Ogwick

So we are confirmed waitlists for Iowa Fiction are emailed?

Thank you for answering the question about Iowa waitlists (snail mail) - I knew the rejections were hard copies

(In Jim Carrey Voice) So you’re telling me there’s a chance….

I’ve just been told I’ve received the rare “Superstar” badge on my Grad Cafe MFA 2026 Applicants Forum profile page. Does this help my grad school admission chances? How do I let the committee know about the reference? Also - is there a cash prize as well? (I better make it clear this is sarcasm…)

The application process and the completion of a MFA thesis to submit is really the prime reason I applied this year. Forced me to do it etc. Everyone on this thread should be proud of themselves that they made the effort. They took the shot. Believe me — that separates you from 90% of the rest of the world. Doesn't mean auto money or success, but this effort should be primarily one of passion anyway (news headline - writing doesn’t pay well, FYI.. sorry if that is news!)

Congrats to you too - activity has picked up tonight!

Congrats! Go Blue!

“Right now, your brain is grasping for absolutes that simply do not exist in this process, as awful as that is. Sometimes recognizing that there aren't any, and finding something to be excited for either way is crucial.” You would make a good Philosopher @Theodosia! And a good explanation for Schrödinger’s Cat

This is a perfect post for me to ask this question. I’ve lived a life as an entrepreneur and when I see great mis-matches in demand / supply there usually is an opportunity to help the “market” specially I’m talking about the need for creative writers to get funding and support for their work historically this has come from Universities - but for several reasons (at least in the USA) you should assume 1/2 of liberal arts programs are gone in 10 years and all of the teaching jobs that go with it net - there needs to be a new funding and support system (fast and easy) outside the academic system (in support of it - not to replace the university - but the few remaining won’t be able to satisfy the demand from students / teachers) proposal / a system is set up where each author is given their own IDSN number and Crypto token (Solana based?) for the public to contribute $1 or $10 (their choice) to support these authors money transfers via low cost Solana crypto network tax and hassle free (or others - I’m Solana biased from research I’ve done) think of it as the 21st century crypto system for the public to support the art community directly this would have to be a free / charitable foundation approach. Not for profit (no “fees” taken etc) thoughts?!

FYI - I just sent this to @Sumire11over email - we are connected in the “real world” / why @Sumire11? I can sense trustful people pretty quickly and you can trust him Suggestion - let’s set up a WhatsApp MFA 2026 group chat to post in GradCafe but not for “anonymously posts”. Everyone has to show up in their “real self” And no obligation - we can share each others thesis and get feedback from each other That would be very helpful!! No obligation to share but I want others to read my work and give feedback and I know others would as well if you like this idea / go to my previous post and get my email to send me your WhatsApp info to get added to the group. I will send to @Sumire11 for him to have final approval into letting people into the chat (not me - two factor people authorizing is always better for systems controls) I can help with some tips to get this up and running on whatsapp - that’s my day job!

Thank you! Regardless of what happens to me specifically this year, this has been a fascinating process and I appreciate all the perspective and help here! My usual German Prussian Engineering vibes aren’t as pleasant or helpful

I think this is correct - with maybe one waitlist change before March, but if you’re not on an waitlist this week I would think it’s a hard “no” in the mail coming. While we torture ourselves on the Last Day - question to this group from a liberal arts newbie. Does anyone say “No” to Iowa —for fiction specifically?! Would someone pick another (assume fully funded fiction) program closer to home, or different school like JHU or NU to be in bigger cities, etc? Any record of someone getting multiple offers and declining Iowa Fiction in reality over the years?

I think the calls will wrap up Tuesday (today) at Iowa and definitely by the end of the week. But that is just my hunch!

Sure! If anyone wants a copy of my Iowa Thesis to see what you’re not supposed to do, I’d be happy to email it to you (as well as my final Libretto I’m finishing). I think I nailed the formatting part at least - for next years batch it might be helpful to see what one persons “output” was for the Fall 2026 batch (it was 86 pages but lots of white spaces). if a miracle does happen and I get into Iowa off a waitlist etc, I won’t email it out until I know I won’t be expelled for it! But either way feel free to email here and continue the conversation: https://www.xavier.edu/management-program/faculty/todd-wichmann

I’ll have my name and copyright info on the final work - and anyway my email address I’m using is on the university website I teach at (adjunct MBA in Entrepreneurship - not English!) so I can post it here too. my cell phone and university email exist on a public webpage so my spam and unknown calling filtering (usually set at NSA security levels) has been a real pain waiting for an unknown phone number… Bangladesh is NOT close! Yes to my fellow fat Germans in the Midwest it’s “close” but not to my standards.

