2021 Applicants Forum

[mrvisser]

3 minutes ago, arden said:

Hi, everyone! I just discovered this forum this week and was lurking a bit, but the waiting is killing me, so I decided to introduce myself and talk to you lovely folks in case it might help! (You all seem great!)

I've been playing the UMass Amherst waiting game, too, amidst their spread-out notifications...As of yesterday I was "Under Review," and today I'm "Update Pending," with no email yet. I'm not on Draft (requested access but doesn't seem like I'll get it, not totally sure how it works) but it seems like from what y'all said it's game over for this one. I just wish they'd go ahead and reject me so I can let go of my last reckless shred of hope, haha. I'm trying to keep the faith about the rest of my applications, but this will be my first result, and I'm pretty much terrified to say the least.

I'm waiting on Iowa, Brown, UVA, University of Washington (Seattle), and Western Washington University for poetry... I was going to apply to Buffalo's MA with the certificate in innovative writing, too, but they're not accepting admissions this year, sadly. I'm feeling pretty stupid for throwing my hat into so many competitive rings, to say the least, especially because this has basically been my dream since before undergrad.

Best of luck to everyone, and thanks for reading ! : )

 

Welcome! Unfortunately, UMass seems to have accepted its people, but you never know! I wouldn't worry about Draft; they always take a few weeks to accept new people.

Are you from the northwest? I did my undergrad at UW, and have spent a lot of time in Bellingham as well, so either would be a great place to do an MFA.

[Blackhole]

Do these universities send emails? I don't think I have it in me to log in and check. How does one deal with rejections? Seems like it is going to be a season of rejections. for me. ouch. 

[JPReinhold]

I realized yesterday that all of this is really just pre-draft discussions. It seems the people who are getting acceptances are getting multiple right now, so a lot of waitlist seats will get freed up once those people make final decisions. A LOT of people are going to wait until the last day to make the call because the pandemic creates so much uncertainty.

The odds are skewed because the same top candidates get selected in multiple programs, meaning a lot of people in the middle ground may get seats once all the dust settles. 

The real deal is April 15. That day's going to be a bumpy ride. 

[tinynotebooks]

Hi all! I've been lurking here for a while as I plan to apply next fall. I write memoir and genre fiction and have been getting into more experimental forms. Is there any data on how competitive the applicant pool has been in recent years?

Fiction writers - does anyone have recs on workshops outside of the MFA?

[arden]

Just now, mrvisser said:

Welcome! Unfortunately, UMass seems to have accepted its people, but you never know! I wouldn't worry about Draft; they always take a few weeks to accept new people.

Are you from the northwest? I did my undergrad at UW, and have spent a lot of time in Bellingham as well, so either would be a great place to do an MFA.

Thank you ! I have some family in the northwest and have always wanted to live there; I really love both UW and WWU's programs, and Bellingham in particular has definitely become a part of one of my MFA fantasies for sure. Fingers crossed !

[teasel]

1 hour ago, Ydrl said:

Aaaaaaand Minnesota rejections are up. REJECTED lol.

Me too dude, and even thought I was fully anticipating it I still melodramatically stared at the ceiling for like 30 minutes ❤️ hang in there!! 

 

40 minutes ago, arden said:

Hi, everyone! I just discovered this forum this week and was lurking a bit, but the waiting is killing me, so I decided to introduce myself and talk to you lovely folks in case it might help! (You all seem great!)

I've been playing the UMass Amherst waiting game, too, amidst their spread-out notifications...As of yesterday I was "Under Review," and today I'm "Update Pending," with no email yet. I'm not on Draft (requested access but doesn't seem like I'll get it, not totally sure how it works) but it seems like from what y'all said it's game over for this one. I just wish they'd go ahead and reject me so I can let go of my last reckless shred of hope, haha. I'm trying to keep the faith about the rest of my applications, but this will be my first result, and I'm pretty much terrified to say the least.

