[2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum]

4 hours ago, holloway said:

Hi everyone! I'm late to join but glad that my apps are finished because that was a hell I was not anticipating. 

I'm a poet applicant and 100% panic applied towards the end because however many schools I had on my list suddenly wasn't enough... now I can't stop checking my email even though it's only January.

My list (in no particular order):

• Michener and NWP at UT Austin 
• North Carolina State University 
• University of Florida 
• University of Washington (Seattle) 
• Florida State University
• University of Virginia 
• Syracuse University
• University of Michigan 
• University of Iowa 
• Vanderbilt 
• Cornell
• University of Maryland 

Best of luck everyone! I look forward to interacting on here!  

 

I was tempted to panic apply, but I had already applied to 15 programs before the end of November and I worried any more letters would be too much to ask of my recommenders. I applied to:

* Brown University

* Cornell University

* Indiana University Bloomington

* University of Colorado Boulder (After my partner and I went on a trip to Denver, I had to add a program in Colorado to my list!)

* University of Iowa

* University of Michigan

* University of Mississippi

* University of Notre Dame

* University of Oregon

* University of Texas at Austin--New Writers Project

* University of Texas at Austin--Michener Center for Writers

* Vanderbilt University

* University of Virginia

* Virginia Tech

* Washington University in St. Louis

 

Any other poets on this forum apply to these programs this year or in the past?

 

[2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum]

9 hours ago, Rm714 said:

Checked my email because I couldn't sleep – in for Fiction/Prose at St Andrews. In total shock. How am I supposed to sleep now!?
1a/0w/0r/12p

Congratulations! Lucky your first acceptance came so early. Having your first correspondence from programs as an acceptance will certainly soften the blow if there are any subsequent rejections. Of course, it will be all the sweeter if there are more acceptances to come. Was St. Andrews your top choice, or are you holding out for another program?

[2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum]

3 hours ago, xenawins said:

I also found this thread after already having completed a lot of my applications. Ah well! Your published piece is very beautiful and resonated a lot on a personal level. I've strewn my applications to institutions in several regions except the PNW where I live. I'm nervous about the possibility of leaving this place I love, but also excited by something new, even if it's challenging. Even if I don't get accepted into a program, I'm considering a move. I applied to programs based on what I really thought might be best fit, excepting a few top tier schools, which frustratingly enough, seem to provide little information about their programs compared to others. *shrug* We do the best we can I suppose.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words. Funny, that's what I say at the end of every submission I query for publication. But honestly, isn't that why we as writers do what we do? Simply to share--our words, our stories. I also applied to schools strewn across the country. I found it difficult to truly know what a program would be like as far as pedagogy and culture, but as a 37 year old who plans to start a family before it's too late, location was one of my top considerations--is the city affordable, family friendly, a place where my partner and I can envision setting up a life, even if only for the duration of the program. I can relate to the urge to start fresh somewhere else, but can also understand how it might be difficult to leave the PNW. I love that area--applied to UO for that reason. What schools are on you application list, may I ask?

[2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum]

Hi Everyone,

Just discovered this forum—alas, months after I submitted all my applications, but scanning the post history has quelled some of my waiting-game nerves. I’m a first-time poetry applicant. I applied to 15 schools (a variety of top and middle tier programs) in hopes of securing acceptance with the first attempt.

I think some of the questions people posed to encourage positive discussion became overshadowed recently by troll bait. Revisiting select questions could bring us back to supporting each other as we twiddle our thumbs. So here goes:

My top program picks are for different reasons. Practically speaking, my partner would rather stay in Austin so he doesn’t have to rebuild his patient practice. Too bad an acceptance from the Michener Center is like winning a golden ticket to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but there’s always UT’s NWP. Though, setting practicalities aside, in my heart of hearts, I’m hoping for entry to Washington University in St. Louis. I don’t know why—gut/intuition I guess.  Plus, aside from a short stint in Brooklyn, I’ve lived my entire life in ATX. What with property values jumping from an average of $350,000 to $500,000+ in just a year, the cost of living in St. Louis is looking mighty enticing to me these days. Just the other day, I saw on Zillow that a shoebox sized empty lot two doors down from me is listing for $600,000!

re: to healthy distractions: I’ve been binge reading. Just finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land and About Grace. Anyone else love Anthony Doer’s work as much as I do? For a poet, I adore his attention to the tiny details where humanity alights and the lyricism he weaves when attending to such details. For whatever reason, I’m having difficulty picking up a book of poetry. Maybe it feels a little too close to my anxiety right now—not enough of a distraction. 

Way back, someone brought up sharing each other’s published work. Here’s a link to one of my publications:

https://www.cathexisnorthwestpress.com/post/mother-days-after-nights-after-lost-in-a-hole-after-her-end

I’d love to read whatever anyone wants to share. : )
 

Also, whoever compiled last year’s dates of acceptance letters from programs, thank you! This helps me redirect my attention—though I’m sure there will be plenty of email checking on the dates mentioned. By the way, does anyone know if most programs deliver acceptances by phone or by email?

 

Best,

Jenny