2021 Applicants Forum

[tippybug]

Just now, teasel said:

Absolutely love Murakami and Tartt! I read The Secret History this summer, but have yet to read her other works.  I read 1Q84 a few years ago, but since then have mostly only read his short stories. If you liked those writers, you might enjoy The Vegetarian by Han Kang. These days I'm mostly reading poetry tbh, but I'm hoping to pick up a new novel soon. Will check o ut Ozeki and Mitchell since it sounds like we have similar taste! 

I'll check out The Vegetarian for sure! I I believe I've seen the title of that book around a few times, but hadn't yet given it a read. I'm not really reading any book right now (COVID depression has been pretty rough for me lol), so I appreciate the recommendation.

As for David Mitchell, I adore his book Number9Dream which I know was inspired by a lot of Murakami's books, and Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being is phenomenal. Let me know if you end up picking up either of those books, and if you have any other recommendations for me.

If nothing else, I'm hoping my background in STEM makes it clear enough in my application that I can motivate myself to write on my own and not because I need to for school. I know that is one of the big hurdles for young students straight out of undergrad since MFA programs can't always be certain about a person's self-motivation to write, which does make sense. If I don't get in this round, though, I'll take it as a sign that I should let myself get more life experience before getting an MFA. Whatever happens, happens... but I sure hope me getting into a good MFA program is what happens ahahaha

[Greithe]

19 hours ago, pattycat said:

I'm in the Chicago area, so ending up in a warm spot like Gainesville or Austin would be such a change. 

Good luck for both - Gainesville is beautiful and such a nice place to live. We're 2 hours south of it and feeling the same! I have one kid who's terrified of tornadoes so is praying for Not-Iowa and Not-Illinois, while the other kid's occasionally shouting out things like "WHEN IT SNOWS CAN I GET A SCAAAARRRFFF?" 

I'm getting tired of telling them that this time next year, we may well STILL be sitting in the same old Disney World traffic every time we go out, while I bite my nails through another round of this.  ? I'm praying for early answers too! And maybe a scarf!

[PaulMo]

45 minutes ago, qwer2 said:

...

I used to think it was degrading to go to community college when you’re old, but I now believe that the classes at community college aren’t all that different from the classes at schools hard to get into. They try to build the syllabus to cover a range of levels. They give you as much to read as you want.

I totally agree. I don't know about all that fine arts stuff as I'm a chem major (I know I know, I don't belong here, but I accidentally posted here before, was redirected to the chemistry section, found them to be very boring then subsequently ended up back here). It's a little funny being the oldest person in a room on a regular basis at only 34 years old. At first I felt awkward but lately it's almost felt like an advantage being a little older.

[Greithe]

4 minutes ago, PaulMo said:

I totally agree....It's a little funny being the oldest person in a room on a regular basis at only 34 years old. At first I felt awkward but lately it's almost felt like an advantage being a little older.

Agreed also - I went back to finish my undergrad in my mid-40s, on campus, and all through the first week, other students were looking at me like "Who brought their Mom?" Pretty soon, however, I was just another student in the class and I had a blast being back in the classroom. One afternoon my theater classmates found out I'd never been to a Starbucks, so they dragged me there and treated me to my first-ever salted caramel something-or-other, then cheered and yelled when I took the first sip. I still laugh about that. Going back to school was the best thing I ever did for myself, on a lot of levels.

And Paul, glad you stayed! My quantitative GRE score is so much worse than your writing one! ?

[Ydrl]

57 minutes ago, tippybug said:

Hi guys! I've been lurking for a few days but I thought I might as well make an account and introduce myself I am about to graduate with a bachelor's in computer science, and I'm pretty young, so I know my chances might be slim BUT I'm hopeful.

I'm not sure if this was discussed earlier in the forum, but what type of writing do you guys like the most? And who are your favorite authors? I love magical realism and Japanese literature. My favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Donna Tartt, David Mitchell, and Ruth Ozeki. I was also a huge fan of Tin House magazine before they stopped printing.

Best of luck to everyone!

