GoldenTree

no matter how i start my stories, they always end up being about failed father/son relationships, or codependent & toxic romantic relationships. I add a lot of jokes to make it less sad, but maybe that's just a defense mechanism against sincerity.
I idealize 'new sincerity' but I have a hard time writing it.  One of the shorts i submitted is postmodern satire. Which maybe means I kinda really have no control over what I write or what ends up 'working', cause I wanted to write the opposite of that.

I would say spirituality, my own crisis with hope, ecological & capitalism concerns, trauma, disability, and the inclusion of fairytale elements be it thematically or through these ideas of the imaginary journey if that makes sense to anyone. 

I write a lot about childhood and growing up, queerness, disability, the limitations and consequences of scientific/technological advancement, intergenerational relationships and inherited trauma, and I love to insert one speculative/supernatural/fantastical element into an otherwise naturalistic setting to see how it shakes out.

Omg yassss I love hearing everybody's answers!! I write about dreams and existentialism a lot too!! I also like writing about technology and ethics.  Also contradictions, as indicated by my username.

Cool topics! I'd love to read your stuff.
I like writing about science, animals, biology, evolution, queer identity, diaspora, and very flawed characters/people.

Revenge
Sublimation
Resistance
hypocrisy 
oblivion/denial
estrangement/disaffection 
i wouldn't call any of these favorites, they just are. 

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?
I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

I definitely understand you! Believe me, I do! And I know this is just some online forum that feels distant at times but we all are experiencing this together. I know for me I do currently have 4-6 unofficial rejections, half my schools are basically gone. And it does bother me, that I can't even say with 100% finality that those schools are done. Still though, I can say with 90% that they are. I would encourage you to focus on the schools you have left, if any, and not the schools that are likely to pass way. Remember too, writing is something no one can take away from you, from any of us. It isn't a job or a career. It's us on the page. It's a life long dedication to the craft. No program or rejection can take that away. 
I'll also share something. I'll be in Nashville for a conference in about a week and half. I haven't gotten a firm rejection from Vandy yet but an unofficial one (I did a poetry application). Before I go, I'll be contacting them and asking for one. I should be gifted that as I'll literally be in their neighborhood. If there's a school you really want to be sure has rejected you, maybe ask them? Someone earlier, weeks ago, mentioned it as a bold thing to do. But I'd much rather muster up the courage, let the dream fully die, rather than not know for another few weeks and be upset over it. So, no push, but something to consider if there's one or two schools specifically you want clarity on. 

ditto re: U of W-Madison. It's kind of them to send rejections and acceptances on the same day though!

I definitely understand you! Believe me, I do! And I know this is just some online forum that feels distant at times but we all are experiencing this together. I know for me I do currently have 4-6 unofficial rejections, half my schools are basically gone. And it does bother me, that I can't even say with 100% finality that those schools are done. Still though, I can say with 90% that they are. I would encourage you to focus on the schools you have left, if any, and not the schools that are likely to pass way. Remember too, writing is something no one can take away from you, from any of us. It isn't a job or a career. It's us on the page. It's a life long dedication to the craft. No program or rejection can take that away. 
I'll also share something. I'll be in Nashville for a conference in about a week and half. I haven't gotten a firm rejection from Vandy yet but an unofficial one (I did a poetry application). Before I go, I'll be contacting them and asking for one. I should be gifted that as I'll literally be in their neighborhood. If there's a school you really want to be sure has rejected you, maybe ask them? Someone earlier, weeks ago, mentioned it as a bold thing to do. But I'd much rather muster up the courage, let the dream fully die, rather than not know for another few weeks and be upset over it. So, no push, but something to consider if there's one or two schools specifically you want clarity on. 

Congrats to everyone. me, I'm waitlisted again, this time USF. 
I'm calling it a win, but for some reason it doesn't feel that way. 

Thank you, GoldenTree!! :') So wonderful to meet a fellow specfic writer. Just because I always have to give shoutouts to the workshops and residencies offered in the genre, friendly tip: If you haven't, consider applying to Clarion, Odyssey, Futurescapes, and/or Taos Toolbox!
And yep, I knew about John Kessel. I saw he was still listed on their website in some places though so I'm not sure if he's still around in, like, an advisory capacity? I figured I'd name-drop him in my app just in case, and hopefully even if he's moved on the fact that he was there at all is a testament to their openness to scifi/fantasy, but the one I was truly devastated to miss out on was Cadwell Turnbull. Would have been ELATED to learn from him. (I don't know if you had this experience applying, but I feel like a lot of their resources are... out of date? Like they continue to list faculty members who I know for a fact aren't there anymore, e.g. Cadwell and John. Shrug!) 
Chex!! Thank you! Scary and exciting is one way of putting it :') Like, I'd be kidding myself if I said the rejection wouldn't hurt, but I'm also trying to remember that there are other avenues, just like there were last time. ❤️ The same is true for you! I hope you get everything you could have wished for. 
I majored in French in undergrad and honestly loved how much writing in another language changed how I wrote in and thought about English as a mode of expression. Most of the programs I'm looking at are translation-focused. French literature has a pretty rich fantasy scene or so I'm given to understand and not a lot of English translations? So I'd looooove to translate French speculative works! 
I'm wishing you the BEST of luck too. 

Congrats on your 1A! VT seems like a great MFA program. What genre are you?

