sunnysequoia

It definitely seems like programs tend to be biased toward younger writers, but it's not impossible to get admitted even if one is older. When I visited Miami University in Ohio recently, I audited a prose workshop in which there was a significantly older woman; she was probably in retirement age, maybe in her late 60s or 70s. That day, the class happened to be workshopping her story, and I greatly admired her courage in sharing her work with a population generations younger than her and the class for their generous feedback and inclusivity. So it's never too late to pursue an MFA, and I would say don't sell yourself short. Take a chance on yourself and don't tell yourself "no," because then the only thing preventing you from pursuing an MFA is not rejections from the programs, but you yourself.

Congratulations to everyone who received an acceptance email from NYU!!! 🎉🎈🎊🍾 You should all be very proud of yourselves 😊 I didn't receive an email, but I'm confident I'll be happy pursuing my MFA elsewhere and can live out my writerly New York dreams at another time in my life LOL. I hope you all get tons of funding!!! 🤑🤑🤑

Congrats to both of you!! 🎉🎉🎉 I didn't apply there because of the application requirement for a expository / argumentative essay for a TA position, but I hope both of you get off the waitlist and get good funding!!! I saw on last year's Draft spreadsheet that Rutgers notified a few folks on February 27th. It would have been on a Monday last year, so I checked my email this morning semi-anticipating an email from them, but nothing. I'm cautiously hopeful that we'll hear from them by the end of the week 🥲

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! 🥰 I have a fantasy that one of my remaining programs that wants to accept me noticed that tomorrow is my birthday and decided that they would pleasantly surprise me with a call tomorrow saying, "Happy birthday, you've been accepted!!" Probably won't happen but I can still wish for it LOL

It's my birthday tomorrow 😀 I'm getting lunch and going hiking with my friends to celebrate!

LOL in all seriousness, this would be an awesome documentary. I feel like in the world of pop culture and media, the literary arts are significantly overlooked. There are documentaries about how musicians and actors rise to their level of fame and success, but how many are there for writers?? All art that involves storytelling begins with writing, and I think it'd be incredible to document the journeys of ordinary people like us who just have a proclivity toward pen and paper and the stakes and costs involved to achieve our dreams. Does anyone know a filmmaker?? 😂

You're welcome!! Glad I can be of some help hahaha. I just asked, how many people are on the waitlist and is it ranked LOL. And I expressed that I was thrilled to be on the waitlist and was thankful to the admissions team for considering my application and that I looked forward to an update in the near future. I don't think there's any harm in asking if she could share specific feedback, even just a thought or two, on your writing sample! And yeah I know it's rough being in limbo stage (x4 for me LOL) but don't lose hope yet!! I think it's good that you expressed that Oregon is your top choice, I don't feel I can confidently say that about any of my waitlists LOL. Anyway you got this and if you're waitlisted at one school then I'm confident you'll receive more good news soon

@decayingballads21 I got more info on the Oregon State waitlist! It is unranked and contains 12 people, which is a lot higher than I expected tbh. Elena said, "As practitioners of holistic admissions, we prefer to tailor-make a diverse and wide-reaching cohort in accordance with the acceptances we receive. In my twelve years reading applications, we have made offers to folks beyond the original 4 offers each and every year. And every year, we're moving through the finalist list and still making offers in early April. Your application suggests that you'd be a fine addition to lots of different permutations of cohorts, so I hope you'll still consider sitting tight." The way I read this is, depending on who accepts and turns down the initial 4 offers, they will select the next person to whom to send an offer accordingly. They likely want to assemble a diverse cohort of people who will get along, and they might also not want people whose writing subjects or styles are too similar, in my opinion. She was super nice, saying, "Congrats again on your fine application and very strong writing sample." She even commented specifically on what she loved about my writing sample, which was so nice to hear!

Hi!! My email was also really vague, just said, "If any of [our 4 initial offers] are declined, you’re among the group who will receive an offer." I emailed back to ask if the waitlist is ranked. I've gotten the sense that most waitlisted students eventually get off the list at most programs, like the probability that every single one of a program's initial admits chooses to accept is pretty low imo. I do hope you get off their waitlist! I think you need it more than I do haha. There is still time so I hope you hear back from more schools soon!! My personal rankings have been shifting on a day-to-day basis, but I think my top choice currently is a tie between Ohio State and University of Arizona. Unless the program requirements are not a good fit for me, I would prefer any 3-year program over a 2-year program.

