2021 Applicants Forum

[goodcynara]

8 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Congrats on all the SL acceptances. Also made it. At the time I applied, I noted the program seems to boast a largish faculty and has bi-weekly meetings with your writing advisor, which seems a decent feature. Other than this, I do not know much about it. 

Still waiting to hear back from 8 other programs. I wonder what is happening with Rutgers Camden? I have not seen any posted results on Gradcafe or even interview calls, but maybe I missed them, bc I heard they had made calls for interviews...?

 

Yes! Congrats. The bi-weekly meetings with an advisor are attractive to me as well, as is the proximity to NYC. A couple of writers I know speak highly of Matthea Harvey's work and one of them is friends with Sally Wen Mao and RA Villanueva. Seems like an excellent program. I'm also waiting to hear back from eight others, though Rutgers Camden is not among them. The plot thickens!

Edited March 3, 2021 by goodcynara

[Boomer not Ok]

Thanks. Good to know about the faculty. I also found their MFA courses interesting. The school does have a good rep for writing and Bronxville is a nice area, so it's tempting...good luck on your other 8 decisions.

 

[Embrittled-by-Wait]

Also, to any applicants, especially to those accepted somewhere, how polished were your writing samples? Were there things you'd look back on and cut? And, how long was the gestation period for your stories? I know, for me, I decided to apply pretty late, and I didn't have any writing I was proud of on-hand, so my drafting time was slightly truncated.

There are moments in my manuscript that I kinda cringe at in hindsight...

Sorry if these questions are old hat. Like I sad, Grad-Cafe greenhorn here.

(Apologies, too, if it's a faux pas to post twice in a row. I haven't seen many people do it. Last thing I wanna do is waltz into your house wearing my muddy boots, perch them atop your ottoman, and eat all your hors d'oeuvres.)

[mess_mess]

Hi! I've been really in it the past week or so, processing some rejections and the possibility of things not working out this cycle. This forum has been helpful--so many of you are knowledgeable and compassionate people.

I just got accepted to Sarah Lawrence for Fiction. I'm happy to have an acceptance, but not sure about practicality / funding yet. 

Glad to have you all to go through the rest of this process with!

- mess

[Boomer not Ok]

Just now, Boomer not Ok said:

 

1 minute ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

Also, to any applicants, especially to those accepted somewhere, how polished were your writing samples? Were there things you'd look back on and cut? And, how long was the gestation period for your stories?

There are moments in my manuscript that I kinda cringe at in hindsight...

 

Nice to meet you. I can very much relate here. I wince when I look at my first batch of SOPs I sent out to the schools on the Dec 15 deadline. Luckily, I revised it so, for at least half my apps, I felt it was more on the side of meh than just plain awful. SOP was a nightmare for me. I liked about half the pieces I submitted in my portfolio, but wish now I hadn't submitted a longer borderline CNF piece, as I was applying for fiction. But I liked it at the time... 

 

[goodcynara]

11 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Thanks. Good to know about the faculty. I also found their MFA courses interesting. The school does have a good rep for writing and Bronxville is a nice area, so it's tempting...good luck on your other 8 decisions.

 

You too! I'll look forward to hearing what you decide!

[eternalwhitenights]

13 minutes ago, mess_mess said:

Hi! I've been really in it the past week or so, processing some rejections and the possibility of things not working out this cycle. This forum has been helpful--so many of you are knowledgeable and compassionate people.

I just got accepted to Sarah Lawrence for Fiction. I'm happy to have an acceptance, but not sure about practicality / funding yet. 

Glad to have you all to go through the rest of this process with!

- mess

Congrats. ❤️ So proud of you!!!

[Embrittled-by-Wait]

3 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

I liked about half the pieces I submitted in my portfolio, but wish now I hadn't submitted a longer borderline CNF piece, as I was applying for fiction. But I liked it at the time... 

I totally empathize. Weird how when you're first writing something you have a distorted view of its quality -- usually an inflated one -- and then, somewhere down the line, you gain some objectivity, look back on the work, and it fails to impress. 

Thanks! This was super reassuring to hear!

[fishfish24]

41 minutes ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

Also, to any applicants, especially to those accepted somewhere, how polished were your writing samples? Were there things you'd look back on and cut? And, how long was the gestation period for your stories? I know, for me, I decided to apply pretty late, and I didn't have any writing I was proud of on-hand, so my drafting time was slightly truncated.

There are moments in my manuscript that I kinda cringe at in hindsight...

