2021 Applicants Forum

[Yellow62]

On 2/24/2021 at 5:41 PM, orangeslice said:

What?? How? Where? May not survive this day lol

Someone reported a call from Sam Chang on draft. Brace yourselves. 

[woweezowee]

1 hour ago, clericalerror said:

Hi, all, long-time lurker, first-time poster.... I'm curious what people's experiences are with acceptances via phone. Is it normal to have a lag time between a phone acceptance and an email/portal acceptance? More specifically, has anyone every heard of someone getting accepted to a program by accident? 

I was accepted to a program via a zoom call on February 8th. At that time they said that I would get an official offer "in the coming days" -- I just received it today.

There were a few moments of "ok so did I imagine that?" during that time, but the offer was real.

Last week I got another acceptance by phone that was very exciting. I was told that I'll get an acceptance email "shortly," but it hasn't come yet. I did get an email on Monday evening congratulating me and reiterating that I'll get the acceptance email soon.

I think it's normal for there to be a lag time and also normal for there not to be. There's a lot of variables at play, but I promise you that you getting accepted by mistake is not one of them. You were accepted! On purpose!

 

(also btw neither of the portals for the programs I've been accepted to have been updated in any perceptible way)

 

[mrvisser]

5 minutes ago, Yellow62 said:

Iowa is calling for fiction. 

Oof. There goes the atom bomb.

[cecsav]

24 minutes ago, rcsteel said:

Did anyone hear from Houston today? Saw that someone got a acceptance call for poetry today.

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  ?????

[sylviaplate]

Lmao Syracuse, Houston and Iowa pushing out acceptances on the same day I had an absolute emotional breakdown over job stress is actually very chill and cool for me, personally.

 

[mrvisser]

4 minutes ago, sylviaplate said:

Lmao Syracuse, Houston and Iowa pushing out acceptances on the same day I had an absolute emotional breakdown over job stress is actually very chill and cool for me, personally.

 

Three weeks ago my thinking was "I'm unemployed, but it's cool because I have some money saved up and I can just cruise until grad school." Now I'm at "Shit, I need to go get a new job in the middle of this pandemic and I need to find a new place to live."

[Norwood]

7 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Three weeks ago my thinking was "I'm unemployed, but it's cool because I have some money saved up and I can just cruise until grad school." Now I'm at "Shit, I need to go get a new job in the middle of this pandemic and I need to find a new place to live."

I'm in the exact same boat and am freaking out daily about it. Also the job I'd done the four years prior still hasn't really fully come back since the pandemic started, so now I'm trying to find a new job doing things (anything) I have mostly no experience in. 

[M-Lin]

1 hour ago, woweezowee said:

I was accepted to a program via a zoom call on February 8th. At that time they said that I would get an official offer "in the coming days" -- I just received it today.

There were a few moments of "ok so did I imagine that?" during that time, but the offer was real.

Last week I got another acceptance by phone that was very exciting. I was told that I'll get an acceptance email "shortly," but it hasn't come yet. I did get an email on Monday evening congratulating me and reiterating that I'll get the acceptance email soon.

I think it's normal for there to be a lag time and also normal for there not to be. There's a lot of variables at play, but I promise you that you getting accepted by mistake is not one of them. You were accepted! On purpose!

 

(also btw neither of the portals for the programs I've been accepted to have been updated in any perceptible way)

 

I saw you that you applied to some of the same schools as I did. I guess we're both targeting the new york area! Are the schools that accepted you, by any chance, NYU or Hunter? 

Looking at your school list, every one of them would be an amazing place to go for MFA, so congratulations!

[anamcara]

:pointedly ignores sage advice from earlier in the thread to not put any stock in the portals:

Anyone else able to see a course catalog on the Courses/Registration section of their UIowa portal? I can, and I can't remember if I could before, and I have a deathgrip on the smallest scraps of hope. There's a note above the catalog search that says I don't yet have an admissions profile and can't register, but I can see and search for everything now ?

