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poem for her

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    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted

    1 hour ago, retrotyping said:

    Someone who committed elsewhere was also accepted there! Again, I don’t think it’s the litowitz program I think they have another MFA program?? Not totally familiar with NW. 

    oh, just saw!! and you’re right. that’s the nw mfa program that applicants have to pay to attend. 

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted

    3 hours ago, retrotyping said:

    Waitlist check! 
     

    syracuse - poetry 

    UTK - poetry (coming soon) 

    Portland state - fiction 

    Northwestern - prose and poetry (I don’t think this is Litowitz, p sure they have a separate MFA) 

    Texas state - fiction 

    Columbia - fiction

    the New School - fiction

    columbia - CNF

    Pratt Institute - CNF 


    maybe I’m crazy, but it does seem like things are moving much more in poetry while fiction is sorta lagging behind?? Anyone else notice/can confirm this? Just looking for some rationality in this agonizing waiting game lol 

    where did you see northwestern waitlist movement? i’m on draft and haven’t seen anything :o

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted · Edited by poem for her

    1 hour ago, Sydup said:

    Okay. Serious question here. 

    It's looking like I was only accepted by one program, and I don't think I want to attend due to a deficit of funding. If attended, I would have to pay a portion out of pocket each year, and I am not in the position where I can financially do that. Currently, I have a great job as a copywriter and an excellent WFH schedule that allows me to write my novels at home during work hours. While I am in positive denial of being corporate fodder, I know that I am going to have to face yet another year of office work.

    Which is actually great. I need another year to save for a cross-country move if I am to be accepted in any of my schools. 

    This will be my third time applying, and I am looking for fully-funded MFAs that accept writing samples of speculative fiction. I am simply not a literary fiction writer. My writing sample that I am preparing for next year will be in the sub-genres of magical realism and fantastical noir. I only want to apply to a maximum of five programs, which means I must make every application count. 

    Does anyone know which schools accept speculative fiction? I have heard Brown University and University of Arizona. I see only a waste of $50-100 per application if I apply to programs that strictly accept literary fiction samples. 

    Thanks for any and all info!

    hi! i write speculative fiction as well (literary-leaning magical realism) and i was accepted to northwestern's (fully funded) litowitz program. i've also been lucky enough to talk to current students within the program, so i've heard from their mouths that their fiction writers tend to be unconventional/speculative-adjacent in terms of traditional literary fiction (juan martinez, one of the professors, writers horror). i would just say, if you do end up applying here, don't skimp on the critical components of the application packet, as it's a dual degree and carries a reputation for being rigorous. 

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Mdlama said:

    I just got waitlisted at Syracuse. And by the way my writing sample definitely wouldn’t have passed “the New Yorker test”. Any tips for getting off the waitlist? Thanks in advance. 

     

    this is in no way a guarantee, but i do know that one of the syracruse fiction admits also got into northwestern (which offers a much bigger stipend), so who knows! with waitlists, all you can really do is wait (and let the school know how thankful you are + how much you love the program).

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted · Edited by poem for her

    1 hour ago, VillaTheKilla said:

    Hey guys, just wondering if NYU fiction acceptances have been out. Seems all results posted on graduate coffee are for poetry, but don't know about Draft. 

    according to everyone on draft, NYU acceptances are sent out in batches (from highest to lowest funding), so i’m guessing most if not all of the fully funded fellowship offers have already been made to students (across all genres). someone commented that they received a fiction acceptance call 1-2 days ago. apparently, the school has told students that acceptances and waitlists will continue through march, which means partial funding offers are incoming.

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, gagne said:

    There's a Pitt CNF acceptance posted to Results said by phone. I am NERVOUS especially as I had my phone on DND all day as I have had a lot of anxiety around notifications and was attending a virtual event.

     

    Edit: Anyone in Draft, are there Poetry acceptances for Pitt also posted? I'm not interested in joining another FB group or page

    one poetry acceptance from pitt posted in draft 5 hours ago and one posted 6 hours ago. two for CNF as well, i believe!

