2021 Applicants Forum

[yahearditherefirst]

49 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Damn, sorry to hear! I'm still waiting on my WashU rejection as well, along with Vanderbilt.

Oh yes - Vandy too ? almost forgot lol 

[susweekly]

I the only thing I’ve heard so far is a (maybe) to washU and my sweet brother baked me a cake

 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by susweekly

[rcsteel]

Congrats on your WashU waitlist!

Hey, I just was wondering people’s progress on other notifications. I’m a first time applicant so I’m unaware of what to expect for timing and whatnot. I’ve only heard back from BGSU (got waitlisted).

[Blackhole]

UCSD has started calling people. I saw on draft. Anybody here who applied and got accepted?

[frecklefrex]

Hi guys! Long time thread stalker, first time poster. I just applied for my first time and starting to realize how unlikely it is I'll get in so I wanted to join in the misery hahaha. I applied to a few but U of Michigan is no doubt the most important one to me. Based on when they've notified in the past, it should be next week. 

Anyway just saying hi and looking forward to advice on how to apply better next year once I'm done crying about this cycle. BUT love the community of fellow wannabe writers nerding out about writer things :) 

[tippybug]

Another non-MFA acceptance from me! ? I got into University of Central Florida's computer science doctoral program. It is not as "prestigious" as a program as UW Madison, but DAMN AM I SICK OF BEING COLD THIS WINTER STORM SUCKS. Not to mention one of my best friends is in the same department!! Plus, UCF might offer me a fellowship, whereas UW Madison offered a TA-ship. Turns out a fellowship would mean full funding WITHOUT being a TA!

Still no word from any MFA programs, though, and that's what I truly want... I was so bummed about Vanderbilt I went on a makeup shopping spree I shouldn't have, buuuuut that just made me feel worse! At least I have new lip gloss. Lmfao.My success in CS is making me feel worse. Like the universe is telling me to give up on writing and sell my soul to corporate America. I know I'm really, really lucky to be getting in anywhere at all though so for that I'm grateful.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded to my long vent post from last week about grad school anxiety and my computer science applications ❤️ It meant a lot!

50 minutes ago, frecklefrex said:

Hi guys! Long time thread stalker, first time poster. I just applied for my first time and starting to realize how unlikely it is I'll get in so I wanted to join in the misery hahaha. I applied to a few but U of Michigan is no doubt the most important one to me. Based on when they've notified in the past, it should be next week. 

Welcome!! Good luck, and don't give up yet!

Edited February 16, 2021 by tippybug
added a word

[tippybug]

LOL I just got an email to my university email account from Northeastern Graduate Admissions and about lost my shit thinking it was an admissions response... Full on felt my heart sink... I didn't even apply to Northeastern, and I certainly didn't apply with my school email!! They were just advertising their CS masters program to me...

[Ydrl]

Hi, so Maryland apparently got a record breaking number of applications this year so they’re going to be notifying second week of March.

[fishfish24]

43 minutes ago, tippybug said:

Another non-MFA acceptance from me! ? I got into University of Central Florida's computer science doctoral program. It is not as "prestigious" as a program as UW Madison, but DAMN AM I SICK OF BEING COLD THIS WINTER STORM SUCKS. Not to mention one of my best friends is in the same department!! Plus, UCF might offer me a fellowship, whereas UW Madison offered a TA-ship. Turns out a fellowship would mean full funding WITHOUT being a TA!

Still no word from any MFA programs, though, and that's what I truly want... I was so bummed about Vanderbilt I went on a makeup shopping spree I shouldn't have, buuuuut that just made me feel worse! At least I have new lip gloss. Lmfao.My success in CS is making me feel worse. Like the universe is telling me to give up on writing and sell my soul to corporate America. I know I'm really, really lucky to be getting in anywhere at all though so for that I'm grateful.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded to my long vent post from last week about grad school anxiety and my computer science applications ❤️ It meant a lot!

Welcome!! Good luck, and don't give up yet!

Hey, let yourself revel in your good news!! It's wonderful! And your success in computer science has NOTHING to do with your identity and ability as a writer. Being multifaceted is a good thing  And no word on MFA programs doesn't mean anything other than the fact that most of the programs haven't responded yet. Hang in there.

[tippybug]

1 minute ago, fishfish24 said:

Hey, let yourself revel in your good news!! It's wonderful! And your success in computer science has NOTHING to do with your identity and ability as a writer. Being multifaceted is a good thing  And no word on MFA programs doesn't mean anything other than the fact that most of the programs haven't responded yet. Hang in there.

