2021 Applicants Forum

[turtlesfordays]

Now that rejections are really just gushing forth, how many application attempts is too many attempts? How many years do you plan to apply if you keep getting only rejections? I don't mean this in a negative way, but this isn't something anyone seems to talk about and I'm curious what the general consensus on this topic is.

[Phoebe R]

Alright y'all! I don't know if anyone applied to CCA San Francisco's MFA in Writing program, but I've been getting invited to events for the department by professors of the department and am LOSING it because I DON"T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS! It says on their website that decisions go out on the 15th of March and I still don't have a decision in my portal, and I don't want to be reading my situation incorrectly, but one of the professors gave me their personal phone number and said they read my manuscript and I'm squealing because it seems like it might be a good sign! I know CCA's program isn't one with a super competitive application pool (or much funding sadly) but it feels really good to just even be acknowledged at this point lol. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed tightly for Brown and Boston and UCI, but even if I can't attend a program in the fall due to lack of funding, it's so validating to know at least someone is out there reading my crap. 

[goodcynara]

9 minutes ago, Stardust RnRoll HiWay said:

Anyone hear back from Cal Arts - Creative Writing yet? 

Nothing yet. I applied in poetry/Integrated Media.

[goodcynara]

15 minutes ago, ophelia 2 said:

I commend you for valuing closure. That takes bravery. It is easier to live in blissful ignorance. 

How kind of you. I find it easier to pull my energy back from dead ends. That way, I have more to contribute to active connections. I've had a lot of practice, though; I'm also an actor. We eat rejection for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

[panglosian]

Are there any vets out there who can speak to miracles?

I need a little hope tonight. UMD is one of my last shots for acceptance before I get to my final few bigwigs (Brown, Boston, UVA). Rutgers is a maybe, but I'm not counting on it, and my one acceptance to Temple has since not given me any word of movement on the waitlist for funding so it may be implausible for me to even entertain. 

If this isn't my year, how do I deal with it? Should I keep holding out hope for a miracle acceptance, or accept that this isn't my time? How did YOU deal with it? What did you do instead of grad school in the time between?

I would accept any advice graciously ❤️

[Phoebe R]

Just now, ophelia 2 said:

How much is tuition? 

"Graduate tuition for academic year 2020–2021 runs between $31,950 to $63,900, depending on your course of study. View the graduate cost of attendance below to find specific information about any programs you’re interested in." 

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, fireflystasis said:

Well, sent an email asking about decisions to U-Wash (Seattle) earlier and just got this reply.

"The initial offers have gone out from both the poetry and prose committees. Because our offers involve funding, accepted applicants have until April 15th to let us know their decision although we hope they will tell us sooner. Given our funding, we cannot make new offers until we've heard the decisions of these initial applicants.
Waitlisted applicants will be notified by email from the Director of Creative Writing. These have not gone out yet. But if you do not receive a waitlist email you will probably not receive an offer this year although we will not deny anyone until we are close to getting our class.  
Thank you for your patience during this process."

Guess that's a nope.

Guess that's a nope for me, too. Which means my application season is toast. 

[Yellow62]

1 hour ago, fireflystasis said:

Well, sent an email asking about decisions to U-Wash (Seattle) earlier and just got this reply.

"The initial offers have gone out from both the poetry and prose committees. Because our offers involve funding, accepted applicants have until April 15th to let us know their decision although we hope they will tell us sooner. Given our funding, we cannot make new offers until we've heard the decisions of these initial applicants.
Waitlisted applicants will be notified by email from the Director of Creative Writing. These have not gone out yet. But if you do not receive a waitlist email you will probably not receive an offer this year although we will not deny anyone until we are close to getting our class.  
Thank you for your patience during this process."

Guess that's a nope.

Thank you for this update. Now I will rigidly hold out a sliver of hope for a waitlist email. It seems strange to me that they "won't deny anyone until they are close to their class", though. Like...Clearly some applicants aren't going to be competitive for a slot, why not let them know earlier? It's not like their applicant pool is so small that they have to hold onto every applicant as a possibility until the bitter end. Guess it might be administratively easier to send out a mass rejection one time but...at what cost lol. 

[FairleyAlfy]

1 hour ago, panglosian said:

Are there any vets out there who can speak to miracles?

I need a little hope tonight. UMD is one of my last shots for acceptance before I get to my final few bigwigs (Brown, Boston, UVA). Rutgers is a maybe, but I'm not counting on it, and my one acceptance to Temple has since not given me any word of movement on the waitlist for funding so it may be implausible for me to even entertain. 

If this isn't my year, how do I deal with it? Should I keep holding out hope for a miracle acceptance, or accept that this isn't my time? How did YOU deal with it? What did you do instead of grad school in the time between?

I would accept any advice graciously ❤️

Don’t give up just yet. I know people who have gotten rejected from everywhere, and then got a single acceptance to Iowa or Michener. It’s not over until you get the official rejection from all places. 
 

