2020 Applicants Forum

[feralgrad]

17 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

So is there anyone else in the low self esteem boat with me? All of my recommenders (all have MFAs, one is a NYT best selling author) and everyone who has read my material thinks I’ll get in somewhere, unfortunately I don’t share the same sentiment. It’s kind of like impostor syndrome but I haven’t even had the luxury of getting in yet.

To be frank, I would try to untangle your admissions chances from your self-worth. You applied to very competitive programs; they get way more wonderful applicants than they have space for, so the decisions are incredibly subjective, sometimes even luck-based. You're basically asking a handful of people from each program if they personally can offer you mentorship, and on that level creative chemistry is more important than talent. It's possible that you won't get in this year, but if that's the case, it says more about the markets you were selling to than your work itself.

Not to mention I've read books from MFA grads that are still crap, so... take that as you will.

Edited January 17, 2020 by feralgrad

[anarchisttiger]

51 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

So is there anyone else in the low self esteem boat with me? All of my recommenders (all have MFAs, one is a NYT best selling author) and everyone who has read my material thinks I’ll get in somewhere, unfortunately I don’t share the same sentiment. It’s kind of like impostor syndrome but I haven’t even had the luxury of getting in yet.

Oh absolutely. I asked my partner last night why everyone I know except me believes I’ll get in. It’s so frustrating to be a confident person otherwise until it comes to my writing. I think it’s the massive amount of competition – of course I don’t believe I’m* a garbage writer, but how do I compare to other writers? Surely I’m not The Best, and surely there are enough other great writers applying to edge me out.  

Edited January 17, 2020 by anarchisttiger
Typo

[rbr542]

Other than the 'regular' things that adcoms look for, that the writing is dynamic, displays raw talent, polished at a certain degree etc., Etc., I'm afraid that they might look for things that have 'high stakes'. You know? 'serious topics' that address the problems in the world in a certain way, which I know my writing doesn't do. ☹️

[feralgrad]

47 minutes ago, rbr542 said:

Other than the 'regular' things that adcoms look for, that the writing is dynamic, displays raw talent, polished at a certain degree etc., Etc., I'm afraid that they might look for things that have 'high stakes'. You know? 'serious topics' that address the problems in the world in a certain way, which I know my writing doesn't do. ☹️

The advice I've seen from adcoms members is to "have something to say." I think there are many ways to do this, and addressing "serious topics" (by which I assume you mean social and political issues) is just one method of doing so. Talking about family relations and your personal experience, for example, are valid ways of "saying something" -- and there are plenty of current MFA students doing just that.

[Ydrl]

Maybe we shouldn’t worry if our writing says something or not. I don’t know if this is going to help any of us be any less worried.

Also I got a call from a 315 (Syracuse) number and was so excited only to find it a spam call. Fml.

Edited January 17, 2020 by Ydrl

[MFALongshot]

3 hours ago, feralgrad said:

Honestly, I assume we think about it way more than adcoms do. Really, you should feel bad for us cos there are way more of us jockeying for the same number of spots.

I heard a guy applied as a poetry student because he knew there was a better chance of him getting in even though he wanted to study fiction. When he got there he just participated in as many fiction workshops as he could. Pretty insane.

[MFALongshot]

2 hours ago, Ydrl said:

So is there anyone else in the low self esteem boat with me? All of my recommenders (all have MFAs, one is a NYT best selling author) and everyone who has read my material thinks I’ll get in somewhere, unfortunately I don’t share the same sentiment. It’s kind of like impostor syndrome but I haven’t even had the luxury of getting in yet.

Sounds like you have a really great network/support group. That's a leg up on plenty of other applicants. Be confident.

[MFALongshot]

1 hour ago, rbr542 said:

Other than the 'regular' things that adcoms look for, that the writing is dynamic, displays raw talent, polished at a certain degree etc., Etc., I'm afraid that they might look for things that have 'high stakes'. You know? 'serious topics' that address the problems in the world in a certain way, which I know my writing doesn't do. ☹️

Would it be too intrusive to ask what kinds of themes your writing touches on?

24 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Maybe we shouldn’t worry if our writing says something or not. I don’t know if this is going to help any of us be any less worried.

Also I got a call from a 315 (Syracuse) number and was so excited only to find it a spam call. Fml.

That spam call story...lol. That's happened to me while job hunting.

[rbr542]

11 minutes ago, MFALongshot said:

Would it be too intrusive to ask what kinds of themes your writing touches on?

If I had to pick a category, I would say 'family.'  I have always focussed less on the theme itself and picked what I felt comfortable writing about, what allowed for expression and experimentation rather than what's attractive or 'current,' which I do think a lot of litmags tend to publish regularly(litmags associated with MFA prpgrams.)

