j1nju

Not sure if you saw, but someone made a post in the Facebook group today (I'm assuming it's the same person as in the spreadsheet) expanding on the circumstances surrounding their acceptance. I'm not going to copy the whole thing here but sounds like there is some disorganization within the program and also between the program and the school itself. So it is unclear if that acceptance is even valid or not. It sounds like they are still making decisions but the whole thing is murky.

I turned mine down last week (interviewed mid-March). manifesting good news for you all!

This is kind of I how I was feeling, only I only had 1 fully-funded offer (+2 partial funded that I liked but ultimately weren't feasible). I was so focused on trying to get funding anywhere that when I did I sort of had this "what am I doing" moment. I posted about it here on draft a while back and got some good advice! I felt like the faculty/school were good but just not the environment I was personally looking for. Plus there were people waitlisted for funding that I knew would appreciate it 10x more than me. I ultimately made the choice to decline all of my offers. After I declined everything I felt a HUGE sense of relief (even though I am wading back into a terrible job market lol). I am going to take another year or two to play more with my writing and grow into the writer I am meant to become. I feel like my life has changed rapidly in the past few years and my writing with it. Also this was my first cycle and I have learned so much about the application process so I am hoping it will be easier in the future! This has already galvanized me to sign up for a summer workshop on Zoom that I am really looking forward to. When I'm torn between decisions I like to journal and meditate on each path presented before me. I imagine what my life would look like if I took each option, spending ~10 minutes envisioning each possible "life" I could lead. Which path excites me? Which path feels right? Which one will help me become the best version of myself?

Sure! Some of it is je ne sais quoi--like I have conversations with their people that aren't negative, per se, but something is just not there? Like not in a "these people are bad" way but more of a "these are not my people but they are definitely other people's people" kind of way. I know there are prospective students who are all-in on this program who have not been offered funding so I feel a little bit guilty about that. I also feel a little weirder than I thought I would about being in a program where the funding is so competitive. Also, not culture-related, but the funding they offered me does not come with teaching experience which I was really hoping for. All this has made me realize how much I love my life the way it is. I live in a neighborhood where almost everything is accessible with walking/public transit. Commuting to this school would mean 1.5-2 hours in a car every day. When I was applying to schools I was more than willing to do this, but now my spidey senses are tingling so I am reconsidering everything. I am privileged to live in a place with local classes/workshops so I can write and find community without the MFA. I think I just let myself get tunnel-vision about this whole process. Then again, I worked really hard on my applications so I worry about squandering this opportunity in case I want to try again later.

This whole season has been so up and down. I received two partially funded offers, 99% sure I'll turn those down. Another school accepted me with full funding but after some further interactions and reflection I feel conflicted. They're a good program, the funding is excellent, and the commute is bearable. However something is just not clicking on a fundamental level with the culture. I know that there are people waiting for funding behind me. I feel inclined to turn down all of my offers so that someone else who loves the program may benefit. There's a tiny piece of me however that's worried I will not get a fully-funded offer should I apply again in the future. So feeling all kinds of emotions right now. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What did you do?

my phone rang and it was gary shteyngart???? surreal experience. 25k/year funding though... woof. any other fiction writers get calls from columbia today? (also interviewing for a GTA funding at GMU on monday. if that doesn't come through then it will be back to the drawing board for meeeeee)

I've enjoyed reading about everyone's different post-grad journeys! I'll add mine. I graduated from college in 2021. I studied English & creative writing so MFA programs were on my radar. My favorite professor strongly encouraged our class to go out and accrue more life experience before applying to the MFA. After getting rejected/ghosted from every fellowship and job I applied to, I reframed my search as "what can I do that will be a good story to tell later?" which led me to do a service year in Wyoming. I chose a program that matched my faith identity, but there other orgs out there (Peace Corps, Americorps, etc.) that do not have a religious affiliation. I had an absolutely bonkers yeehaw time and came away with many, many good stories to tell. Despite the rural setting, I made some close friends and key professional contacts. I also got married(!!!) which is not normal but I've met other people who met their spouses in similar ways so, hey, worth mentioning. I highly recommend applying to a service year if you're a college senior and unsure about next steps. You can use a service year to gain professional experience while living in a new place, often with cheap/free housing. My service site was a museum, which gave me experience with everything from teaching to book translation. I was really glad to have this experience when applying to MFA programs.

Just got an email inviting me to American University's accepted students' day. Does... that... mean... I'm admitted? The email says "Congratulations on your admissions to the College of Arts and Sciences" right at the top but the portal has no updates. I am hoping this is not a glitch bc that would very cruel!!!

Yes, there was one acceptance phone call for fiction reported on the FB Draft spreadsheet today.

I went to UVA, the undergraduate creative writing program shares faculty with the MFA program there. The faculty strongly advise the undergraduate CW majors interested in an MFA to apply elsewhere for it. They say since it's the same faculty you've probably gotten all you can from them and should get fresh perspectives.

Hi everyone :))) been lurking for a while but made an account to say that I also got into GMU for fiction. Did not receive an email or phone call but checked my portal and decision letter was there. No info about funding but iirc Mason doesn't determine funding until after they've accepted ppl? Rejected from Wisconsin, Michigan, Michener (last name begins with S).