2021 Applicants Forum

[cosmictones]

The troll is mostly right about acceptance rates and the cost of an MFA not being worth it. If you have trust fund, go to Columbia learn poetry from Timothy Donnelly! If you're just a regular person, it's wiser to not go into a ton of debt and only apply to fully funded places (maybe 1 or 2 partially funded if you are desperate to get the degree and have a shot at full funding). Don't bury yourself in unmanageable debt. You have to be able to live to make your art. The job market for writers is not great, but most of us are all doing this because we care about making good art, not getting the highest paying job. This is not meant to discourage anyone. You should keep applying, keep working on your stuff, keep submitting to journals, etc. Just, you know, go to the place that is best suited for your situation. Don't be so consumed with getting the degree anywhere right away.

[lenagator1997]

Okay I'm going to pitch in my two cents here on this topic. (Not hating or directly responding to anyone, this is my perspective.)

The way I see it, if you're going through any type of grad program, you're going to be in debt for something. People say an MFA degree is fiscally irresponsible because the jobs you get out of it will not equalize out your loans or the debt you rack up while in the program. Well, I knew I wasn't going to be a millionaire when I declared my English and History double major in college and I knew to get anywhere in either field I would have to get a Masters, thus spending more money.

I also heard the same speech about going into debt with law school too because I wanted to be a Public Interest Lawyer. Everyone said "dear god please tell me you're going into literally anything else." People in Public Interest Law make one of the lowest amounts of money per year in the field...so everyone said I was royally screwed. I was damned if I wanted to go to law school and damned if I wanted to get an MFA. If I was in it for the money, I would have gone into Corporate Law instead.

With the MFA degree, fully funded programs are one of the only ways some students can afford to go, I understand that. Money isn't funny. But in the broader scheme of things, if you can. weigh your options and make the choice that's right for you, especially this year since most colleges and universities are struggling financially. It might be a higher price tag but maybe the program is worth it.

[Blackhole]

3 minutes ago, lenagator1997 said:

Okay I'm going to pitch in my two cents here on this topic. (Not hating or directly responding to anyone, this is my perspective.)

The way I see it, if you're going through any type of grad program, you're going to be in debt for something. People say an MFA degree is fiscally irresponsible because the jobs you get out of it will not equalize out your loans or the debt you rack up while in the program. Well, I knew I wasn't going to be a millionaire when I declared my English and History double major in college and I knew to get anywhere in either field I would have to get a Masters, thus spending more money.

I also heard the same speech about going into debt with law school too because I wanted to be a Public Interest Lawyer. Everyone said "dear god please tell me you're going into literally anything else." People in Public Interest Law make one of the lowest amounts of money per year in the field...so everyone said I was royally screwed. I was damned if I wanted to go to law school and damned if I wanted to get an MFA. If I was in it for the money, I would have gone into Corporate Law instead.

With the MFA degree, fully funded programs are one of the only ways some students can afford to go, I understand that. Money isn't funny. But in the broader scheme of things, if you can. weigh your options and make the choice that's right for you, especially this year since most colleges and universities are struggling financially. It might be a higher price tag but maybe the program is worth it.

thank you

[jka0124]

Going into debt is a personal choice. 
I personally wouldn’t go into too much debt for the MFA.
I personally wouldn’t go into any debt for Columbia. They literally have billions of dollars. Plus, they pack so much into two years; you’d have more time to write at other programs, even non-funded ones.
 

[feralgrad]

Lots of good points here. I would also add that the MFA can actually offer you some great professional skills, but mostly through extracurriculars or funded positions. Your /coursework/ won't usually get you a job, but volunteering for a lit mag or the program's events might (think graphic design, social media, PR, event planning, etc). I know several graduating students who are leveraging this type of experience to find jobs. However, these are often volunteer positions that require free time outside of class. If you're working retail through your MFA, you'll actually be missing out on professionalization opportunities.

[ni2021]

On 3/25/2021 at 7:56 AM, Ydrl said:

I did get a new email regarding being on the waitlist, but all it said was that someone from the program would be answering our questions in our private zoom meetings. So I'm gonna assume that my question regarding waitlist ranks/ pools vs ranked waitlists will not be answered until my Mar. 29th meeting.

