2021 Applicants Forum

[caramelcarrottop]

If anyone on here wants to form a writing group for fiction, let me know.  Maybe we can organize something; help each other out and learn from each other.  And yes...give honest feedback and suggestions.  I too got a lot of "good jobs" but I need some (brutal) honesty if I am to grow as a writer.  Thanks.

[caramelcarrottop]

Shit let's do it guys.  Grab the bull by the horns.  Direct message me with your email address if interested and I'll put together a group in 7 days if you want.  We could meet by zoom. ?✍️?

[iai]

22 minutes ago, Cristie said:

Ok, so maybe not them... but writing a romance scene and then putting it out there...somewhere-even have a friend read it. That's how you get over ANY fear because I can't think of anything else that you don't expose yourself so completely (no pun). 

I’ll try it! I’d say I’m terrible at writing romantic scenes though.?

[iai]

22 minutes ago, M-Lin said:

I also obsessively check the schools that I'm waiting on and know there will be nothing in them. I try to only check them once a day...but sometimes I do it almost out of habit when I sit in front of my computer so I lost count ? 

I'm likely to decline my The New School offer so if they do have a waitlist, I hope you're on it and can benefit from it! I truly love the spirit of TNS (I often listen to lectures offered by their Center of Public Scholarship) and my friend who attended the program (fiction) also speaks highly of her experience there. I love the neighborhood. I am turning it down mainly for financial reasons as well as the larger size of the cohort. Wishing you the best! 

Ohh! Where will you be heading? And thanks for the insight! It does sound lovely. Fingers crossed ???

[Cristie]

5 minutes ago, caramelcarrottop said:

Shit let's do it guys.  Grab the bull by the horns.  Direct message me with your email address if interested and I'll put together a group in 7 days if you want.  We could meet by zoom. ?✍️?

Can't we just create a new thread here and post work/comment? I don't see why we couldn't...I mean, it's all for the sake of improving and getting accepted into a program. I'm not shy but some folks might be (Zoom). There is something to be said about being anonymous (for some) me..my name is right there... but that's not for everyone when it comes to putting it all out on front street for everyone to see. Thoughts?

We could beckon the Trolls, they'd know. (Y'all might not like them, but they do tend to know things) and I'd throw my work their way just for the brutal truth. 

[caramelcarrottop]

2 minutes ago, Cristie said:

Can't we just create a new thread here and post work/comment? I don't see why we couldn't...I mean, it's all for the sake of improving and getting accepted into a program. I'm not shy but some folks might be (Zoom). There is something to be said about being anonymous (for some) me..my name is right there... but that's not for everyone when it comes to putting it all out on front street for everyone to see. Thoughts?

We could beckon the Trolls, they'd know. (Y'all might not like them, but they do tend to know things) and I'd throw my work their way just for the brutal truth. 

That works too.  Whatever you guys are most comfortable with.

[M-Lin]

24 minutes ago, iai said:

Ohh! Where will you be heading? And thanks for the insight! It does sound lovely. Fingers crossed ???

I’m still waiting for a few but very possibly Brooklyn College ?

[M-Lin]

44 minutes ago, CrankyGinger said:

Thank you! And you're also in NYC! We clearly should've already been friends. 

This application cycle on all writing things has definitely been insane. Who knows, your passion might come back. Either way, you're still writing and that's wonderful.

I submitted to Sundance this year, only made through the second round and not the final round. Their competition has always been insane but perhaps this year was even worse than usual, just like the MFA apps. Welp. 
 

And yes I’m in New York too. Nice to meet you here!!! Good luck with your show bible (I have not done one of those but they sure look like a LOT of work). 

[CrankyGinger]

Just now, M-Lin said:

I submitted to Sundance this year, only made through the second round and not the final round. Their competition has always been insane but perhaps this year was even worse than usual, just like the MFA apps. Welp. 
 

And yes I’m in New York too. Nice to meet you here!!! Good luck with your show bible (I have not done one of those but they sure look like a LOT of work). 

Getting to the next round is still a huge accomplishment, congrats! 

First show bible for me, too. Lots of googling lol. After this nap I'm gonna get back to it. 

[Cristie]

Here you go:

Now POST and let's REALLY help each other.

MFA Creative Writing: Submission Group Workshop for 2022

 

[Blackhole]

I had a question for the people here. Is there anyone who is in their 40s? Does that sort of affect your chances? I haven't seen too many people in their 40a apply or getting accepted for that matter. It has been bothering me for a while. I did get into Columbia with some scholarship but got five rejections, which makes me think if my writing is really bad or if my age (41) works against me. Maybe my writing sample didn't make the cut. But is it also age?

[caramelcarrottop]

2 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

I had a question for the people here. Is there anyone who is in their 40s? Does that sort of affect your chances? I haven't seen too many people in their 40a apply or getting accepted for that matter. It has been bothering me for a while. I did get into Columbia with some scholarship but got five rejections, which makes me think if my writing is really bad or if my age (41) works against me. Maybe my writing sample didn't make the cut. But is it also age?

