2021 Applicants Forum

[turtlesfordays]

12 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

YES!!!!!

Let’s make it in together ✌️

[FairleyAlfy]

23 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

GUYS I JUST GOT AN EMAIL THAT I'M ON THE WAITLIST FOR MARYLAND AND THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE A SPOT WILL OPEN UP. I'M GONNA FUCKING CRY!!!!!

I’M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! Congrats!! 

[Cristie]

14 hours ago, Ydrl said:

Okay, hear me out. I might sound ungrateful, but if I don't get a TA offer from UNH / get in anywhere with a livable stipend, I'm thinking of giving up my acceptances and go for a third round. If I went to UNH without a TAship for both years, I'd be down 30,000-35,000 dollars accounting for every expense.

This is exactly why I'm hoping to get my results soon. But I'm dreading them. I'm genuinely scared, and it's really hard to scare me after nearly dying last year.

Hi, 

My plan is if I don't get funding to try to find a full time job at the school-as long as they offer tuition discount to full time employees.. so you are getting paid and a deep discount. Most have a lot of listings on their employment pages. If you REALLY want to go, work a year and while there, also work towards applying for everything you possibly can for the second year. And most universities have really great benefits too. Sometimes the schedule doesn't work out but most professors I've worked for are willing to work around class schedules or work something out. Just a thought. 

Good Luck, 

Cristie

[Ydrl]

I got rejected across the board last year, survived my suicide attempt 11 months ago, and got waitlisted at my top choice today. I know that those of you who want this more than anything will succeed. Keep trying, you can do it if you keep trying.

[Ydrl]

2 minutes ago, turtlesfordays said:

Let’s make it in together ✌️

Hell yeah, this is my number one. I already let Lindsay know in my response email that if a spot opens up I will accept the offer immediately. ?

[turtlesfordays]

2 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Hell yeah, this is my number one. I already let Lindsay know in my response email that if a spot opens up I will accept the offer immediately. ?

Ah! I should’ve done that! I just told her she made my Friday haha

[Ydrl]

3 minutes ago, turtlesfordays said:

Ah! I should’ve done that! I just told her she made my Friday haha

That's a big mood haha. I heard somewhere that there were two slots open for both poetry and fiction this year. That's crazy!

[oubukibun]

32 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Seven rejections this year, and now it's time to prepare for the next cycle. I'm definitely a little frustrated, but not nearly as much as I thought I would be with all rejections. Going to triple my number of applications for next cycle, and hopefully have a much stronger sample on hand.

Frankly, I find it's mostly a statistics game.  Obviously, as someone deeply invested in writing and the continued study of it (to become a published author, a professor, etc.), 'improving' it will always be part of the process, but that aspect will always be up to the unknown variables we all face when applying to any school.  It has very little to do with us.

How can we know that our writing is 'better' somehow in the context of grad school applications?  However, if we apply to more schools, then at least we are giving ourselves a wider net, if not necessarily a higher chance of success.

I too will be w0rking on my portfolio, knowing full well that my writing could've been stellar now but just not appealing to the people who read it.  I will never know if 'improving' it will change that around; maybe by strengthening it, I've reduced my chances at one school or another, and perhaps strengthened my chances at a school I haven't even applied to.

I'm trying to be extra careful so my words aren't misunderstood, haha, and I'm certainly not going to tell you what to feel or not to feel, but being rejected or even waitlisted (and not getting in) has so little to do with the writing in the grand scheme of things.

Ironically, that's what "they're looking for" but we just can't know what that is, and all we can do is keep working on our words for our own damn selves, and keep trying, hoping we manage to cup the bottle just, and we can screw the cap back on before the lightning bolt is gone for good.

Chin up!  There is an audience out in the world for every single author.  Every single one.  And in the meantime, in the words of Lawrence of Arabia, himself: "The trick...is not minding that it hurts."

Edited March 12, 2021 by oubukibun

[DeepSyntax]

I stg if I go through yet another friday without an update...

[CrankyGinger]

9 minutes ago, DeepSyntax said:

I stg if I go through yet another friday without an update...

Facts. Columbia and NYU need to just finish the damn thing and tell us what's what. 