Someone could read your work at BU or UVA (etc.), and your writing could be exactly what they are looking for, something that really floors them. 

I think about how I read work, and it’s a hit or miss whether something just strikes a chord within me, or I don’t care for it. It could depend on mood, place in life, or whatever. All I’m saying is to not give up yet. You just never know. I wish you all the luck in the world! The important thing to remember is to keep writing. 

Edited March 9, 2021 by FairleyAlfy

[elemves]

2 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Don’t give up just yet. I know people who have gotten rejected from everywhere, and then got a single acceptance to Iowa or Michener. It’s not over until you get the official rejection from all places. 
 

Someone could read your work at BU or UVA (etc.), and your writing could be exactly what they are looking for, something that really floors them. 

I think about how I read work, and it’s a hit or miss whether something just strikes a chord within me, or I don’t care for it. It could depend on mood, place in life, or whatever. All I’m saying is to not give up yet. You just never know. I wish you all the luck in the world! The important thing to remember is to keep writing. 

A professor of mine once gave all of us students as sophomores in college the job of editing a poem “submitted to the school lit magazine.” It was a little known Yeats poem, and we eviscerated it. The week prior we had just voted Yeats as eminently worthwhile. 

That is to say, sometimes writing hits different depending on its context, and I agree: keep writing!!! 

[elemves]

Well, I got the “rejected” from Notre Dame, which is a bummer as a current Bend resident but a relief in other ways. Still waiting on Iowa State, Utah, and Idaho. hmu if you know what’s up with those programs in fiction. As of last Monday, Idaho was still only “halfway through” their admissions process. 

 

also, a huge round of congrats to all y’all for sticking it through, showing up for yourselves, and being kind to each other. It is so encouraging to see how thoughtfully people are using this process to fuel writing and self examination as well as contribute to other’s investigations. 

 

 

[goodcynara]

10 minutes ago, elemves said:

A professor of mine once gave all of us students as sophomores in college the job of editing a poem “submitted to the school lit magazine.” It was a little known Yeats poem, and we eviscerated it. The week prior we had just voted Yeats as eminently worthwhile. 

That is to say, sometimes writing hits different depending on its context, and I agree: keep writing!!! 

Love this, thank you.

[largeheartedboy]

Accepted at the New School for CNF! Via e-mail to check my portal.

Edited March 9, 2021 by largeheartedboy
Clarification

[M-Lin]

In at The New School for fiction! Same as above, email to check an “update”. 

Edited March 9, 2021 by M-Lin
changed a period to an exclamation point!

[tinynotebooks]

2 hours ago, panglosian said:

If this isn't my year, how do I deal with it? Should I keep holding out hope for a miracle acceptance, or accept that this isn't my time? How did YOU deal with it? What did you do instead of grad school in the time between?

Following! If there are any MFA vets here, I'm interested to know if you have workshop or book recs. 

[omgalexx]

57 minutes ago, largeheartedboy said:

Accepted at the New School for CNF! Via e-mail to check my portal.

me too

[timiwee]

Hi everyone!

First time applier, first time posting.

Advice on interpreting getting waitlisted? 

I've been a lurker here since applications were due and checking periodically. I know this is a super stressful time for everyone applying so my heart goes out to anyone in various stages of limbo. I'm a college senior in undergrad and this is my first time applying. I mostly did it on a whim to see if MFA's were something I wanted to do post-grad. Ended up only applying to one program (Iowa for Fiction) because I wasn't really sure what I wanted and applications during senior year were really time consuming.  

But anyways, I got some goodish news today, which is why I'm posting:

I got a letter today saying that I'm on the waitlist for the fiction program at Iowa! 

The letter was short but said I'd know in April and that the waitlist was "very short" which is encouraging but also pretty opaque.

I'm thrilled just to get on the waitlist but am curious about others experiences with waitlists as I try to prepare myself for what this could mean, and what my chances are realistically for getting accepted off a waitlist.

 

Would love to hear anyones thoughts on waitlist process, and good luck out there as more decisions come in!

Edited March 9, 2021 by timiwee

[corgeel14]

1 hour ago, largeheartedboy said:

Accepted at the New School for CNF! Via e-mail to check my portal.

BIG BIG CONGRATS!! 

 

 

 

BUT ALSO to fellow ppl waiting on the NY schools...AHHH SHIT. This could be the beginning of the storm. I desperately have wanted an answer but now the anxiety is eating me up. Well, Godspeed yall!

[M-Lin]

26 minutes ago, corgeel14 said:

BIG BIG CONGRATS!! 

 

 

 

BUT ALSO to fellow ppl waiting on the NY schools...AHHH SHIT. This could be the beginning of the storm. I desperately have wanted an answer but now the anxiety is eating me up. Well, Godspeed yall!

What schools are you waiting on? 

[corgeel14]

1 minute ago, M-Lin said:

What schools are you waiting on? 

