2021 Applicants Forum

[rroseselavy]

Hi all, was wondering about the process of being notified from a waitlist. Looking around it would seem a lot of movement happens around the April 15th deadline, which is understandable, and I have resigned myself to not knowing for a few more weeks. But do schools (specifically UW-Madison) notify before April 15th if/when all spots are filled?

I have a partially-funded acceptance from another school that wants a commitment (and non-refundable tuition deposit) by the 1st. I have contacted the program that has accepted me to ask about the April 1st deadline (and to ask for more money; let them know I am on a waitlist elsewhere lol) and haven't received a response yet. 

Sending good energy to folks as they wait, make decisions or prepare for whatever's next for them; some of the people on this forum has been wild at times but I appreciate all the info, support and commiseration. 

[SMSM1229]

Does anyone have info on the size of NYUs waitlist?

[Boomer not Ok]

2 hours ago, woweezowee said:

Idk why people keep repeating this obviously false statistic that NYU creative writing admits 50% of its applicants.

There were about 1,000 applicants this year. They made 16 fiction offers. I don't know exactly how many offers were made in the other genres, but we can assume it's somewhere in the same neighborhood. 

It is true that there will be significant waitlist movement because people will decline unfunded and underfunded offers. But no, it is not reasonable to extrapolate from this that about 500 applicants will receive an offer.

According to Peterson's, in some (presumably recent) year, the NYU creative writing program had 823 applicants, of which 90 were ultimately accepted. That's 11% (the acceptance rate is likely lower this year). Of those 90, 45 accepted spots in the program. 

https://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/new-york-university-graduate-school-of-arts-and-science-program-in-creative-writing-000_10039074.aspx

So we can reasonably state that about 50% of those offered admission directly or off waitlists accept. 

Again, roughly 1,000 applicants applied this year. If half of them were accepted either directly or off the waitlist, then there would be ~500 offers and ~250 acceptances. That would work out to something like 80 people in each genre cohort. That is not the case.

The cohort sizes aren't large enough to support this "50% acceptance rate" business. Please stop misleading people.

 

 

I'm not sure why this keeps getting posted either. Not quibbling w/ yr analysis but I'd say the numbers for fiction acceptances are probably in the region of 5% for NYU this year. If they got 1,000 apps, I would estimate 700 are for fiction and the remainder for poetry/CNF. They made 16 offers and probably won't have to dig deeper than 5 - 10 on their waitlist. 

[Blackhole]

18 hours ago, Ydrl said:

@Blackhole @Cristie @caramelcarrottop Not to barge in on the conversation, but are you first time applicants? It's typically harder for someone to get in to the best programs on the first try (I personally aimed for the best schools last year and got burned real real bad). There are a lot of young people that get in, but I watched a panel from Iowa on youtube full of older applicants and they came to the conclusion that the more life experience you have, the better.

And I got lost in a conversation and don't know what I was saying anymore. I don't think this is helpful but still gonna post it.

yes, of course. This is my first cycle. 

[Boomer not Ok]

Totally off topic but I wonder if anyone knows what happened to that actor (forgot his name) who was pursuing at the same time an MFA at NYU, CU,  Brooklyn College and a Phd in English Lit at Yale? Just wondering how TF's that possible and why would these programs allow this? I thought MFA programs had rules against this kind of doubling up. Did he ever graduate?

Edited March 25, 2021 by Boomer not Ok

[M-Lin]

4 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Totally off topic but I wonder if anyone knows what happened to that actor (forgot his name) who was pursuing at the same time an MFA at NYU, CU,  Brooklyn College and a Phd in English Lit at Yale? Just wondering how TF's that possible and why would these programs allow this? I thought MFA programs had rules against this kind of doubling up. Did he ever graduate?

James Franco, who's disappeared for other reasons, lol. 

I don't know if he was doing everything at the same time though. I can say that he was definitely attending some classes at NYU, but not sure about his attendance at other programs. Brooklyn College's MFA program does consider him an alumnus and lists his publications on their website, so I assume he did graduate. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by M-Lin

[Boomer not Ok]

Just now, M-Lin said:

James Franco, who's disappeared for other reasons, lol. 

I don't know if he was doing everything at the same time though. I can say that he was definitely attending some classes at NYU, but not sure about his attendance at other programs. Brooklyn College's MFA program does consider him an alumni and lists his publications on their website, so I assume he did graduate. 

Yeah, that's the guy. Just didn't know you could do multiple MFAs. I guess you get a pass if you're a celebrity. 

[koechophe]

12 hours ago, SofiTheCatGuardian said:

Hey, sorry if this doesn't flow with the conversation right now. But I'm curious: what's your writing aesthetic or style (addressed to all)?

I'm super funky and like doing literary sci-fi, or other non-traditional literary fiction. The piece I posted here was a literary fiction about video game addiction (you know, that normal literary fiction topic that everyone always writes about). My most successful piece has been a literary magical realism type thing that I wrote in highschool (and have since re-written and revised about a hundred times). 

When I write genre fiction, I tend to blend tropes of literary fiction into it. When I write literary fiction, I tend to blend in some techniques of genre fiction. It's weird, but the pieces I've been the most proud of and had the most success with have been ones that push the line between the two. 

