2021 Applicants Forum

[CrankyGinger]

9 hours ago, iai said:

I think I’m literally going crazy the longer this application season drags out /: If anyone hears from Columbia or The New School (fiction), please let me know ?

I'm waiting on CU, as well. I thought I had heard The New School contacted people, am I wrong?

[uglybug]

hi everyone! i am yet another longtime lurker with waitlist questions -- i was waitlisted at 3 schools and have, of course, sent my thank-you emails to all of them. is there any etiquette surrounding follow-ups/inquiries? would it be to my benefit or detriment to check in more than once? i know they're busy, but i'm also chronically unassertive when it comes to things that i want, so i can't discern if i'm being reasonable or if i'm self-sabotaging by not emailing them more often?

also, if the waitlist notification did not come with an email to reach out to, and the director of the program doesn't have an email address publicly listed, should i just reach out to the liaison for the program as listed on their website? sorry if these are stupid questions! 

Edited March 16, 2021 by uglybug

[Greel]

3 minutes ago, uglybug said:

hi everyone! i am yet another longtime lurker with waitlist questions -- i was waitlisted at my top 3 choices and have, of course, sent my thank-you emails to all of them. is there any etiquette surrounding follow-ups/inquiries? would it be to my benefit or detriment to check in more than once? i know they're busy, but i'm also chronically unassertive when it comes to things that i want, so i can't discern if i'm being reasonable or if i'm self-sabotaging by not emailing them more often?

also, if the waitlist notification did not come with an email to reach out to, and the director of the program doesn't have an email address publicly listed, should i just reach out to the liaison for the program as listed on their website? sorry if these are stupid questions! 

Hey! I'm also a first time applicant so please take my advice with a grain of salt. I reached out with thank you emails and let the school that was my top choice know that I was really interested in the program and that they were a top choice for me. I also asked if they might connect me with any current students with whom I could discuss the program. The email I got came from a prof personally so not sure about that aspect, but they were really nice and put me in touch with some students... I think as long as you're not pestering every couple days about WL movement, its totally fine to reach out with queries you have. 

[koechophe]

I broke down and sent out some follow-up emails a few days ago, and it was actually a good experience (Whoever recommended against doing so seems pretty wrong imho). 

University of Southern California confirmed I wasn't getting in, they said my decision letter never went out due to a clerical error. The director also said, "If you don't accept another offer, we would welcome your application again next year," which I'm taking as a good thing, even though she definitely could've been just saying that.

Oklahoma State University got back to me and said they should be sending out decision letters "in the next few days." That gives me some level of hope that I'll hear from them soon (also that it's not necessarily a "no")

Tl:DR: it's totally appropriate to follow-up mid march.

[SMSM1229]

Anyone hear back from Columbia or NYU yet? So nervous!? Sending hugs to all of you!

[arden]

34 minutes ago, uglybug said:

hi everyone! i am yet another longtime lurker with waitlist questions -- i was waitlisted at 3 schools and have, of course, sent my thank-you emails to all of them. is there any etiquette surrounding follow-ups/inquiries? would it be to my benefit or detriment to check in more than once? i know they're busy, but i'm also chronically unassertive when it comes to things that i want, so i can't discern if i'm being reasonable or if i'm self-sabotaging by not emailing them more often?

also, if the waitlist notification did not come with an email to reach out to, and the director of the program doesn't have an email address publicly listed, should i just reach out to the liaison for the program as listed on their website? sorry if these are stupid questions! 

hello! In a similar boat here! From what I've seen advice-wise, it's perfectly reasonable to check in and with other inquiries, though as Greel said, I think as long as it's not constant pestering. 

As far as who to reach out to, if there's no public listing for the director, I think it's completely reasonable to reach out to the program liaison. If nothing else, maybe consider asking them if—in the event they can't answer your questions— they'd be willing to put you in contact with someone who can. 

[elemves]

I checked in with University of Utah. All their departmental letters to accepted/waitlisted people have been sent out. Anyone still waiting to hear has been rejected. Rejected but oh wells. 

