koechophe

I definitely feel this. Still have 5 schools I haven't heard from, but since I don't actually have a "yes" yet, it's pretty awful. I'm choosing to not give up hope yet; I find it easier to deal with rejection if I am honest with myself and say that I still want and hope for an acceptance.

Finally got a No from FSU. Man, that took ages.

Yeah, I used to go with the whole "It's cheaper than therapy" line, but, well, I'm pursuing an MFA, so... ?

My Mom still gets letters for my step-mom who married my Dad 12 years ago after their divorce, so, you know... Somehow, weird stuff happens.

Sorry to hear that. Glad FSU is finally talking to people, at least. They've been very quiet for quite a while now.

I'm still waiting on 6 programs. I'm assuming on on SOME waitlists, since I've seen other people post rejections, but I totally feel this. Idk, I like to hold out just a bit of optimism. In my world view, there's no harm in waiting until I hear a "no" to actually give up on places (unless it messes with you psychologically, but I've been through a lot of rejection so it's not as big of a deal to me). Here's chronicle: USC: No idea what's happening here, most other people posted acceptances/rejections early February, I sent them an email about a week ago and they said I'd get my results by email when they're available, so I'm guessing maybe a waitlist? University of Utah: NO idea what's happening here, a few people posted waitlists in poetry, but it's been total crickets in fiction. Florida State University: Most acceptances happened early February, assuming I'm probably waitlisted here too since I've seen some rejections pop up over the last few days. But I also saw someone else get a call for their waitlist (but they were PHD not MFA) so maybe not. Or maybe they're just rolling out rejections and it's yet to come, idk. Oklahoma: A bit of movement in early February, but crickets since. Some posted rejections way back then, so I'm guessing I'm on a waitlist here too, though how long is anyone's guess. Las Vegas: There's not been a lot posted here, but since someone has posted a wait list and an acceptance, I'm guessing I'm lingering at the bottom of the pool Washington State University: No idea here. This one is a Rhet/Comp program and I've seen like 1 person post an acceptance to it, nothing else.

Just got a no from Houston They sent out a pretty nice rejection letter before the automated one from the school, which was a pretty good move IMHO. Either way, if you're waiting on Houston, they'll probably have a decision for you soon.

Heya, I'm also applying to Houston, Florida State, and Oklahoma State, and it's been crickets for me. Also on my list is WSU, UNLV, USC, U of U, all with absolutely no responses. I'll let you know if I hear anything, but I'm assuming I'm on SOME form of waitlist for most of them (if not in the "we've rejected you but haven't told you yet" pool).

My Chromebook changed its major and decided it wanted to be a Linux major instead. We were a little disappointed with its life decisions, but it really seems to be blossoming on Arch now.

And we're perpetually running behind schedule lol

Really good for you. That's a great attitude to have. This admission cycle is super weird (thanks Covid!) and the job market is equally dismal, but it can all work out in the end.

I'm not a vet, but I'll speak to miracles. From watching trends on here and from having friends in the same boat, sometimes people are on wait lists and get in as late as April. When you've heard nothing, you could be at the top of a waitlist or the bottom of one, you just have no way of knowing. And you also have no way of knowing if your school has even sent out all their acceptances yet (unless you email them or they send some info out which states that, of course). I know it's hard. Trust me, I know. And you should definitely steel yourself for the possibility that it won't work out this year. This has been an awful cycle for applicants. But really, until you have an actual "NO" in your inbox/portal, you cannot know for certain that you're not in. It's not over until it's over. Keep your chin up, and see what happens. It's easier to feel closure when you get that actual "no", so don't feel like you need to have some sort of closure before then, alright? As far as this being your first cycle, think of it this way. The average age for an author to publish their debut novel is 35. Most authors try (and fail) to publish at least 3 different books before they manage to publish a debut. Even for accepted authors, only around 3% of literary agents will actually say yes to the book. In short, writing is a field of constant rejection. My advice? It's never too late. Keep trying. All the rejection in the world can't tarnish the shine of that beautiful acceptance that you will no doubt receive if you continue working on it. I hope some of that is helpful! I'm in a similar boat to you, this is my first cycle, so take my words with as many grains of salt as you'd like. But as someone who has been rejected so, so many times in my professional endeavors, I speak from experience.

Well anyway, here's hoping for next week guys. Stay strong! ... or if you're not strong, stay sane! ... or if that's too much to ask, at least don't make any horrible life decisions while you wait ?