I'm waiting on Iowa, Brown, UVA, University of Washington (Seattle), and Western Washington University for poetry... I was going to apply to Buffalo's MA with the certificate in innovative writing, too, but they're not accepting admissions this year, sadly. I'm feeling pretty stupid for throwing my hat into so many competitive rings, to say the least, especially because this has basically been my dream since before undergrad.

Best of luck to everyone, and thanks for reading ! : )

 

 

Hi, welcome!! We applied to a lot of similar schools--I'm still waiting on UMass for poetry as well. My status changed to "update pending" this morning, but other than that I've haven't gotten any emails or anything. I was just rejected by Minnesota so I'm kinda hoping UMass will put me out of my misery... I'd like to compartmentalize this icky feeling within the confines of today lmao. 

Anyway, best of luck to everyone ❤️ do something nice for yourself today 

*Edited for typo

Edited February 11, 2021 by teasel

[hyperpoleme24]

7 hours ago, DrMutt said:

Hey there! Yes, I applied to UCR's Ph.D. program for Higher Education - Education Policy & Analysis. It looks like UCR's Ph.D. program candidates aren't chosen until early March, but their Master's programs do rollout invitations. So you should be hearing from them soon!

I see. Good to know! Best of luck in your program!

[jka0124]

59 minutes ago, JPReinhold said:

I realized yesterday that all of this is really just pre-draft discussions. It seems the people who are getting acceptances are getting multiple right now, so a lot of waitlist seats will get freed up once those people make final decisions. A LOT of people are going to wait until the last day to make the call because the pandemic creates so much uncertainty.

The odds are skewed because the same top candidates get selected in multiple programs, meaning a lot of people in the middle ground may get seats once all the dust settles. 

The real deal is April 15. That day's going to be a bumpy ride. 

It’s going to be such a cascade come April. Someone needs to make one of those Dexter-esque “blood splatter analysis” walls and keep track of it all. I’ll pitch in for red yarn. 

[Boomer not Ok]

2 hours ago, JPReinhold said:

I'm still waiting to hear from FSU and University of Oregon. I'm assuming it's a "shove off into the mist" response as well since other responses and waitlists have gone out. I'd like the closure though. 

Really waiting to hear from Michigan, Cornell, Iowa, and Brown. I know those are long shots, but I'm glad I threw my hat in the ring. The anxiety of waiting to be rejected from those is murder. If I end up on a waitlist and it gets drawn out until April 15, I may lose my mind. 

[susweekly]

Does anyone have any idea when Columbia might be sending out responses? Their deadline is later than others, but it’s also a bigger program than most. Otherwise I’m still waiting to hear from Brooklyn College, Michigan, NYU, Syracuse and Brown. 

[mrvisser]

Ole Miss finally updated their site to say that they are done with their phase 2 notifications. So now I can officially say: 0a/0w/1r/6p.

Of course, that 1 is about to become a 2 once WashU gets around to sending their rejections.

[Boomer not Ok]

Wondering whether any fellow fiction applicants here submitted any flash pieces? I submitted a couple flash stories in my portfolio and now I think it may have been a mistake. Do programs "frown" on this compressed form of fiction? The only program I've seen that explicitly references flash fiction as acceptable is Brooklyn College, although none say you cannot either. I've been writing flash for a few years and the pieces I submitted had all appeared in decent online and print pubs. But after I submitted all my apps, I read it's bad MFA etiquette to indicate publication credits (is this true?), so now that may be 2 strikes...

Any clarification on this appreciated

[feralgrad]

14 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Wondering whether any fellow fiction applicants here submitted any flash pieces? I submitted a couple flash stories in my portfolio and now I think it may have been a mistake. Do programs "frown" on this compressed form of fiction? The only program I've seen that explicitly references flash fiction as acceptable is Brooklyn College, although none say you cannot either. I've been writing flash for a few years and the pieces I submitted had all appeared in decent online and print pubs. But after I submitted all my apps, I read it's bad MFA etiquette to indicate publication credits (is this true?), so now that may be 2 strikes...

Any clarification on this appreciated

There are no hard and fast rules for portfolios. If you flash pieces are strong, it's better to include those than a short story you feel less confident about. Not to mention that flash fiction is read and taught in MFA programs.

