zaira

I'm sorry you're feeling down. This process really takes a toll, especially after months and months of waiting. If it's any consolation at all, getting waitlisted on your first round after only applying to five schools is a massive accomplishment. I know it doesn't mean much when you want more than anything to be in a program. Still, it's confirmation that your work is connecting with people. Rooting for you to get good news soon!

Oh my goddd, yesssssss!!!! We might actually be magic 🕯️ I couldn't be happier for you. Seriously grinning over here! It's an incredible program.

If they know you're committing then everything is probably fine. The letter will come. Sometimes there's a delay between the program requesting the letter from the grad department and the letter showing up in the portal/inbox for you to formally sign.

What are we still waiting on and hoping for, folks? Would love to extend some positive energy your way and (hopefully) celebrate some long-awaited last-moment wins!

I don't think you have to worry about that! An MFA is a major life milestone, and programs know this. I doubt they'd hold it against you if you were to turn them down and apply again in the future. You can also be honest with them about your reasons. If the timing isn't right, I'm sure they'll understand.

Ahhhh, congrats @jinny-r and @gradschoolpspspsps (I adore your username by the way, I keep meaning to say that). I'm so thrilled for you both!! Definitely keep us in the loop if you get any updates

The fiction cohort hasn't been confirmed yet as far as I know. No clue what the status is for the poetry cohort. It's possible they would reach out to waitlists this weekend, seeing as the April 15 deadline is fast-approaching. But fwiw, I heard from them on a Wednesday. I don't know exactly how many people have confirmed their spots aside from me. Could be anywhere between 1-4 spots unconfirmed for fiction right now. Fingers crossed for you!!!

UVA is more like a 2-year program with the option of becoming a 3-year. You can decide which option you want at the beginning of your second year. The third year is there for students who feel like they need extra time to work on a thesis or those who want more teaching experience. At UVA, you teach a lot more your third year than you do the first two years. It's also rare for third-year students to take other classes and workshops in their final year. It's pretty much just: teach, write thesis full-time. I think a lot of the cohort opts for the 2-year version, even when given the choice of a third year. It's interesting! Edit to add: the folks I spoke with said they were definitely ready for the thesis by the time their second year rolled around and they didn't regret turning down a third year.

Woah, holy fucking shit is right!! CONGRATS! Absolutely thrilled for you

I don't think you need a spark. Not everyone feels a strong emotional pull toward a program, and that's totally fine! In fact it can be healthy maintaining some emotional distance. The only time I would worry about program fit from an emotional standpoint is if the culture isn't conducive to your writing process. Are you someone who thrives in a competitive environment? Are you cactus-like, growing tallest in harsh conditions? Or are you orchid-like, needing tender care in a low-pressure space? I know MFA grads who had a terrible time in their programs because the environment wasn't right. Keep an eye out for those red flags, be honest with yourself about what you need, and don't settle for a program that can't meet those needs. Ask yourself, is it a spark that's missing, or is there something specific about the program that isn't feeling right?

I think I saw on Draft that the Syracuse waitlist is a little long. Not sure if you need to send a third email, especially if you've emailed them relatively recently (like within the past two weeks). But I don't think it would hurt to email them again anyway, seeing as the deadline is on Tuesday (eeeeeek!). If you're gonna email them, it's probably better to do it before the end of this week. Programs are gonna be busy as hell next week. For your accepted program, you can probably just let them know you're still considering their offer and will need a few more days to make your decision. You don't have to go into too much detail. (Still crossing all of my fingers for you to get into your top choice!)

Awwwwwww, THANK YOU!!! That means so much. I'm ridiculously excited! It really does just take one program to say yes. That's it, just one! We gotta keep going til we find it.