Hi did you receive rejection letter from UMD?

[Ydrl]

8 hours ago, ni2021 said:

Hi did you receive rejection letter from UMD?

Yes, I was rejected off the waitlist the day before I committed to New Hampshire

[oubukibun]

Good morning/afternoon/evening to all,

Ydrl, any updates on the spreadsheet you're offering?  Feel free to send it via an attachment to a message on here.

I'd like to start narrowing down my actual list for next year as scientifically as possible, haha.

 

Thanks again!

[Greel]

hello friends! Just an update that I officially accepted my VCU offer a few days ago. After weighing options and existing in a horrible liminal space of decision making, I feel really excited about my choice and am really looking forward to getting to know Richmond. If anyone else is going to VCU I'd love to connect

[Starbuck420]

20 hours ago, cosmictones said:

 If you have trust fund, go to Columbia learn poetry from Timothy Donnelly!

And even then, it better be a hefty trust fund lol 

Unless you have access to what many of us would consider to be unlimited wealth, I think that Columbia is basically always an irrational financial choice, though it is one that, yes, occasionally pays off in the form of literary (i.e., not financial) success. If you're lucky enough to have, like, $100k in unearned change lying around (which wouldn't even cover 2 years of tuition, I believe) i honestly suggest you just go buy a house instead

The Columbia MFA is just always such a bad investment, even in the rare instances in which it pays off. There's really almost no way to rationalize it from a $ POV

Edited April 8, 2021 by Starbuck420

[Blackhole]

2 hours ago, Starbuck420 said:

And even then, it better be a hefty trust fund lol 

Unless you have access to what many of us would consider to be unlimited wealth, I think that Columbia is basically always an irrational financial choice, though it is one that, yes, occasionally pays off in the form of literary (i.e., not financial) success. If you're lucky enough to have, like, $100k in unearned change lying around (which wouldn't even cover 2 years of tuition, I believe) i honestly suggest you just go buy a house instead

The Columbia MFA is just always such a bad investment, even in the rare instances in which it pays off. There's really almost no way to rationalize it from a $ POV

perhaps you are right. but is financials the only thing here? maybe some people don't want to buy a house. I feel like the criticism is mostly about financials. 

[Starbuck420]

26 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

perhaps you are right. but is financials the only thing here? maybe some people don't want to buy a house. I feel like the criticism is mostly about financials. 

sure, that's true. but my point is just that the decision to attend this particular program is inextricably a financial one, and almost always a bad financial decision at that (unless you're super rich)

That doesn't mean it's a bad decision per se. sometimes people go into debt for this degree and get exactly what they want out of it. but, again, it's important just to be honest about the financial costs. If you accept those, then fine. But I think people frequently go into it without a full understanding of what they're getting into. It's usually a horrible financial decision 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Starbuck420

[Blackhole]

Columbia hasn't lied about its lack of funding. so I don't get most of the criticism I have seen on draft. and many writers have attended it and they are pretty good and write very well. 

but nobody talks about that. and there is always some kind of meanness when it comes to Columbia. you are right about the understanding the financial cost 

[Starbuck420]

6 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

Columbia hasn't lied about its lack of funding. so I don't get most of the criticism I have seen on draft. and many writers have attended it and they are pretty good and write very well. 

never said that they lie about it, and never said that they fail to produce or attract good writers

[Blackhole]

no, you didn't I said I saw it on draft and every other place. 

[rbb_ergo]

Hey yall -- Finally got admitted to Facebook MFA Draft '21 group. Whew! There's SO much info there it's overwhelming tbh.

Yet another day of no communication from UNM......... Trying to stay grounded by reminding myself how fortunate I am / have been during this global pandemic & hope it stays that way. Gratitude & meditation, am i rite? One day at a time......

[awarewren]

Anyone got an answer back from Creative Writing postdoc fellowships? I've been scourging this site but have yet to find anything on the programs I submitted to. (Didn't do Stegner, and Stegner was the only info I could find) 

Had my interview but have been waiting since then! It's torture. 