[MFALongshot]

39 minutes ago, rbr542 said:

If I had to pick a category, I would say 'family.'  I have always focussed less on the theme itself and picked what I felt comfortable writing about, what allowed for expression and experimentation rather than what's attractive or 'current,' which I do think a lot of litmags tend to publish regularly(litmags associated with MFA prpgrams.)

I think "family" is a very serious topic and is a world issue since it applies to nearly everyone on Earth. You shouldn't worry about your subject matter, it's great. I love family stuff.

[Ydrl]

Guys, I think I wanna do something crazy. I’m thinking of reading my writing sample. I know this will most likely hurt me, but it might help me to remember the things I like about my poetry. Thoughts?

[MFALongshot]

42 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Guys, I think I wanna do something crazy. I’m thinking of reading my writing sample. I know this will most likely hurt me, but it might help me to remember the things I like about my poetry. Thoughts?

Go for it. Try not to be too hard on yourself. If you feel you could do better, simply try to write something better. No pressure. Good luck.

[buckles]

1 hour ago, Ydrl said:

Guys, I think I wanna do something crazy. I’m thinking of reading my writing sample. I know this will most likely hurt me, but it might help me to remember the things I like about my poetry. Thoughts?

If you're going to reread your sample, I'd recommend using the read aloud function on word. 

[Ydrl]

Update, read my sample, and I feel better about most of it. The only thing I regret is the order of some of the poems but it’s fine, it’s not a bad progression. I’m so surprised that I don’t feel terrible right now. Thank goodness.

Also thanks @buckles and @MFALongshot for getting back to me so quickly!

[anarchisttiger]

3 hours ago, Ydrl said:

Guys, I think I wanna do something crazy. I’m thinking of reading my writing sample. I know this will most likely hurt me, but it might help me to remember the things I like about my poetry. Thoughts?

Now I want to reread my sample too, but I’m scared! I’m glad it worked out for you. 

[Ydrl]

22 minutes ago, anarchisttiger said:

Now I want to reread my sample too, but I’m scared! I’m glad it worked out for you. 

Regardless of if it does work out or not, we will all still be here supporting you. Don’t feel pressured either way though.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Ydrl

[anarchisttiger]

35 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Regardless of if it does work out or not, we will all still be here supporting you. Don’t feel pressured either way though.

Not as bad as I feared! Really puzzling over why I felt it necessary to submit a story I wrote based on a dream – totally bizarre involving Jake Gyllenhaal and poop. Definitely memorable. 

[Ydrl]

6 minutes ago, anarchisttiger said:

Not as bad as I feared! Really puzzling over why I felt it necessary to submit a story I wrote based on a dream – totally bizarre involving Jake Gyllenhaal and poop. Definitely memorable. 

Hey, the adcoms might not forget that one.

I hope the adcoms forget/ignore my sentence structures basically all being the same in my second poem. That’s the problem child in the bunch of ten. I remember being so proud of that poem too haha.

Another acceptance to Ohio State on the results page.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Ydrl

[Ydrl]

I managed to get a poem started and finished in a place I never write, a Starbucks. I’m officially that writer haha. How’s everyone holding up?

[rbr542]

I have been doing well up until now, working, submitting, but for whatever reason my anxiety has become intense over the past two days. Another month of this is going to be really hellish. I should have applied to atleast one 'safety school.'

[Ydrl]

6 hours ago, rbr542 said:

I have been doing well up until now, working, submitting, but for whatever reason my anxiety has become intense over the past two days. Another month of this is going to be really hellish. I should have applied to atleast one 'safety school.'

My anxiety hit a peak this last hour and I nearly had a full blown panic attack. It wasn’t over this, but the stress from waiting contributed.

[rbr542]

9 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

My anxiety hit a peak this last hour and I nearly had a full blown panic attack. It wasn’t over this, but the stress from waiting contributed.

Do something mindless; like washing dishes or cleaning the house or a coloring book. It helps. 

[Ydrl]

51 minutes ago, rbr542 said:

Do something mindless; like washing dishes or cleaning the house or a coloring book. It helps. 

I’m so tired and in pain that I’ll just sleep it off.

Update: in too much pain to sleep

Edited January 20, 2020 by Ydrl

[buckles]

6 hours ago, rbr542 said:

I have been doing well up until now, working, submitting, but for whatever reason my anxiety has become intense over the past two days. Another month of this is going to be really hellish. I should have applied to atleast one 'safety school.'

Just curious. Which program to you counts as a safety school?

[rbr542]

12 hours ago, buckles said:

Just curious. Which program to you counts as a safety school?

At this point, I wish I had applied to any place with an acceptance rate higher than 1-3% ? 

Edited January 20, 2020 by rbr542