2021 Applicants Forum

[pattycat]

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Edited January 3, 2021 by pattycat
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[FairleyAlfy]

9 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Yeah, I'd like to think that MFAs are intensive enough that I'd be so distracted by my work, but I'm such a city person and if I went to Iowa or Mississippi I would be a little concerned about whether I could stay entertained.

I can speak on Oxford, Mississippi. I grew up an hour and a half from the town. On the weekends, I would drive to see Faulkner's house which is gorgeous and sit in his lawn chair that he use to write in or walk the woods around his house. Downtown Oxford is charming. It's got my favorite bookstore on earth, Square Books, which seems to be constantly filled with writers either doing a reading or just perusing the shelves. It has three floors so plenty of selection for reading. 

If you enjoy going out and partying, it is one of the biggest party schools in the country. You can't hardly drive through the street on weekend nights during the semesters, and drinks are CHEAP. One bar has three dollar cocktails and all you can eat wings for two dollars. Most eateries are super affordable and have great happy hours. There are many locally owned restaurants that have some phenomenal food. 

I imagine though that COVID has changed the city some, but hopefully, by the time school starts in Fall 2021, there will be some return of normalcy. 

If I lived anywhere in Mississippi, it would be Oxford. It's just very different from other towns in Mississippi, more open-minded I would say. I think it's because of the large, diverse population of students. 

[FairleyAlfy]

5 hours ago, Michelle Zeller said:

Why are Michener and Iowa your top choices? It is true. I did my research. I was not going to apply, but I was laid off work almost a year ago, and the last couple of weeks before the deadlines, I figured why not? I must have done at least 5 google searches to pick where to apply to and just barely got my applications in. I think I did make good choices, though. Did anyone else here apply to any of my schools? I really don’t know where I will go, though. How long do they give you to decide? Can someone help me pick between the schools? I was not a writing major. This world is all new to me.

It depends on when they send acceptances. Most schools will send out acceptances mid-February to early March, but some may be a bit later, and it all might change with the pandemic. haha I know that's not super helpful. They usually give you plenty of time to decide. 

I don't worry about choosing between schools until I get acceptances. Why add the extra worry when I don't know who is going to accept or reject, if that makes sense? I applied to 14 schools, and I'm hoping to get into one. haha I have low self-confidence though so in my mind, I don't think I will have to make a choice. Hang in there! We will be here to help when responses start going out. That's the time when being a part of a group like this is super helpful! I wish you the best of luck!! Here for you. 

[mrvisser]

7 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

I can speak on Oxford, Mississippi. I grew up an hour and a half from the town. On the weekends, I would drive to see Faulkner's house which is gorgeous and sit in his lawn chair that he use to write in or walk the woods around his house. Downtown Oxford is charming. It's got my favorite bookstore on earth, Square Books, which seems to be constantly filled with writers either doing a reading or just perusing the shelves. It has three floors so plenty of selection for reading. 

If you enjoy going out and partying, it is one of the biggest party schools in the country. You can't hardly drive through the street on weekend nights during the semesters, and drinks are CHEAP. One bar has three dollar cocktails and all you can eat wings for two dollars. Most eateries are super affordable and have great happy hours. There are many locally owned restaurants that have some phenomenal food. 

I imagine though that COVID has changed the city some, but hopefully, by the time school starts in Fall 2021, there will be some return of normalcy. 

If I lived anywhere in Mississippi, it would be Oxford. It's just very different from other towns in Mississippi, more open-minded I would say. I think it's because of the large, diverse population of students. 

Thanks for the info! I've definitely heard that Oxford is something of a cultural oasis in Mississippi, and of course I would love to spend some time at Rowan Oak. I don't imagine I'd be doing much partying with the undergrads, but a place to sit and get some drinks with other writers sounds good. I guess Memphis isn't too far away if I need my metropolitan fill. I'd certainly miss the ocean and the volcanoes I have now, but part of grad school is getting away from familiarity.

[FairleyAlfy]

11 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Thanks for the info! I've definitely heard that Oxford is something of a cultural oasis in Mississippi, and of course I would love to spend some time at Rowan Oak. I don't imagine I'd be doing much partying with the undergrads, but a place to sit and get some drinks with other writers sounds good. I guess Memphis isn't too far away if I need my metropolitan fill. I'd certainly miss the ocean and the volcanoes I have now, but part of grad school is getting away from familiarity.

Yea, I leave to go back to Mississippi to see family at the end of February and figure out next steps, but the idea of leaving the West Coast breaks my heart. I love the beaches here. It's definitely the most beautiful place I've ever lived. I just cannot afford to live in California anymore with being jobless so I had to make a decision. 