Hi! Nice to meet you!

And you never know if you won’t make it until you try.

I’m a poet, but I really enjoy my fair share of science too, so I try and incorporate that into my poems. I was studying to become a genetic engineer back in my first years of college. And now I have an English degree.

My favorite poets are Rosanna Warren (as you all know), Lorca, and Ed Hirsch. Unfortunately, a lot of my other favorite people are ancient and anonymous *shakes fist at sky*

[Ydrl]

@teasel @tippybug

I couldn’t remember the name of the person that wrote Human Acts...until now...thaaaaaaaaaaaanks haha. What a nightmare.

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, tippybug said:

Hi guys! I've been lurking for a few days but I thought I might as well make an account and introduce myself I am about to graduate with a bachelor's in computer science, and I'm pretty young, so I know my chances might be slim BUT I'm hopeful. One of my personal mentors and recommenders is a graduate from the program I am dreaming of attending, so that makes me think I have a bit of a shot. I applied to a bunch of different fiction programs, all top tier, and haven't heard back from anywhere yet. I know, of course, that there's a big ole chance I'll get all rejections. Fingers crossed, though. And my fingers are crossed for everyone else! I know writing is something we all hold dear. 

I am not as passionate about computer science as I am writing, but I attended a super intense STEM-focused early college program that set me up to do well in CS, and I knew it'd be a good route to go down if creative writing doesn't work out for me. But man oh man, I really hope it does (as I'm sure is the case for all of you!!). I am also applying to some PhD programs in computer science as my backup plan, since I definitely don't think I'm ready to get a full-time job or anything like that...

I'm not sure if this was discussed earlier in the forum, but what type of writing do you guys like the most? And who are your favorite authors? I love magical realism and Japanese literature. My favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Donna Tartt, David Mitchell, and Ruth Ozeki. I was also a huge fan of Tin House magazine before they stopped printing.

Best of luck to everyone!

Welcome! I think you've got a solid plan going forward. And Ozeki's great! I loved A Tale for the Time Being and a short story of hers I read; I can't remember its name at the moment.

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, eternalwhitenights said:

Haha, I wouldn't worry too much about not getting a "ThinkND" email. It's just their department newsletter. ? I will say, though, it has been kind of cool to observe what some of the flow of campus offerings are, and what ideological trends are being explored through academic series, workshops, etc. It's just confirmed for me more than ever that this is the next right step for me, and that there is so much good that can come from attending here, especially in the context of my novel.

I hope you hear back from something soon! When I stalked the results page a few weeks ago, it looked like a lot of their results came in mid-late February, so I'm thinking that's a safe time to expect at least some word back. But hopefully sooner rather than later...or, in other words, AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

I think it's great that you have a such a solid idea of why Notre Dame is the right school for you. I so often bounce between things I like about different schools. Hoping ND follows the path of some of the other schools and gets back to us early this year!

[eternalwhitenights]

25 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I think it's great that you have a such a solid idea of why Notre Dame is the right school for you. I so often bounce between things I like about different schools. Hoping ND follows the path of some of the other schools and gets back to us early this year!

I sure hope it does, too. Yeah, this whole grad school thing has been 10ish years in the making on my soul, so there's that as a factor in terms of my clarity, too, ha. I'm kind of glad I ended up applying last minute because I wasn't able to overthink it too much--just reading about all the prep work people put into their rounds of applications...it's like a full-time job in and of itself!

I think it'd be so flipping cool to be classmates with someone off this thread--can you imagine how awesome it would be to have a friend going into the program?

 

[M-Lin]

1 hour ago, PaulMo said:

I totally agree. I don't know about all that fine arts stuff as I'm a chem major (I know I know, I don't belong here, but I accidentally posted here before, was redirected to the chemistry section, found them to be very boring then subsequently ended up back here). It's a little funny being the oldest person in a room on a regular basis at only 34 years old. At first I felt awkward but lately it's almost felt like an advantage being a little older.

Maybe you'll like Weike Wang's Chemistry. Incorporating science into literary fiction has always been very interesting to me! 