Same here, I think most everyone would. I'm getting married in August, and so a lot of this is that we've had discussions between the two of us on where we want to live (and where will offer her the best job opportunities). We also are discussing finances, if we can end up close to one of our families, etc. I really doubt that there's many people who don't have other factors that play into their decision. (Here's hoping I actually will have to make a decision between different acceptances ? )

Oh, I agree with this too. But the I don't believe there is a universal metric that can be applied to all writing; each piece of writing must be judged individually in its rhetorical situation for value. Most of my conversations with Gertrude are pushing back against the concept that one can just take writing out of context and call things in that writing "wrong." The only way to tell if writing is wrong is within its rhetorical situation. I'm waiting on 7 too. It's been interesting lol. Honestly, if I just get one acceptance, I'll feel a lot better about life.

Here's legitimately hoping ? Glad you're enjoying the conversation, I always love a good discussion on criticism. The idea that there is no objective "better or worse" in writing is something that I didn't realize was an actual argument people have; of course there's no objective better or worse in writing. Even the most broadly accepted means of critical literary analysis are subjective in nature, they're just subjective to the collective consciousness that we as literary critics have created. A bit of this might be the difference between (what sounds like) you being a creative writing major and me being an English major--I deal more with popular literary criticism than creative writing majors would. Still, even though we establish "rules" in creative writing, a rational human being must recognize that these rules are not objectively "better" or "worse," they are subjective metrics developed to suit the needs and wants of what we consider to be the general academic audience. And this is where I think you're still not understanding my point. Even if you are correct in removing the word (I would actually argue that "huge, foundational" is where the issue in needless repetition is and "foundational" is bringing more to the table than "huge", so "huge" should go, but that's a separate issue), your criticism of the word (just saying that it is unnecessary) is the issue. It is not enough to cite a rule and say, "therefore, based on this rule, it should go", because that fails to fully address A. what the word is actually doing and B. why there is more value in removing it than keeping it. In other words, it's not the actual fact that you said the word needs to go; it's the fact that the way you presented it didn't supply any information about the rhetorical situation and why the word itself doesn't fit into it. It's a different way of thinking, but it is necessary. If you view writing as a conglomeration of universal rules and objective facts, you will end up slashing some extremely valuable writing on the basis of rule. There are times when abstraction is better than concretion. There are times when fluff is preferable to streamlined prose. Without a deep understanding of the rhetorical situation (rather than just a statement of "this is the absolute correct thing 100% of the time), you lose the ability to both adapt your writing to your audience and to recognize when other writers are doing the same. It's not the removal of the word that's the problem; it's the mentality behind why you did it.

I'll take this as genuine; my offer was likewise. I think, in a lot of ways, this is fundamentally misunderstanding the English language. Everything in text adds some form of tone, connotation, and intention. To say that any bit of text is objectively wrong, particularly when dealing with word choice, is failing to fully identify a rhetorical situation. For example, you cite "foundational" as being objectively unnecessary and fluff oriented; however, this still pulls on various connotations. We generally associate the word "foundation" with being sturdy and being a necessary base for things to actually function. From a Christian standpoint, this word draws connections to the scriptures where Christ discusses either building His church "upon this rock" or the ones where He claims that if you are built upon His "rock", the winds and waves will not prevail against you. And this is where you have to be careful as a critic. There is almost nothing you can refer to as "objectively" being bad in writing. Certainly, you can help to streamline someone's prose, but much of your criticism seems based largely on your own personal reactions rather than any sort of established basis for critique. Essentially, every word we use creates a specific feeling/image for specific audiences. To truly criticize the quality of a writer's work, one must first identify what feelings they are creating and then show how they are inconsistent, inappropriate, or unnecessary to their audience. Essentially: When you begin to treat things as "universally wrong," you ignore much of the complexity that goes into crafting language effectively. I've never encountered a rule in writing without an exception which is both necessary and brilliant to the text. We also run into an error of mindset for you as a critic: you "attacked" the errors. Criticism is not a cudgel used to beat others over the head. When we attack literature, in any way, shape, or form, we lose our objectivity. In this sense, a rhetorical critic must be able to look at how the words are actually functioning and, if they identify problems, point out said problems based on function, not feeling. In its purest form, criticism is, by nature, both deconstructive and reconstructive; it shows not only how things may be pulled apart, but also how they may be put back together again in a way that is more consistent with the goals of the text. Thanks! All of the schools I've applied to provide funding, so at this point, I'm just praying I'll get into any of them. Top pick is probably University of Houston, for nothing other than the fact that both me and my fiancé have a good feeling about their program. And a lot of why this is rough is because I've worked hard at this; I've spent the last 3 years sending pieces off for publication (5 literary magazines and counting have published me ? ), I've done a lot to keep up my GPA, I did an internship as a content writer, I've held down jobs as a transcriber, a copy editor/ content editor, and now, currently, a tutor (and training supervisor), I've been the manager of a writing workshop on my campus for more than a year... I truly think that the more you pour yourself into something, the more stressful it can become. But at the end of the day, if everyone says no, none of it will be wasted effort. Seriously, good for you! And that is a good mentality to have coming off of the rejection. The application cycle can definitely be a bump in the road, but it never has to be the end of it.