I am sending every little bit of my own witchy energy your way!!! I got u 🕯️🕯️🕯️

It is!!! I'm actually pinching myself, I'm so incredibly grateful and happy. It's a dream program. I love every little detail about it and couldn't imagine myself in a better place this fall. @P i e r r o t You might actually be magic because your prayers worked!!! 🕯️ What a rollercoaster of an application season. I want to thank everyone here for being the supportive, lovely people you are. You made this stressful process feel downright enjoyable and I've loved getting to know you these past few months. I’ll still be on the forum for the next couple weeks. I want to see how the season goes for those of you on waitlists. I’m rooting so hard for you! Remember, anything can happen between now and the end of April.

This is so helpful, thank you! We love an approval-by-professional-committee!

Out of curiosity, how did you phrase the update email? I'm always too nervous to ask for updates for whatever reason haha

Oof, tough spot. I'm not sure calling will do much tbh. If they haven't finalized decisions, then whoever you get on the phone with won't be able to give you an answer anyway. I think just wait to see if they respond to your email. It's only been a day and a lot of places are getting back from spring break, AWP, etc. If you get down to the wire tomorrow you can always try calling as a last resort.

Which program? (If you don't mind saying, no pressure) My view is you should never go into significant debt for an MFA. It's just not the type of degree that typically has financial payoff. I'd talk to your main contact at the program and try to nail down exactly what the funding situation is. Ask them what the total funding package is (they should be able to tell you before you accept their offer), whether there are grants/fellowships, and whether funding is the same across all years or if you have to compete for funding again in your second year. I also don't know your life situation, but I will say for most people it makes better sense to apply again next season, rather than accepting a program you aren't totally sure about, that may not offer funding, or that current students are warning you away from. I know that's tough to hear because we all want to get into programs ASAP, but a bad MFA is far worse than having no MFA or having to wait another year to attend.

Awwww, thank you so, so much. This means the world, really. I love this community. I'll happily take all of your little witchy prayers! ❤️ 🕯️

I'm UVA or bust! It's actually my only opportunity to get into a fully-funded MFA because I'm not applying again next season. Kinda increases the pressure 😬 I might try for a low res program in the future though

Good morning, bagel friend! Really hope you get good news on the CSU front today or tomorrow. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about my waitlist because I saw someone say they turned down a fiction offer at UVA. There's a chance! I've decided I'm happy no matter the outcome though. I'd be completely thrilled to get off the waitlist, but I also know there are others on the waitlist with me so I'm not getting my hopes up too high. We might see quite a bit of waitlist movement this week from a number of schools! Seems like some folks are making decisions now. Fingers crossed.

Ha! Yeah I got a second one on Tuesday night. And I recall someone else saying they got a second rejection last week too.

Not to get argumentative because I really feel this comes down to personal choice, but I didn't hear anything about Brown accepting one fewer this year. They ordinarily accept four, and on the website they changed it to five this year. Also I heard that another top school (I won't say which because I'm unsure if it's info they want posted publicly or not) added one additional acceptance to their cohort this year, bringing it up from four to five. Yes, funding is under threat as a whole. Yes, things are scary. But I also feel there's no need to all-out panic. I also fully understand the frustration and terror right now. It's a shitty situation for everyone.

On the issue of consequences, there's one small, potentially unavoidable thing that could happen if a lot of people accept offers they might withdraw later. Let's say Joe Writer panics and accepts an offer at Program A that he's not totally sure about. Program A sends an email to their waitlist saying their cohort is confirmed. Jane Author, seeing this email, assumes it's useless to wait for Program A so she accepts a spot at her second choice, Program B. Then a couple weeks later, Joe Writer withdraws his acceptance at Program A. Now Jane Author is a little annoyed because she could have stayed on the waitlist, but she didn't because she thought all of the available spots were confirmed. Again, I'm not saying you should make choices based on this somewhat-unlikely scenario. You need to focus on whatever makes sense for your specific situation. I don't blame anyone for wanting to confirm spots ASAP.

Ahhh, thank you! I wasn't sure if I could expect to be, like, officially rejected from the waitlist or something. This is good to know. Guess I'll just wait patiently, potentially all summer if I have to haha.