As for the publishing credits, I've never heard that it's "bad etiquette" to include them. Honestly, that sounds silly to me. I've also read at least a couple program websites that state you should include credits on your CV.

[TroyMcClure]

15 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Wondering whether any fellow fiction applicants here submitted any flash pieces? I submitted a couple flash stories in my portfolio and now I think it may have been a mistake. Do programs "frown" on this compressed form of fiction? The only program I've seen that explicitly references flash fiction as acceptable is Brooklyn College, although none say you cannot either. I've been writing flash for a few years and the pieces I submitted had all appeared in decent online and print pubs. But after I submitted all my apps, I read it's bad MFA etiquette to indicate publication credits (is this true?), so now that may be 2 strikes...

Any clarification on this appreciated

The only school I saw mention flash explicitly was Boston University. They recommended submitting stories longer than 10 pages. But they also said brilliance is brilliance. 

[Ydrl]

1 hour ago, mrvisser said:

Ole Miss finally updated their site to say that they are done with their phase 2 notifications. So now I can officially say: 0a/0w/1r/6p.

Of course, that 1 is about to become a 2 once WashU gets around to sending their rejections.

I’m sorry dude.

And WashU rejections should come out sometime tomorrow (unless the virus messes things up once again), so be prepared.

[jka0124]

46 minutes ago, feralgrad said:

There are no hard and fast rules for portfolios. If you flash pieces are strong, it's better to include those than a short story you feel less confident about. Not to mention that flash fiction is read and taught in MFA programs.

As for the publishing credits, I've never heard that it's "bad etiquette" to include them. Honestly, that sounds silly to me. I've also read at least a couple program websites that state you should include credits on your CV.

Regarding credits, I don’t think it’s bad etiquette to include them, but I think it’s a waste of space to list them in the SOP. The CV is the best spot for them. 

[mrvisser]

8 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

I’m sorry dude.

And WashU rejections should come out sometime tomorrow (unless the virus messes things up once again), so be prepared.

Ready for it! I was in a bad mood yesterday, but today's better. Ready to hear from the rest.

[catastroph]

I also figured I might as well say hi to you all, since I'm refreshing this page every 20 minutes or so during work anyway! This is my first time applying and my confidence is pretty low after reading through this forum (I found it last week) and seeing how competitive things are. But I also decided to apply last-minute, so I'll be ok either way. If I don't get into any, it was definitely a learning experience for future attempts.

The only school I applied to that has sent out results so far is University of Oregon. I didn't hear anything, so I'm scratching it off my list. Nine left to go! Glad this forum is here, bc I'm trying not to rant to my friends too much-- I'm sure they're all sick of hearing me talk about it. But this process is so all-consuming. Anyway, thanks for all your posts. It's nice to help pass the time when there's nothing to do now but wait. 

[slothman]

In a similar vein as @catastroph, I'm a first-time applicant, and I only decided to apply last spring after learning about fully-funded programs. So far, I've received two rejections (applying CNF) from Minnesota and Idaho while I wait on what I assume will be rejections from Oregon State, New Mexico-Albuquerque, Nevada-Las Vegas, Washington-Seattle, and Columbia. Either way, I was wondering what second-, third-, and beyond-time applicants do to prepare for the next application cycle. Obviously, continue reading and writing and editing, but do you guys have any particular strategies for targeting the weaknesses in your rejected application? I also come from a family of non-scholars, and was wondering if anyone had any helpful resources regarding grad school. I found a really cool group of MFA candidates who will look over your writing sample + statement of purpose if you are an underrepresented writer. Any other resources like this? 

Thanks! And crossing my fingers for us all! 

[Boomer not Ok]

1 hour ago, feralgrad said:

There are no hard and fast rules for portfolios. If you flash pieces are strong, it's better to include those than a short story you feel less confident about. Not to mention that flash fiction is read and taught in MFA programs.

As for the publishing credits, I've never heard that it's "bad etiquette" to include them. Honestly, that sounds silly to me. I've also read at least a couple program websites that state you should include credits on your CV.