Thank you for the kind words!!

[CanadianKate]

9 hours ago, susweekly said:

I the only thing I’ve heard so far is a (maybe) to washU and my sweet brother baked me a cake

 

 

Absolutely love this - so thoughtful. When I was accepted for a screenwriting MFA (ended up not going #COVID) my younger sisters filled my room with balloons. It was so cute.

[tippybug]

32 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Hi, so Maryland apparently got a record breaking number of applications this year so they’re going to be notifying second week of March.

I didn't apply to Maryland, but knowing that Iowa is also way behind and won't be notifying until March is sooo disheartening. I wonder how many programs this is true of? UGH...

I'm curious BTW; what made you decide to apply to Maryland? I'm scouting out schools for my next round of MFA apps (though fingers crossed that all of us get in this round). I'm seeing so many programs that hadn't been on my radar til now.

[shanbanan]

1 hour ago, Ydrl said:

Hi, so Maryland apparently got a record breaking number of applications this year so they’re going to be notifying second week of March.

I have been wondering how the pandemic would impact applicant volume for MFA programs. About six months ago, I imagined it could go either one of two ways: 1) less applicants than usual (due to a renewed focus on more lucrative professions and programs and a consequent move away from the fine arts); 2) more applicants than usual (due to everyone having had so much more time in lockdown to think about the future, while feeling the very real and everyday existential threat of COVID. In this instance, more applicants would decide to apply because of some combination of "if not now, when?" and "why not?") Now, as I hear stories like this from Maryland and others like FSU, I am starting to think that it's a third version that I didn't consider at all: 3) way more applicants than usual (due to a swing towards the arts, the way there can be in times of great uncertainty and existentialism.) While I LOVE this and what it says about the arts as tonic in times of hardship, it makes me think that this "record breaking numbers" trend is something we'll see across the board. Anyway, I've been so curious about all this and seeing how it would impact the MFA applicant pool. If anyone wants to push back or discuss, let me know  

Edited February 16, 2021 by shanbanan

[yahearditherefirst]

12 minutes ago, shanbanan said:

I have been wondering how the pandemic would impact applicant volume for MFA programs. About six months ago, I imagined it could go either one of two ways: 1) less applicants than usual (due to a renewed focus on more lucrative professions and programs and a consequent move away from the fine arts); 2) more applicants than usual (due to everyone having had so much more time in lockdown to think about the future, while feeling the very real and everyday existential threat of COVID. In this instance, more applicants would decide to apply because of some combination of "if not now, when?" and "why not?") Now, as I hear stories like this from Maryland and others like FSU, I am starting to think that it's a third version that I didn't consider at all: 3) way more applicants than usual (due to a swing towards the arts, the way there can be in times of great uncertainty and existentialism.) While I LOVE this and what it says about the arts as tonic in times of hardship, it makes me think that this "record breaking numbers" trend is something we'll see across the board. Anyway, I've been so curious about all this and seeing how it would impact the MFA applicant pool. If anyone wants to push back or discuss, let me know  

Yeah, supposedly this is the same across the board for a lot of programs (not just MFA). Law school and business schools are seeing record breaking numbers. In times of uncertainty, I guess a lot of people want to go back to school.

[Starbuck420]

38 minutes ago, tippybug said:

but knowing that Iowa is also way behind and won't be notifying until March is sooo disheartening

I didn't apply but am I right that they still make people send in their samples by mail? I just wonder if they uhhhh might have had an easier time of things if they stopped doing that? What with the record high volume of mail and issues with the post office and pandemic and all

I would guess that they probably have valid reasons for still doing it this way (it's easier to read the work? they've been doing it this way for a decades so would be hard to switch?) but it seems like they're also being luddites for the sake of being luddites, at least to some degree, which is very annoying imo

[susweekly]

32 minutes ago, shanbanan said:

I have been wondering how the pandemic would impact applicant volume for MFA programs. About six months ago, I imagined it could go either one of two ways: 1) less applicants than usual (due to a renewed focus on more lucrative professions and programs and a consequent move away from the fine arts); 2) more applicants than usual (due to everyone having had so much more time in lockdown to think about the future, while feeling the very real and everyday existential threat of COVID. In this instance, more applicants would decide to apply because of some combination of "if not now, when?" and "why not?") Now, as I hear stories like this from Maryland and others like FSU, I am starting to think that it's a third version that I didn't consider at all: 3) way more applicants than usual (due to a swing towards the arts, the way there can be in times of great uncertainty and existentialism.) While I LOVE this and what it says about the arts as tonic in times of hardship, it makes me think that this "record breaking numbers" trend is something we'll see across the board. Anyway, I've been so curious about all this and seeing how it would impact the MFA applicant pool. If anyone wants to push back or discuss, let me know  

My conspiracy theory is that many programs allowed students to defer for the first time in 2020 due to covid and classes not meeting in person. So in addition to an influx of applicants due to trends around people applying to grad school when the economy is tanking, plus all the leisure time many people had for applications due to being out of work, we are also up against admitted students from 2020 who may have chosen to defer.