[helterskelter]

3 hours ago, chefjuice said:

Hi everyone –– I am generally forum- and MFA Draft-phobic, but wanted to know if anyone has heard anything from: 

• Rutgers-Newark
• UVA

I've been rejected elsewhere and ghosted by R-Camden (though this is fine with me as I heard they've have funding issues again this year), so just want to go ahead and know if I can ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   to this year and focus on the year ahead.

Waiting for those two as well - I've seen a few acceptances for Newark so at this point I'm waiting for a rejection, hoping to hear back from UVA in the next two weeks though.

[feralgrad]

1 hour ago, mrvisser said:

Seven rejections this year, and now it's time to prepare for the next cycle. I'm definitely a little frustrated, but not nearly as much as I thought I would be with all rejections. Going to triple my number of applications for next cycle, and hopefully have a much stronger sample on hand.

Honestly, rather than having a high number of applications, I'd consider including some lesser-known well-funded programs. You had a decent selection this year, but I'd consider them all "upper echelon" programs -- very well-known and very competitive. Nothing wrong with shooting for the stars! But there are a lot of well-funded programs which are significantly less competitive while still offering a "top tier" experience (Miami U Ohio and Bowling Green State come to mind).

Of course, no fully-funded program is easy to get into, but I think we underestimate how big of a difference it makes applying to 5 programs that admit 10% vs 10 programs that admit <1%. Not to mention that 10 apps is a very high workload.

Anyway, I'm sorry this year didn't pan out. I hope this response comes of as "helpful + encouraging" rather than "rubbing it in."

[Ydrl]

To anyone that looked back at their sample and cringed, I just did and cringed too. It doesn't indicate much besides your growth as a writer.

[oubukibun]

Hahaha.

I think the awfulness lies when you're happy with your portfolio and still end up rejected from all the schools you've applied to.

Sometimes I can't decide if I should actively loathe everything I write or just accept that liking my writing now doesn't mean I'm stagnating or that I will never be accepted into a fully-funded MFA program.

[mrvisser]

21 minutes ago, moly said:

He sees going to the lower tier as abandoning his dream and settling. 

I've been called the Shakespeare of my generation, so this is correct.

[JPReinhold]

7 minutes ago, moly said:

I do wonder if I will give in myself one day and settle for a lower tier. You can go to a crappy school and emerge great. But giving up a dream isn't so easy. Then we see posts from kids who are still undergrads and got into Iowa and the like.   

Would you call any fully-funded program “crappy”? I don’t think I would...

[panglosian]

I didn't get a waitlist for Maryland (congrats everyone who got in I cheered for you all!!) so that probably means rejection. With UVA and Boston my only other two options, Rutgers being radio silent, and Temple not coming through with funding, I may have to call it a year.

Honestly, I was more upset about it a week ago. It was mainly because I hinged ALL of my plans and aspirations for the upcoming year on going to grad school, and I didn't even entertain the idea that I might be able to use my time in a different way. I had a breakthrough this week, and I realized that I was allowed to be sad about this, but I had so many other options for how to spend my year. 

My girlfriend and I are currently looking for apartments together, and I have it in good standing that my university may be willing to give me an adjunct position next year with only a BA, because I have assisted in teaching composition before. I might even be able to read for our lit mag for another year, which would be so great!

In short, thank you all for your support. I'll let you guys know how my final decisions pan out, but I'll be lurking until then.

If I get a miracle, you guys will be the first to know ❤️

See you next year!

 

[Cristie]

51 minutes ago, moly said:

He sees going to the lower tier as abandoning his dream and settling. 

I got some advice from a professor and he said to apply to schools that once you research their faculty, read their works and styles... and then figure out what appeals to you about them. To really make sure it is a good fit for YOU and not just a big name. That there are some really awesome instructors at other schools. Not everyone (who teaches and has a family) wants to pay for the crazy cost of living where those big name schools are. He said ideally apply to 5 dream schools and 5 realistic schools. 

I also don't want to go to a school where they refer to you as a number (like that's #3,  or there goes #4) cough..Iowa.

 

[fireflystasis]

Just now, Cristie said:

I got some advice from a professor and he said to apply to schools that once you research their faculty, read their works and styles... and then figure out what appeals to you about them. To really make sure it is a good fit for YOU and not just a big name. That there are some really awesome instructors at other schools. Not everyone (who teaches and has a family) wants to pay for the crazy cost of living where those big name schools are. He said ideally apply to 5 dream schools and 5 realistic schools. 

