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2020 Applicants Forum


feralgrad

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7 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

I love BU: 

"A hint: those who write in flowery prose or overly-subjectively–that is, about dreams, memories, thoughts, states of mind–or who dwell obsessively on sensitive children may find themselves at a disadvantage."

 

I read this before applying and laughed! this advice has such clarity compared to programs that say stuff like 'I was prose to sing, lift off the page and shudder!' 

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4 minutes ago, rbr542 said:

I read this before applying and laughed! this advice has such clarity compared to programs that say stuff like 'I was prose to sing, lift off the page and shudder!' 

You made me smile just now!! So funny. 

I have high respect for people who say what they want, what they don't, and in doing so give people the best chance at showing their most sophisticated work and self. 

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:42 AM, Dochinka96 said:

You made me smile just now!! So funny. 

I have high respect for people who say what they want, what they don't, and in doing so give people the best chance at showing their most sophisticated work and self. 

It does help when programs either have a direct way of saying what they want, or have a reputation for one thing (brown and alabama).

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I'm applying too! Finishing up PS this morning. Good luck to you. I hope you get in and I hope I get in, the odds of these two outcomes occurring are insanely slim, but I am genuine in my hope for the impossible lol

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1 minute ago, Dochinka96 said:

I'm applying too! Finishing up PS this morning. Good luck to you. I hope you get in and I hope I get in, the odds of these two outcomes occurring are insanely slim, but I am genuine in my hope for the impossible lol

I applied on December 15th! I hoped that submitting early would give me early decisions as well. BU seems to have wide variations in notification dates. Some as late as April. Good Luck! I love the program at BU.

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:44 AM, Ydrl said:

It does help when programs either have a direct way of saying what they want, or have a reputation for one thing (brown and alabama).

Looking back, I should be locked up for dropping one hundred dollars to apply to Brown. And It was one of the only schools that didn't give me a fee waiver.  I have no idea why I did this when I'm so clearly not for them, and they aren't for me. lol oy vey....

 

 

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:44 AM, Ydrl said:

It does help when programs either have a direct way of saying what they want, or have a reputation for one thing (brown and alabama).

What is Brown and Alabama's reputation?? I went into admissions blind and didn't know much about the schools I chose. In the end I think I chose well but I just sort of winged it (wang it?) and hoped for the best. I did apply to Brown and Alabama so now I'm like, oh no.

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2 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

Looking back, I should be locked up for dropping one hundred dollars to apply to Brown. And It was one of the only schools that didn't give me a fee waiver.  I have no idea why I did this when I'm so clearly not for them, and they aren't for me. lol oy vey....

Brown was on my list for a long time until I had to choose between it and Cornell. Cornell is the dream, so I didn’t bother finishing my brown application. I only found out about it’s reputation later.

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:50 AM, anarchisttiger said:

What are Brown and Alabama's reputation?? I went into admissions blind and didn't know much about the schools I chose. In the end I think I chose well but I just sort of winged it (wang it?) and hoped for the best. I did apply to Brown so now I'm like, oh no.

I wished I'd applied to Brown and Alabama. I even filled out the form but didn't submit. I thought a lot about it and chose to apply to Cornell instead.  

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:50 AM, anarchisttiger said:

What are Brown and Alabama's reputation?? I went into admissions blind and didn't know much about the schools I chose. In the end I think I chose well but I just sort of winged it (wang it?) and hoped for the best. I did apply to Brown so now I'm like, oh no.

Brown and Alabama have a reputation for loving experimental fiction and poetry. Experimental poetry is really my least favorite type to read and write. Idk exactly what experimental fiction is per say, but if you look up examples it might help.

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:54 AM, Ydrl said:

Brown and Alabama have a reputation for loving experimental fiction and poetry. Experimental poetry is really my least favorite type to read and write. Idk exactly what experimental fiction is per say, but if you look up examples it might help.

Great! I write very, very traditional fiction.

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I didn't mean to open up a can of worms haha

I guess my understanding is that Brown and Alabama are highly experimental, very encouraging of cross-disciplinary stuff. I think thats amazing, but when I'm someone who is so traditionally literary (open minded, but literary) it seems unhelpful to apply there. 

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Just now, anarchisttiger said:

What made you choose Cornell?

I chose it mainly for the diverse faculty, the teaching opportunities and the location (NY vs. RI) and also, the lecturer-ship opportunity at the end of the program is super.

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Just now, anarchisttiger said:

What made you choose Cornell?

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but Cornell has a lot of resources including a rare books library. That and the professors, the location, the curriculum, and too many things to list tbh. There’s just a whole wealth of information on their website and I was so enthused that I dropped the 105 dollars on it.

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:55 AM, Dochinka96 said:

I didn't mean to open up a can of worms haha

I guess my understanding is that Brown and Alabama are highly experimental, very encouraging of cross-disciplinary stuff. I think thats amazing, but when I'm someone who is so traditionally literary (open minded, but literary) it seems unhelpful to apply there. 

Too late, but hey it got us all talking again. I’m relatively traditional, however a few of my poems enter prose poetry territory which isn’t all that rare, but still a little weird.

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Oh, SUPER chill. Now I'm starting to think Brown might be the best fit! One of my selections for my portfolio was absolutely absurd. I was nervous about including it but it felt wrong not to do so. I'm glad I did! 

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46 minutes ago, Dochinka96 said:

I have high respect for people who say what they want, what they don't, and in doing so give people the best chance at showing their most sophisticated work and self. 

I'm sure many of you know this, but chiming in with a tip:

Many programs have a page for their current cohort, which gives you an idea of what sort of writing they like. Failing that, you can always email the admissions office to ask before you apply. In my experience, they're happy to give pointers!

I know it's too late for us, but figured I'd say this for future applicants/in case any of us do another round of apps next year.

Edited by feralgrad
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1 minute ago, MFALongshot said:

Hopefully the places I applied to start soon. I'm excited to know.

It's weird though. JHU had a Dec 15th deadline; same as most other schools that notify in late Feb or March. I wonder what's different this year. 

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4 minutes ago, rbr542 said:

It's weird though. JHU had a Dec 15th deadline; same as most other schools that notify in late Feb or March. I wonder what's different this year. 

Maybe the competition wasn't as stiff? Maybe the best applicants were few and head and shoulders above the rest? Idk

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