Sorry if these questions are old hat. Like I sad, Grad-Cafe greenhorn here.

(Apologies, too, if it's a faux pas to post twice in a row. I haven't seen many people do it. Last thing I wanna do is waltz into your house wearing my muddy boots, perch them atop your ottoman, and eat all your hors d'oeuvres.)

Welcome! It's okay, we don't bite! (Well, except a certain recurring troll, but you'll know him when you see him...). My advice: there's a fine line between overanalyzing your applications once they're in (and beating yourself up for weaknesses you find) and bringing a calm critical eye to them with a mind toward improving for the next round if you don't get in. Personally, I polished my fiction writing sample extensively, but I have a background as an editor and a poet, so I'm meticulous about errors and extremely particular about word choice, sound, juxtaposition, etc. That said, those qualities don't necessarily make my writing sample more appealing than someone's who has a lot of raw potential that is a little messy and ripe for being honed. I write very quiet stories, which don't tend to compel readers the way a lot of more dramatic work does... all of this to say, it's a very individual process and there are few general answers that apply to everyone. I would recommend giving yourself as much time with your writing sample as possible. Over everything else. That's where you should put 90% of your time and energy. And only submit the story(ies) you feel the very best about. For example, if you know you have one stellar piece and nothing else is as good, don't add a second for the sake of variety, length, etc. 

Final recommendation--if you haven't attended one yet, I'd apply for one of the more well-known summer workshop (Tin House, Sewanee, VQR, Breadloaf, etc.). They give you access to a community of non-, current-, and pre-MFA writers who have a lot of insight on all this stuff. You might walk away with a new letter of recommendation, a great crit. on a writing sample piece, a writing mentor, etc. Also they're an amazing atmosphere for generating work. (PLEASE forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir here!)

Hope there's something helpful in there! Best of luck on your apps and welcome to the stressing;)

 

Edit: Sorry if that sounded pedantic... my evening brain is currently at fried egg status... As always, feel free to take it all with a grain of salt!  

Edited March 3, 2021 by fishfish24

[mrvisser]

Fuck my fucking fuck. First UW fiction acceptance is posted in the results. 

[scenetwomenu]

Hello! I was wondering if folks had any info on UNC Greensboro's program?

[Embrittled-by-Wait]

37 minutes ago, fishfish24 said:

Welcome! It's okay, we don't bite! (Well, except a certain recurring troll, but you'll know him when you see him...). My advice: there's a fine line between overanalyzing your applications once they're in (and beating yourself up for weaknesses you find) and bringing a calm critical eye to them with a mind toward improving for the next round if you don't get in. Personally, I polished my fiction writing sample extensively, but I have a background as an editor and a poet, so I'm meticulous about errors and extremely particular about word choice, sound, juxtaposition, etc. That said, those qualities don't necessarily make my writing sample more appealing than someone's who has a lot of raw potential that is a little messy and ripe for being honed. I write very quiet stories, which don't tend to compel readers the way a lot of more dramatic work does... all of this to say, it's a very individual process and there are few general answers that apply to everyone. I would recommend giving yourself as much time with your writing sample as possible. Over everything else. That's where you should put 90% of your time and energy. And only submit the story(ies) you feel the very best about. For example, if you know you have one stellar piece and nothing else is as good, don't add a second for the sake of variety, length, etc. 

Final recommendation--if you haven't attended one yet, I'd apply for one of the more well-known summer workshop (Tin House, Sewanee, VQR, Breadloaf, etc.). They give you access to a community of non-, current-, and pre-MFA writers who have a lot of insight on all this stuff. You might walk away with a new letter of recommendation, a great crit. on a writing sample piece, a writing mentor, etc. Also they're an amazing atmosphere for generating work. (PLEASE forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir here!)

Hope there's something helpful in there! Best of luck on your apps and welcome to the stressing;)

 

Edit: Sorry if that sounded pedantic... my evening brain is currently at fried egg status... As always, feel free to take it all with a grain of salt!  

First off, Thank you for such a hearty response. And there was not a whiff of pedantry, so you know; only thoughtfulness. I'm pretty young -- from what I've read, younger than the average MFA applicant -- so it's good to know there are plenty other avenues I can to take to become a better writer, even ones outside the Groves of Academe.

Having never been published myself, I've always wondered exactly how much editing goes into a piece before it appears in a literary journal, review, the like. I know, notwithstanding counting the commas added/subtracted, it's a difficult thing to quantify, but I imagine there's some kind of threshold (a rule-of-thumb, maybe) before an editor decides, This isn't worth the trouble. I'd also guess that threshold is re-calibrated based on the "raw potential" of the work, as you put it.

