glowingbrightly

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 ✨

💩💩💩🙏💩💩💩

Next week spring break, usually calls midweek—I truly think it will be tues-thurs this week…

I think lived experience is a big factor but some have more lived experience by the time they graduate high school than some do 10 years post-undergad… So imo it’s not really something that can be tracked by age or years since undergrad

Eleni Sikelianos is on leave from Brown this semester so maybe that’s been holding them up a bit since she’s usually a major part of the decision… though I could be reaching since she was such a big part of my SOP

most schools reach out midweek tues-thurs anyway, but unless you are waiting to hear from notre dame i don’t think st patty’s day has much of an influence lol

honestly anything but 1/1 for a creative writing mfa sounds like a scam unless you are looking for a program specifically focused on teaching. and from talking with people I know, teaching comp is more draining than teaching creative writing because it’s less engaging and takes more energy away from thinking about your own practice, though this ofc varies in terms of both institutional leeway and support

I see a lot of people talking about soft rejections lately, I think mainly because of how stressful the wait can be, and I just wanna encourage anyone who thinks like that to try to be a bit easier on themselves. I don’t think most schools operate that way and Brown in particular is definitely still up in the air. It may be dauntingly selective but we are still in this!

jeez leave some advanced degrees for the rest of us 😅

there are a couple waitlists for washu poetry on draft, not sure about acceptances

I’ve heard from students that there can be competition to get into workshops with desired faculty. Poetry prof I spoke with said they prioritize registration based on whether or not someone has worked with a faculty member before. So if you are dying to work with a particular writer, it will be limited unless you can form a personal relationship. Fiction naturally has more options since it is larger.

I can certainly relate. I received a very generous early email from Columbia and while I don’t think I’ll be able to attend because of cost, and I know it’s less competitive because of size and funding, I still accept the validation for what it is. I wouldn’t view any acceptance as anything but an indication you’d be a good fit.

I’ve been looking into Columbia for poetry despite the cost so can add some basics about fiction in contrast to amherst—quality of education is certainly high and prestige is there but cohorts are massive for fiction, workshop registration is competitive and uneven, and mentorship is largely nonexistent beyond independent study or pure chemistry. They have some great faculty and course offerings but workshop culture is going to be severely lacking compared to amherst.

you are clearly not a dope at all! I’m just dying to get off the waitlist after getting the call a month ago and would trade vital organs for any info at this point

thanks for all this! any insight into how many poetry candidates have accepted thus far?

it’s on a post from yesterday—found under UCI not Irvine. I know poetry calls went out in feb and still have yet to send rejections afaik

hi all… long time lurker, first time commenter here! I couldn’t figure out how to reply until I made a new account today 😭 I was waitlisted at Irvine for poetry and got into Columbia so feeling great about my first app cycle but currently going nuts with everyone else waiting for Brown and praying that the Irvine waitlist moves no matter what happens after that 🤞