MDP
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Everything posted by MDP
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Ain't that the truth. I did a lot of social media management for different companies before I landed my current gig, and it was hard to stay sane, haha. The little work I've done in journalism was pretty frou-frou magazine stuff, just writing up wedding announcements and captions for $16,000 necklaces. And terrible pay, but what else is new. But that's great about your wife. What a cool thing to come about during a round of grad apps! I was thinking the same! Though it looks like we're both applying to University of Michigan. They were the only school to give me a glimmer of hope my first round. They let me know that I had made it to the top 15% of the applications before getting cut. Hoping they'll remember me and be impressed by my epic character arc (ha). We'll see what happens.
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Lot 49 is one of my favs! What a trip. Good ol' Oedipa. Haven't read The Waves yet. Will have to check that one out. Reapplying to NYU, Cornell, U. Michigan, Iowa, VCU. Applying to UNM and UVA for the first time. Last time I applied was December of 2019 when I was halfway through my senior year of undergrad. Sat out last cycle (had bigger things to focus on, like working in marketing and becoming an alcoholic-addict!) Quit marketing earlier this year and bounced from job to job since. Finally have landed a good day job that I would be happy to spend a few years doing while I get back on my feet. Been patching up my health/sobriety and trying to look at this round of apps with new eyes. If I get in, great. If I don't, great. Cosmic law will put me wherever I need to go. ? Saw on last year's forum that some people here read tarot -- I love the cards too, though I've been avoiding asking mine anything lately, ha. I like crystals as well. Smoky quartz is a fave of mine. Do you all have any hobbies that help you with anxiety?
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@Ydrl Fiction
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Agreed! I'm 23, and I know 19-year-olds with more "life experience" than me and 30-somethings with less. I feel like the only time age REALLY plays in with these apps is when someone tries to get into a program right out of undergrad. I saw someone else talking about this on a different thread -- how the adcom wants to see that a person can keep deadlines and write beyond the prompts and bounds of their college curriculum. I think that's pretty smart, honestly, and in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't get in when I applied as a senior. I didn't know it then, but I definitely wasn't ready (hell, maybe I'm not ready now!) Nice. I'll have to check it out. Have you read Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill? I admire that book for the same reason. Every single word is pristine, imo. Not a syllable out of place. Totally feel this too. Fingers crossed!
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What’s everyone reading currently? Need recs to distract me from the waiting period… ?
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@YdrlAlways so frustrating, been there with my first round. Feeling more confident this time, but it's still such a crapshoot, or at least it feels like it. I get worried that my app won't even get viewed at some of the schools I've applied to. But what can you do, I guess, aside from keep busy and try to stay positive! But I don't know if MY ego can withstand another round of across-the-board rejections hahaha
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@YdrlAh I should have figured as much. Thanks and sorry again, and good luck with your current round of apps!
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@MesoDude...go get yourself a glass of water and a decent meal. The world is much bigger than these GradCafe forums and we're all here for the same thing ?
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Totally hear that, I feel the same way! In fact, I had those people in mind when I was (also) getting defensive. I hated the idea that someone would leave a workshop because the people didn't seem smart enough (but I now see that this wasn't the case at all for Ydrl!) Gotta check my sources next time, ha. What did Kurt Vonnegut say..."Don't take it all so seriously"...
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Gah I should have gone back to see what she had actually said. The other user’s summary wasn’t at all accurate to Ydrl’s original post. I agree with everything you’ve said here. I was trying (unsuccessfully ) to communicate that if a person loves to write, they’ll make it happen no matter who or where they are. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise, and sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings!
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I consider less competitive schools ones that have an applicant pool of less than 1,000 that accept more than ten fiction writers. (I'm applying to fiction programs.) It's a loose/arbitrary definition that I made up for myself, so take it with a grain of salt, haha. But @Danny Melrotten is right, they're all competitive! Maybe I'm an idealist, but as a writer, I think there is something to be learned from everyone you come in contact with. To disregard people as "not smart enough to learn from" -- well, that's a choice, but not one I would make. I hope this person can find a way to deflate their ego enough to participate in their program. Good writing is good writing, and a real writer will make it happen whether they're in a top 10 program or slogging through a day job. And this made me lol. I agree. Good luck, everyone
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As someone who applied exclusively to arch-competitive schools the first go-round, I would say definitely add a few others into the mix if you're still within their deadline range. I applied to a very similar list and got across the board rejections -- doesn't mean you will, and not the worst thing that could ever happen, but it sure felt like $h!t Good luck and sending good thoughts to you! I added a few schools to my list this time that aren't as cutthroat and it's making me feel at least a little more secure. I did reapply to a couple of the same competitive programs, though. Couldn't give them up completely, ha.
