gupppy

I might be shouting into the void here but the cycle is officially over for me and I have nowhere else to put my takeaways from the whole experience. I'm a first-time fiction applicant and I'm ending the cycle with: 8a/4w/8r. (The waitlists haven't updated me yet, so those are probably rejections too.) I got into the program I'll be attending off the waitlist, and it was a reach school for sure, one of the Top 5's that I applied to for shits and giggles without really expecting to stand a chance. Here are my thoughts as this insane time comes to a close: - I cast a ridiculously wide net, and that was both good and bad. Obviously, I was lucky enough to have many options at the end, which I'm grateful for. But I applied to a lot of "safety" schools toward the end of the deadline period because I was starting to get scared of not getting in anywhere, and some of those schools were places I wouldn't have been thrilled to go to, mainly because they were unfunded. That ended up just taking time away from me (and those schools) unnecessarily. If I had to do it again, every single application would go to a program that I'd be excited to attend. - I'm so glad I didn't listen to the voice in my head that told me not to bother applying to any top programs. I wouldn't be headed where I'm headed if I had. - Everyone talks about how much of a crapshoot getting into a program is, and I didn't realize the true extent of this until recently. My first notification was a rejection from a school that, while still a strong program, is not considered super prestigious. This made me fully believe that if I hadn't gotten in there, I obviously wasn't going to get into any of my reach schools or maybe anywhere else (and that's when the panic applications started). Now I know that being accepted into a program has as much to do with whether or not your work fits whatever style/subject matter/vibe a school is looking for as it does the actual quality of your sample. Hellllla subjective. - Undergrad GPA - maybe it matters? Maybe it doesn't? I graduated undergrad with a 2.6 so I feel like I'm an experiment in whether or not programs actually care about that. Obviously, many of them don't. Maybe some of my rejections or waitlists would've been acceptances if my GPA was stronger, but who knows? Ultimately, I think my cycle proves that a poor GPA shouldn't hold anyone back from applying. - I would not have stood a chance in hell with this entire process if I hadn't taken YEARS to become a fully-formed, well-rounded person who had explored both my outer and inner worlds as much as I could after undergrad. And MFAs aside, taking some time to know who you are outside of being a student is good for both your spirit and your craft. - Months before applying, I sent my sample to one of my former writing teachers who helped me through several rounds of edits before it was ready. That was key. Okay, I think that's it. Thank you all for being here over these past months. See you out in the writing world ❤️

that makes a lot of sense! Congrats on your acceptances and I hope you land somewhere that feels right.

Can you elaborate more on not feeling aligned with the program's culture?

I’d like to add that my undergrad GPA was a 2.6 (lower than many schools’ grad admissions requirements) and I still got 7 acceptances/5 waitlists this cycle! I did have to add a paragraph in my SOP about why my grades were so low and how I’ve gotten my shit together since then, but just wanted to point out how little undergrad GPA matters here

same, i applied and haven't heard back😅

do yall know if they've sent out any acceptances?

I’m waitlisted !!! Oh man oh man. I’ve been kicking myself lately bc I only applied with a single novel excerpt that was under 30 pages so I’m helllla shocked rn

If I didn’t receive an Iowa rejection today… could there be waitlist hope

Bro you are embarrassing yourself so bad rn

I thought I saw some fiction acceptances & waitlists on the spreadsheet, does this mean not all of them have come out yet? It seems strange that they’d stagger some acceptances by several weeks

Ok I've been wondering about the possibility of hearing back from the places I'm waitlisted at after the April 15th deadline, when I have to commit to a program I've been accepted to. If I commit to that program, then I get an acceptance from a different one, am I able to withdraw my decision? Or does checking "yes" on a school's portal set my decision in stone in some way?

one literally just showed up on the spreadsheet for fiction

Do we think Arizona acceptances/waitlists are all out 🥲

If a program writes you off for being vocal about transness it’s not the right program for you. Promise. I was worried about this too because my stuff is trans as hell and I even included some, uh, graphic depictions of a certain side effect of testosterone on the VERY first page of my sample. Was kicking myself about this for months but I got some acceptances and waitlists from a couple top programs! You want to go somewhere that believes in what you’re doing.

Yes! Seasonal jobs are also a great way to see new places and gain invaluable life experience - for fellow outdoorsy people, there are a ton of seasonal jobs in national parks and towns outside of them, where you get paid (a little) and housing is a given. Even cooler: joining a trail crew for a summer, getting a seasonal tree planting job in a national forest, working the beet harvest for a season, etc, etc

Similar situation here, took a few years after undergrad to live a little - spent some time on the road, worked a ton of service industry jobs, messed around and learned a lot before eventually getting a full-time writing job. Applied to MFAs this cycle after deciding it was time to take fiction writing seriously and got a fully-funded acceptance. Everyone’s different but I feel so much more prepared and grounded, and so much more like a whole grown human, than I did straight out of undergrad, and that’s something my writing really needed too.

Arizona please something soon😭

I really recommend attending a workshop! I went to Tin House's (now McCormick's) workshop this winter and received so much of what I went into MFA apps desiring (and what it sounds like you might be desiring): a community of writers, useful feedback on my writing, mentorship, connections with agents/editors, suddenly feeling "part of" a literary world. Really, really changed the game for me and now I feel worlds more prepared to attend a program this fall.

Nope not yet. I'm waiting to hear from them, Davis, and Riverside

Glad to hear you're okay, Jess, that sounds so scary. Major told me he'd let me know where I ranked after I expressed interest! Been waiting to hear back since then but I know it's a busy time over there.

Y’all I’m on the waitlists at JHU and Vanderbilt 😭 feeling blessed but also crazy. I know there’s no way to tell but does anyone know anecdotally of anyone who’s gotten into either school off the waitlist? Trying to get a better idea of what my chances are so I don’t lose hope

yeah i haven't got mine lol i feel like they might be doing this alphabetically (my last name starts with M)

I got my waitlist email from Vanderbilt on Saturday!

After getting my first rejection from UCSD and accepting that I might not get in anywhere this year, I got waitlisted at JHU for fiction! (Still could possibly not get in anywhere but this definitely helped the lil sad fest I was having)

No, UNM