Flannery O'Connor's stories are centered around criticizing Christianity. They are all deconstructions of the Southern Christian tradition in ways that condemn the institutions of it. Having Christian themes =/= actually writing things that are pro-Christianity. Also, no offense, but your literary criticism is lacking. You treat words as isolated entities, when in reality, they are appendages to a larger body of ideology complete with various tones, connotations, and intentions. "Heart" in and of itself, is not concrete, it's actually one of the most ambiguous words in the entire English language. The phrase "Long Haul" is just that, a phrase; these only become cliche when used in a cliche context, otherwise they're just accepted as phrases which carry a specific meaning. Like, I get that you're trying to be mocking, but is this the type of literary criticism you'd actually engage in? If so, I'd be happy to offer some advice; this is sorely lacking in several key areas.

I've not been here long, just lurking for the past couple of weeks. There's something to be said of solidarity, this whole "Grad school" thing has been a major stressor in my life for the last five months or so, so it feels nice to get in contact with other people who are going through the same slog. And yeah, I feel the same way about my faith. I've never really hit a rock-bottom point in my life, but God has been with me always, and I owe Him everything. In a very real way, one of the only things keeping me sort of okay throughout this process is knowing that He is pleased with my decision to become a writer. And you're right, last week was a hard one for me too; not because I got any rejections, but because it's still crickets. But hey, I'll choose to be hopeful, because it's not over until it's over, and even if I'm not the first pick for my schools, I still might end up being a pick. So I'm trying (and sometimes succeeding!) to hope for the best. Not sure where you're at with your applications, but I hope all is going well for you!

Heya, as a Christian writer (I don't write "Christian" material specifically, I'm a Christian who is also a writer), props to you for being so straightforward and honest with your faith. I'm not sure if it means anything, but you're not alone as a Christian in the pool of aspiring writers ?

Idk if you're looking for more prestigious publications, but here's one of mine (I only used this for University of Houston's, since I published my "main" piece in their literary magazine and didn't want to share something they "might" have already read from me) https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2020/09/01/latency-by-ben-watson/ BTW, I'm in the boat of 8 applications, crickets from 7 of them and a rejection from one for a creative writing MFA, so wish me luck!

I definitely feel this. I've never had something that impacted my mental health more than this waiting period (which is saying a lot lol). But hey, even if we're on wait lists, even if we're getting crickets, it only takes 1 yes to make all the no's worth it, and it's not over until it's over. Keep waiting it out, and try to think positive!

Let me be a bit more optimistic than the poster above me =) First off, you're not "screwed" until you hear a no. You most likely are on some waiting lists, which means that you'll get in only if other people turn down their offers of admission. That doesn't mean there's no chance; it just means you might not have been a first choice for those schools. But even then, if you follow the trends for your programs on this site, you'll see that some of them tend to release even their first round acceptances later (some of my programs tend to do theirs mid-march). You also just don't know with COVID if people are behind schedule or not. You can check and see if others are getting acceptences, and if they are, you can sort of assume you're on a waitlist. But try not to be too discouraged by this; you have no way of knowing if you're first on the wait list or last, and first would still give you a decent shot. Basically, you're not screwed until it's a no. It might not be as likely as it was earlier in the admissions process, but I've met people who get into their dream program in April. It ain't over till it's over.

This thread is for everyone, like me, who just wants to post something about how stir crazy they're going waiting to hear back from Grad schools. Post all your irrational fears and worries. Post all your regrets. Post about how often you check this place just to see if other people have gotten decisions yet. Post about how often you check that email account. Whatever makes you feel better (or doesn't!) Here's a place for solidarity, my fellow stir-crazy hopefuls. Me: Creative Writing MFA, 0 Acceptance, 0 Waitlist, 1 Acceptance, 7 Waiting.