Chex

Congratulations, everyone, on your acceptances and waitlists. Big congratulations to you, @Scribe! I believe that person who got into NWP fiction and doesn't want to go also got into many other programs. That's point 1 for you. Another person on the waitlist got into Michigan and will probably go there. That's point 2 for you. So it's between you and the one or two? other people on the waitlist. I am rooting super big that you get in. Hoping someone else who's accepted also drops off, to make things easier.

That's wonderful! Thank you on behalf of those waitlisted there. Someone's day is about to be made

I wouldn't assume a soft rejection for Iowa or NWP fiction just yet. Iowa has been calling those admitted, yes; but assuming they're done calling (and we don't know that), they typically email waitlisted applicants in March. Based on last year's stats, there are waitlist movements, even in Iowa. As for NWP, all the news we've heard so far has been re poetry applicants. A poet who applied there can assume a rejection because acceptances and waitlists have gone out. But we've heard nothing for fiction. I expect we'll hear from them this week, though. Very well said. Important to keep this in mind because it's easy to lose focus and chase after hollow prizes. Everything is set up to make us complacent, complicit, or otherwise comfortable with the status quo. The playwriting program at Brown is a wholly separate program, so I wouldn't assume that the programs in the Literary Arts department (fiction, poetry, etc) would send notices at the same time. What we know is that Brown will notify in March. We have no choice but to be patient. As for Iowa and snail mails, I wish they would do away with everything concerning physical mails. It's stressful and distressing. I guess it's part of their whole prestige thing and they're unwilling to let it go.

I'm still out of reactions, so thank you @AngusWanderer, @saramsarang and everyone! Angus, I love that we're meeting here first. If the funding package works out I'm going to be really happy. I'm an international applicant who's never been to the US so the idea of NYC lowkey/highkey scares me but I'm also cautiously optimistic/excited. @nataliezimm, @messindistress, @Hjanep, @bmac0927, and @Scribe, I know how you feel and I'm sending you every ounce of good luck for your remaining applications. This time yesterday I was at 7 straight Rs and no positive news at all, not even a waitlist. Yesterday evening, I allowed myself to start making concrete non-MFA plans for the year because it didn't look like anything better would turn up. And then the NYU email came; and even though it's still unclear I'll be able to attend until I learn more about funding, I feel gratified that somebody somewhere connected with my writing and it was not all a waste (no art or impassioned effort ever is, tbh). I'm deeply rooting for every one of you to get good news soon. I'm still waiting to hear from NWP, Iowa, Brown, and UVA (all fiction programs). I cannot wait to celebrate with you all. @Tuxedocat big congratulations to you!! I hope you get in. @_redrabbit7 Brown notifications will likely arrive by mid March. @justasmidge that's a great quote and great mindset. I know NYU schools tend to notify late, usually in March. I'm rooting for you to get wonderful offers. I'm so proud of us all and encouraged by everything we've put into this. It's not over yet.

Congratulations! And welcome to the thread Same. I hope everything works out perfectly for us. Thank you!! And may it be so! Mine was for fiction but I've seen similar reports from poetry applicants. Can't say about CN.

I know! Their faculty is awesome. Congratulations to you, too!!!!! Fingers crossed we both get full funding🤞🏾

LOL, thank you!!! And please why, why, why do you hate me?

Thank you!! This may sound a little foolish but it was actually the first school on my radar because of their flashy faculty. I knew little about the MFA process then or what other schools had to offer, and I applied on the off-chance that I got in and got full funding (can't attend otherwise). I've been berating myself since for that silly gamble, but it seems NYU wants to give me a reason to smile. Thank you!! I really truly dearly hope so! Thank you so much, @branch and @Rixor!!! I'm out of reactions but I am so grateful right now

Friends, Romans, GradCafe Compatriots, I have received what looks to be a tentative acceptance email from NYU! I cannot confirm it until I see the official acceptance email but I may be finishing this application season with something positive after all!

In other news, I need Vanderbilt and Michener to put me out of my misery. It's been long enough. They can just let us know it didn't work out. No need dragging things further. Also, I'm beyond ready to hear from all the remaining schools. HIT ME WITH IT. I PROMISE I CAN TAKE IT.

Congratulations! This is wonderful news.

Happy Birthday! 🎉🎊 Someone I know who goes there got their admission in March. That was in 2022. So I'd say early to mid March. Congratulations in advance! Expect an acceptance.

Oh wow...

Yeah lol I don't think they've gone out. No one has reported acceptances, waitlists, or rejections, whereas we've heard those re Michener.

