gafoo

When I got my initial email informing me I was on a given waitlist, I immediately reached out to enthusiastically accept the waitlist slot while also asking: 1) is this a simple ranked waitlist? and 2) can you inform me of my position on the list?. Some programs will happily tell you your exact spot, whereas others won't say specifics, but might generally hint ("you're closer to the top than to the bottom"). I got an offer for an unfunded program this week that doesn't follow the Apr 15 deadline (Hunter), so I reached out to all my waitlist schools to ask if there'd been any movement/change because I was evaluating an offer. Using this as "leverage," I got much more detailed info (# of slots accepted thus far, my specific position). But generally, if it weren't for that offer, I'd say it makes more sense to hold off on sending this check-in/status email 'til April. After emailing my 3 WL programs, the general theme seems to be that there really hasn't been any movement yet, and probably won't be for a couple weeks. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Ohio State is prob top choice (that's my #4 WL, and least likely to convert). Barring that, I'm split 50/50 rn on VCU and Montana—would love to fly out and visit both campuses, but sorta hard to commit to a flight when I don't know whether I'll get a funded offer at either yet!

Found out I am straight-up: Ranked #1 on 2 of my waitlists Ranked #4 on the other Ranked #1 on the waitlist for funding for one of my acceptances (my other acceptance is unfunded) Grateful for the positive response to my work, to be sure, etc. etc. But it's hard to imagine a situation with more uncertainty than this. Teetering on the brink of acceptance for 4 schools, totally unsure what might/might not convert before April 15. Agony!

Right there with you... Waitlisted at 3 programs, one of which is lowkey my dream nonfic program (ohio state!)🥲 Only thing that's keeping me going is that I connected with a current student who made it in mid-March last year off of the waitlist. It really does happen!

Yeah, I got this same email on March 4, not sure why they'd even send these out (or why they all seemed to come at different times?). I don't know that it's signal, I think it's just a weird automated thing from the grad school.

Lol, completely agreed. Totally joking bc I'd do the same thing if I were in the position of holding multiple acceptances rn. Hoping to see you at a VCU campus visit in early April if we both get off the waitlists!

A bunch of fiction waitlists showing up in the draft today, but nothing for poetry in the last bit! If you haven't gotten an interview for your genre yet, though, it may very well be gg. Although you never know!

If any of you have been accepted to VCU or Ohio State for nonfiction, or if you're #1 on the waitlist, can you please decline your offer? I will venmo you $5 I swear (jk jk of course)

Feel like this is probably the last "big" week we'll get... seems like most movement on the draft sheet after this week historically comes from waitlist shifting. Really hoping to get closure on a couple of my close waitlists this month... don't wanna string along my one acceptance too long but I've gotta hold out a bit to hear from Ohio State nonfiction!!

I was wondering the same thing... it's strange bc the director said on the phone that he couldn't guarantee I'd be getting a funded slot and they'd be "finalizing the list soon." Anyhow, it's probably impossible to infer what happens inside the black box of admissions committees. But that doesn't stop my mind from trying!!

So incredibly strange that I know at least 2 people who got accepted to Montana CNF last week and got a call from the program director... but someone else just posted a CNF acceptance via an automated university email (which neither I nor the other acceptees I've spoken with have gotten yet??).

Yes, it seems like waitlists have gone out for all genres at this point (maybe not all responses, but at least some). I got an email from Thomas this morning for cnf.

One of the programs I'm WLed at told me that I am at the very top of the waitlist, and I just realized that Miffy's one of the acceptances... shoutout miffy I hope you decline this one soon ❤️

Hey, same boat here—had my call w/ a faculty member on Friday (2/27), and they told me they'd be sending out official acceptances from Slate + TAship offers + everything else on Monday at the latest (3/2). Still haven't gotten anything. Sounds like they're just running behind?

I definitely think the biggest thing to consider cohort-dynamics-wise is just the fact that the demographics of an unfunded program are probably different than fully-funded—I'd speculate that there would be lots more wealthy fresh-out-of-undergrads than a typical program (could be way off base here, though). But if the financial math pencils out and you feel like you like the program after doing your due diligence, I wouldn't worry about the hierarchy thing! Also, I am sorry for your loss, and I think it's really lovely that he'd leave you funds to pursue education. ❤️ Sending love to you and your family.

I think that the "hierarchy piece" is secondary to how I've always interpreted the advice: never go into DEBT for a writing MFA, because you will almost certainly not make that money back. It's just not worth it—it's pretty much always a better bet to continue honing your craft and apply again to full-funded programs again in a year IMO. But again, if you're independently wealthy/able to pay, and the program has a good reputation generally, I don't see why not. For example, I am very much considering an MFA at Hunter College—this school would cost me $8k/year to attend, but would also allow me to keep my current full-time job, which makes the math make sense for me. And it's a respected program!

Well said

The waiting is really starting to get to me. It is beginning to feel a little agonizing. Waiting to find out funding info for my one acceptance (only half the class gets TAships), waiting to find out if I get off either of my "short and selective waitlists," waiting to see if my interview converts into an offer, waiting to see if I got into my last school—so much waiting! And I am incredibly grateful and proud and honored that I've gotten any traction on my first-cycle as a non-english major who's been working in tech the last four years, but damn. I really thought by early March I'd have a better idea where I stood.

miffy strikes again... for the last program I'm waiting to get a response from

I think it's fine, just be courteous and respectful! I got waitlisted at Ohio State and VCU. For both schools, I emailed to ask A) whether the list was a simple ranked/ordered list, and B.) whether they were able to tell me my ranking. OSU told me exactly what my position was; VCU's admin said "I'm not allowed to tell you your exact position, but..." and then gave me a general sense of which quartile I was in. Both schools seemed totally chill about it. Just be mindful that schools have different policies!

Was it the one that said "Your Fall 2026 Graduate Application Was Sent to the Academic Department for Evaluation"? If so I got that one on Feb 2... Either way, I'm placing my bet that U Idaho decisions drop today. Or at least a first batch of some sort!

It might just be a selection bias thing or something (only those who got told "high up" put it in the notes; those who were higher up on the waitlist are overrepresented in Draft, etc) — but we can't all be high up on a waitlist! The existence of an ordered list implies some of us would be lower on it!

Why does it seem like every single VCU waitlister got told they were "quite high" on the waitlist lmao

Honestly at this point I am happy to just accept the implicit rejection from UMN. One less school to consider! Once I hear back from Idaho I'll have officially heard a 'first response' from every school I applied to and that feels great. It's felt like an eternity but it's only been a month lmao

If you can, try to find someone on the Draft '25 who ended up in that same program and shoot them a message! I did that for my nonfic interview and got some really good insight into what the interview will be like (actually I reached out to someone doing fiction, and they very kindly messaged their friend in the nonfic track, who subsequently gave me advice). But overall, you can expect it'll probably cover a few of these areas: Why this program? (know the faculty, program vibe, maybe their lit mag's style) Tell us about what you envision for your book-length project (show you've thought seriously about what you want to produce during an MFA) Why an MFA at all? (show some thinking beyond "time to write and read") Your writing inspirations, favorite authors, why, etc.