[M-Lin]

10 hours ago, iai said:

I think I’m literally going crazy the longer this application season drags out /: If anyone hears from Columbia or The New School (fiction), please let me know ?

Hi! not sure if I've responded to you before but I got accepted by The New School for fiction on March 8th. I believe someone else was in for CNF on the same day. Not sure if they send out acceptances in waves though? Or maybe it was about funding? I only got 30% funding and unlikely to attend. Maybe they'll have a waitlist? 

46 minutes ago, CrankyGinger said:

I'm waiting on CU, as well. I thought I had heard The New School contacted people, am I wrong?

totally not crazy! and same, waiting on CU. 

[Ydrl]

Gotta love how Rutgers Newark is really dragging out my rejection.

[oubukibun]

In more pleasant news (for those who applied to BU as I did), the office of admissions for my program was very nice and attached my transcript to my profile.  Much to my horror, it had not been there this whole time.  Very kind of them to do so this late in the game, and though I'm certainly not interpreting the tea leaves, the wording implied that applications are still being looked at and mine remains current.  Otherwise, quite meaningless to upload the transcript in lieu of telling me, "Sorry, but there's no real point to it now."

Anyway, just thought that was lovely.  Glad I made the choice to apply there.  It was the school I chose on a hunch and an instinctual reaction, so it's reassuring that both of those things I've still got a handle on, haha.

Not sure if waiting until the first week of April will be that bearable, although that does kind of fit into my spring break, so maybe I'll just get boozy and dunk my head in the ocean a few thousand times.

[mesab]

21 minutes ago, SMSM1229 said:

Anyone hear back from Columbia or NYU yet? So nervous!? Sending hugs to all of you!

I'm also still waiting for any info back from Columbia :, ) Not sure about NYU, though if you dig back a few pages on this topic there's been a few folks discussing it. I know that this week is when most of Columbia's decisions have gone out in past years, but I suppose there's a fair chance that COVID has thrown at least one or two wrenches in their schedule, so I'm trying to keep that in mind while I anxiously check my phone and email every hour attempting to will some results into existence LOL. I'm here with ya! Solidarity in stress ?

[FairleyAlfy]

10 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Gotta love how Rutgers Newark is really dragging out my rejection.

Have you heard from U Florida? I’ve heard nothing, and I’m tempted to email them...

[Ydrl]

8 minutes ago, FairleyAlfy said:

Have you heard from U Florida? I’ve heard nothing, and I’m tempted to email them...

I haven't heard from Florida, but I emailed them three weeks ago about a timeframe and no one got back to me.

[omgalexx]

Has anyone contacted UC Riverside about when we'll hear our decision?

[FairleyAlfy]

1 minute ago, Ydrl said:

I haven't heard from Florida, but I emailed them three weeks ago about a timeframe and no one got back to me.

Hmmm, maybe I won’t email then lol. Just got a UVA and LSU rejection. So now I’m 0a/2w/9r/3p ?

[Blackhole]

LSU rejection. makes it four rejections so far. I guess my writing sucks. Or maybe I chose the wrong program. Or maybe I am an idiot. I have never written fiction and submitted a bunch of non-fiction stuff all patched/stitched together. I guess this is a reminder that I need to take it more seriously than I did and for the wrong reasons (needed to get out of my job and my country). 

I thought about it and I guess it doesn't hurt so bad. I drank extra coffee today and now going to watch a horror film about zombies on Netflix. that's a good way to stop thinking about how everything sucks and how everything is better than being chased by the undead.

[M-Lin]

11 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

LSU rejection. makes it four rejections so far. I guess my writing sucks. Or maybe I chose the wrong program. Or maybe I am an idiot. I have never written fiction and submitted a bunch of non-fiction stuff all patched/stitched together. I guess this is a reminder that I need to take it more seriously than I did and for the wrong reasons (needed to get out of my job and my country). 