Maybe this is a bit of an extraneous thought, but I figured, with your background as an editor, you could shed some light. (And, I've heard, MFA adcoms read work with publishability in mind, so possibly some sidelong relevance?)

Thanks again for the help!

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Embrittled-by-Wait

[Ydrl]

1 hour ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

Also, to any applicants, especially to those accepted somewhere, how polished were your writing samples? Were there things you'd look back on and cut? And, how long was the gestation period for your stories? I know, for me, I decided to apply pretty late, and I didn't have any writing I was proud of on-hand, so my drafting time was slightly truncated.

There are moments in my manuscript that I kinda cringe at in hindsight...

I know I’m not fiction, but for me I didn’t include any poetry written after Mid-October (my first deadline was the 1st of December). Also, hot-take here, I didn’t revise my manuscript after my first submission. I didn’t want to make it worse, as when I go back and edit poems in a hurry/when I’m stressed, they’re somehow worse than the original.

And for awhile, I didn’t look at my manuscript because I didn’t want to agonize over my mistakes. However, I did submit two poems to three different magazines and realized that I made a lot of strange choices in terms of structure and details. But even after I sent in the poems to the magazines, I still found things to edit. It never ends, I will always cringe.

[kraftyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

8 hours ago, panglosian said:

Congratulations!! I also applied to VCU (fiction) so here's hoping we may see each other on campus someday if it works out for me too

Look at all the rockstars in this forum!! Such talent all around

Thanks! And yes, good luck to you - would be great to cross paths there.

[kraftyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

8 hours ago, Greel said:

Hi! Congratulations! I also just got an offer w/ GTA for cnf at VCU. I'm still considering options/waitlists but I'm so thrilled to hear from them!! An exciting day! Glad you got some good news after a difficult few weeks. 

Thank you, and congratulations to you too! 

[goodcynara]

32 minutes ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

Hey, fellow-MFA applicants!

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. (Sorry in advance for the maudlin username -- it's less a summation of my current mindset, and more I couldn't think of anything.)

I'm kinda dogged by twin insecurities ATM, which have at last caused me to buckle and write this post:

1) Was wondering if anyone heard from JHU. There's been little on this thread (or, well, in the ether) about their Writing Seminars, about when they normally post decisions, &c., so I was curious what you all knew.

2) And then, is it foolish at this point to think Iowa isn't done making phone calls? Are they staggered, or should I assume, having heard tell of one-two acceptances, that they've all gone out?

I'm on tenterhooks like the rest of you. Just wanted to inquire, as well as join you in wallowing in the wait, commiserate a little (with those commiserating -- for those who got in somewhere, congrats!), maybe hear from a couple vet appliers. It's my first go; be gentle!

I applied to JHU for poetry -- haven't heard a peep.

Not sure about Iowa. However, a friend who holds both an MFA (UCR) and PhD (USC) mentioned that some programs may be late in notifying this year, and also reiterated that waitlisted folks might still be contacted in late April. 

 

[goodcynara]

1 hour ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

I totally empathize. Weird how when you're first writing something you have a distorted view of its quality -- usually an inflated one -- and then, somewhere down the line, you gain some objectivity, look back on the work, and it fails to impress. 

Thanks! This was super reassuring to hear!

An extremely accomplished poetry teacher of mine, who had almost 40 poems published in journals last year, lets his poems sit for 2-5 years before considering them finished. A 2-5 year waiting period isn't right for everyone, but it's definitely helped me to revisit work months or even years after the red-hot moment of creation has cooled. 

[cecsav]

48 minutes ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

(And, I've heard, MFA adcoms read work with publishability in mind, so possibly some sidelong relevance?)

 

 

 

Hmmm. I'm not sure if I kicked myself in the back of the head, but about a third of my writing sample (poetry) was made up of pieces that have already been published. One of my mentors did warn me though, that I didn't want my sample to be "too polished," as programs wanted more potential than polish. 

[feralgrad]

2 hours ago, Embrittled-by-Wait said:

Also, to any applicants, especially to those accepted somewhere, how polished were your writing samples? Were there things you'd look back on and cut? And, how long was the gestation period for your stories? I know, for me, I decided to apply pretty late, and I didn't have any writing I was proud of on-hand, so my drafting time was slightly truncated.