There is a place not far from Oxford called Dismal Canyon, and it's my go to hiking place, beautiful and peaceful with a waterfall. I wouldn't recommend Memphis...haha. Nashville is an easy distance away, and it's a lot of fun. The music scene is great. In the past, it was mostly country music (not a fan), but now there are loads of variety in the music scene. Also, New Orleans is a must see. The food is out of this world, and the music scene is a good time. 

Agreed. I like a chill scene as well, with good conversation and a old fashioned cocktail. A change of culture and scene is helpful when looking for new things to write about.

[mrvisser]

17 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Yea, I leave to go back to Mississippi to see family at the end of February and figure out next steps, but the idea of leaving the West Coast breaks my heart. I love the beaches here. It's definitely the most beautiful place I've ever lived. I just cannot afford to live in California anymore with being jobless so I had to make a decision. 

There is a place not far from Oxford called Dismal Canyon, and it's my go to hiking place, beautiful and peaceful with a waterfall. I wouldn't recommend Memphis...haha. Nashville is an easy distance away, and it's a lot of fun. The music scene is great. In the past, it was mostly country music (not a fan), but now there are loads of variety in the music scene. Also, New Orleans is a must see. The food is out of this world, and the music scene is a good time. 

Agreed. I like a chill scene as well, with good conversation and a old fashioned cocktail. A change of culture and scene is helpful when looking for new things to write about.

Hiking is going to be a big, sad change unless I end up back at UW. It's hard to beat the Cascades. But Vanderbilt is one of my very top schools. I would love to live in Nashville, even though I also don't care much for country music.

[Michelle Zeller]

Has anybody here read All That Glitters? 

[FairleyAlfy]

Up at 2:30 in the morning, and this is the eighth night of barely sleeping. I don't think I've ever been so anxious. Anybody have ideas for sleep remedies? Rituals that calm your mind down? I'd prefer not to get a prescription for sleeping pills, but I don't know what else to do. 

[pattycat]

2 hours ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Up at 2:30 in the morning, and this is the eighth night of barely sleeping. I don't think I've ever been so anxious. Anybody have ideas for sleep remedies? Rituals that calm your mind down? I'd prefer not to get a prescription for sleeping pills, but I don't know what else to do. 

A hot bath or a hot cup of tea right before bed helps me. Screens like my phone or tv seem to keep my brain jumpy, so I avoid them as I wind down and try to read instead.

[yahearditherefirst]

Hey everyone! Does anyone know if we need to submit FAFSA's now or after? (Not that ive been accepted anywhere).

 

Just realized I'm not sure...

[mrvisser]

5 hours ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Up at 2:30 in the morning, and this is the eighth night of barely sleeping. I don't think I've ever been so anxious. Anybody have ideas for sleep remedies? Rituals that calm your mind down? I'd prefer not to get a prescription for sleeping pills, but I don't know what else to do. 

I tend to use melatonin a few nights a week, which is probably too much, but definitely better than sleeping pills. Echoing what pattycat said, I try to read before bed, and when I do look at screens I use blue-light glasses, which help. Other than that I mostly meditate, just to train my mind to stop wandering. I'm not an expert at it, so it doesn't always work.

[yahearditherefirst]

FYI - my packet to Ole Miss was received and I got a response (by response, I mean the senior lecturer responded that she had received it). Anyone else?

[mrvisser]

2 minutes ago, yahearditherefirst said:

FYI - my packet to Ole Miss was received and I got a response (by response, I mean the senior lecturer responded that she had received it). Anyone else?

I sent my packet in November and got a response a few days later that they received it.

In response to your FAFSA question, I'm not really sure because I only applied to fully-funded programs and wasn't planning on filing for any financial aid.

[unfortunate ith]

5 hours ago, yahearditherefirst said:

Hey everyone! Does anyone know if we need to submit FAFSA's now or after? (Not that ive been accepted anywhere).

 

Just realized I'm not sure...

The advice I've heard is to submit FAFSAs now if you plan to. Some program websites mention that certain kinds of aid (usually those provided by the grad school, not the program itself) require your FAFSA info sooner rather than later. And if you don't end up getting into a program, the FAFSA info just won't be used, so there's not really a downside.

This is just based on what I've heard from others and read on program sites, though, so if anyone else has more concrete info, I'd put more stock in that than what I have to say!

[pattycat]

7 hours ago, yahearditherefirst said:

 

Hey everyone! Does anyone know if we need to submit FAFSA's now or after? (Not that ive been accepted anywhere).

 

What unfortunate says sounds right to me. I think I some program websites said to submit it when you apply and others said that you will need to submit it if accepted.