I'm an older applicant too (37) and have been wondering if that might have worked to my detriment.  Obviously no programs would come out and say it, but looking at twitter and Facebook and seeing the much younger applicants being admitted has indeed made me question if I'm "too old" to be admitted to a non-low residency MFA.

[Cristie]

3 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

I had a question for the people here. Is there anyone who is in their 40s? Does that sort of affect your chances? I haven't seen too many people in their 40a apply or getting accepted for that matter. It has been bothering me for a while. I did get into Columbia with some scholarship but got five rejections, which makes me think if my writing is really bad or if my age (41) works against me. Maybe my writing sample didn't make the cut. But is it also age?

There are at least 3 here... plus you that are older. I "think" we have all been accepted somewhere. So, I don't think age is an issue...I firmly believe we bring some real life experience to the table. I won't give my age but I'm close to that ballpark-but always young at heart. I've worried over this too...but no one is ever going to say too old as a reason. 

[Blackhole]

3 minutes ago, caramelcarrottop said:

I'm an older applicant too (37) and have been wondering if that might have worked to my detriment.  Obviously no programs would come out and say it, but looking at twitter and Facebook and seeing the much younger applicants being admitted has indeed made me question if I'm "too old" to be admitted to a non-low residency MFA.

I feel the same. I have only been seeing young people getting admitted mostly. 

[Blackhole]

2 minutes ago, Cristie said:

There are at least 3 here... plus you that are older. I "think" we have all been accepted somewhere. So, I don't think age is an issue...I firmly believe we bring some real life experience to the table. I won't give my age but I'm close to that ballpark-but always young at heart. I've worried over this too...but no one is ever going to say too old as a reason. 

I hope that's not the case. But I got five rejections and it makes me feel very strange. I did get an offer from Columbia with some scholarship but it makes me feel that I am not good enough or too old now.

[cecsav]

1 hour ago, M-Lin said:

I, too, wonder what other sadistic schools have not notified other than BU and Columbia ?

I still haven't heard from University of New Mexico. 

[cecsav]

51 minutes ago, Cristie said:

Can't we just create a new thread here and post work/comment? I don't see why we couldn't...I mean, it's all for the sake of improving and getting accepted into a program.

...

Thoughts?

I would be afraid that a public forum like this might count as previously published when it comes to submission rules. Many (if not most) literary journals exclude work that has even been posted to a personal blog or website or to publicly accessible social media pages. 

[cecsav]

28 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

I had a question for the people here. Is there anyone who is in their 40s? Does that sort of affect your chances? I haven't seen too many people in their 40a apply or getting accepted for that matter. It has been bothering me for a while. I did get into Columbia with some scholarship but got five rejections, which makes me think if my writing is really bad or if my age (41) works against me. Maybe my writing sample didn't make the cut. But is it also age?

I turned 41 Monday!

 

Edited to add: Out of 12 applications, I have received four acceptances and am still waiting to hear from UNM. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by cecsav
Added details

[Blackhole]

5 minutes ago, cecsav said:

I turned 41 Monday!

 

Edited to add: Out of 12 applications, I have received four acceptances and am still waiting to hear from UNM. 

yay. congrats and thank you ::))))

[Blackhole]

1 minute ago, Blackhole said:

yay. congrats and thank you ::))))

oh and happy belated birthday. you just made me feel a bit better.

[iai]

8 minutes ago, cecsav said:

I turned 41 Monday!

 

Edited to add: Out of 12 applications, I have received four acceptances and am still waiting to hear from UNM. 

To add on, I’m in my 20s and out of 14 applications, I received no acceptances from US schools so I don’t think age is the issue (at least in my case! ?)

[Blackhole]

4 minutes ago, iai said:

To add on, I’m in my 20s and out of 14 applications, I received no acceptances from US schools so I don’t think age is the issue (at least in my case! ?)

oh no. I got five rejections. I guess I didn't put in enough effort and thought of applying to creative writing programs only in the first week of December and put together some random stuff to pass off as writing sample. I guess that's the only logical explanation. 

[Boomer not Ok]

15 minutes ago, Blackhole said:

I hope that's not the case. But I got five rejections and it makes me feel very strange. I did get an offer from Columbia with some scholarship but it makes me feel that I am not good enough or too old now.

Congrats on CU. Did you find our recently? Are they done with their acceptances? 

[iai]

1 minute ago, Blackhole said:

oh no. I got five rejections. I guess I didn't put in enough effort and thought of applying to creative writing programs only in the first week of December and put together some random stuff to pass off as writing sample. I guess that's the only logical explanation. 

This is my second year applying! Last year I applied to 7 programs, but only got into one with no funding. I think rather than age, I find that what programs really want to see is experience in the field and a certain level of dedication. 

[Blackhole]

I got a call yesterday. I thought it was the Amazon delivery person and I had just woken up so I didn't even understand much.  But the professor was kind and gave me his email id so I wrote to him and apologised. I am supposed to call him this weekend. I can ask him if you'd like me to.