I also don't want to go to a school where they refer to you as a number (like that's #3,  or there goes #4) cough..Iowa.

My prof said the same thing, that there was no point getting into a prestigious program and being stuck with a faculty whose writing you don't actually like and aspire to.

[koechophe]

1 hour ago, feralgrad said:

Honestly, rather than having a high number of applications, I'd consider including some lesser-known well-funded programs. You had a decent selection this year, but I'd consider them all "upper echelon" programs -- very well-known and very competitive. Nothing wrong with shooting for the stars! But there are a lot of well-funded programs which are significantly less competitive while still offering a "top tier" experience (Miami U Ohio and Bowling Green State come to mind).

Of course, no fully-funded program is easy to get into, but I think we underestimate how big of a difference it makes applying to 5 programs that admit 10% vs 10 programs that admit <1%. Not to mention that 10 apps is a very high workload.

I would honestly love more of your insights on this. First off, which schools would you consider to be lesser-known fully funded programs?

Second, my list of schools I applied to is:

University of Utah, University of Houston, Florida State, Oklahoma State, University of Lincoln-Nebraska, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Southern Californa, Washington State University (Rhet/comp, not MFA). 

Where do these schools fall on the list, if you know? 

Sorry for all the questions, but my school taught me literally nothing about applying for graduate programs. We don't have GRE prep and it's strictly undergraduate, so I felt very blind going into this. 

[corgeel14]

On 3/10/2021 at 11:36 AM, corgeel14 said:

So on the 8th/9th, when all those New School acceptances came out, I got an email the morning of the 9th that said "application update" but it was just saying they had received all my materials (again) and were under review. Was that a mistake? A way of saying to keep waiting? I applied for poetry and haven't seen any poetry acceptances but that could just mean that whoever got in wasn't on this or Draft I know......What do ya'll think?

Hey yall, just wanted to update about this as it may offer some insight for any people who still haven't heard from The New School.  I emailed them and received a response that the email wasn't a glitch, and that they'll send out responses mid-March (which basically means next week at this point lol). I applied for poetry and only knew of one acceptance on that 8th/9th time frame between here and draft, so my thought process is that they just actually release acceptances in waves. Either that or they cruelly decided to renew my hope just to see it crushed again next week. Hoping for the former. God speed!

[lunch]

5 minutes ago, koechophe said:

I would honestly love more of your insights on this. First off, which schools would you consider to be lesser-known fully funded programs?

Second, my list of schools I applied to is:

University of Utah, University of Houston, Florida State, Oklahoma State, University of Lincoln-Nebraska, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Southern Californa, Washington State University (Rhet/comp, not MFA). 

Where do these schools fall on the list, if you know? 

Sorry for all the questions, but my school taught me literally nothing about applying for graduate programs. We don't have GRE prep and it's strictly undergraduate, so I felt very blind going into this. 

I can't help with where the schools you listed fall, but two schools I'm surprised don't come up more given that they're fully funded and have (at least in poetry) well-known people are North Carolina State University and Purdue. 

[superstitious]

i’m also unsure of where the schools @koechophe mentioned fall (sorry!), but i’m surprised that’s UMiami doesn’t come up much in the fully-funded program conversation (and they’re pretty generous too) 

[Starbuck420]

1 hour ago, feralgrad said:

Bowling Green State

Important to look at specifics though, bc I know Bowling Green in particular has a low stipend (of about $11k) with about $1k-3k  in fees, depending on whether or not you plan to purchase insurance, which is required. So, in a situation like that, it's like: is it really worth it? and would we really call it "fully funded?" Maybe your answer to both questions is yes, but $8k-9k is really a small salary for 9 months of work

anyway, sorry. only chiming in because Bowling Green is one I wrote off specifically for that reason. Relatively low teaching load though, which is nice

[Boomer not Ok]

3 hours ago, Ydrl said:

I got rejected across the board last year, survived my suicide attempt 11 months ago, and got waitlisted at my top choice today. I know that those of you who want this more than anything will succeed. Keep trying, you can do it if you keep trying.

TBH, anyone who can coin something as wonderful as being “a nervous chihuahua piloting a human skin” should be getting a call from Iowa begging them to attend, even if they didn’t apply. Really hoping this comes through for you. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Boomer not Ok