2021 Applicants Forum

[feralgrad]

4 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?

1) Keep in mind that even if you don't reach your goal, you still had some sucess; Temple is a very well-respected program! You should feel proud of that acceptance, whether you get funding or not. I know that it's not the ideal result, but it's encouraging if you choose to apply again.

2) Keep in mind that this was a way harder year than average, and MFA acceptance rates were cutthroat before that.

3) In the year between my first and second app cycles, I worked an admin assistant job. Boring and not glamorous, but it gave me a lot of time to work on writing. It was a challenging year, but not a bad one overall.

[koechophe]

4 hours ago, panglosian said:

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

I'm not a vet, but I'll speak to miracles. From watching trends on here and from having friends in the same boat, sometimes people are on wait lists and get in as late as April. When you've heard nothing, you could be at the top of a waitlist or the bottom of one, you just have no way of knowing. And you also have no way of knowing if your school has even sent out all their acceptances yet (unless you email them or they send some info out which states that, of course). 

I know it's hard. Trust me, I know. And you should definitely steel yourself for the possibility that it won't work out this year. This has been an awful cycle for applicants. 

But really, until you have an actual "NO" in your inbox/portal, you cannot know for certain that you're not in. It's not over until it's over. Keep your chin up, and see what happens. It's easier to feel closure when you get that actual "no", so don't feel like you need to have some sort of closure before then, alright? 

As far as this being your first cycle, think of it this way. The average age for an author to publish their debut novel is 35. Most authors try (and fail) to publish at least 3 different books before they manage to publish a debut. Even for accepted authors, only around 3% of literary agents will actually say yes to the book.

In short, writing is a field of constant rejection. My advice? It's never too late. Keep trying. All the rejection in the world can't tarnish the shine of that beautiful acceptance that you will no doubt receive if you continue working on it. 

I hope some of that is helpful! I'm in a similar boat to you, this is my first cycle, so take my words with as many grains of salt as you'd like. But as someone who has been rejected so, so many times in my professional endeavors, I speak from experience. 

[Blackhole]

2 hours 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!

yay. congrats 

[avorazan]

I was wonderinggg.. has anyone applied to/heard back from the University of Wyoming?
I emailed them a few days ago, but they haven't replied

[babypoet2k]

anyone have any update on UVA? assuming that iowa and brown are rejections, i'm about damn ready to end this app season one way or another and this would be my last school. 

big sad about iowa, also since i'm a part of one of their other writing programs and have interacted with IWW students and lowkey love the vibes of iowa as well as the people. but we are moving on. just emailed deb west to email me a copy of my decision whenever available because i'm an intl student and simply do not have the patience to wait months. unless UVA comes through, i will be ending this season on the waitlist. now that i think about it, how i was hoping to get into iww at 20 is beyond me. or, as my co-star says for March, "there's a difference between aspirational and impossible" and that this is the month i must learn that.

but it's all good. i'm gonna teach for a couple years, meet some people, write more, get my shit together and do some growing up. this was only my first time applying, and i will not be giving up. going to get into one of these programs if that's the last thing i do. ❤️ 

ALSO! massive congratulations to accepted folks on here, all the best of luck to those waitlisted, and my heart is with all those who were rejected. love to everyone on here. could not have done it without this forum. 

[NLake]

10 hours ago, avorazan said:

I was wonderinggg.. has anyone applied to/heard back from the University of Wyoming?
I emailed them a few days ago, but they haven't replied

There's a mixed bag of rejections and waitlists on the results page - no acceptances listed, though. Maybe no news is good news in this case? 

[panglosian]

(Cross-posted to Draft)

Might be jinxing it, because both of the other times I posted about an email from a department about notification timelines it always ended up being wrong (looking at you, Cornell and UMD!) but I just emailed Brown about fiction and this is what they said:

“Many thanks for your message. We hope to share admission information by the middle of March. The exact date will be determined by the Graduate School, where a review of department recommendations is underway.”

So, take this how you will!

Additionally: another person on Draft heard that notifications may be finished by the end of this week for fiction, so it would make sense given what they just told me. 

[CrankyGinger]

26 minutes ago, panglosian said:

(Cross-posted to Draft)

Might be jinxing it, because both of the other times I posted about an email from a department about notification timelines it always ended up being wrong (looking at you, Cornell and UMD!) but I just emailed Brown about fiction and this is what they said:

“Many thanks for your message. We hope to share admission information by the middle of March. The exact date will be determined by the Graduate School, where a review of department recommendations is underway.”

So, take this how you will!

Additionally: another person on Draft heard that notifications may be finished by the end of this week for fiction, so it would make sense given what they just told me. 

Thanks for reaching out to them!

