electricstardust

Just got an acceptance in poetry for Miami University (in Ohio). Turning down, but just writing here in case anyone was on the lookout for them!

I am so excited for everybody tonite!! Ahhhh!! Big moves. Happy for all committing!

lychees!! been following your journey on here for a while, and  I’m so SO happy for you!! congrats!! ♥️ also i would love to connect with you outside of here and chat all things CNF and writing- need nonfiction friends!! Pls 🫶🏻 DM me! 

Just got my first acceptance! ... From the very first school I heard from back in January 😂 my fellow waitlist warriors, now is our time 😄

I've officially accepted my offer from the University of Minnesota (and declined my Ohio State offer, so I hope someone on the waitlist receives good news soon)! That finishes this cycle at 6a/1w/4r. Wishing you all the best in the coming days, thank you for all the support ❤️

Holy shit! It worked 😂 congratulations!!!! I will tell you, OSU was utterly incredible and it really came down to very small differences. With that said, good luck deciding 😂

Hi all, this has been my first time applying to Poetry MFAs. My first round. I'm grateful to have got fully funded acceptances at Ole Miss and University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) amongst others. I've also got into NYU with a tuition waiver (no stipend etc). I'm torn between NYU and Minnesota as my two top choices. I love the faculty at Ole Miss but I'm not sure the location is for me. 
I'm down to NYU and Minnesota. NYC is expensive and so I'm extremely grateful to be able to have sufficient personal resources to fund my NYU MFA if I decided to make it there. I'm just not sure if it would be worth it. I've heard there can be varied level of faculty attention at NYU though I am in love with the faculty's work. Claudia Rankine, Catherine Barnett etc. I admire them so much. On the other hand, UMN offers great mentorship and cross-genre tracks and faculty is very invested in the students though I think I'm luke warm towards the faculty at UMN. I don't have that same sense of excitement towards them though I've heard they are great teachers. And celebrity writers don't always make the best teachers. 
I got accepted to NYU for undergrad a decade ago and couldn't go because of personal issues. And life has got me back to square one, facing a NYU acceptance again! It's an emotional moment. I also have a deep bias towards New York City (as a city). 
I'm sorry I know I should sound more grateful for all of these opportunities and I am. It's just a big move from India for me. I also regret having not applied to Iowa or UMich but it feels like too much of a gamble to not accept anywhere this year and re-apply next year. 
If funding was NOT a decisive factor, I'm torn between which program to go to b/w NYU and UMN. Any guidance/pointers? What would you have done?  Is it looked down upon to go to NYU when the school isn't offering you a living stipend? 

Just wanted to pop in and say hi as the season winds down and we get closer to the 15th. I'm so thankful for the support of this community when I was stressing hard in February! I've officially accepted my offer from Brown 
I'll be back checking in next year for sure to see how people from this cycle who chose to reapply are doing, to try to pay the support forward! If anyone wants feedback on their personal statement or sample this summer (poetry) I would be more than happy to correspond, just message me! Love y'all!

With D-Day approaching, wanted to get this off my chest. 
This was my first cycle appplying (5r, 1w, 0p) but like a lot of you, I've been writing and submitting for a long time now. In fact, over the years, I've had approximately 200 submissions, and while I was able to publish a couple pieces here and there, most of them ended up as rejections. I have this one story that I am very proud of (I used it as a part of my portfolio) and while it got favourable reviews so far (it made a longlists and were finalists for publications) all of them turned to rejections. Story of my life. Everything's attainable. Everything's impossible.
This cycle, it has been the same story. I got waitlisted at my top choice (Arkansas) but with D-Day approaching, I'm not sure I will be able to make it off the list. I actually emailed the coordinators two weeka ago to hopefully get a status update, but it has been radio silence from them ever since the initial email. For context, I'm an international student, and with visa complications and such, time is of the essence. Furthermore, while I hate my current job, I do need to properly commit to it in the coming weeks, which means I might have to take another hiatus from writing. As such, I'd love nothing more than some news about Arkansas, as a lot of major, upcoming life decisions depend on this. 
Could anyone share when is the latest people have made it off the waitliat at Arkansas? Also, in case we don't make it, are we notified? Honestly, I'd just like to be put out of my misery at this moment.