Guys I'm on the waitlist for Oregon State nonfiction. This is my 4th waitlist my freaking god. How do I say what I'm feeling right now. On one hand, I'm extremely grateful and shocked, because I went into this process thinking that I'll be really happy to get into one program, and I'll be ecstatic if I get into two and have the option of choosing. Knowing that all of these waitlists have a strong likelihood of turning into acceptances is crazy to me, and it also makes me want to beg my remaining schools for at least one rejection, because how am I supposed to make a decision?! Like I know this is a really good problem to have, better than the alternative. On the other hand, I'm finding myself in this extreme limbo stage that I wasn't expecting to be in. Being waitlisted means that I'm not invited to any open house they have for their currently accepted admits, so I have no way of sussing out what these programs are actually like in person, and I also don't know when the schools will update me. My one acceptance currently is at Miami University, which I visited and the professors and students there are incredible. However, I have reservations because the teaching load is pretty heavy and they also don't pay for health insurance and 67% of their graduate student fees, which knocks several thousand off their already insufficient stipend. While I think I would be very happy learning and working with the people there, I also think there's a good chance that I'd take any other program over them. I don't feel good, though, about accepting an offer from a school that I haven't visited in person. I guess I'm anxious about not hearing back from my waitlists until close to April 15th and, if I receive one or more acceptances then, having to make a last-minute decision without having sufficient info about their program. Or, accepting my Miami offer, receiving acceptances after April 15th, and being put in the position of having to decide whether to renege on Miami for a different program. Either way, I'd be compelled to make a decision I'm not 100% confident in. I empathize with all those who have yet to receive a single acceptance, and I know I'm in an extremely favorable position. There's just still a lot more uncertainty than I was ever expecting to experience.

I'm so, so sorry you're going through this. Is this their part-time MFA in their School of Professional Studies? They really need to make it clearer that they have two separate, completely different MFAs. I got confused when researching Northwestern, thought this MFA seemed weird with a July 15th application deadline, and didn't bother applying. I didn't even realize the Litowitz program existed and that was the program everyone was gaming for. Make sure you're taking of yourself, first and foremost. Are you eating and sleeping? Can you go out for a brisk walk for some sunshine and fresh air? I suggest some form of vigorous exercise if you can manage it, as the endorphins will help significantly. Try to get your mind off of anything MFA-related. Eat your favorite comfort food, do some yoga and/or meditate, call a friend, watch something light like a stand-up. It might be a good idea to disconnect from this thread and Draft for a few days. I know this absolutely sucks, and it's 100% ok to be upset right now. I would also be really distraught if I were in your situation.

So happy for everyone receiving positive news!! I’m waitlisted at U of Minnesota for nonfiction!! @lychees here’s hoping that we both get off the Minnesota nonfiction waitlist!!!

Oh wow, you've still got a lot of schools! Remember you only need one acceptance, so don't lose hope yet

Rooting for you, you got this! Where else are you waiting to hear back from?

Ugh ok I'm out of town this week and don't have the time to sort out this FAFSA situation... I'll deal with it when I get back LOL. I received an email from Washington University in St. Louis that I'm on their waitlist?! I'm honestly in disbelief. My results so far have wildly surpassed my expectations omg.

Wait what?!?! Can someone else please confirm this? I attempted to submit one for the few NYC schools I applied to, but I couldn’t get into my account and then remembered that my parents took care of this for me for my undergrad. I don’t have my login details, and if the account has an email on file it’s definitely not my own. I decided to just forget about it because I thought the FAFSA wasn’t necessary for fully funded programs, but if this isn’t the case, I’d probably need to go through the hassle of calling the FAFSA office to confirm my identity to sort this out. I’m estranged from my family and contacting them to get my login details is not an option for me, so I’m low-key panicking right now 😰

Welcome to the thread! To echo @Chex, I really admire your courage to take a step toward finding a different path for yourself, even though there are many unknown factors and more considerations to juggle in your situation. I am nearly 27 (my b-day’s in 12 days!), and I decided to apply to MFAs this cycle after having made substantial progress on a book last year, but I realized that I still had a lot to learn as a writer, and I needed an MFA education and community if I wanted to grow into a stronger writer who could write the best possible version of my story. To me, being qualified to teach at the undergraduate level is a welcome positive byproduct from completing the degree, as I do college consulting and English tutoring for high school students and think I would really enjoy teaching undergrads. However, a teaching career is not guaranteed due to very limited positions, based on my knowledge. Therefore, while I acknowledge the importance of considering the practicality and professional benefits of any education, I think for the arts, it’s just as crucial to focus on how you hope to grow what you want to learn and not be too attached to a certain outcome. Personally, I just want the gift of time to work on my writing and dedicate myself to growing as a writer and artist among a community of like-minded individuals.

Thank you! Hoping for an acceptance for you, too The fully funded schools I applied to UMass Amherst, Rutgers Camden, U of Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Miami U in Ohio, U of Minnesota, U of Iowa, WashU St. Louis, U of Arizona, and Oregon State. I also applied to Sarah Lawrence, NYU, and The New School but I'm not even considering them anymore since I've been accepted to Miami and waitlisted at Ohio State. Very fair that you don't want to move! The west coast is beautiful and California weather is amazing (save for the recent torrential storms). I've just been here for my whole life and thus have a dire urge to get out of here and move to the midwest or east coast which are unfortunately going to be much colder LOL

Hey, fellow nonfiction writer here! I also applied to Oregon State, so fingers crossed for both of us! What other schools did you apply to, if you don't mind sharing?

Congratulations!!! 🎉🎉🎉

I think gift cards to a local bookstore would be a universally safe and thoughtful gift!

Congratulations!!! 🎉🎉🎉

OMG HUGE CONGRATS!!! 🎉🎈🍾🎊

Congratulations!!! So exciting, hope it turns into an acceptance!!!

Congratulations!!! You got this 😀