2020 Applicants Forum

[jen20]

Just now, feralgrad said:

It's a Facebook group (MFA Draft '20 is the full name, I believe). Basically the same function as Gradcafe, but the results are catalogued differently. It's also way less chill than GC.

hey thanks. I love it here ... I thought it was some official group where results are catalogued. Thanks for answering my question and good luck for the rest of the week. I hope we all hear something good by the end of this month. In solidarity.

[litty]

53 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Those of you on draft, if there are any of you, did any other acceptances for Iowa go out? Yesterday there was nothing here for any genre, not that I’m expecting anything fo poetry this early.

Looks like there was another fiction announcement today, but haven't seen anything for poetry.

[PickleJuice_Aly]

I originally was going to apply to a ton of schools across the country for Museum Studies/Museology. But I decided to only apply to UC-Boulder for their Museum & Field Studies Master's and then Colorado State U. for their Public History master's with a museum studies specialization.

I've been wanting to go to grad school for so long and I hate the anticipation and waiting times! Hopefully I'll hear something back soon. Boulder said people would be notified by mid april but CSU said by the end of february. I'd prefer to go to boulder over the other but idk how long I should wait IF i'm accepted to CSU, for a possible acceptance from UC boulder... UGH the suspense is killing me and stressing me out. 

I constantly am checking my emails and mail

[litty]

25 minutes ago, PickleJuice_Aly said:

I originally was going to apply to a ton of schools across the country for Museum Studies/Museology. But I decided to only apply to UC-Boulder for their Museum & Field Studies Master's and then Colorado State U. for their Public History master's with a museum studies specialization.

I've been wanting to go to grad school for so long and I hate the anticipation and waiting times! Hopefully I'll hear something back soon. Boulder said people would be notified by mid april but CSU said by the end of february. I'd prefer to go to boulder over the other but idk how long I should wait IF i'm accepted to CSU, for a possible acceptance from UC boulder... UGH the suspense is killing me and stressing me out. 

I constantly am checking my emails and mail

Hi there, wanted to let you know you're in the section of Grad Cafe primarily for Creative Writing. You might want to hunt around and see if there are threads for your specific program or area of study. There's definitely a lot of overlap and folks talk about the process and anxiety a lot here, but you might also see advice that may not be suited for your program or process. Hope this is helpful!

Edited February 19, 2020 by litty

[anarchisttiger]

I emailed Iowa to ask if they’ve finished fiction notifications. Let’s hope they don’t scan back a rejection letter! 

[PickleJuice_Aly]

13 minutes ago, litty said:

Hi there, wanted to let you know you're in the section of Grad Cafe primarily for Creative Writing. You might want to hunt around and see if there are threads for your specific program or area of study. There's definitely a lot of overlap and folks talk about the process and anxiety a lot here, but you might also see advice that may not be suited for your program or process. Hope this is helpful!

ohhhhh okay! I guess I didn't catch that before I commented here. Thank you for the heads up!:)

[jen20]

Hey I have another query. So I am currently in talks with a US based publisher for my first novel, while I am wrapping up my PhD diss. My novel outline got picked up in Feb by a literary festival back in India, where I directly met US based publishers. I could not include any of these things in my fiction portfolio for all the places I applied to. I definitely want to re-apply to Iowa, cornell, brown, michigan and boston-- all of the places I applied to this year (zero hope of getting in this year)..so do you think sending in drafts from my novel with a publisher would increase my chances next year? These are all disjointed thoughts but I am trying to re-group n think of my next plan of action. 

[Ydrl]

13 minutes ago, anarchisttiger said:

I emailed Iowa to ask if they’ve finished fiction notifications. Let’s hope they don’t scan back a rejection letter! 

They don’t usually finish until three days have gone by, yeah? I’m assuming they’re going to do things on a similar timeline to 2018. I hope they just tell you a good timeline, and not just “wait and see”.

[feralgrad]

@jen20 It's generally recommended that you stick to short stories for your application portfolio rather than novel excerpts; they're a better showcase of your ability to develop a plot and characters (since one chapter of a novel isn't giving the full picture). Moreover, if you're sending in a published novel, adcoms may wonder what you stand to gain from being in an MFA program -- which is, after all, an opportunity to develop a novel-length work.

If anything, I think you'll need to address why you want an MFA despite having a published novel.

Edited February 19, 2020 by feralgrad

[jen20]

Just now, feralgrad said:

@jen20 It's generally recommended that you stick to short stories for your application portfolio rather than novel excerpts; they're a better showcase of your ability to develop a plot and characters (since one chapter of a novel isn't giving the full picture). Moreover, if you're sending in a published novel, adcoms may wonder what you stand to gain from being in an MFA program -- which is, after all, an opportunity to develop a novel-length work.

That is exactly what I was thinking of, so I should put the novel in the backburner and work on improving my stories. Thanks a lot for weighing in. 

[pirhiaa20]

FYI for those not on draft, there's a Vanderbilt poetry acceptance (via phone)!

Edited to add: Applicant said that the caller confirmed she was their first and others might roll out over the next couple of days.