Ok this is probably a controversial take because it is the less fiscally conservative move but I wouldn’t move back in with your parents. The year(s) between now and starting your program are your life too and (me projecting my own family dynamic) living with your parents is not going to be super pleasant? In theory your other debt will go into forbearance while you’re in a program so you’re just kicking the can down the road but personally I would just keep living your current life and maybe try to get a side hustle or do something else to make up that $20k.

Don't really feel comfy bouncing this off anyone in my real life just yet so I'm tossing it here. I didn't get in anywhere this year (technically still waiting to hear from Oregon and Iowa lol). It was my first time applying and I only did 4 schools because I already have an MFA and I wasn't totally sure if I wanted another one. Now that time has passed I feel a lot clearer that actually yes, I DO want to do this, for sure, and I'm planning on applying to way more programs this time, as well as doing a lot more prep work. I've lived in my current city for just about 10 years, I love my friends and my apartment, and the idea of leaving is really, really scary. I think leaving for a specific purpose (like grad school) would lessen that a little, but I recently had the thought that I could actually leave this coming winter and move back home with my parents to save money while I apply. I work remote and if I were able to save what I'm currently paying on rent, I could theoretically start an MFA program in 2025 with about $20,000 of my own money saved up. However, I'd be gambling on the fact that I will, in fact, get in somewhere this time. If I don't I'll have moved across the country and uprooted my whole life just to be 33 living in my childhood bedroom. I could also continue my life as-is and plan to only move home next spring if I get accepted; I guess I wouldn't be saving THAT much more compared to moving in the winter. Idk, I guess I'm just wondering what y'all would do in this situation. I'm in so much debt from my other master's degree that the idea of going into this one with a big chunk of money is really really appealing.

My last decision came in last week. What a relief. I was convinced it was a rejection from Portland State, but it ended up being an acceptance!
My final stats: 3a/2r/0w/0p
Acceptances: California College of the Arts (scholarship: $27k each year); University of Montana, Missoula (scholarship: $2,500); Portland State University (no funding)
Rejections: Oregon State University (my alma mater *crying*) & University of Washington
Extra info: Nonfiction; first round of applications.
It seems like I only got into the lower-competition programs, but hey, I got I got in somewhere!! My ability to attend is not contingent on funding. I think it's best I won't be taking a funded spot while still being able to get my MFA. I really thought it wasn't going to happen this year, so I'm still in shock about my acceptances.
What questions are you guys making sure to ask professors and students at your prospective programs?

Since there is very little info on Canadian unis, sharing my experience for this year.
The deadlines were all early/mid jan (a few remained open till 31st/ Feb 1st). Offers began mid Feb and still going on for many. Seems for Canadian unis there is still hope up until early April. 
My background: International student, MA from Canada (expected to end this term). Applied to 5 programs.
McGill: Unofficially rejected on Feb 19th, emailed them to enquire and they replied back. Official rejection came yesterday Mar 7th. UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary PhD program (Global Studies): Rejected through portal Feb 28. Toronto: Unofficially rejected, emailed then and they replied back with this: "as of Tuesday, March 5, I can confirm that everyone who was successful or waitlisted for any of our graduate programs have now been contacted. Those who were not offered are now being contacted this and next week." UBC: Accepted, offer through email on Mar 5th. Alberta: Still no news, but I heard they always send after mid Mar. I can finally breath now with my first offer, coming after 3 rejections. Wishing luck for everyone waiting.

Waitlist movement is real! Just received an updated offer from Boulder with funding, so will likely be rejecting UNM Fiction once I do the math if anyone is on that waitlist and needing some good news!