[mrvisser]

19 minutes ago, Starbuck420 said:

I didn't apply but am I right that they still make people send in their samples by mail? I just wonder if they uhhhh might have had an easier time of things if they stopped doing that? What with the record high volume of mail and issues with the post office and pandemic and all

I would guess that they probably have valid reasons for still doing it this way (it's easier to read the work? they've been doing it this way for a decades so would be hard to switch?) but it seems like they're also being luddites for the sake of being luddites, at least to some degree, which is very annoying imo

This year they made everyone send in by mail and also upload a backup copy into the application.

Edited February 16, 2021 by mrvisser

[Starbuck420]

21 minutes ago, susweekly said:

My conspiracy theory is that many programs allowed students to defer for the first time in 2020 due to covid and classes not meeting in person. So in addition to an influx of applicants due to trends around people applying to grad school when the economy is tanking, plus all the leisure time many people had for applications due to being out of work, we are also up against admitted students from 2020 who may have chosen to defer.

not a conspiracy theory: this is all 100% true. many programs are allowing people to defer and take another funded year or otherwise are having funding lines suspended by their universities as part of a general budget crunch. this is happening all across the arts and humanities, even at schools with enormous and very stable endowments (Yale is only taking 3 English PhDs this year, just as one example). dark times, and ripple effects will be felt for years

Edited February 16, 2021 by Starbuck420
edits: typos

[rcsteel]

46 minutes ago, Starbuck420 said:

I didn't apply but am I right that they still make people send in their samples by mail? I just wonder if they uhhhh might have had an easier time of things if they stopped doing that? What with the record high volume of mail and issues with the post office and pandemic and all

I would guess that they probably have valid reasons for still doing it this way (it's easier to read the work? they've been doing it this way for a decades so would be hard to switch?) but it seems like they're also being luddites for the sake of being luddites, at least to some degree, which is very annoying imo

They had us send in by mail and also submit it digitally.

[Boomer not Ok]

Seems like this app cycle is a tsunami cluster*ck. Deferrals, plus COVID career/priority rethinking folk (guilty of this), plus perhaps general trend back to arts (not sure about this), plus adverse COVID effect on funding for MFA departments all seem like it's working against us. Interesting to see if MFA departments will increase their seats due to increased demand or treat this as an aberration. 

[Boomer not Ok]

On this note, if , assuming MFA departments have allowed a lot of deferrals, is there any evidence of them accepting in the 2021 cycle but offering admission in 2022? I know some colleges do this, when they get oversubscribed and/or their algorithms get hit with a black swan event

Edited February 16, 2021 by Boomer not Ok
typo

[NLake]

I just got a marketing email from Arizona State about planning ahead for the fall semester. I allowed myself to get excited for a split second, and then remembered the implied rejection since they made calls Friday. Feeling the sting all over again! Gonna go fall into a pile of snow...

[mrvisser]

5 minutes ago, NLake said:

I just got a marketing email from Arizona State about planning ahead for the fall semester. I allowed myself to get excited for a split second, and then remembered the implied rejection since they made calls Friday. Feeling the sting all over again! Gonna go fall into a pile of snow...

I saw that on Draft. Really big blunder on their part. That's more than just marketing. It literally says "Prepare for your arrival Autumn 2021." Can't believe they would send that out to people.

[tippybug]

10 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I saw that on Draft. Really big blunder on their part. That's more than just marketing. It literally says "Prepare for your arrival Autumn 2021." Can't believe they would send that out to people.

I saw it too! How shitty ?

[NLake]

11 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I saw that on Draft. Really big blunder on their part. That's more than just marketing. It literally says "Prepare for your arrival Autumn 2021." Can't believe they would send that out to people.

Yeah, that’s the part that really got me amped up! I know it’s got to be difficult keeping all the facets of a large university in sync, but damn. You only get to break my heart once!