[mrvisser]

26 minutes ago, eternalwhitenights said:

I sure hope it does, too. Yeah, this whole grad school thing has been 10ish years in the making on my soul, so there's that as a factor in terms of my clarity, too, ha. I'm kind of glad I ended up applying last minute because I wasn't able to overthink it too much--just reading about all the prep work people put into their rounds of applications...it's like a full-time job in and of itself!

I think it'd be so flipping cool to be classmates with someone off this thread--can you imagine how awesome it would be to have a friend going into the program?

 

It'd make a big difference. I do decently well with acclimating to new places alone, but it would definitely be a relief knowing someone in a new city. Part of why Gradcafe is great is that there's always a chance that several of us end up in the same programs.

[pattycat]

15 hours ago, Greithe said:

Good luck for both - Gainesville is beautiful and such a nice place to live. We're 2 hours south of it and feeling the same! I have one kid who's terrified of tornadoes so is praying for Not-Iowa and Not-Illinois, while the other kid's occasionally shouting out things like "WHEN IT SNOWS CAN I GET A SCAAAARRRFFF?" 

I'm getting tired of telling them that this time next year, we may well STILL be sitting in the same old Disney World traffic every time we go out, while I bite my nails through another round of this.  ? I'm praying for early answers too! And maybe a scarf!

Ha! My son--and possibly even more so my husband--REALLY want me to get into FSU or UF just for their proximity to Disney. My kiddo is 5 and hasn't been yet (we were planning a trip for this past Nov but then COVID happened). I, on the other hand, hate hot+humid. I'm a midwest snow baby and not sure how I'd handle it!

[WolfMan]

15 hours ago, Greithe said:

Agreed also - I went back to finish my undergrad in my mid-40s, on campus, and all through the first week, other students were looking at me like "Who brought their Mom?" Pretty soon, however, I was just another student in the class and I had a blast being back in the classroom. One afternoon my theater classmates found out I'd never been to a Starbucks, so they dragged me there and treated me to my first-ever salted caramel something-or-other, then cheered and yelled when I took the first sip. I still laugh about that. Going back to school was the best thing I ever did for myself, on a lot of levels.

And Paul, glad you stayed! My quantitative GRE score is so much worse than your writing one! ?

I'm 21 and graduating from my local state school this year and I'm facing the opposite of what you had to. All my friends are in their thirties and have to deal with things like marriage, children, etc. which all seem like alien territory to me. I go to a commuter school, so a lot of people there tend to be older than the average college student. 

[mrvisser]

Anyone apply to Boise State? Looks like they sent out emails for interviews.

[Ydrl]

Anyone here get waitlisted at Tennessee’s PhD program?

[FairleyAlfy]

20 hours ago, teasel said:

I agree--it's unfortunate that there's a certain stigma around community college. Especially considering that after you transfer to a four year institution, it really doesn't make much of a difference (and you save soooo much $$). The teachers I had in my cc classes were wonderful and passionate about their students. AND, my classroom discussions were 1000% more interesting than the group of 18 year old upper/middle class students at my 4 year.

Not to mention that MFA programs apparently couldn't care less about where you went to undergrad as long as they see something worthwhile in your writing!  

I got my A.A at an excellent community college, and if it wasn't for my creative writing professor at that college, I would not be a writer today. She is the one who signed me up for creative writing courses, encouraged me to submit my work to journals, and together we started a monthly spoken word event at local bookstores and coffee shops for the public. I've been writing since I learned how to write and read, but I never thought I could actually study or pursue creative writing. My parents never read my work and refused to because they didn't want to encourage me in a "fantasy" according to my father. My parents always wanted me to become an engineer or doctor, and it wasn't till the creative writing professor showed interest in my writing that I started to believe that just maybe I could pursue what is the only thing that has ever made me happy. 

It saddens me that people talk so badly of community college. For many people, it's all they can afford. 

