glowingbrightly

oh no I hadn’t heard about poetry issues at WashU. I’m a poet too so I could offer a bit more direct advice if I knew what your own poetry was like and what your goals for it are. I think, because you have such great potential options, this really comes down to vibes more than anything else. Broadly, ND is going to be weirder and more into translation, IU is more supportive/craft-focused, and UIUC will be more interdisciplinary/socially conscious.

I think you have four amazing waitlists and you’d be lucky to get off any one. WashU is up there a bit more in prestige but Notre Dame and Indiana have really solid reputations, and UIUC also looks lovely. You are probably right about Indiana being a bit more known than ND but ND has more reach in experimental circles (Action Books) while IU leans more traditional. I think they all have similarities in terms of LCOL but still decent midwest locations, funding, prestige so I’d choose solely based on how you vibe with faculty work.

2:2 is a lot but if you think the program seems great and love the faculty then that’s all you should need to know imo

acceptances came out a few weeks ago. I got one but am going to turn it down. I haven’t seen any rejections or waitlists and it’s a big, expensive program so you’d think there’d be a lot.

I refused to apply to any programs that had interviews and now I feel very justified in that choice but here’s hoping pitt and others still work out for folx!

For sure, it’s a big program so lots of waitlist movement but it’ll happen late cus most aren’t rejecting Iowa first thing. I know of at least a couple acceptances visiting this week that haven’t decided yet.

syracuse had the nerve to reject me for the 2nd time today 😤

Yes, I think it’s unlikely that schools dip into the R pile but I do think any schools that haven’t sent Rs yet are still up in the air, which is why I don’t believe in soft Rs

Thanks, I’m poetry. I checked portal before posting and nothing. Idrc enough to contact them but it’s weird they haven’t sent anything. Are you sure rejections went out? It’s largely irrelevant to me now but think it’s possible they are holding back in case they have more openings than expected.

Just realized CU-Boulder is the only school I haven’t heard anything from…

I wouldn’t pay either NYU or Columbia for these dual degrees but just want to chime in and add that some of the best poets I know have MFA/JDs—including both faculty at Irvine—so it’s certainly nothing to sneeze at. Law school has much broader applications for language and critical thinking skills than one might assume at first.

wishing the best for all fellow brown rejections ❤️ it has been a long cycle and congrats to everyone for making it this far regardless of outcomes

Don’t let the stats discourage you. I know a Brown fiction grad who got all Rs first cycle and then didn’t get in anywhere but Brown their second cycle.

Waiting for brown to reject me now feels like waiting for my ex to block me after getting engaged… are they the one that got away?

hang in there y’all. multiple poets just got off waitlist there after over a month of waiting. Fiction went out much later but still before a lot of schools decided so you are all still in this!! honestly think it’s totally possible all 3 waitlisters could get off, and likely at least one does. and as far as expressing interest, I think you can just chill and trust irvine. I got a 2min call at 9:30am in mid feb and didn’t say a word to them for 5 weeks until getting the acceptance

I just got offered a spot at Irvine!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

still waiting for brown to reject me but in the meantime, i have a call scheduled in a few hours with my top school for “an update on our admissions process.” hard to imagine this could be bad news but im totally flipping out about it

Congrats!!! I almost applied and I’m now envying those 40k stipends popping up on the draft sheet

one of the draft fb admins said they thought fiction may have gone out around the 10th but I doubt that and at min, it seems extremely unlikely poetry has gone out given that multiple acceptances were recorded on last year’s draft spreadsheet I know we are all grasping for straws but let’s remember the simplest explanation is usually the right one

My answer may not apply to everyone, but after going through this process and receiving great feedback from UCI and Columbia—while being rejected from Syracuse, Amherst, UVA, Michigan, and Northwestern—I’ve realized that my poetry fits best in niche yet elite programs, which is a strange combination. Brown, for example, is a perfect fit for my poetics, regardless of its prestige. Most of the programs I was rejected from lean more traditional, and there aren’t many that prioritize the kind of urgent, experimental practice I bring to the table. I took chances on other top programs, hoping my work might connect, but this process has also taught me a lot about myself and my writing. I understand now why fit matters so much—why people advise reading faculty work before applying. Honestly, I think a lot of people pick the same schools because of rankings and name recognition, with location also a huge factor. Personally, I was working up to the deadline, since this is my first cycle, and had to limit how many Dec 15 deadlines I applied to. If I reapplied, I’d probably add WashU, Minnesota, Cornell, and Notre Dame while skipping Syracuse, Amherst, Northwestern, Michigan, and UVA.

post on draft fb says not yet but very soon for nf

a poem: I wait around my shit is brown

yes! I’ve been rather prolific these last few agonizing weeks and generated a whole new chapbook after my last one took me like a year to develop

Thnx I will have to check out I Ching!! 😂😂 I like the motherpeace tarot deck which is all about feminine spirituality and sitting with contradiction and uncertainty—perfect for the MFA journey!

y’all need to step it up to tarot ✨