2021 Applicants Forum

[Ydrl]

Just now, mrvisser said:

I had a missed call and a voicemail from a Texas number last week, and it was some bullshit about my social security number had been compromised and I needed to call right away.

Y’all have no idea how many times this happened to me last year. It’s a tradition at this point to receive spam from cities where you applied to school. Three of mine came from Syracuse and I short circuited every time.

[yahearditherefirst]

How do these notifications come out? Email, phone, status checker? 

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, yahearditherefirst said:

How do these notifications come out? Email, phone, status checker? 

All and any of the above, apparently.

[fishfish24]

Would someone on Draft mind checking if there's been additional news for Minnesota? I think there's one poetry acceptance and one CNF acceptance but no fiction notices reported yet... Still hoping...

[TroyMcClure]

1 minute ago, fishfish24 said:

Would someone on Draft mind checking if there's been additional news for Minnesota? I think there's one poetry acceptance and one CNF acceptance but no fiction notices reported yet... Still hoping...

I didn't see any Minnesota updates last time I checked (about thirty minutes ago).

[mrvisser]

Ah shit. Someone got an email from Ole Miss saying they've moved on to Phase 2. First time I'm hearing about a school I've applied to.

[Nervis]

6 hours ago, spacedumpster said:

HOO-WHEE, these relentless journal rejections sure are making me nervous about the quality of my writing sample. Hang in there, everybody. (mostly talking to myself)

Meh. If you're aiming high I think journals typically have lower acceptance rates than MFAs - even true of journals out of MFA programs. But I know that journal rejections are always so tough even when you fortify yourself against them! I've also had stories rejected by "lower tier" journals then picked up by "higher tier" journals the next day. As always, this shit is so deeply subjective and probably has to do so much more with how we fit into an imagined cohort, etc, than we even care to admit. 

[Starbuck420]

The Weeknd Reveals Motive Behind Yearlong Facial Transformation 

On February 3, The Weeknd opened up to 'Variety' about the bizarre facial transformations he underwent to promote his latest album, After Hours.


 

[Botanica]

3 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Ah shit. Someone got an email from Ole Miss saying they've moved on to Phase 2. First time I'm hearing about a school I've applied to.

Oh no... I applied there too. Here's to hoping we get our round 2 emails soon! Are you applying for Fiction or Poetry? I'm sure you've mentioned it somewhere in here! If you're applying for poetry, one of the professors there, Aimee Nezhukumatathil is an absolute JOY. She is one of the reasons I am really hoping I get accepted there.

[mrvisser]

5 minutes ago, Botanica said:

Oh no... I applied there too. Here's to hoping we get our round 2 emails soon! Are you applying for Fiction or Poetry? I'm sure you've mentioned it somewhere in here! If you're applying for poetry, one of the professors there, Aimee Nezhukumatathil is an absolute JOY. She is one of the reasons I am really hoping I get accepted there.

I applied for fiction. I heard that their emails were kind of a mess, staggered and with the documents formatted oddly, so that's my only hope, but I'm not overly optimistic. 

Kind of dejecting to not even make it to the second phase of what I thought would be one of the easier schools on my list to get into.

[Hawker]

Hello, everyone. I'm a lurker, but I just can't take this waiting. Any strategies? I need your support. :)

[Botanica]

15 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I applied for fiction. I heard that their emails were kind of a mess, staggered and with the documents formatted oddly, so that's my only hope, but I'm not overly optimistic. 

Kind of dejecting to not even make it to the second phase of what I thought would be one of the easier schools on my list to get into.

I'm feeling the same way. I thought this was more on target than most of the other schools I applied to, but with the influx of applicants this year, I feel like my earlier ideas are so skewed. 

[Pinskadan]

4 hours ago, fishfish24 said:

Would someone on Draft mind checking if there's been additional news for Minnesota? I think there's one poetry acceptance and one CNF acceptance but no fiction notices reported yet... Still hoping...

Someone asked the same question on Draft today but there haven't been any responses back I don't think ? Guess we'll just all have to freak out and hope lol

[Ydrl]

9 hours ago, Starbuck420 said:

The Weeknd Reveals Motive Behind Yearlong Facial Transformation 

On February 3, The Weeknd opened up to 'Variety' about the bizarre facial transformations he underwent to promote his latest album, After Hours.


 

Dear god, I can’t escape that ad either.

[aheather]

I got an email moving me onto phase 2 for Ole Miss (poetry). It arrived last night (after I gave up on everything for the night, of course) spaced out a bit from other people's emails, from what I pieced together with posts I saw on Draft. Mine was a blank email body with a word doc attached as a letter telling me that I've moved forward.

I don't think they sent out bulk emails, so it seems very possible that more may come out today!

Does anyone have any feeling/intel/premonitions for how many people make it to Phase 2 versus are eventually accepted or waitlisted? 