So far: One interview, one rejection, waiting to hear back from two others. 

[quesofresco]

41 minutes ago, awarewren said:

Anyone got an answer back from Creative Writing postdoc fellowships? I've been scourging this site but have yet to find anything on the programs I submitted to. (Didn't do Stegner, and Stegner was the only info I could find) 

Had my interview but have been waiting since then! It's torture. 

So far: One interview, one rejection, waiting to hear back from two others. 

Congrats on your interview! Which program was it for?

I've had rejections from Stegner and Colgate, waiting to hear from Wisconsin and Bucknell (Roth). 

[awarewren]

Just now, quesofresco said:

Congrats on your interview! Which program was it for?

I've had rejections from Stegner and Colgate, waiting to hear from Wisconsin and Bucknell (Roth). 

Thank you! It was the Mellon postdoc at Grinnell. The interviewers were super nice and I loved their works/interests.  

I was rejected from UT Austin and am also waiting to hear back from Wisconsin. (The deadline was pretty late though wasn't it?) The last one is James Jones, which is a bit different I guess. There's so little info on creative writing postdoc fellowships! Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. 

[quesofresco]

33 minutes ago, awarewren said:

Thank you! It was the Mellon postdoc at Grinnell. The interviewers were super nice and I loved their works/interests.  

I was rejected from UT Austin and am also waiting to hear back from Wisconsin. (The deadline was pretty late though wasn't it?) The last one is James Jones, which is a bit different I guess. There's so little info on creative writing postdoc fellowships! Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. 

Hope you hear good news soon! I know that James Jones doesn't notify until September. Wisconsin said they'll notify by mid/late April (I got my rejection last week of April last year). 

I agree it's frustratingly difficult to find info on post-mfa fellowships/opportunities... like info that they even exist, much less when they notify. Your post is the first time I've heard of the Mellon fellowship, and I just learned about the UT Early Career fellowship (is that what you're referencing here?) right after the deadline had passed....

[awarewren]

22 minutes ago, quesofresco said:

Hope you hear good news soon! I know that James Jones doesn't notify until September. Wisconsin said they'll notify by mid/late April (I got my rejection last week of April last year). 

I agree it's frustratingly difficult to find info on post-mfa fellowships/opportunities... like info that they even exist, much less when they notify. Your post is the first time I've heard of the Mellon fellowship, and I just learned about the UT Early Career fellowship (is that what you're referencing here?) right after the deadline had passed....

Thank you so much for that bit on Wisconsin! I didn’t know when they notified people. With the pandemic and all, the timelines seem wonkier & subject to change. Hope we both get good news very soon. (and yep! That's the one)

If you’re still up to apply, here are some resources: 

> Rising Scholars Postdoc Fellowship 

https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Rising-Scholars-Postdoctoral-Fellows_R0022634

(I can’t apply because I earned my degree in 2018, but if you finished your MFA any time between 2019 and now, you should apply! Deadline is April 12th though)

> Great blog with post-mfa fellowship info! 

https://post-mfa.tumblr.com/fellowships

(I just found this today. Has a lot of fellowships with deadlines that go beyond May, so you'll have plenty time to prepare.)

I’m sad that a lot of these places have specifications on when you received your degree. I should’ve applied last year, but granted, I'm just happy I survived 2020 lol. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by awarewren

[quesofresco]

8 minutes ago, awarewren said:

Thank you so much for that bit on Wisconsin! I didn’t know when they notified people. With the pandemic and all, the timelines seem wonkier & subject to change. Hope we both get good news very soon. 

If you’re still up to apply, here are some resources: 

> Rising Scholars Postdoc Fellowship 

https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Rising-Scholars-Postdoctoral-Fellows_R0022634

(I can’t apply because I earned my degree in 2018, but if you finished your MFA any time between 2019 and now, you should apply! Deadline is April 12th though)

> Great blog with post-mfa fellowship info! 

https://post-mfa.tumblr.com/fellowships

(I just found this today. Has a lot of fellowships with deadlines that go beyond May, so you'll have plenty time to prepare.)

