2021 Applicants Forum

[Yellow62]

21 minutes ago, goodcynara said:

Ha! "Salty" is one of my favorite descriptors for potentially problematic dynamics. Thanks for hipping me to this.

Yeah, I definitely assumed whoever posted that was mad about being rejected and decided to throw a tantrum. Unless said person is reading this and cares to enlighten us on this new "direction" lol. 

[jka0124]

4 hours ago, mesab said:

Hopefully all the inevitable stress in my post won't be too contagious.. but is anyone else absolutely frazzled waiting for responses from Columbia? I've seen a few people post their acceptances on the results feed here for MFAs in Writing at Columbia and nearly all of them note that they received calls to inform them of their admission. However, on the CSA admissions policies webpage it says that admissions decisions won't be delivered over the phone- I'm honestly just wondering what to think about all this? I guess I'm hoping for solidarity more than answers, because I'm definitely grasping at straws as I anxiously wait for ANY information. I'm getting to the point where I'm about ready to start sacrificing all my Columbia U Press books at the stake as an offering to the admissions gods.... 

They call to accept you. The comment you’re talking about [“application decisions won’t be delivered over the phone”] means that *applicants* shouldn’t call to receive their decision. Can you imagine if everyone tried to do that and then some poor admin has to talk down everyone upset over being rejected? Ew. 

[koechophe]

4 hours ago, moly said:

Maybe IWW released some statement that they weren't admitting a lot of people this year because of COVID. 

Or it could be that the school cut funding to the arts, or that they're moving towards being a more STEM oriented program than previously, or any number of things, honestly. I wouldn't worry about it: applications are in, what's done is done. 

[jka0124]

5 hours ago, moly said:

I am skeptical that the poster on Draft referred to some IWW's declaration on a black issue.  

The comment regarding a “declaration” was here on the results page, not on Draft though. 

[forthetruththeyburnyou]

7 hours ago, moly said:

I am skeptical that the poster on Draft referred to some IWW's declaration on a black issue. Draft is as PC as you can get. It isn't anonymous. People are afraid to say anything black.

Do not disrespect Jess. They work tirelessly, and for free, to moderate a 1.8k person Facebook group. They help the literary community. You, on the other hand, are an anonymous, racist troll. Go on and tell the class about what sort of "black things" you think one can't say in Draft. There's a reason you're hiding behind the term "PC"  in describing Draft. There's a reason a whole separate POC Draft page exists. It's not "censorship" to curtail racist speech. 

[JPReinhold]

On 3/13/2021 at 10:11 PM, anna23 said:

Wait... Hunter sent out acceptances already????? oh boy.... I am stressing

And waitlists.

[hot_toddy]

Still no word on acceptances from UF or BU? Those and IWW are looking like my last hope I just want to be put out of my misery at this point haha

[chefjuice]

Ummm I’m on the waitlist at Rutgers-Camden?!! Just got the email/letter from Lauren Grodstein. No info on funding or placement but I’ll update if I can get it

 

feels very surreal I had 100% assumed I would be going another round (could still be the case but like, wow)

[M-Lin]

50 minutes ago, hot_toddy said:

Still no word on acceptances from UF or BU? Those and IWW are looking like my last hope I just want to be put out of my misery at this point haha

Unfortunately I think BU might even drag it into the last week of the month... 

[hot_toddy]

Well I suppose I should just assume the worst but hope for the best! Do you know if it's common to just be accepted to a single program, or do a lot of these places agree on who the best applicants are? This is my first time doing this I don't think I really understood what I was getting myself into. 

[M-Lin]

10 minutes ago, hot_toddy said:

Well I suppose I should just assume the worst but hope for the best! Do you know if it's common to just be accepted to a single program, or do a lot of these places agree on who the best applicants are? This is my first time doing this I don't think I really understood what I was getting myself into. 

I’m totally in the same boat haha. Maybe someone else who knows more about this whole process might be able to give better answers. I got into a few this round but none of them is fully-funded so I assume the competition at these places was much less fierce. 

[hot_toddy]

Ah ok I really don't want to take out student loans so I only did the fully funded ones. I am on one waitlist so I suppose there is still hope but I think my odds are slim. Frustrating because my girlfriend has gotten into almost all of her grad school programs and I'm pretty sure her parents think I am an underachiever. Difficult to explain to people how competitive these dumb programs are. 

[orangeslice]

I GOT INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON. Literally speechless. No word on funding yet but hopefully soon. Came after 11 straight rejections. There is hope, people!!

1a/0w/11r/4p

[Cristie]

Do you ever just wonder if your name is on a white board in a room somewhere and someone is holding the dry erase marker as the roundtable discusses your fate? Like the cap is off while the debate is going on and someone stands there waiting to draw that red line. Or is it yes and no stacks in massive piles on that table? HOW does it happen--this process about my future?

If they had a live stream...I'd be Netflixing that shit 24/7. 

Do you guys have these kinds of thoughts too or am I just losing it staring at my email/phone and waiting?

[SofiTheCatGuardian]

3 hours ago, hot_toddy said:

Still no word on acceptances from UF or BU? Those and IWW are looking like my last hope I just want to be put out of my misery at this point haha

I just received an email from BU stating they will send decisions at the "very beginning of April." I also just got another email from University of Virginia stating I will hear back from them "this week." 