Anyone have advice for how to reach out to schools to request a timeline for acceptance/confirmation of rejection? I still have a few schools lingering that I'm growing increasingly worried I won't hear from by April 15th, and I would love to reach out for a timeline if that's not looked down upon. Any tips appreciated ❤️ (And if any fiction people have heard from UNLV, Houston, or Oregon for rejections would love to know!)

It's official:
1. waitlists are moving
2. there is rampant substance abuse among MFA program selection committees.
I'm accepted at NWP.
 

Ahhh congrats!! I still have my fingers crossed we'll be in the same cohort at NCSU, but I'm glad you have another great option. Also would love to read this story!!

Everyone!!! I've been off the forums for a couple of weeks (for my own sanity), but my application round has officially come to a close... with an acceptance from San Francisco State University. I got the email last night and I'm still kind of in shock?! Trying not to let the imposter syndrome tell me it's not the achievement that it is. 
SFSU was the only program I applied to that isn't fully funded, so all of it will depend on whether or not I get any scholarships (I applied by the priority consideration deadline), and I'll probably want to apply to some other fellowships on their list. But I would be able to stay local, continue working part-time at my current job, and not have to rush my wedding this summer. 
NC State is still lingering out there, with waitlist decisions expected May 1. I'm not as wedded to it as I was before. If SFSU was meant to be, then I will take this as a sign!
It's made me so proud to see all of your accomplishments, and I'm grateful that you all made a space for me here. You are all phenomenal writers with infinite promise, and life is full of chances. If there's one thing I've learned since submitting work professionally in the past couple of years, it's that a rejection is ultimately meaningless. Your acceptance is out there, your moment will come, and in the meantime, cultivate your craft and your love for it, continue to make it yours, and cherish the connection you have with your words, when it's just the two of you in a quiet room, and no one is listening. That will be your anchor, I promise!
Much love!
EDIT: Also, while all of this was going down... I made my first paid sale for a story earlier this month, in a magazine that I LOVE. The story had been rejected 5 times, subbed around for over a year. NEVER GIVE UP!

Waitlist movement happens until the cohort is finalized. Which is sort of a crappy answer, but it's true. Last year, I was rejected after not making it off the waitlist on 4/13. Some people have gotten off waitlists after 4/15. It just depends on many factors.

Shoutout to WUSTL for their update! They told me, "If you’re receiving this, you are currently placed 3rd or below on our alternate lists," and that students in my position have received offers of admission in the past. Also that the waitlists are short and have grown shorter over the weeks due to applicants accepting other offers. They said that 2 students have accepted and 1 has declined (don't know if this is just for my genre or for all of them), and it's still too early to offer admission to waitlisted candidates. 
So if you've been waitlisted at one or more schools, don't despair! Seems like there is a lot of movement happening even if schools haven't given any updates.
Edit: I emailed to ask for clarification on who has accepted and declined, and they replied very quickly, saying that they need 4 declines across all genres before they start making offers to waitlisted candidates. As of this afternoon, two offers total have been declined, and several more have dropped off the waitlist. So definitely lots of movement happening!

I was accepted for fiction last week! It has been raised substantially - currently just under $28k, but I was also informed that the grad student union is currently negotiating with the university administration, and that number is likely to go up substantially prior to the start of next year or the university will risk a strike. 

Rejected at UW-Seattle for fiction. It be like that sometimes. 

I was waitlisted for fiction today, if that helps. no mention of a stipend offer for the anointed. 

do we think uwashington poetry is a soft rejection/waitlist if we haven’t heard by now? it’s the last school i’m waiting on!

All y'all in waitlist and funding purgatory I SEE YOU! I HEAR YOU! I FEEL YOU!
Today I got my Tin House summer workshop and Iowa rejections (yay!) and found out GMU is funding 14 students instead of 20-24. It was a dose of Squid Game reality to put 30 admitted students in a Zoom and say "Nice to meet you, congrats! Half of you will make it!" Genuinely thankful to be in this position, and thrilled for everyone with acceptances and funding, but it also gives me so much anxiety I wanna throw up