might also get a bit 'lofty' for those who want to stick a bit closer to the text itself.
However, if you're looking to experiment and write without the focus being on the outcome, I think Brown is a great option. And, in cases like Moshfegh or Lerner, I don't think the program looks for people who are 'experimental' as much as it looks for people who are deeply dedicated to their style, no matter what that style is (so even a more literary fiction person can benefit from Brown!). 
All that said, I think they have some of the most supportive faculty and knowledgeable workshop communities around. I hope this rant is helpful, and feel free to ask anything else I can help with!

Having an agent isn't the be all and end all, so I think there'd still be plenty of motivation for someone to pursue an MFA. Most people who write still have to keep other jobs regardless of representation, so having funded time to write and improve is important, as is gaining a degree that could open the door to teaching, which is what a lot of writers end up doing to keep the lights on.
Don't be discouraged, though, it really shouldn't be a factor in your admission. Not only is it rare for someone to apply while already having an agent, but what an agent looks for isn't necessarily what an admissions committee is looking for. Plenty of people get in without having any sort of publication or representation.

I would say this is very rare (and probably even rarer in poetry)! I don't know anyone with an agent even after they've completed their degree lol. You also don't need an agent to get a book published. Maybe at like... the big ones... but you can still find lots of success without one!
People might go for the MFA because it is the terminal degree in our field, meaning that you can teach with it at the college level. (I'm wary of the CW PhD in theory, but that's another story.) I could see that, if someone already has some initial success with their writing, they'd want to go for the degree in order to land teaching gigs later. Maybe they want paid time to write and a community to bounce ideas. Who knows? Same reasons as all of us, probably.

I wouldn't worry about this, because it probably varies and is unintentional. Maybe they printed out applications, made their decisions, and go back to their email and contact their admits in whatever order the apps were in. Maybe they do it from a ranked list. Maybe alphabetical. If you are admitted somewhere, then it doesn't effectively matter if you were contacted first or last, they wanted you in their program regardless.

I completely feel you. Some of us just want all the decisions out at this point so we can rip off the band aids, stop being in a state of limbo and move on with our lives, but unfortunately we're only at the end of February, so we have to hang in there for a month more at least! Sending you lots of luck and patience, let's get through this together!

I contacted Iowa last week about when they would be sending out responses for fiction and they gave me an estimated time frame of end of February to early March. It's completely fine to check in, but they will likely only provide a time frame and nothing more. It also would be good to ask how acceptances are contacted/informed, but don't expect anything super concrete 

Nevermind y'all, I received a letter of acceptance this morning (Woot, woot!) May others receive equally great news today! ✊🥹

I wouldn't assume a soft rejection for Iowa or NWP fiction just yet. Iowa has been calling those admitted, yes; but assuming they're done calling (and we don't know that), they typically email waitlisted applicants in March. Based on last year's stats, there are waitlist movements, even in Iowa. As for NWP, all the news we've heard so far has been re poetry applicants. A poet who applied there can assume a rejection because acceptances and waitlists have gone out. But we've heard nothing for fiction. I expect we'll hear from them this week, though. 
Very well said. Important to keep this in mind because it's easy to lose focus and chase after hollow prizes. Everything is set up to make us complacent, complicit, or otherwise comfortable with the status quo. 
The playwriting program at Brown is a wholly separate program, so I wouldn't assume that the programs in the Literary Arts department (fiction, poetry, etc) would send notices at the same time. What we know is that Brown will notify in March. We have no choice but to be patient. 
As for Iowa and snail mails, I wish they would do away with everything concerning physical mails. It's stressful and distressing. I guess it's part of their whole prestige thing and they're unwilling to let it go. 

I have another q about Iowa ~ if one lives outside of the U.S., will Iowa allow them to (slightly) keep (one little piece of) their dignity and NOT send a rejection via snail mail? I.e. just reject via email/portal? 
If so, that would comfort me greatly. 
(I'd rather not dread going to my mailbox for the month of March lolz.) 
----
Also I want to share a quote by Federico Fellini that feels relevant (!):
"One of the greatest handicaps is to fear a mistake. You have stopped yourself. You have to move freely into the arena, not just to wait for the perfect situation, the perfect moment... If you have to make a mistake, it's better to make a mistake of action than one of inaction."
Applying to MFA programs is taking a risk on yourself and your art. If you don't get into any programs this year, you should still be proud of yourself for stepping into the arena and making a mistake of action. Some people stay on the sidelines and never step in. ❤️ PLUS this is only one risk of hundreds/thousands (millionz?) that we will take as writers. ~ Keep taking risks love u all 
 
 

Someone (I forgot who) on this thread said they emailed Brown about the playwriting track and were told notifications would go out next week. I'm not sure whether to assume this is also true of fiction/poetry but hopefully?
Historically it looks like Brown sends acceptances as early as March 7th and as late as March 18th ~

Congratulations!!!! That's so exciting! 🥳

Someone I know was offered a place last year. Iowa emailed them to arrange a Zoom call. 
 
Also, just received an interview invitation from Notre Dame🥲 

Got into Chicago this morning too.  So excited! Will probably accept. 
 
However, more funding would be appreciated. Does anyone with funding know if they will end up declining the offer? I'm not sure if the money spreads when people decline admission, but maybe?
 
Also - is anyone worried about schools going online next year again? 

In the past, it seems Chicago has released results in both late February and March ? does anyone have any knowledge about this? I know on their website it says mid-March...  but I'm impatient. ? Hoping it could possibly happen tomorrow or next week?
 
I'm also waiting on HDS...