NYU, Columbia,The New School and then non-NY UCI, all for poetry.....o_o 

[M-Lin]

4 minutes ago, corgeel14 said:

NYU, Columbia,The New School and then non-NY UCI, all for poetry.....o_o 

I see a poetry acceptance in the Results... and seems like fiction and CNF are both out. I hope you hear something soon!!! 

And same here, no news from NYU or Columbia. Kind of losing hope on NYU... Columbia is a little impractical to attend but would be a nice morale boost if accepted ?

Edited March 9, 2021 by M-Lin

[eternalwhitenights]

5 hours ago, Jjayy said:

I can't believe this, but I just got my first acceptance. I got an email from the University of Maryland, with details of TAship. I am so happy. My heart is pounding its way out of my chest right now. I'm shaking and crying, and my heart won't stop pounding. I can't believe it happened. I am so overjoyed, I can barely type, or move, or breathe. I am so happy. It feels unreal.

That is AMAZING!!!! Congratulations!!!! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you. ❤️ That moved me so much, seeing you say, "It really happened." Dreams do come true, they really do, and you're an example of one of them.

2 hours ago, largeheartedboy said:

Accepted at the New School for CNF! Via e-mail to check my portal.

Congrraaaaaaatttttuuulllllllaaaaatttttiiiioooonnnnsss!!!!! That's awesome!  Look at you rocking it!

1 hour ago, M-Lin said:

In at The New School for fiction! Same as above, email to check an “update”. 

HEEEEEYYYYYOOOOO congrats!!!! So happy for you! The next time I listen to "Celebration," it will be in honor of you.

56 minutes ago, timiwee said:

Hi everyone!

First time applier, first time posting.

Advice on interpreting getting waitlisted? 

I've been a lurker here since applications were due and checking periodically. I know this is a super stressful time for everyone applying so my heart goes out to anyone in various stages of limbo. I'm a college senior in undergrad and this is my first time applying. I mostly did it on a whim to see if MFA's were something I wanted to do post-grad. Ended up only applying to one program (Iowa for Fiction) because I wasn't really sure what I wanted and applications during senior year were really time consuming.  

But anyways, I got some goodish news today, which is why I'm posting:

I got a letter today saying that I'm on the waitlist for the fiction program at Iowa! 

The letter was short but said I'd know in April and that the waitlist was "very short" which is encouraging but also pretty opaque.

I'm thrilled just to get on the waitlist but am curious about others experiences with waitlists as I try to prepare myself for what this could mean, and what my chances are realistically for getting accepted off a waitlist.

 

Would love to hear anyones thoughts on waitlist process, and good luck out there as more decisions come in!

Dude! That's awesome! What a major accomplishment! Major, major congratulations to you, You're rocking it!

10 hours ago, M-Lin said:

I'm more than halfway through Anna Karenina (for the first time! OMG...) and all my schools have not moved a muscle. ?

It's one of the best books I've ever read.  Not sure if you're super into Russian literature, but that shizznit is my bread and butter, and I highly, highly, with all my heart, recommend Dostoyevsky next. I'd start with "Crime and Punishment," and then your soul will most likely freewheel in wonder when you get to "The Brothers Karamazov." I constantly vascillate between Ivan and Alyosha as my favorite characters, and I still retain a hearty disdain for Smerdyakov, blech.

8 hours ago, kraftyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy said:

Oh wow - just got waitlisted at Hopkins for poetry!

Congrats!!! I hope you get news of acceptance sooner rather than later!

3 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Guess that's a nope for me, too. Which means my application season is toast. 

Not yet! They still have waitlist emails to send out, yeah?

[CrankyGinger]

36 minutes ago, M-Lin said:

I see a poetry acceptance in the Results... and seems like fiction and CNF are both out. I hope you hear something soon!!! 

And same here, no news from NYU or Columbia. Kind of losing hope on NYU... Columbia is a little impractical to attend but would be a nice morale boost if accepted ?

Yeah I'm waiting on NYU and Columbia, as well. Definitely feeling like NYU would've contacted the accepted students already. And hey, I think we'd all like to say we got into Columbia, even if we don't go there. That's a MASSIVE morale boost. 

[M-Lin]

11 minutes ago, eternalwhitenights said:

HEEEEEYYYYYOOOOO congrats!!!! So happy for you! The next time I listen to "Celebration," it will be in honor of you.

THANK YOU?

2 minutes ago, CrankyGinger said:

And hey, I think we'd all like to say we got into Columbia, even if we don't go there. That's a MASSIVE morale boost. 

EXACTLY. though i wish i could ask for my $110 back ?

[CrankyGinger]

Just now, M-Lin said:

EXACTLY. though i wish i could ask for my $110 back ?

Yeah, ok that part sucks pretty badly. You've got New School, though! That's pretty fantastic! And I'm really happy with Sarah Lawrence, their program looks like it'd fit be really well. Won't be mad if we get a couple more yes's though ?