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirhiaa20

[buckles]

Thanks for the update. I'm trying to stay hopeful.

[Dochinka96]

Congrats to all IOWA and other acceptances since I've been away! This is so exciting for you all. 

 

[SarahBuya]

I got rejected by University of British Columbia Vancouver. I'm fine with it, but rejections suck.

I decided not to wait for ASU. I'm going to enroll in Lindenwood University's online MFA. I love the program and it will allow me to write fiction and nonfiction unlike Emerson which is just Popular Fiction).

Edited February 19, 2020 by SarahBuya

[Dochinka96]

@anarchisttiger any news?

[anarchisttiger]

6 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

@anarchisttiger any news?

Nothing yet. 

[eluveitie]

Can anyone suggest proper etiquette for  how to respond after receiving an acceptance? I am still waiting to hear from 7 other schools, and I don't want to accept the offer preemptively, since I don't know the funding situation yet.

[litty]

12 minutes ago, eluveitie said:

Can anyone suggest proper etiquette for  how to respond after receiving an acceptance? I am still waiting to hear from 7 other schools, and I don't want to accept the offer preemptively, since I don't know the funding situation yet.

If this is an email acceptance, and they haven't yet provided the breakdown of actual offer, you should thank them and state in your weords how you're excited for the opportunity, and look forward to learning more via conversations or a campus visit. keep it short and sweet, they'll follow up with more substantive stuff later. hope that helps. 

[Ydrl]

13 minutes ago, anarchisttiger said:

Nothing yet. 

The radio silence on this one makes me want to vomit. Everything else I could deal with. I can handle the three rejections in a row (barely, but I guess I’m okay), but waiting for Iowa is making me physically sick.

[litty]

3 hours ago, feralgrad said:

@jen20 It's generally recommended that you stick to short stories for your application portfolio rather than novel excerpts; they're a better showcase of your ability to develop a plot and characters (since one chapter of a novel isn't giving the full picture). Moreover, if you're sending in a published novel, adcoms may wonder what you stand to gain from being in an MFA program -- which is, after all, an opportunity to develop a novel-length work.

If anything, I think you'll need to address why you want an MFA despite having a published novel.

co-sign. from what i've gathered, most places are ok with a novel excerpt, but prefer the opening chapter and they expect that it not require set-up/context, should be able to speak for itself. you should definitely/must include a short story or two (depending on where you apply), and that's what will  give them a sense of your ability to tell a story. 

I would refrain from mentioning anything related to a publisher or publishing, let your work speak for itself. you could inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot by making it seem you have things all figured out. in all the work they review they're looking for potential, to help you grow and get to the place of publication. to say you feel you're at a place where you're ready for publication would lead some to question, then what can we do for you?  caveat, my comments are geared towards novels, most places love to see published short stories! shows commitment and hopefully talent!

 

[jen20]

@littyThis is extremely helpful. Thank you. Will keep all of this in mind for when I apply next. I am 99 percent certain , it won't work out this time. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by jen20

[Dochinka96]

Yesterday I felt the exact same way. But tomorrow is my birthday and honestly I’m just hoping not to get a rejection tomorrow from anywhere lol after that, throw em at me! 
It’s a cohort of 25, ive heard about less than 10 notifications. I know there are people not on here or draft of course but it sounds to me we don’t have a reason to feel doomed just yet. 
When I was waitlisted at Ohio, I felt on top of the world. Then I learned only 150 people might have applied.

2 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

The radio silence on this one makes me want to vomit. Everything else I could deal with. I can handle the three rejections in a row (barely, but I guess I’m okay), but waiting for Iowa is making me physically sick.

 

[LiteraryMagpie]

Hi everyone! I've applied to a couple MFA poetry programs and I was wondering if anyone had an idea when Boston's MFA program results will go out? And is GMU still sending out funding offers?

[jen20]

4 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

Yesterday I felt the exact same way. But tomorrow is my birthday and honestly I’m just hoping not to get a rejection tomorrow from anywhere lol after that, throw em at me! 
It’s a cohort of 25, ive heard about less than 10 notifications. I know there are people not on here or draft of course but it sounds to me we don’t have a reason to feel doomed just yet. 
When I was waitlisted at Ohio, I felt on top of the world. Then I learned only 150 people might have applied.

 

@Dochinka96 hang in there. Try not to stress too much and enjoy your day tomorrow. Happy birthday in advance. 

All of us are in this together and in for the long haul. Something has to work out sooner or later...keep writing ..

[Ydrl]

30 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

Yesterday I felt the exact same way. But tomorrow is my birthday and honestly I’m just hoping not to get a rejection tomorrow from anywhere lol after that, throw em at me! 
It’s a cohort of 25, ive heard about less than 10 notifications. I know there are people not on here or draft of course but it sounds to me we don’t have a reason to feel doomed just yet. 
When I was waitlisted at Ohio, I felt on top of the world. Then I learned only 150 people might have applied.

 

Try to enjoy tomorrow regardless of what happens. Happy birthday in advance, hopefully Iowa gives you a nice birthday present.