[M-Lin]

36 minutes ago, Boomer not Ok said:

Yeah, that's the guy. Just didn't know you could do multiple MFAs. I guess you get a pass if you're a celebrity. 

His MFA at NYU was in Film, if that matters. But yeah, I guess being a celebrity gets a lot of passes in life, haha. 

[lenagator1997]

On 3/24/2021 at 2:38 PM, Cristie said:

Hang in there.

Also got rejected from WashU, but they only had like 10 spots this year! Onward and Upward!

Whats Next?

[Ydrl]

So apparently I'm towards the bottom of the waitlist for Florida, I never got an email about it until today???

Edited March 25, 2021 by Ydrl

[landscape]

11 hours ago, anna23 said:

hey all!!! anyone here apply to hunter college for poetry? if so, have you heard back? thanks in advance!

Same question... I'm ready to accept another offer but I'd like to at least hear from everywhere first.

[SMSM1229]

Another day as we wait for Columbiaaa! I don't want to jinx it by talking about it but I'm soo antsy!

[Cristie]

Holy crap y'all...I just got accepted at New Orleans. Literal crickets from them and then boom. (Ydrl...omg) and all my oldies and besties on here...Hell yeah they take us! NEVER quit. 

[oubukibun]

Egad!

I had New Awlins on the mind today, actually.  Will you be accepting?  If so, make sure you take a moment to sit down at Cafe du Monde if you haven't already in life.  That sweet smell of coffee and beignet is actually not all that dissimilar from the smell of the train station in my hometown of Camagüey, Cuba, give or take some tar and oil.  ;)

Such a cause for joy!!  Happy to see good vibes flow back...

[Jjayy]

14 minutes ago, Cristie said:

I just got accepted at New Orleans.

This is one of the most interesting cities in the world. Congrats!

[Cristie]

8 minutes ago, oubukibun said:

Egad!

I had New Awlins on the mind today, actually.  Will you be accepting?  If so, make sure you take a moment to sit down at Cafe du Monde if you haven't already in life.  That sweet smell of coffee and beignet is actually not all that dissimilar from the smell of the train station in my hometown of Camagüey, Cuba, give or take some tar and oil. 

Such a cause for joy!!  Happy to see good vibes flow back...

I may never kill another mosquito in my life! (If I can stay in the south-big whew!) I don't know yet but it's a big fat leaning maybe. I've been there and what a writing place of writing places, right!

[Cristie]

6 minutes ago, Jjayy said:

This is one of the most interesting cities in the world. Congrats!

Thank you!

[Ydrl]

Update from Florida, got a very nice call from a wonderful faculty member at Florida. The reason I wasn't given an email was because they had to chop the bottom three poets from the waitlist, and I was one of the bottom three haha. Oh well.

[iai]

1 hour ago, SMSM1229 said:

Another day as we wait for Columbiaaa! I don't want to jinx it by talking about it but I'm soo antsy!

I emailed to clarify the timeline. They replied saying we’ll get a “final result” between now and the first week of April. ?

[SofiTheCatGuardian]

15 hours ago, Cristie said:

Hand up. That's me. I break all the rules. I start sentences with conjunctions, write in fragments, rarely use determiners. Know I need help with timing and pace. Feel free to read the story I posted on here (and shouldn't have-Dark Dressage). I submitted THAT, one chapter from a genre fiction novel I wrote, and a published nonfiction short story. I thought it would be good to show a mix of my writing. I'd say the one I posted asking for help is weird fiction. You tell me?

I love to hear it!! I'm going to go check it out!! 

[SofiTheCatGuardian]

2 hours ago, koechophe said:

I'm super funky and like doing literary sci-fi, or other non-traditional literary fiction. The piece I posted here was a literary fiction about video game addiction (you know, that normal literary fiction topic that everyone always writes about). My most successful piece has been a literary magical realism type thing that I wrote in highschool (and have since re-written and revised about a hundred times). 

When I write genre fiction, I tend to blend tropes of literary fiction into it. When I write literary fiction, I tend to blend in some techniques of genre fiction. It's weird, but the pieces I've been the most proud of and had the most success with have been ones that push the line between the two. 

That's awesome. Keep doing you. I think when literary fiction can flirt with magical realism or sci-fi (etc.) it can possibly make it richer. 

[FairleyAlfy]

20 hours ago, Ydrl said:

Update from Florida, got a very nice call from a wonderful faculty member at Florida. The reason I wasn't given an email was because they had to chop the bottom three poets from the waitlist, and I was one of the bottom three haha. Oh well.

I’m sorry ? It’s their loss! 
 

Still exciting that you got waitlisted there! 

[M-Lin]

BU rejection came in! Honestly super relieved because I am just falling in love with another program and didn’t want to have to make a difficult decision. 
 

Anybody got good news? 

[CrankyGinger]

2 minutes ago, M-Lin said:

BU rejection came in! Honestly super relieved because I am just falling in love with another program and didn’t want to have to make a difficult decision. 
 

Anybody got good news? 

Dude same. I don't think I really need my answer from CU, I've made my decision. When a program feels like it crafted for you and how you write and work and you connect to faculty and the curriculum, then the decision becomes much easier.