Omg you are going to MISSOULA!!? I am so so jealous / but realize I would never sit inside a classroom there! I’m an avid fly fishing fanatic - I have fished all over there and the feeder streams of eastern Idaho. Truly one of the most beautiful and remote places on earth. Before you go, take one fly fishing lesson there. PLEASE!! You won’t regret it. Pro tip - take a weekend winter no tourist time trip to nearby Cour d’Alene Idaho… remember - the number of assholes in the USA increases dramatically the farther you travel out of Missoula, Montana

Ok entertain me because this is a game I like to play (I’ve traveled a lot). Where are you… South Asia - Muslim country or heavy population - highly educated, fluent English, heavy American media consumption to highlight Tom and Jerry cartoon that I even had to pause to remember and I watched TV non-stop as a kid in the Midwest… My first guess was Jakarta - but the Tom and Jerry ref makes me say Singapore. How did I do!? If I DONT get in - I’ll post a Dropbox link here you can copy and paste my Iowa thesis to Download it. This final output (not what I applied to Iowa with) is a 80’s Rock Opera Libretto (opera lyrics without the music score)

Did @gafoo get into Iowa or a different school? Since I only applied to Iowa I don’t bother looking at the spreadsheet congrats regardless! That’s great

Nope! I’m the ugly duckling black swan this year. I went to Northwestern but spent my existence on North Campus - think 3D calculus and organic chemistry - not on the fun South Campus with all the fun theater and MFA types… (no complaints / I had a lot of fun at college!) Anyway - I’ve been a corporate guy then entrepreneur. I got a big / idea for a project and (surprisingly to me) had someone on the phone from “Hollywood” on this project idea of mine (multi season streaming tentpole like franchise based on a best selling book / the author (I just called his agent) gave me their permission to pitch it based on my “idea” - won’t call it a script back then). (I’m good at deals / getting people on the phone - I was just amazed I had gotten this far!) Also was clear to me I had absolutely no fucking idea what I was doing. Last English class I took was in high school (self taught reader). ANYWAY - the point being it was clear to me that if I was going to “try this creative arts thing” I needed to know what the heck a “character write up pitch was” and how a good one would be judged. (me on the phone with CAA rep -“sure - not a problem - char write up. Easy easy”. Click. What the fuck is that?!) So I applied only to Iowa and wrote a lot in a very short compressed time period. I operate best under pressure and unrealistic deadlines. So in the end I never had a chance of hell of getting into Iowa, but this is how I force myself to learn something new for a goal / reason if I don’t get into Iowa - that tells me I just saved myself 2 years to get moving on this! I have no problem sharing my final “output” here if you want to read it. I don’t really mind “doxxing myself” with my work - isn’t that the point of all this?! I get confused why authors would want to be anonymous?!)

I love it. My thesis is all about how language and words lose their intended “true meaning” across worlds / cultures - ie the receivers (those with human eyes / ears) have no comprehension of the speakers background of what they are saying, even though it’s “clear” to them. “Sem” in Brazil means “without” so you said (literally if we were in São Paulo) “…if it was a choice between my hair and getting into Iowa, I’ll take without hair” in short hand internet txt You were using a different internet short hand entirely for “SEM” - but yet a similar enough meaning for the message to be received completely differently on my end. (In Spock voice) “Fascinating…”

Pro-tip warning: if you are anxiously waiting by your cell phone like a bad prom date, do NOT update your iOS software like I just did. This update took way way longer than normal, designed by the engineers at Apple to mentally torture us all, specifically on this “last hours of Iowa Monday” day. Public Service Announcement over.

Portuguesa? Tudo Bem? my product is from Brazil that we are launching - spent a lot of time down there! if “Sem” was a spelling mistake - never mind! Ha

I will take my CPG unexpected biz deal phone call from a deity named in my Iowa thesis as the literary demigods saying “nice try corporate boy!” what I find amazing is all the people on the thread lamenting the lack of money, or prestige, or recognition, etc. And yet I would trade the millions** off that Mars Inc phone call this morning to talk about books and ideas for two years at Iowa in a fucking nano second. What is purgatory to some, is ecstasy to others. **potential deal - I have to be honest with myself. If cash on the table, would I burn it?

Ha! Best comment I’ve read today. Not that I believe it but the humor works on many different levels. I haven’t heard a peep from Iowa and yet (re: see my earlier posts about “Mårrs”) I did get a call this morning from the other Mars (as in Mars Inc). There is a big natural CPG (consumer packaged goods) trade show in LA next week and we are meeting up for dinner blah blah I’ve been big corporate brand guy who was trying to escape this world into a much different one / the Iowa MFA world! The fact that I DID get a call about Mårrs this morning - but spelled MARS INC - tells me God is having a good laugh in an Al Pacino voice right now: ”Every time you think you were out — I pull you back in!”

I guess the other way to think of it is - how many authors of the past decades who became “successful writers” (however you define that - could be prestige not monetary) were MFA or PhD certificate holders? Don’t get me wrong - I applied so that I could earn a MFA degree and would be damn proud to have one. But the lack of one won’t stop my either. Not saying I’ll be “successful” just that it won’t prevent the future from happening, whatever that might be. I’ve become a pre-destinationalist I think….