(this is the first time I've ever gotten good news in four total rounds of applying to various grad schools. Oh my god I needed it so badly. I hope the same feeling for everyone else, it's such a gift to get a crumb of good news right now.)

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, aheather said:

I got an email moving me onto phase 2 for Ole Miss (poetry). It arrived last night (after I gave up on everything for the night, of course) spaced out a bit from other people's emails, from what I pieced together with posts I saw on Draft. Mine was a blank email body with a word doc attached as a letter telling me that I've moved forward.

I don't think they sent out bulk emails, so it seems very possible that more may come out today!

Congrats! I hope my email is coming today, but I'm prepared to be disappointed.

[JPReinhold]

On 2/5/2021 at 4:25 PM, tippybug said:

This is a long rant but I really want to say this to someone: I feel like I am at such a crossroads in life right now. What I want more than anything is to get into a good MFA program and be a writer, but since I got such a good offer from a top program in CS, I feel like I can't turn that down. I've put so much time into programming and have met so many peers/mentors who seem to expect so much from me and who I want to make proud. Like, my research mentor is so amazing, and the school I got into is where she got her PhD, and oh my gosh I just want to make her proud! But I just can't believe such a good program saw something they liked in my application even though I feel like I haven't put my heart into programming at all

It honestly makes me feel so guilty because CS has always been plan b in my mind, and I haven't shown it any passion, even though it is something i care about. I really care about being a good computer scientist because I think that it can make the world a better place, but I just feel so resentful of my place in CS because it is what I'm doing instead of writing. I always feel so distracted and disengaged with CS because I want to be an author. But I feel like I'm about to waste an amazing opportunity if I turn this offer down, and I don't know what to do.

And this is all super assumptive anyway, there is still a really good chance I won't get into any good MFA programs in which case I will totally take the offer. I just don't know what to make of things! I have so much impostor's syndrome right now. I feel totally unprepared to be a graduate student in CS, ESPECIALLY A TA, and I feel guilty both taking the offer and NOT taking the offer. ARGH!!! Sorry if this sounds braggy about getting into a program. I know I am really lucky to have gotten this offer, and I really don't want to take it for granted.

Anyone have any words of wisdom? Sorry for this sloppy vent post... I'm a little fried rn, hehe.

My grandmother would say you are borrowing worry. That’s tomorrow’s trouble; wait until all the chips fall to worry yourself sick ❤️

[Ydrl]

Uh, so this is awkward. Remember when I got mad at M*rshall for calling me he? Welp, turns out I’m a trans guy. I’d feel weird if I didn’t come out after angrily insisting I have she/they pronouns. Sorry y’all.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Ydrl
Trans flag doesn’t show up on here

[Graceful Entropy]

15 hours ago, Hawker said:

Hello, everyone. I'm a lurker, but I just can't take this waiting. Any strategies? I need your support.

Welcome, Hawker. I don't know how much help this will be, but I've been working since December on trying to reorient the way I thought about this period of time: namely moving from planning to preparing. 

It sounds a bit militaristic, but honestly, preparing could be anything that works for you. How would you go about this time if you knew you were in? Maybe it would mean catching up on all the sleep you need, or buying and reading a few MFA-y books like Strunk & White or Saunders's Swim--or just getting back into the rhythm of reading or writing most mornings or evenings. Whatever your goals are.
Be kind to yourself, be optimistic and start small.

Think that's the best way I, personally, can think about this interminable winter. Spring'll come; be ready for fall. 

[JPReinhold]

18 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Uh, so this is awkward. Remember when I got mad at M*rshall for calling me he? Welp, turns out I’m a trans guy. I’d feel weird if I didn’t come out after angrily insisting I have she/they pronouns. Sorry y’all.

Don't apologize for anything like this. Society sucks for trans people... *edited to delete vulnerable stuff that is now giving me anxiety* ...You're brave in your honesty. You chose your pronouns today for how you'd like to be referred to and what feels right for you - that's nothing to apologize for. Be kind to yourself. ❤️

Edited February 9, 2021 by JPReinhold

[mrhamlet]

helloo, has anyone here applied to university of wyoming before or heard anything from them? 

[orangeslice]

13 minutes ago, mrhamlet said:

helloo, has anyone here applied to university of wyoming before or heard anything from them? 

I applied this cycle but haven't heard anything yet

[mrhamlet]

Just now, orangeslice said:

I applied this cycle but haven't heard anything yet

thanks for answering — I've heard nothing too. best of luck to you!!

[orangeslice]

1 minute ago, mrhamlet said:

thanks for answering — I've heard nothing too. best of luck to you!!

you too!

[aheather]

56 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Uh, so this is awkward. Remember when I got mad at M*rshall for calling me he? Welp, turns out I’m a trans guy. I’d feel weird if I didn’t come out after angrily insisting I have she/they pronouns. Sorry y’all.

Congrats to you!!!!! it's a beautiful, wonderful thing to become more and more yourself.

You've got nothing to apologize for, and I'm honored you're sharing this news on this forum with us.