I thought about it and I guess it doesn't hurt so bad. I drank extra coffee today and now going to watch a horror film about zombies on Netflix. that's a good way to stop thinking about how everything sucks and how everything is better than being chased by the undead.

Sorry to hear - rejection sucks. 

I saw that you like Leonard Cohen. 

Here is one more thing you could do to deal with rejections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFl7Aex-FN4

 (context: the journalist Maziar Bahari was imprisoned and being interrogated in Iran for 118 days, and, at one point, he chose to dance to the music in his head, though I think this didn't happen in real life lol)

 

[iai]

5 hours ago, SMSM1229 said:

Me too! I'm assuming if we are not accepted, they will not call us, right? Maybe at least an email?

Yes! I believe so! At least according to the notifications from previous years.

[goodcynara]

26 minutes ago, omgalexx said:

Has anyone contacted UC Riverside about when we'll hear our decision?

Someone from Draft emailed them about a week ago and was told he was waitlisted for fiction. I believe a second person was told that they "hope to make all decisions by mid-March." 

[iai]

1 hour ago, CrankyGinger said:

I'm waiting on CU, as well. I thought I had heard The New School contacted people, am I wrong?

They did! But I heard they might be doing it in waves because it’s such a big cohort, but I’m not sure..

[omgalexx]

1 minute ago, goodcynara said:

Someone from Draft emailed them about a week ago and was told he was waitlisted for fiction. I believe a second person was told that they "hope to make all decisions by mid-March." 

ahhhh.... I feel that doesn't bode well for me not hearing anything . Thank you!

I'm also accepted to Sarah Lawrence! How are you feeling about the program? Did you go to their admitted students zoom yesterday?

[Blackhole]

Just now, M-Lin said:

Sorry to hear - rejection sucks. 

I saw that you like Leonard Cohen. 

Here is one more thing you could do to deal with rejections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFl7Aex-FN4

 (context: the journalist Maziar Bahari was imprisoned and being interrogated in Iran for 118 days, and, at one point, he chose to dance to the music in his head, though I think this didn't happen in real life lol)

 

that's so lovely. I am a journalist and I figured I can't write fiction. We see such weird stuff around us all the time that it is very hard for me to imagine plots and stuff. Today I interviewed a man who raped a woman and then married her to escape punishment and thinks he did nothing wrong. I listened to him for hours and then I saw the rejection. And it didn't bother me somehow. That's the thing. We become such tough people sometimes. 

 

But maybe I can dance. 

 

I will dance. 

 

At 41, it isn't a bad thing to dance. It is good exercise at least. 

[Blackhole]

5 minutes ago, M-Lin said:

Sorry to hear - rejection sucks. 

I saw that you like Leonard Cohen. 

Here is one more thing you could do to deal with rejections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFl7Aex-FN4

 (context: the journalist Maziar Bahari was imprisoned and being interrogated in Iran for 118 days, and, at one point, he chose to dance to the music in his head, though I think this didn't happen in real life lol)

 

also, that's my favourite Leonard Cohen song. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you ?

[goodcynara]

6 minutes ago, omgalexx said:

ahhhh.... I feel that doesn't bode well for me not hearing anything . Thank you!

I'm also accepted to Sarah Lawrence! How are you feeling about the program? Did you go to their admitted students zoom yesterday?

I did. I also had a meeting with Paige this morning. They continue to impress me at every turn. I don't want to talk out of turn, but sounds like @CrankyGinger may be feeling similarly. Are you poetry or fiction?

[omgalexx]

Just now, goodcynara said:

I did. I also had a meeting with Paige this morning. They continue to impress me at every turn. I don't want to talk out of turn, but sounds like @CrankyGinger may be feeling similarly. Are you poetry or fiction?

Creative Non Fiction! I'm excited for the mock class later this week for my genre. 

I'm really interested in the program and excited about the idea of being by the city but not in the city lol. But I didn't get much funding...I'm hoping to ask for more and see how that is received.