zaira

I'm gonna dump everything I've learned over the past couple weeks about waitlists here: Accepting an offer (edit to clarify: BEFORE the April 15th deadline) isn't really a binding contract. You can back out of it later if you need to; people have done it before. But it is considered bad form to do that without a really valid reason. If you accept a program's offer, their expectation is that you're not holding out on any waitlists and you're ready to commit 100%. So if you're waitlisted at a dream program, you might want to hold out until closer to the April 15th deadline to see what happens. That said, the tricky part is someone else might be doing the same thing at your dream program, so there's an awkward game of chicken sometimes. Basically, do what's right for you, don't feel pressured to accept an offer until you're ready. The April agreement is in place for exactly this reason. And speaking as someone who is currently waitlisted, as much as I want to clear the waitlist ASAP, I also know this is a tough decision for folks to make and I wouldn't want someone to feel rushed into declining offers or dropping waitlists to speed the process up. You're not gumming up the works!

Rejection from Boston finally came in for fiction! They let me know my application was "among the top 60" so that was encouraging at least. Now time to focus all my hope on clearing the UVA waitlist 🕯️

As a compromise, maybe you could express strong interest in the programs without necessarily using the words "top choice?" Something along the lines of being thrilled to accept a spot if it's available?

I'm Nero playing the fiddle over here. I've learned not to ask the universe for much, but maybe, just maybe I could have this: 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ Boston news, any 🕯️ 🕯️ news, I'm not picky 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️

I hope so. It's my last pending result, and I'm guessing it'll be a rejection. Crossing my fingers that they'll send out the remaining emails tomorrow! Anyone else have any insight on this?

It absolutely happens. Last year I believe someone got accepted off the playwriting waitlist in April. And anecdotally I know people who have turned down offers at Iowa for other programs.

Oh absolutely! I'll never stop writing. Next step will be the query trenches if the MFA doesn't happen. Can't wait to replace my MFA rejections with agent rejections, let's gooooo!

Wish I could join all of you in applying next year, those of you going for another round! This season's my one and done. I definitely don't have another application round in me haha. Even if I don't get in anywhere this season, eh, I tried my best. Really hoping all of you get into the programs of your dreams next year if it didn't work out this year! You're amazing people and any program would be lucky to have you ❤️

While I'm feeling deeply thankful for my waitlist, I was also hoping to be done with this process by now. It's hard to let it go completely when so much is still up in the air. I'm counting Brown as a rejection, but that leaves Boston (???? No clue what's going on with that) and the UVA waitlist. Realistically I'm looking at another couple weeks of uncertainty before I can finally put the MFA stuff to rest. I'm so tired, y'all!

That's what I'm assuming, yeah. Though they might surprise us. I think either way we should know for sure very soon. Brown tends to reject folks shortly after putting out acceptances and waitlists (bless them for this, for real)

I'm out of reacts already (whyyyy gradcafe??) but just know I wish I could upvote and heart this a thousand times. Beautifully put!

You have been such a wonderful part of this community, and it hurts my heart to see that you're struggling right now. This is the one thing I absolutely despise about the MFA process. It's almost like it's designed to be an ego-crushing machine, hell bent on making spectacular writers feel unworthy. It tricks us into thinking a spot in a fully-funded program is the only testament to our skill. In truth you have so much going for your writing career. You earned a screenwriting MFA! You got into a residency! You GOT PUBLISHED!! At the end of the day, isn't that the thing that matters most? You're writing, you're putting your work out there, and it's showing up in publications for people to enjoy. What you're doing is working, it's valuable, and I'm so, so proud of you. I know that doesn't ease the pain of rejections or the immense loss of your best friend. Go easy on yourself, your heart's so fragile right now and it needs to be held with care. If you ever need anything, please feel free to reach out. You have this community's support, forever and always.

Is that the most they've ever had? Kinda seems like it

I feel like the unspoken knowledge part is true, at least in my case. I settled on my list after chatting with people heavily involved in MFA-related stuff (professors, current students, alums). I assumed they'd know best so I didn't look closely into as many other programs. Knowing what I know now, I should have applied to a wider range of programs. There are so many incredible ones out there that don't get as much love as some of the traditionally top-ranked programs. So I'd recommend doing research, looking at places that feel like they'd be a good fit for the type of work you like to do and that make sense for your lifestyle (think funding, location, culture). The top programs are fantastic, but they're far from the only ones worth applying to!

Personally I prefer the phrase "give them an offer they can't refuse" 😂