I’m sad that a lot of these places have specifications on when you received your degree. I should’ve applied last year, but granted, I'm just happy I survived 2020 lol. 

Thanks for this! I didn't know about the UVA fellowship. Also I have a spreadsheet of different opportunities; I'll DM you if you're interested. 

[awarewren]

7 minutes ago, quesofresco said:

Thanks for this! I didn't know about the UVA fellowship. Also I have a spreadsheet of different opportunities; I'll DM you if you're interested. 

Please do! I can DM writing contests/magazines that are open right now, but you may already know all of them. 

[purgatoryparadise]

On 3/8/2021 at 6:43 PM, 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!

Sorry to dig up a month-old post but does anyone know if this post was legit? Their details don't really line up with any other Iowa fiction waitlistee details I've seen, either in terms of notification date (8th vs. 19th), the form (a letter versus an email like others), or the content (specifying length of list and April timeline). I mean I feel kind of like a jerk not taking this person at face value, but knowing the history of trolling on this board and considering they dropped just a single "la-la-I-was-barely-trying-teehee" post then bounced... I just don't know if it was a troll just trying to stir up anxiety about many people's dream school or a really busy senior who forgot about Gradcafe (although I'd think being on a waitlist, like me, would only increase one's monitoring of GC lol). If you're reading this @timiwee and you were sincere, I do apologize!

[purgatoryparadise]

On 4/4/2021 at 5:26 PM, Cristie said:

Probably a dumb question but I really don't know the answer since I've always lived in my own house. While weighing this program or that program and considering rent/food/utilities and all that...can rent (college graduate apartments) be put on a student loan and a meal plan at their dining hall? Or is all that expected to be out of pocket? I've never had a student loan before so I'm not sure what all it covers??? I didn't apply to any fully-funded programs so I knew I'd have to get a loan for some of the cost but as I'm doing some math...ugh. I need to do some research obviously but hoped someone might just know so I could save some time before I dive into the internet. THANKS!

Cristie

Not a dumb question at all. So US graduate programs in general calculate an amount that is called the total Cost of Attendance (COA) or some variation of that. This is the sum of tuition, fees, estimated housing costs (varies whether you select on or off-campus), food, transportation, med. insurance (if applicable), etc.--basically everything it will take for you to live and go to class there. Then from that they will subtract your EFC (estimated financial contribution, i.e. money out of your pocket) based on your FAFSA results, grants, fellowships, scholarships, etc--we'll call this "Funds." The resulting amount will be the gap between COA (cost of attendance) and your funds, i.e. your "Need." As a US citizen/permanent resident, you are entitled to federal loans with fixed low interest rates in amounts up to this total "Need" estimated by the school. Yearly, up to $20,500 of this "Need" will be covered by the Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan (about 4.3% this year, which is fixed for the life of the loan), then anything beyond that can be covered by the Grad PLUS Loan (about 5.3% this year, again, fixed for the life of the loan). Again, the max amount of that PLUS loan will depend on the remaining "Need" calculated by the university, and you don't even have to borrow the full amount if you think it's unnecessary. This Grad PLUS loan is the only loan that will do a credit check, but I know people who have had pretty bad credit be approved easily.

So all of this aid is packaged to you, and after it's applied to tuition and fees, the remaining amount is refunded to your account in one big check (each semester). That money you can spend however you wish, but obviously you'll want to actually spend it how it was intended--to live. Lol

One of the primary benefits of these federal loans, aside from ease of access and low fixed rate, are the various income-based federal repayment options that allow you to not live life in total abject poverty after graduation by handing over 50% of your paycheck every month. https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans

Pro Tip: I'm not a fan of going into debt at all, BUT for anyone who plans to take out these low-interest federal loans AND has any sort of higher-interest balance on a credit card/car/private loan, consider utilizing the generous COA estimate (really it's almost always more than you need) and borrow enough to also pay down those debts and essentially convert them to lower interest long-term federal loans. It makes general financial sense and your credit rating will improve immediately.

Edited April 9, 2021 by truffleshuffle
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