prufrock_

i sat down to write a serious literary novel that could be the seeds of my thesis. but after only 1k words, sexy ghosts started showing up. my minds too mushy until this process ends to be serious.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sorry, just wanted to shout; it's still been too quiet lately.

a google sheet called 'MFA Draft Notification Data', then on the 2024 tab someone said it in 'other notes'. I think it does since it's such a subjective process. Urban legends is someone applied to many schools just to get denied by everyone... except Brown. so yeah, worth doing the 'many' approach i think, as long as they're a good fit for you.

most funded programs are in the single digits for prose, usually under 5. The main exception being iowa. Poets and writers is a good resource for accurate numbers, via their 'MFA Programs Database' page.

based off last year draft reponses: 200 fiction applications, 4 accepted (10 shortlisted total) last year a lot of programs said they received many more applications than normal. we don't know yet if that is a new normal or an outlier.

Yeah, also possible accepted peeps aren't on draft etc.

good list! I'll add Rutgers-Camden (January 24). Also note Western Kentucky isn't fully funded (I was admitted last year with no funding and declined; I tried to find out how their funding works but never got a response. I'm not sure if it's 5 funded per cohort or 5 total in the whole program, nor if it's competitive each year). edit: also it's been so quiet!

I'm glad the letter of recommendation system acts as a kind of limiter, otherwise i'd be right there with yall impulse applying to even more! Most of us are already applying to more programs than what's considered normal, but maybe what's considered 'normal' is rising each round since each round has more applicants.

yeah the waiting process is tough, but it's also the only thing that has motivated me to unsubscribe my email from everything that's not important to my life any longer. my poor heart can't take an email notification just for it to be junk!

I agree with everything Mystic_Sunshine said. Most deadlines have just about passed, nearly all are in mid to late december. A small handful are still open, but that window is closing very quickly. I'd recommend delaying your apps until next round if possible; that's what i did when i was in a similar situation as yours three rounds ago. Applications will open up around september 2025, for fall 2026 admission.

no mentions on draft yet about that. I submited to uc irvine but didn't include a postcard.

from their website: Please allow up to four weeks for us to acknowledge your manuscript via your online admissions profile; if your manuscript has not been acknowledged by January 20th, please call the office to make sure it’s been received; please note: we cannot check on manuscript status before January 20 --- i'd call them around jan 20th if it still says something other than received in your online profile.

1) yes it is useless, mostly, to check portals without prompting from an email. I think there's a .00001% chance of looking at a portal and seeing 'acceptance' before getting an email or a call. 2) i will still be obsessively checking the portals anyway, because i have no self control.

approvals come in batches. also make sure you answered the questions when sending the request; if you left that blank then you will not get approved.

The thread from last year didn't even break 1 page before mid jan, but this thread is already at 10 pages 😅 The MFA draft group right now is at 1.1k members; last years group currently has 1.7k members (but how many members show up between now and results? I'm guessing a lot, so it will probably hit that 1.7k number again).