Finally sorted out Google authentication and I can post now! 
This is my second round applying. Last year I had to wait until the very end of the cycle to receive my first waitlist (and no offers). As time passed it was excoriating to check emails and phones and Gradcafe threads over and over. This year, I had my first acceptance on 2 Feb, after only two rejections from OSU and UIUC.  But did it get better? No. I still check these things compulsively like every hour, staying awake til the early morning (I'm International) and hating myself. After all, a rejection is a rejection and it is hard not to feel rejected (otherwise it won't be much of a rejection no?) The sad truth is that rejection is just part of the writing life, and almost everyone suffers from it 😢 One thing I do find helpful is just to go out and get distracted. Go for a run or meet with friends/family. It takes your mind off things for a while. 
 
All my waitlists (including Iowa) last year came through emails, and last week I was informed of my acceptance through email as well. 
 
1A(VT)/0W/3R/15P. But think about it, even if I got into 2/3 more programs, I'd still be getting 10 more rejections at least, right? What a life. 

I kinda wanna ask how you all are coping in this limbo state of rejections, waitlists, and hopefully acceptances? I'm finally starting to feel better this week, I think partially due to the break of the AWP conference and because I've been able to distance myself a bit from this. In all honesty, this whole MFA decisions thing has definitely taken a lot of my focus and as someone who hasn't gotten in yet, it's not always easy to maintain hope. 
Some days I definitely feel emotionally not well due to this and I just want to get to the other side tbh, whether that's rejection or acceptance. No one ever talked about this waiting period in all those articles I read about applying but this feels like the most toxic part of the process for sure, at least for me. 
I didn't expect to be this way either. I've been rejected from lit journals and it doesn't even bother me in the slightest anymore. But this definitely feels different. 
Kind of a rant but yeah. Not sure if anyone else feels the same. 

To protect my tender heart, I will not be assuming a rejection from Michigan until the waitlist result is also posted on Draft.

Scribe! I couldn't agree more! It's wrong, leaving people hanging on with the tiniest spark of "maybe a miracle will happen" when that person is already marked "rejected." 
It is a low standard and it seems like some of these MFA programs, at least in terms of applications, seem to lack consideration for applicants. Maybe this is because they're able to sit up in their towers and pick handfuls out of thousands like kings. Still, It's disappointing. 

I love learning about everyone here! 😁 I'm 25, graduated December '21 with a psych degree and creative writing minor. I'm unpublished for fiction (though I haven't sent anything out in a while, I should get back on that 😅) but have been writing, developing, and publishing a bunch of visual novel games over the past 2 years. I also voice act and draw.
My plan is to be a creative writing teacher, either as a professor or working with underserved populations, like prison rehabilitation programs or underfunded schools. If I don't get in anywhere with enough funding this year, I'll have to consider future plans, and will probably either reapply next cycle or try to pursue game writing/dev + acting as a career. Or do both and see where life takes me! For now, I'm working as a tutor for general k-12 reading/writing/math and SAT reading/writing.

Look, a director at John’s Hopkins is not an imbecile. They’ve heard of the internet. They know people communicate and they know people are waiting for communication from them. 
So do it. It doesn’t take much to send out a thanks but no thanks email. Hit enter- once. It’s that easy.
As for waiting for the acceptance/waitlist to play out, why? Is there a double secret waitlist?  
Once a waitlist has been established send out the rejections too. There’s no reason no to. 
And if this is standard practice, it’s a pretty low standard. 

I hope we're still doing the distraction thread? I'd honestly love to know more about everyone. I'm gonna be 22 in a couple of months and graduating college soon. I have around 10 publications ranging in genre. Tbh I haven't really thought much about my backup plan if I don't get it. I'm an English & Creative Writing major and this is what I've been working towards for 4 years. And like @Kriskris2024, I'd love to teach creative writing. As backups, I've also thought about life coaching. That being said, if I don't get in, I'll likely not try again next year, but try for low residencies for spring admission and get a job to pay for it. This is kind of now or never for me with these fully funded programs for personal reasons, thus I applied to 15, now 16 since I'm doing a last minute application. 

That’s a good plan! But you still have time for pubs and maybe you’ll get accepted somewhere this cycle! 
I’m 31 and just finished my bachelor’s degree last year (life stuff had me in and out of school). I just landed a remote internship at one of the ~fancy literary agencies, so that’s been keeping my mind off mfa apps! My backup plan is to get an entry-level publishing job afterwards. 

Turning 30 this year! I graduated from undergrad in 2016 and have a few published things under my belt. I’m applying to MFAS to eventually become a creative writing professor. I’m currently a full-time creative but I need health insurance now (lol) so if MFAS don’t work out I’ll probably just get a regular suit and tie job to hold me over until next cycle. 

Ah hey, 31 here too! I'm a freelance writer which is fun and validating but also I cannot keep interviewing other people about their work and not investing in my own. I've started half-jokingly talking about selling all my stuff and doing the digital nomad thing if I don't get in anywhere, but I actually love my town? Who knows what happens after the next few weeks and/or months!

Oooh I love me a good distraction post. I will be 37 in May which is really wild to think about because I don't feel like it (but then again, NYC tends to be Never-Never-Land when it comes to age). I manage public transportation projects, which is a good gig, but after taking a few writing workshops last year, I got the hook and wanted to pursue writing. If I get in, I will be working full time and (hopefully) going to school full time, but I used to be a campaign organizer where we used to pull 80+ hour weeks and I did do full time internship/full time school for my last Master's....which I legit got 10 years ago. It is bonkers how fast time flies by.
 

I wanna learn more about you guys! Distraction thread? How old are you guys in this thread? I'm 23, two years out of undergrad with zero big accomplishments in between, no pubs either. I'm currently enrolled in a Teacher Prep program, so if MFAs don't work out I'll probably be looking for secondary English teaching jobs at private schools in the US.