[goodcynara]

Hey Fiction Writers - Thought this event, Submission Roulette - A Live, Candid Look at How Editors Read from Electric Lit might be of interest (text below copied from email):   First impressions count—and they never count more than when you’re trying to impress an editor who has 1,500 submissions to read. Editors often say that they can tell within the first page whether a story will be worth accepting, so how do you make your first page really shine? Join us on Wednesday, March 17 at 6 PM for the third event in our Spring Salon Series to find out. BUY TICKETS

Eavesdrop on our evaluation process—and vie to get your story noticed—with Recommended Reading editors Halimah Marcus and Brandon Taylor. They’ll be reading opening pages submitted just for the occasion, sharing their reactions and thought processes as they go. Submit your own first page anonymously to see if your story has what it takes to catch our editors’ eyes, or simply tune in to see how other writers fare. Tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for Electric Lit members (check your email for the coupon code). Our virtual events are replacing our in-person fundraising efforts during the pandemic, and all proceeds support Electric Literature’s mission to make literature more exciting, relevant, and inclusive. If you can’t make the live broadcast, a recording will be available to ticket holders after the event has concluded. BUY TICKETS Submission Instructions: You can find the link to submit in the chat, on the right-hand side of the event page. (Please note, you will only see the chat if you are registered for the event.) If you are unable to find the submission portal or have questions about submitting, email preety@electricliterature.com. Please submit one page of fiction, double spaced, in 12 pt, Times New Roman font. Your submission should be the first page of a story or novel chapter that you would like to submit (to a literary magazine, agent, MFA program, etc.). Do not include any identifying information on the document. You may submit only one entry. We will select and anonymize a dozen or so submissions to read and respond to during the salon. Prescreens will be conducted by other RR editors so Brandon and Halimah will read the work for the first time live on Crowdcast.  Submissions are optional. You are welcome to attend the salon without submitting. Please be advised that these pages are being evaluated for the purpose of the salon only, that a positive response does not constitute an agreement to publish, and that not all submissions will be read during the salon. For information on how to submit your stories for publication in Electric Literature, please visit our submissions page. BUY TICKETS Halimah Marcus is the executive director of Electric Literature and the editor-in-chief of Recommended Reading. She is also the editor of Horse Girls, an anthology that reclaims and recasts the horse girl stereotype, forthcoming from Harper Perennial in August 2021. Her short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Literary Review, The Southampton Review, Indiana Review, Gulf Coast, One Story, BOMB, and elsewhere. Brandon Taylor is the author of the acclaimed novel Real Life, which has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. The editor-at-large of Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading and a staff writer at Lit Hub, he holds graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa, where he was an Iowa Arts Fellow at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in fiction.   https://www.crowdcast.io/electriclit

[goodcynara]

13 hours ago, koechophe said:

I'm not a vet, but I'll speak to miracles. From watching trends on here and from having friends in the same boat, sometimes people are on wait lists and get in as late as April. When you've heard nothing, you could be at the top of a waitlist or the bottom of one, you just have no way of knowing. And you also have no way of knowing if your school has even sent out all their acceptances yet (unless you email them or they send some info out which states that, of course). 

I know it's hard. Trust me, I know. And you should definitely steel yourself for the possibility that it won't work out this year. This has been an awful cycle for applicants. 

But really, until you have an actual "NO" in your inbox/portal, you cannot know for certain that you're not in. It's not over until it's over. Keep your chin up, and see what happens. It's easier to feel closure when you get that actual "no", so don't feel like you need to have some sort of closure before then, alright? 

As far as this being your first cycle, think of it this way. The average age for an author to publish their debut novel is 35. Most authors try (and fail) to publish at least 3 different books before they manage to publish a debut. Even for accepted authors, only around 3% of literary agents will actually say yes to the book.

In short, writing is a field of constant rejection. My advice? It's never too late. Keep trying. All the rejection in the world can't tarnish the shine of that beautiful acceptance that you will no doubt receive if you continue working on it. 

I hope some of that is helpful! I'm in a similar boat to you, this is my first cycle, so take my words with as many grains of salt as you'd like. But as someone who has been rejected so, so many times in my professional endeavors, I speak from experience. 

Thanks for this!

[lenagator1997]

12 hours ago, avorazan said:

I was wonderinggg.. has anyone applied to/heard back from the University of Wyoming?
I emailed them a few days ago, but they haven't replied

Hi There,

I heard from University of Wyoming a week ago for Creative Nonfiction. Hope you hear back soon!

[FairleyAlfy]

My status changed for University of Maryland to under grad school review...? it was under program review. I guess this means a rejection is coming...was really hoping to get accepted. It was definitely one of my top schools. 

[panglosian]

3 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

My status changed for University of Maryland to under grad school review...? it was under program review. I guess this means a rejection is coming...was really hoping to get accepted. It was definitely one of my top schools. 