[mrvisser]

1 minute ago, FairleyAlfy said:

I got my A.A at an excellent community college, and if it wasn't for my creative writing professor at that college, I would not be a writer today. She is the one who signed me up for creative writing courses, encouraged me to submit my work to journals, and together we started a monthly spoken word event at local bookstores and coffee shops for the public. I've been writing since I learned how to write and read, but I never thought I could actually study or pursue creative writing. My parents never read my work and refused to because they didn't want to encourage me in a "fantasy" according to my father. My parents always wanted me to become an engineer or doctor, and it wasn't till the creative writing professor showed interest in my writing that I started to believe that just maybe I could pursue what is the only thing that has ever made me happy. 

It saddens me that people talk so badly of community college. For many people, it's all they can afford. 

I also did community college to save money before transferring to UW. To me, there wasn't a large difference between the prereqs I took at CC and the first few prereqs I did before getting into my major classes. I think for the people who are just trying to get a degree and move on to the professional field there's hardly any difference. But I was driven and for me the university made a huge difference because of the resources available for me. For almost my entire time at UW I was able to work in journalism on a professional level, and even though I later decided against a career in that field those experiences were invaluable.

[FairleyAlfy]

2 hours ago, mrvisser said:

I also did community college to save money before transferring to UW. To me, there wasn't a large difference between the prereqs I took at CC and the first few prereqs I did before getting into my major classes. I think for the people who are just trying to get a degree and move on to the professional field there's hardly any difference. But I was driven and for me the university made a huge difference because of the resources available for me. For almost my entire time at UW I was able to work in journalism on a professional level, and even though I later decided against a career in that field those experiences were invaluable.

Yea, I transferred to a senior college as well after getting my prereqs. I got a full scholarship for being a transfer student because I did well in community college, and that was invaluable. There are more resources at a University, but it can be super helpful for financing an education by getting prereqs done at a community college. As you said, the prereqs are pretty much the same everywhere.

From my experience, there were more scholarships available by taking that route, but I don't know how that varies from state to state. God, I wish education was more affordable...

Edited January 26, 2021 by FairleyAlfy

[WolfMan]

Me when people try to stroke my ego 

Edited January 26, 2021 by WolfMan

[Ydrl]

So uh, I know a lot of you have backup plans that involve moving somewhere else / trying again. I hope I don’t need my backup plan, because it’s applying to U Delaware for a PhD in Linguistics (in February). Somehow this feels even more unrealistic than my current plan.

[Starbuck420]

39 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

So uh, I know a lot of you have backup plans that involve moving somewhere else / trying again. I hope I don’t need my backup plan, because it’s applying to U Delaware for a PhD in Linguistics (in February). Somehow this feels even more unrealistic than my current plan.

a small here plug for Villanova's English MA, which has a March 1 application deadline. I have a not great GPA and got in here once with a full tuition waiver. They also seem to give some people positions that grant full tuition remission and a small stipend, so it's worth a shot if you're looking for a backup 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Starbuck420
edit: link https://www1.villanova.edu/content/university/liberal-arts-sciences/programs/english/graduate-programs/ma-english.html

[Ydrl]

1 hour ago, Starbuck420 said:

a small here plug for Villanova's English MA, which has a March 1 application deadline. I have a not great GPA and got in here once with a full tuition waiver. They also seem to give some people positions that grant full tuition remission and a small stipend, so it's worth a shot if you're looking for a backup 

You saved my butt. Thank you, this isn’t horribly far from where I live, and it seems like a realistic option.

[Starbuck420]

35 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

You saved my butt. Thank you, this isn’t horribly far from where I live, and it seems like a realistic option.

Awesome, yeah, it definitely is a serious, legit-seeming program. I would've gone myself but it just didn't work for me at the time

[A Small Raven]

6 hours ago, Ydrl said:

Anyone here get waitlisted at Tennessee’s PhD program?

I haven't received an email yet and nothing on my portal has changed, so I assume I'm waitlisted or rejected and just haven't been notified yet. 

That being said, I haven't seen anyone report an acceptance yet, so I'm curious about that. 

[dreamx]

Hey everyone! I figured I'd make an account to give myself something to do while waiting in limbo lol. Good luck everyone