smallchange

Looked into this and definitely sounded interesting but it seems to be for people who want to go into film producing. Sounds cool tho! USC has a similar program (business of cinematic arts) and I believe a new masters in the English department which is kind of the equivalent for publishing. this is real - have several friends going through the law school app process right now and it seems extremely stressful but there is something about knowing where you stand based on your numbers that sounds kind of nice after this experience. Definitely considering something a bit more career-oriented next time around (possibly journalism school) but I will also probably also see you here next fall …. the mfa dream is a hard one to crush.

I live in LA and probably won’t be going bc budget but down to meet up! Have heard of some after parties and such too

What is the protocol for updating waitlists if you don’t have any acceptances (or other waitlists)? Is it appropriate to ask about movement and say I would 100% accept the offer if I was accepted?

Does anyone have recs for good online and/or SoCal based writers workshops that offer scholarships?

There are a few UK programs with rolling deadlines through June. East Anglia I know for sure, and I’m not completely sure but I think it’s more common with schools there that the deadlines are pretty late. If it’s something you’re interested in definitely worth doing some research. These aren’t funded obviously and I think in the UK they mainly offer a masters, not MFA (usually one year).

This reminded me that I was planning on applying to americorps if I didn’t get in anywhere haha so thank you!

Congrats! Love hearing on here about peoples’ successful second rounds. Best of luck!

I checked Hunter’s website earlier because their whole process is confusing to me and it said they accept people through April…though I’d assume that’s only if the initial offers don’t accept.

Oh sick! I grew up there (partially) and same. Most underrated city in California! I also thought a lot about applying bc I kind of wanted to move somewhere new but I’m in LA now and it would be great to not be too far from my girlfriend. Plus I think it would be a pretty different experience living there as an adult. Fingers crossed tho.

I saw that and it brought me some hope haha. Are you also waitlisted?

This seems unlikely but does anyone have any idea how large the Davis waitlist is? I was waitlisted for fiction.

Ah okay I’m bummed but thanks for the info!

Could you clarify this? I don’t see the comment. Someone emailed their admin and they said they sent out acceptances?

Echoing the don’t take it personally sentiment! I feel like I preemptively went through the grieving process before hearing from everywhere, but my main takeaways since have been 1) I need to put my head down and write 2) it’s possible that the rejections were due to quality, but it’s also possible that they were due to a dozen other factors that were totally out of my control and 3) I should have definitely read more current faculties’ work. I don’t think most schools send out a personalized letter, and I would guess that Iowa sends them out to people that made it to a certain round in the decision process. It doesn’t necessarily mean that no one who read your sample thought you’d make a great candidate.

No just the shorter letter that doesn’t say “please apply again” hahahaha I’m just being salty …..

I got the “we didn’t like you that much” letter. It’s going on the back of the t shirt.

I feel like people have discussed this already so sorry if I'm repeating, but does anyone have any idea how many funded programs rely on federal funding? I had sort of a fuzzy idea that most of the funding comes from endowments/private sources but I don't know how accurate that is. Any insights appreciated!

This is crazy goddamn. Glad you're getting out of there. I didn't want to stereotype but I did suspect that "certain type of people" might refer to aspiring literary it-girls and backstabbing mid poets (aka rich mommy and daddy). Ofc I'm sure there are many exceptions (@exvat) but wow. Best of luck wherever you end up! Sounds like you could write some great satire if you ever attempt it

Good to know re: Hunter. My hopes are slim but it does seem like they have some kind of a batched schedule reviewing applications, I’d guess because the program is so small. That makes sense that NYU would attract a “certain type of person.” I was confused about funding because someone in the fb group mentioned getting a “fully funded” offer there plus full tuition remission which I didn’t know they offered. Any program that can fund their whole cohort but chooses not to doesn’t sit right with me. I’m sorry to hear about your experience there, that’s horrible. I have a friend doing a PhD there (in the English department) who is very involved in pro-Palestine activism so that’s a surprise to hear. Congrats on your offers/waitlists! Sounds like you’re off somewhere better no matter what.

Thinking of making a t shirt that says “I got rejected from Iowa Writer’s Workshop and all I got was this dumb t shirt”

insane.....

I am surprised to hear of people getting scholarships/funding at NYU. I didn't even consider NYU because I can't afford private school tuition for graduate school but I'm curious if there are other non-funded programs which can become funded on the dl...doesn't seem like Columbia is very generous.

🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ Hunter interview 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️

Thanks, you too! Agree about character-work; I'm a huge imagery person and used to do a lot of screenwriting, where dialogue and visuals do so much of the work. I guess I'm just growing into writing fiction honestly and figuring out how to do character-work in fiction is very different but (for me at least) way more rewarding. Would love to share work tbh if you're up for it - feel free to dm me. Sounds like we might have some stuff in common!

Yeah it's interesting...not to get too personal on here but the novel I'm trying to write definitely has an undercurrent of mental illness that gives it an "unreality," and during application season I felt like this aspect of it was either very corny or not fleshed-out enough. I haven't been able to write very much in the past month due to stress, but when I actually manage to do it I've found this vein much easier to tap into, and I feel like I've had a bit of a breakthrough in the tone/protagonist. Not sure if you feel the same but it's sooo much easier to write when I don't have a deadline looming (I'm always fascinated by people who say the opposite) How bout you? What's your genre? Or anyone who wants to share And yes agree, "pitching yourself" is definitely a necessary skill for any artist and if nothing else I feel like this process has given me some needed practice in it! It's also funny how much of any higher ed admissions process (at least in America) really rests on the applicant's ability to self-mythologize. Have always found it interesting that even non-creative programs still require some level of self-analysis in a SOP and I have no idea how seriously adcoms actually take these statements when after a while they must kind of read like boilerplate.