sbristow

Thanks for asking! I am interested in both playwriting and screenwriting, and this application cycle I primarily focused on programs where I could study both. I applied to BU for screenwriting because I liked the location and the potential scholarships available seemed better than in most film schools. (Unfortunately I didn't get much in the way of funding so I will likely either turn down the offer or try to defer).

I also got rejected from UCSD! Now I'm at three rejections, one acceptance (Boston University for Screenwriting), and waiting on Hunter, Carnegie Mellon, and NYU (all probably no's since I haven't interviewed).

That's so exciting! How wonderful to be in a position to choose between two great programs.

Congrats! I forget if you mentioned, did you interview with them and then not hear back?

I'm holding out hope that Hunter didn't send all the interview requests at once and maybe those of us who haven't heard anything still have a shot.

I heard from another playwright that a lot of the time people who are doing the first pass on applications are current grad students. Not sure how true it is, but in my experience as a literary journal editor, I can tell you that people get rejected for all kinds of reasons. The person reading your application might just have been in a bad mood, or hungry, or have a personal issue with your style. Maybe they were really on the fence about your play and agonized over the decision but ultimately felt another one was better. Maybe someone on the committee really loved your work and was pushing for you, but they got overruled (I've had to reject lots of pieces I loved because other editors disagreed with me). Or maybe they didn't feel like you'd fit in well with the cohort they were building. There are all kinds of reasons for a good application to be rejected, especially with programs that are as competitive as this one. Rejections suck but they are absolutely not a referendum on your work as a whole.

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk is satisfying both my literary brain and my screenwriter brain. So tightly structured with such well realized characters!

Amazing, congrats!

Mine has too! Haha this is just like when I watch the status in Submittable turn from Submitted to In Progress, but way more high stakes.

Nice to know it's not just me! Here's hoping!

So far I'm at one rejection (Michener) and two soft rejections (didn't get an interview request from Carnegie Mellon or Northwestern). I'm still waiting to hear from UC San Diego, Hunter College, NYU, and Boston University (I applied for their Screenwriting MFA). Is anyone else waiting to hear from these schools? We can suffer together 🙃. It's my first round so I'm honestly just hoping to get at least waitlisted or interviewed somewhere!

Same here

Weirdly enough checking GradCafe has been the thing keeping me calm/distracting me from other more stressful parts of my life. (This is my first round of applications though, I'm applying to only my top choices this year to see what happens. I'll probably feel more stressed out during my second round of applications next year when I'll be casting a wider net and really trying to get in somewhere). But I love the idea of distracting yourself by reading for a new play festival. Diving into a project like that is a great, creatively fulfilling way to keep your mind off stuff. Personally I'm a literary journal editor and it's amazing. Volunteering to read grant applications is also a great way to spend time.