Thanks. Appreciate this. This is my first time round and after I submitted, I read some articles saying stuff like "don't bother listing publication credits unless they're in top twenty lit mags or The New Yorker, Three Penny...I dunno???? For my pubs, they were in decent venues, but not exactly the cachet of Ploughshares or Tin House, so I was taken aback. Good to know I'm OK on flash and pub credits.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Boomer not Ok
typo

[cosmictones]

1 hour ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Thanks. Appreciate this. This is my first time round and after I submitted, I read some articles saying stuff like "don't bother listing publication credits unless they're in top twenty lit mags or The New Yorker, Three Penny...I dunno???? For my pubs, they were in decent venues, but not exactly the cachet of Ploughshares or Tin House, so I was taken aback. Good to know I'm OK on flash and pub credits.

Yeah I read similar stuff, but all my profs/mentors were like "include your publications," so I did. I got one piece in a top 30 mag, but the rest were published in very low tier places. Of course, I haven't gotten any acceptances yet so maybe it did screw me.

Edited February 12, 2021 by cosmictones

[Boomer not Ok]

13 minutes ago, cosmictones said:

Yeah I read similar stuff, but all my profs/mentors were like "include your publications," so I did. I got one piece in a top 30 mag, but the rest were published in very low tier places. Of course, I haven't gotten any acceptances yet so maybe it did screw me.

Yeah, this all goes to another thing I wonder about: who actually reads the initial applications? Do the faculty actually read them all and decide, or do the initial cuts get made by the MFA grads or even undergrad CW majors? I find it hard to believe the faculty actually read each submission, when a program is getting north of 700 apps, but maybe they do. If not, it just seems to make the whole process even more subjective. I can guess all you can hope for is that your work connects with the reader, whether undergrad/grad student or faculty or both. Supposedly, the submissions are read based on a 'rubric', but I don't see how that can take the subjective element out of the equation. 

[JPReinhold]

3 hours ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Wondering whether any fellow fiction applicants here submitted any flash pieces? I submitted a couple flash stories in my portfolio and now I think it may have been a mistake. Do programs "frown" on this compressed form of fiction? The only program I've seen that explicitly references flash fiction as acceptable is Brooklyn College, although none say you cannot either. I've been writing flash for a few years and the pieces I submitted had all appeared in decent online and print pubs. But after I submitted all my apps, I read it's bad MFA etiquette to indicate publication credits (is this true?), so now that may be 2 strikes...

Any clarification on this appreciated

I have a fully-funded fiction offer and included a flash piece between two short stories. I felt very strongly about that piece of flash, though I’d heard flash is not generally looked upon in a kind light. I wanted to show I could sustain a longer story, but I also felt that bit of flash was particularly moving. It was my only fiction app and it was accepted, so I can’t speak to a pattern. 

If you have impressive flash publications, I’ve heard that mentioning them in your CV is a good way to extend your portfolio without directly including flash. Something to consider if you apply next cycle. 

[feralgrad]

1 hour ago, slothman said:

do you guys have any particular strategies for targeting the weaknesses in your rejected application?

I'd recommend doing a workshop -- online, at your local community college, or a local organization. Anything you have to pay for, even if it's a small sum, will guarantee the other writers will be serious. Really, you only need 2-3 people who "get" your work to push it to the next level.

For example, as a genre fic writer, I used this site while I was working on my portfolio for my second round of apps. I used a free 30 day trial, but yearly memberships are only 50 bucks, I think. I got a few helpful reviews, and my portfolio was much better for it.

(I also made any friends who would bother give me feedback, of course.) 

[teasel]

53 minutes ago, cosmictones said:

Yeah I read similar stuff, but all my profs/mentors were like "include your publications," so I did. I got one piece in a top 30 mag, but the rest were published in very low tier places. Of course, I haven't gotten any acceptances yet so maybe it did screw me.

 

I would think that including publications on your CV demonstrates that you're active in the literary community, which doesn't seem like a bad thing at all. I mean, it's about the writing sample first and foremost anyway. I wouldn't stress the little stuff! A top 30 publication is something to be proud of either way.