Has this happened to anyone else? Mine still says under program review (active), but I don't want to get my hopes up. Portals are never reliable, but I'll let you know today if mine changes!

[cecsav]

3 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

My status changed for University of Maryland to under grad school review...? it was under program review. I guess this means a rejection is coming...was really hoping to get accepted. It was definitely one of my top schools. 

Not necessarily. If the program wants to accept you, they have to have the approval of the grad school, re: admission requirements. If anything, I'd think it's a step in the right direction. 

[FairleyAlfy]

19 minutes ago, cecsav said:

Not necessarily. If the program wants to accept you, they have to have the approval of the grad school, re: admission requirements. If anything, I'd think it's a step in the right direction. 

I’ve just heard from past accepted people that the portal status under program review is good and under graduate school review is bad...it was under program review for weeks and then last minute changed to under graduate school review. So I’m at a loss on what’s going on. Lol 

[FairleyAlfy]

23 minutes ago, panglosian said:

Has this happened to anyone else? Mine still says under program review (active), but I don't want to get my hopes up. Portals are never reliable, but I'll let you know today if mine changes!

University of Maryland is known for their status changes meaning something. Under program review is good and under grad school review has been known to mean rejection, but I’m still not a 100% on that...it’s gossip from past accepted and rejected applicants. 

[panglosian]

Just now, FairleyAlfy said:

I’ve just heard from past accepted people that the portal status under program review is good and under graduate school review is bad...it was under program review for weeks and then last minute changed to under graduate school review. So I’m at a loss on what’s going on. Lol 

 

Just now, FairleyAlfy said:

University of Maryland is known for their status changes meaning something. Under program review is good and under grad school review has been known to mean rejection, but I’m still not a 100% on that...it’s gossip from past accepted and rejected applicants. 

Honestly as someone who is in the same boat as you, I'm not speculating a THING until I have a yes or no XD hop on the ignorance train with me, we've got complementary snacks

[koechophe]

2 minutes ago, panglosian said:

hop on the ignorance train with me, we've got complementary snacks

And we're perpetually running behind schedule lol

[Ydrl]

I honestly hope Maryland keeps their promise to get notifications started this week. I'm dying over here.

And speaking of dying, RIP my iPad Pro 2, you've had a short run, but it was fine.

Welcome to the family Chromebook, please live longer than the iPad.

[Ydrl]

53 minutes ago, cecsav said:

Not necessarily. If the program wants to accept you, they have to have the approval of the grad school, re: admission requirements. If anything, I'd think it's a step in the right direction. 

In years past, Under Grad School Review hasn't been a good sign (they do the same thing at UNLV). For everyone's sake, I hope Maryland (and UNLV) stopped that shit because it's rude and upsetting.

[panglosian]

Just now, Ydrl said:

In years past, Under Grad School Review hasn't been a good sign (they do the same thing at UNLV). For everyone's sake, I hope Maryland (and UNLV) stopped that shit because it's rude and upsetting.

Amen to that. I will say though in my email from Lindsay Bernal, she DID say they were experiencing delays because of a newly implemented portal (or portal changes). So @FairleyAlfy it might also be an error, but I wouldn't worry one way or another. Clearly we're getting notified soon, for better or worse!

[gmcc93]

3 hours ago, panglosian said:

(Cross-posted to Draft)

Might be jinxing it, because both of the other times I posted about an email from a department about notification timelines it always ended up being wrong (looking at you, Cornell and UMD!) but I just emailed Brown about fiction and this is what they said:

“Many thanks for your message. We hope to share admission information by the middle of March. The exact date will be determined by the Graduate School, where a review of department recommendations is underway.”

So, take this how you will!

Additionally: another person on Draft heard that notifications may be finished by the end of this week for fiction, so it would make sense given what they just told me. 

I emailed them re: poetry and got the same response. So, still hope? 

[Ash...]

HELP ME CHOOSE. So far I’ve only gotten accepted into CCNY and Temple. Neither funded but CCNY has no funding until 2022 so the director said it may change after the first semester. I’m just thankful to have gotten in somewhere! Im interested in horror/gothic writing and lgbt writing. Neither has an lgbt staff writer but both have either thriller/horror and mystery. CCNY is cheaper but it’s NYC so overall it balances it out. Please tell me anything you know about either program and what you think! 

[koechophe]

1 hour ago, Ydrl said:

Welcome to the family Chromebook, please live longer than the iPad.

My Chromebook changed its major and decided it wanted to be a Linux major instead. We were a little disappointed with its life decisions, but it really seems to be blossoming on Arch now. 

[CrankyGinger]

2 hours ago, panglosian said:

 

Honestly as someone who is in the same boat as you, I'm not speculating a THING until I have a yes or no XD hop on the ignorance train with me, we've got complementary snacks

Worth it for the snacks alone