I had two stories in my portfolio last year: one I had worked on for 4-6 months, and one I started just a couple weeks before the deadline (I would not recommend this, obviously). I was pretty happy with the first one, and I had nothing else in my portfolio that I felt anywhere near as proud of. I decided to take a gamble. I think it helped that I modeled my last-minute story off a particular author (and one who isn't well-known in literary circles).

So to sum up: not terribly polished. My program is pretty "progressive" aesthetically, so I think the adcom looks for unique ideas.

Edited March 3, 2021 by feralgrad

[cosmictones]

Just got waitlisted at Idaho for poetry! and so the waiting continues...

[teasel]

Yesterday around 9pm I had got a call from a "no caller id" number. I let it go to VM, but of course no message was left, and now I can't stop thinking about it AND DEAR GOD I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life!!!!  

As far as portfolios go, I guess my advice (for what it's worth) would be to REVISE REVISE REVISE--give the portfolio to a teacher or mentor you trust, ideally someone who reads contemporary publications and maybe even has an MFA themselves.  Someone who understands what you're trying to accomplish in your writing (not someone who just wants you to write like them).  I think it's really tempting to try and get feedback from friends and family, but unless they read literary magazines it might not be super helpful and just make you second guess your own instinct.

I know the goal is to be "teachable," but you still want the writing to be GOOD. I mean, it seems kind of like a contradiction but there is a level of polish that should be noticeable. In other words, there should be intention in your writing--you thought about this line break, this particular word choice, this particular tense, etc. etc. I think one thing that really helped me this past year was reading widely and habitually. And not just the classics, but things that are CURRENT. 

Anyway, congrats to all those who heard back from places today! Wishing everyone the best ❤️ 

Edited March 3, 2021 by teasel

[mrvisser]

Got a call from a private number. It ended up being a friend, and he has no idea why his number came up as private.

[eternalwhitenights]

13 minutes ago, cosmictones said:

Just got waitlisted at Idaho for poetry! and so the waiting continues...

Congrats!!!! So happy for you!!!! You da bomb dot com.  (Read: it never gets old saying that, like ever.)

7 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Got a call from a private number. It ended up being a friend, and he has no idea why his number came up as private.

I would have probably crapped my pants. Good job on holding the bowels.

 

11 minutes ago, teasel said:

Yesterday around 9pm I had got a call from a "no caller id" number. I let it go to VM, but of course no message was left, and now I can't stop thinking about it AND DEAR GOD I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life!!!!  

As far as portfolios go, I guess my advice (for what it's worth) would be to REVISE REVISE REVISE--give the portfolio to a teacher or mentor you trust, ideally someone who reads contemporary publications and maybe even has an MFA themselves.  Someone who understands what you're trying to accomplish in your writing (not someone who just wants you to write like them).  I think it's really tempting to try and get feedback from friends and family, but unless they read literary magazines it might not be super helpful and just make you second guess your own instinct.

I know the goal is to be "teachable," but you still want the writing to be GOOD. I mean, it seems kind of like a contradiction but there is a level of polish that should be noticeable. In other words, there should be intention in your writing--you thought about this line break, this particular word choice, this particular tense, etc. etc. I think one thing that really helped me this past year was reading widely and habitually. And not just the classics, but things that are CURRENT. 

Anyway, congrats to all those who heard back from places today! Wishing everyone the best ❤️ 

Awesome advice, and again, I probably would have crapped myself in the interim as well. I hope you find out whether it was an acceptance call pronto!

It's interesting--I haven't been able to afford a phone for the past couple of months, so my poor father has the delight of being the phone number I used on ND's application as a contact. He's been so supportive and I know he will let me know if he hears anything, and it's probably a blessing in disguise so I don't carry around my phone like it's an appendage rather than an accessory, but not having first access to a potential call is also like I CAN'T CONTROL EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS AHHHHHH.

So, yeah, probs good I don't have a phone right now. ✌️? 

[eternalwhitenights]

1 hour ago, mrvisser said:

Fuck my fucking fuck. First UW fiction acceptance is posted in the results. 

Breathe. ❤️ You're going to be okay. Also, hugs, and here's the brown paper bag for dry heaving. #solidarity

Is it a program that automatically has full funding or is it one that just has partial funding? Just making sure it's not the troll or anything so you're not hyperventilating unnecessarily. ?

Edited March 3, 2021 by eternalwhitenights

[susweekly]

Has anyone who’s interviewed for MFA programs share their insights? I know there’s some totally obvious question I’m going to be unprepared for. (For me I always get stuck on, “what questions did you have for us?”)