[pattycat]

Anyone have any favorite lit mags that you love to read or submit to?

[Pinskadan]

hi all! just spent the last couple hours reading through this forum and wanted to join in on the action/anxiety. I'm a first-time applicant in Poetry, and I applied to 5 programs this year: Michener, NWP, UMich, UMN, and Brown. I only applied to programs I knew I'd love to attend, with the expectation that I'll likely get rejected and apply again next year (given the acceptance rates, I know even the best of writers sometimes get turned down for these schools!) I'm so glad to have found this forum; I thought I was being ridiculous already stressing about decisions in the first week of January, but now I know I'm not alone!!

I also did my undergrad at a certain school with a highly regarded MFA program that's located in Rhode Island (and begins with a B...) so if anyone wants to talk about the school / living in Providence / what the literary arts culture is like there, feel free to reach out!

[Michelle Zeller]

1 hour ago, Pinskadan said:

 I'm a first-time applicant in Poetry, and I applied to 5 programs this year: Michener, NWP, UMich, UMN, and Brown.

What a coincidence. I applied to Brown too. I also applied to Michener and Michigan. When I did my google search for top programs, they all came up, so I picked them. I figured that I could decide later which one to go to. Which of your five schools do you want to go to if they all take you in? I am a first time applicant too.

[spacedumpster]

2 hours ago, pattycat said:

Anyone have any favorite lit mags that you love to read or submit to?

I really enjoy The Sun, and I have submitted to them in the past (nothing published there yet). As a matter of principle, these days I generally only submit to magazines that pay writers and do not charge submission fees, but I recently threw my hat in the ring for a flash contest with American Short Fiction. I've submitted to The Masters Review twice now (one TBNT, one still in progress), and I send work to The Atlantic and The New Yorker once or twice a year for a laugh.

A couple of years ago, I had some work accepted at a few smaller journals (The Molotov Cocktail, Havik, and The Laurel Review), but none of them were paying publications. Still nice to know somebody, somewhere digs my work. 

[ZaytandLabna]

Hiii I'm new here..

I applied to colleges in NYC. I'm limited in location, so its gotta be in NY. I applied to NYU, Columbia, CCNY, Hunter, Queens and Brooklyn College.  All concentrations in Poetry. 

You all seems so nice ? 

I hope we all get accepted!!

[Greithe]

19 hours ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Up at 2:30 in the morning, and this is the eighth night of barely sleeping. ...

I had this problem years ago - lots to keep me up at night as a mom lol.

The doctor suggested no caffeine after noon, and plenty of physical exercise sometime during the day like hiking or something to get the heart rate up, and those two things really did help.

But I found that the real trick is to routine myself to sleep. For me, that meant getting out of the habit of turning on lights when it gets dark outside - I let it get dark inside too, and keep lights low. After dinner, I take a slow hot bath, and journal a few pages before picking up a book and reading myself to sleep. After dinner is all about winding down: no loud music, no adventure movies, no screen time (well right now I'm working on another SOP so tonight's an exception!). 

Eight nights in a row though, I'd be reaching for the Jameson or the Nyquil, or a really boring documentary, whatever helps you out. You need your sleep!

Good luck!

[Michelle Zeller]

9 hours ago, spacedumpster said:

I had some work accepted at a few smaller journals (The Molotov Cocktail, Havik, and The Laurel Review), but none of them were paying publications. Still nice to know somebody, somewhere digs my work. 

That sounds so great. Can you post what was accepted? I've never submitted a story to a journal. I didn't even know people do that. How much do that ones that pay give you? 

[jujubee]

Hello! I am also new here but have been lurking since last year. I applied to one PhD in CW for Fall 2020 and got accepted but had to defer enrollment due to covid (international applicant here). I am looking to apply to seven programs this year: Houston, FSU, USM, UT Dallas, UNLV, Georgia State, and Louisiana Lafayette, all PhD (I have an MA in creative writing, with poetry as focus). Just wanted to express solidarity with everyone who's anxious about this cycle and sending you good juju, hoping we all get accepted to our program of choice ?

Anybody else applying to PhD programs?

[ZaytandLabna]

@jujubee 

Hi!! i was trying to figure out how to reply to posts, but i can't figure it out???? Can't figure it out on TikTok either lmfao. 

Anyway, Im so so anxious so thank you for the good juju!!! 

PhD wow that's so cool!! I hope to get there one day. 

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, ZaytandLabna said:

@jujubee 

Hi!! i was trying to figure out how to reply to posts, but i can't figure it out???? Can't figure it out on TikTok either lmfao.  

Just hit the "quote" button at the bottom of the post and you can pick and choose which text to reply to