Pending: John Hopkins, Iowa, BU, UVA

[hot_toddy]

5 minutes ago, SofiTheCatGuardian said:

I just received an email from BU stating they will send decisions at the "very beginning of April." I also just got another email from University of Virginia stating I will hear back from them "this week." 

Pending: John Hopkins, Iowa, BU, UVA

Awesome thanks for the info

[oubukibun]

Speaking of BU,

I am freaking the fuck out because I went to my admissions portal just to feed my anxiety for the day and then be done with it and realized there's no visible upload of my college transcript.

I emailed admissions, as I'm pretty confident I wouldn't have just not uploaded it.  Besides, the portal is set up so every section is "checked" by a green check-mark once it's been completed, and I never received any notification about missing transcripts (just the standard email giving the applicant a heads-up on what else needs to be uploaded, like rec. letters, transcripts, etc., and a congrats) soooo...

Oh boy.  I'd hate to really put the Sisyphean cherry on top by not being accepted into BU because I missed a transcript in some fugue-like state of applying.

Surely a school wouldn't just let this happen without a heads-up...  Right?

I think age has made me cynical, but the Lost Boy in me always dares to hope anyway, haha.

 

Terrified.

[Boomer not Ok]

9 minutes ago, Cristie said:

Do you ever just wonder if your name is on a white board in a room somewhere and someone is holding the dry erase marker as the roundtable discusses your fate? Like the cap is off while the debate is going on and someone stands there waiting to draw that red line. Or is it yes and no stacks in massive piles on that table? HOW does it happen--this process about my future?

If they had a live stream...I'd be Netflixing that shit 24/7. 

Do you guys have these kinds of thoughts too or am I just losing it staring at my email/phone and waiting?

I'm not sure it's as dramatic as that. I wonder sometimes for the places that get north of 600 apps whether undergrad CW teachers' pets are wading through the slush pile determining our fates. 

[SofiTheCatGuardian]

Apparently John Hopkins has made some decisions and not sent out updates, guys. I just got another email (because I emailed everyone over the weekend lol) stating I wasn't accepted to JH and: "you will receive an official email within the next week or two." So that's cray cray. Like, if I hadn't emailed I wouldn't have known my fate for another week or two. Ha!

[M-Lin]

41 minutes ago, SofiTheCatGuardian said:

I just received an email from BU stating they will send decisions at the "very beginning of April." I also just got another email from University of Virginia stating I will hear back from them "this week." 

Pending: John Hopkins, Iowa, BU, UVA

That’s even later than usual!! But I wonder if “unofficial decisions” are made before that and they’re calling people by the end of March, per their previous results. Sometimes schools call before the results are “stamped” and sent out by the university admissions office. 

I am just making baseless speculations. lol 

Edited March 15, 2021 by M-Lin

[koechophe]

1 hour ago, orangeslice said:

I GOT INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON. Literally speechless. No word on funding yet but hopefully soon. Came after 11 straight rejections. There is hope, people!!

Huge congratulations! You applied for like 15 schools, so I'm glad the extreme mental fortitude (And financial!) that took was rewarded in some way. You're a rockstar, great work!

[DeepSyntax]

20 minutes ago, SofiTheCatGuardian said:

Apparently John Hopkins has made some decisions and not sent out updates, guys. I just got another email (because I emailed everyone over the weekend lol) stating I wasn't accepted to JH and: "you will receive an official email within the next week or two." So that's cray cray. Like, if I hadn't emailed I wouldn't have known my fate for another week or two. Ha!

Jesus. I'll take no word as a rejection then. They are clearly sending out rejections so I don't know why they are doing them bit by bit rather than all at once.

Thanks for the info on Virginia. It's one of my last wild cards.

Anyone get anything from University of Miami? Seems to be a smaller applicant pool than others, there have only been two posts this year and neither for fiction. But I'm assuming it's a rejection if I haven't heard anything, based on results from past years.

[Thermos]

Hi everybody, 

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone on here for being so open and honest about their application process. 

Also, I was hoping somebody could help me figure out what's up with one of the schools I've applied to, UNCG. I'm just trying to alleviate my anxiety. 

They've called me twice and I spoke to both the director and assistant director of the program. Very nice folk. Neither call was an interview though. They just wanted to answer any questions I might have about the program. 

Also, for those waiting, they told me they'd more than likely make decisions by Thursday or Friday of this week. 

What I'm wondering is, what do you think these calls mean? Am I in? Seems like they'd just come out and say it if I was. I'm assuming I've at least been waitlisted, but dunno. 

And feel free to ask me questions, if you think I can help alleviate some of your anxiety. And apologies if my post has caused you bit more. This stuff is rough. 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Thermos

[Thermos]

15 minutes ago, DeepSyntax said:

Jesus. I'll take no word as a rejection then. They are clearly sending out rejections so I don't know why they are doing them bit by bit rather than all at once.

Thanks for the info on Virginia. It's one of my last wild cards.

Anyone get anything from University of Miami? Seems to be a smaller applicant pool than others, there have only been two posts this year and neither for fiction. But I'm assuming it's a rejection if I haven't heard anything, based on results from past years.

I got a rejection from the University of Miami last week for fiction. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Thermos

[goodcynara]

2 hours ago, orangeslice said:

I GOT INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON. Literally speechless. No word on funding yet but hopefully soon. Came after 11 straight rejections. There is hope, people!!

1a/0w/11r/4p

Congrats!!!