marsmentality

Fifth and final rejection just hit the inbox... standard rejection from Iowa! Never have I had my own self-esteem challenged and torn apart like I have during this application cycle. So glad it's finally over, even if I'm still exactly where I started. Just means I have a time advantage for next year's applications. I've learned so much about myself as a writer and an artist, and I am grateful that I'll have another opportunity to try next year with an even stronger writing sample. Thanks to everyone in this forum for giving me a space to vent and share! Good luck to everyone:-)

I'll be here!

yes!!! i think im at zero acceptances for this year, but im still trying to be proud of myself for even being able to apply and try my luck. if anything, im going to try and get into some workshops, possibly start the artist’s way (as a motivator and a new creative path), post on my currently empty substack, and just wait it out till next cycle! it seems far away but the time is going to pass regardless, might as well make the most of it.

I'm queer, Palestinian, and Lebanese and a lot of that makes its way into my writing... regardless of our MFA outcomes we must keep creating. A lot of these academic spaces don't value the shit we make because it's not polished enough for their palates, but who cares!!!

yeah... I applied to 5 and got rejected from 3, probably 4 if we include the silence from Iowa, and I'm not very hopeful about that final school being an acceptance. I think I'm just gonna take the next few months to attend workshops, focus on writing everyday, and making sure I have a flawless application for next cycle. The time is going to pass anyways, might as well make good use of it!

I just wish I could find a job with my degree… i’m almost 3 years postgrad with a BA in English and I’m working part time at a library because i have no connections and everywhere i look is just rejection after rejection! Could you share your advice for someone looking to get a more stable writing/marketing job?

need iowa waitlists to come out today so i can finally let this damn school go until next year...

Anyone else apply to the University of Oregon? it's my last school to hear back from (rejected from everywhere else unless Iowa somehow waitlists me)... Hoping for some better news there but I've kind of accepted that I will probably be right back here next year. Oh well! 🙂

Apparently my university education failed me because I just found a million different places to attend classes and workshops with authors here in Chicago. No clue why I didn't think I'd find anything here. This first-gen student mind has its limits tested yet again... thank you for this advice! 🙂

I think I kind of went into all of this with a bigger ego than I should've. In my defense, I had never considered the possibility that my writing wasn't at its best because no one had ever told me that it wasn't. Everyone around me sings my praises whenever I let them read something of mine. I've never felt like I've had competition. I got an English degree from a state school and I was at the top of my class there as well. I knew it would be hard to get into any of the schools I applied to (all fully funded, low acceptance rates, etc), but I didn't expect rejections from all of them. I don't have anyone to peer review with. I don't have anyone around me who will give me genuine critique beyond "this is great!" It's a huge part of the reason why I even want an MFA. Now I'm looking at 3 rejections, and crickets from Iowa and the University of Oregon. I am not expecting that either of these institutions will want me in their programs. This fact has ripped through every shred of my self-esteem and left me with nothing. I'm 26. I know I'm young, I know I have time. But I can't wait another entire year to see if I potentially got in. I want to be a part of the things everyone else is a part of. I want to be taken seriously as a writer. I want to get better in my craft. It feels like there's a chance someone needs to take on me that isn't happening right now, and I don't know if/when it will. All of this to say, you're not alone. I have no idea what I'm going to do now besides get started on my apps for next year and try to pretend like I'm not absolutely miserable. Hopefully someone will send me some good news to change that.

maybe iowa will still make calls tomorrow… right guys….. hello…..

Iowa has been my ultimate dream school forever and I’ve kind of always imagined myself there in some capacity (as silly as it sounds). I know it’s a long shot and my chances are insanely slim but it’s hard not to hold on to the dream for as long as I can. It’s my first year applying and my rejections have absolutely destroyed my sense of self, but I still find myself hoping that Iowa will be different. Not casting the net too far though..

this made me smile, thank you:-) good luck to us both!

Do you guys think Iowa is done calling for fiction? I wasn’t hopeful but I’d like to be done with all of this already 😭😭 probably never writing again tbh

guyssss im tired of this shit

Same exact thing happened to me. Like thanks for rejecting me twice I guess? It didn't sting enough the first time...

honestly the way they're handling this is so dehumanizing to me it makes me never want to apply again

I think so too.. got my email at exactly 3PM and my last name starts with "AB"

got my rejection an hour ago..

So what do I do now? I’ve been rejected from UIUC and UW-Madison. I’m assuming UMich is a rejection too. All I have left is UO and Iowa, and I think I’ve really lost all hope that either one will grant me acceptance. I don’t know. I thought I was a writer. It’s the only thing I’ve ever really thought I was good at. I don’t have anything else. I can’t wait a whole entire year for the chance to apply and get rejected again. I don’t know what to do with my life at this point. I’m about to be 26 and I have nothing, this was supposed to be my ticket out. I have no way out now. Sorry for the supreme negativity on here. I just really thought I had a shot at this.

Oh boy! Rejected from Wisconsin on a Saturday morning while at work! Still have to be here for 7 more hours! Just spent half an hour sobbing in the back office! Probably will never get a chance to escape this shitty part-time job or pursue anything creatively! These rejections are piling up and making me feel like the biggest fucking idiot in the world. So much time and money wasted.

So far I’ve been rejected from UIUC and I’m assuming UMich is a rejection too… I only applied to 5 schools so my chances are getting kinda slim here… hoping UOregon, University of Wisconsin-Madison, or Iowa want meeeeeeee pretty pleaseee someone let me innnnn

So… silence from michigan probably means rejection at this point, right?

if they make us wait until next week i wont survive

unless “week of feb 11” means that we might have to wait all the way until next wednesday… i hope not