I think it's a good idea to invest in your writing, and it'll surely require more self-extension from you than from a younger, less settled applicant. It's great that you're willing and able to pay for this investment, BUT I don't think a $30k MFA program you feel tepid about is the way to go. That's not cheap at all. I would look more into workshops for starters, and finding avenues to link with other writers with similar goals. Apart from the regular workshops, there are great periodic workshops like Tin House and Clarion West and quite a few others. Build your muscle, see what works for you. I might also consider a great low-res program like Bennington or Antioch. I've heard good things about them. Only if I'm certain I truly want the full-res experience at a nearby school I'm happy with would I commit to it and pay. You have to do what works for you. Consider your options thoroughly. You're never too old to go for an MFA if you decide that's what's right for you.

Thank you! That's good to know.

When did you receive the waitlist email? I'm curious, please share. Someone reported a missed call and voicemail from Samantha Chang on Tuesday, wherein Chang shared she'd just started contacting people but would be away/unavailable until Friday. The call was rescheduled. I believe more people will be notified by next week. Those accepted or waitlisted should know by mid March. Brown notifies in March (often mid March). Boston has notified most applicants, although a few say they've heard nothing. Maybe Boston sends the emails in alphabetical order. Might help to ask them directly. The fiction report is genuine. Iowa has started calling fiction admits, but only a few have been contacted so far.

I'm out of reactions (I wonder what the point of limiting reactions is) but I'm mentally hearting many posts here. @Rixor I could not agree more. Also congrats to @pomelo and everyone writing new work. I've been working on a short story on and off for the past few weeks. Hope to finish and edit it soon in time for a fellowship application in April. @mudpuddle1 I def agree on UTK. Giving so many people false hope; it feels like a scam, honestly.

Listen, you're making it into at least one of these programs! Congratulations!!! Yay!!! Congratulations!

Congratulations!!! I'm excited for you and hope everything works out re funding! You absolutely deserve this. Also, one of my favourite writers, Lesley Nneka Arimah, went to MS Mankato for her MFA in fiction; so double yay for you! Official rejections from Michener usually come 1 to 2 weeks after the acceptances and waitlists have gone out. Same for Vandy. In some years, Michener rejections appear in the application portal before any form email. If you haven't received an acceptance or waitlist by now, I'm afraid it's most likely a rejection.

Woooh. Was just about to type that today is existential crisis day for me. Making all sorts of wild and outlandish plans and thinking how difficult everything is. What do I do later this year? Finally move out and rent a small room where I can write in peace? Take everything I have (which isn't much) and start a small shop or other business and hope it thrives so I can at least have something going in one aspect of my life? Move to a neighbouring country and look for decent jobs there? I was just reading about three writers who had painful experiences with publishing. John Kenneth Toole, who died by suicide after years of having his novel manuscript rejected by publishers. The novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, would be published over a decade after his death, and would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1981. Helen DeWitt, who worked odd jobs for years and years, producing manuscripts that were rejected over and over. She struggled for years before her 50th(!!) manuscript was accepted for publication as her debut novel, The Last Samurai; becoming a bestseller after publication in 2000. She had also considered suicide. Dow Mossman, who went to Iowa Writer's Workshop in the late 60s. His one novel, The Stones of Summer, languished and went out of print soon after publication when the publishing house folded. He broke down and spent time in a sanatorium. Thereafter, he worked as a welder for some 20 years while looking after his parents. His work was rediscovered in the 2000s and a Sundance-winning film made about him and his book. The book was republished by Barnes & Noble. It can be hard navigating this writer life because we tie part of our ego to recognition. More important than anything else is that we take care of ourselves, take care of our minds, and create some kind of stability and joy for ourselves outside of writing. The writer must be alive (and well) to do the writing. We can't tie everything to external recognition for our work. We have to take care of ourselves. Yesterday was very difficult for me with the back-to-back rejections from Cornell and (the constructive ones) from Michener and Michigan, not to mention the other constructive one from Vanderbilt last week. That makes 7 out of 12 applications, all Rs so far. It's so hard. But I still have to take care of myself. I still have to find joy and inspiration in my life because what else do we have if we don't have that? We are people and we deserve to be cared for, deserve to have soft and affirming places in our lives. Sending deep compassion to everyone feeling terrible right now. I hope we make it through this and come out to better things. But we can only do so if we persevere, take care of ourselves, and try try again.

I need to read more of your poetry, jaded, lol.

Last year, Michigan notified on 2/21. Today is 2/20. Makes sense that they'll be notifying soon, any day now.

Feeling this with you. 🫂

How much smaller? Per their website, they admit a total of 12 each year: 3 in fiction, 3 poetry, 3 screenwriting, and 3 playwriting. How much smaller can it get? Are they now admitting only 2 per genre?