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted · Edited by poem for her

    On 2/20/2022 at 8:52 AM, maryak99 said:

    hi,

    i'm applying for the very first time to MFA programs and i'm not from the US so i'm not very well-versed in how college application works here at all, but i tried my best. i was just wondering, is it true that MFA programs don't really take freshly graduated people (freshly graduated from their undergrad degrees)??? i've read a lot of things about this on the internet and while i haven't talked to anyone about it, i was wondering if this is actually true.

     

    hi! this was also one of my concerns while applying, as i graduated last summer. i did my own research on past/current students at the programs i was applying to last fall, so i can only really speak to those, but—! i can tell you that both brown and michigan have accepted students straight out of undergrad or very close to straight out. the super competitive programs like johns hopkins and michener are much less likely to, but you shouldn't rule them out completely! i thought i'd have no shot at northwestern and i'm in with only one "gap year" between undergrad and an mfa, so don't give up hope!

    if you know where you'll be applying (or already have), one of the "cheats" i recommend for research purposes is looking up certain mfa programs on linkedin, clicking on people who have been accepted to those programs, and figuring out the gap between their undergrad and grad school degrees (based on years attended). hope that helps!

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted · Edited by poem for her

    15 hours ago, MissMosquito said:

    Feeling super bummed today. WUSTL was my top choice--no email. And no email from University of Oregon. By induction, I can infer two rejections so far. : ( : ( This is going to be a tough month. I kept telling people, "I'm expecting not to get into any programs," to keep my expectations low. Now that statement is all I can hear, ringing in my ears. My boyfriend keeps telling me I can't measure my talent and potential as a writer based on whether I get in, but how can I not? I poured my heart and soul into those applications. I keep binge watching shows on my days off. I literally binged on Ozark yesterday for 17 hours yesterday--I kid you not. Luckily I'm a nurse, and my 12 hour shifts are too busy to dwell and ruminate on work days. So much for telling myself to learn a new hobby during this time!

    your boyfriend is 100% right. mfa programs are notoriously selective and that selectivity is influenced by so many different factors, most of which are totally subjective. programs like brown, for example, are well-known for only taking applicants whose work tends towards the avant garde/experimental, + many programs also look for evidence that you're committed to your craft and will be able to handle structured writing for the next 2-3 years (i.e. writing retreats, workshops, digitally published work, undergraduate awards, etc.). they'll also be looking for signs that you aren't a conventional reader, and that you'll fit well in a workshop setting (that you have the foundational knowledge "needed" to critique others constructively); one of the first pieces of application advice i received from a creative writing professor during undergrad was to cite 2-4 writing inspirations in my personal statement that you would never see on a classroom syllabus (so none of the classics, no gabriel garcía márquez or toni morrison, definitely not harry potter). programs want to know that you're actively reading and writing (and that you're reading/writing new stuff), in addition to having writing that stylistically aligns with their creative vision. and even still, none of this is foolproof.

    to be completely candid, i wrote a 50-page fiction thesis during undergrad that won a departmental award, and even i was told by mentors not to expect to get into any of the mfa programs i applied to. having talent, a demonstrated commitment to reading/writing, and a reason to go to grad school is only half of the battle. the other half is almost always luck—and therefore completely out of your hands.

    whatever happens come march/april, i hope you know that it says nothing about whether you can or should be a writer! mfa programs receive far more talent than they can accept, so they're turning away hundreds of applicants whose work they enjoy every year. not only are they looking for that stylistic alignment, they're also working to create a cohort that they believe meshes well creatively + will get along. in other words, the variables are endless and often not in the average writer's favor.

    poetry is even more nebulous than fiction, so i can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but i just wanted to say this so you know that rejections don't mean you're untalented or unskilled. i hope you continue to feel fulfilled by your craft + keep writing regardless of what happens, and i'm wishing you some successful distractions to get you through the next few weeks. best of luck and thank you for your service as a nurse ❤️

    2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

    in Literary

    Posted

    On 2/3/2022 at 5:21 PM, CHRISTOPHER QUANG BUI said:

    That’s amazing! Congratulations. What other programs did you apply to (if you dont mind my asking)? 

    thank you so much! i applied to the following schools for the fiction MFA: brown university, university of michigan, university of texas at austin (michener center), cornell university, johns hopkins university, northwestern litowitz program, vanderbilt university, and washington university in st. louis!

     

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