[Jjayy]

Iowa takes in like 50 students each year. That's a lot of notifications to send out, a lot of calls to make, and, so far, there is one post indicating acceptance on GradCafe and two posts in Drafts. I know the chances are slim, but here's to hoping that not all of those IWW calls went out today, and some more are due to go out tomorrow.

[aa2427]

8 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

Well, fuck. Someone on Draft just got a voicemail from UW. Et tu, alma mater? Looks like two more rejections today, and now it's down to Michener and Notre Dame. I'm just about ready to pack it in for this round and look forward to next year.

My heart dropped when I saw that too. I am also in the same boat as those of you who are unemployed and hoping that grad school could add purpose and an end to the perpetual nothingness. I'm hoping there is some crazy chance they aren't calling everyone today (weird of them to start at 5pm PST) or maybe letting people know about waitlists later. At this stage I'm pretty hopeless. Doesn't help to look at the work of those getting multiple acceptances and know its worlds above your own

[shanbanan]

Hi all! Quick question while we wait. What are some favorite books on craft? I'm looking mainly for a focus on poetics, but could be fiction, nonfiction, syntax, etc. Some of my favorites are "A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry" by Gregory Orr; "Rules for the Dance" and "A Poetry Handbook" by Mary Oliver. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! Thanks!

[Greithe]

17 minutes ago, anamcara said:

Anyone else able to see a course catalog on the Courses/Registration section of their UIowa portal? I can, and I can't remember if I could before, ...

I wish I'd paid attention to that too, now. I've gotten no phone call, and my application status is still "In Progress" but like you, I can search the catalog from the portal, and see the Spring classes. Probably it means nothing, but as you say... scraps of hope, until it's really over. Good luck! 

[anamcara]

2 minutes ago, shanbanan said:

Hi all! Quick question while we wait. What are some favorite books on craft? I'm looking mainly for a focus on poetics, but could be fiction, nonfiction, syntax, etc. Some of my favorites are "A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry" by Gregory Orr; "Rules for the Dance" and "A Poetry Handbook" by Mary Oliver. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! Thanks!

I love Matthew Zapruder's "Why Poetry"! "Meander Spiral Explode" by Jane Alison is also wonderful, and though it isn't specifically about poetry (it's about the shapes of stories in general), I found it inspiring and instructive.

[anamcara]

7 minutes ago, Greithe said:

I wish I'd paid attention to that too, now. I've gotten no phone call, and my application status is still "In Progress" but like you, I can search the catalog from the portal, and see the Spring classes. Probably it means nothing, but as you say... scraps of hope, until it's really over. Good luck! 

Thank you for the data point!! At least we're in it together either way

P.S. I love your avatar!

[fishfish24]

19 minutes ago, Jjayy said:

Iowa takes in like 50 students each year. That's a lot of notifications to send out, a lot of calls to make, and, so far, there is one post indicating acceptance on GradCafe and two posts in Drafts. I know the chances are slim, but here's to hoping that not all of those IWW calls went out today, and some more are due to go out tomorrow.

Thanks for this. Syracuse and Iowa on the back of Michigan and Minnesota... I'll take a night of hopefulness

[Greithe]

Just now, anamcara said:

Thank you for the data point!! At least we're in it together either way

P.S. I love your avatar!

Thanks! And I love your name - I used to live in Ireland, and darn near studied Theology at one point. ? 

Looking around the Iowa site, it seems they've even assigned us University ID#s and everything - I suppose it's necessary to process us through the admissions system, but still, thousands of people going in and out of their system every year without even enrolling just seems mind-boggling.

I will be very happy on the day I delete the last portal bookmark, and close the door on this life chapter. What a wringer lol.

[martina1234]

On 2/19/2021 at 12:08 PM, Yellow62 said:

This. I don't believe past notification data from this site is a reliable indicator for this year, and that most programs will be notifying at some point next month. 

I seriously hope so... I am freaking out about my aps to Syracuse and UT! Hoping they notify later on so I can finish this paper lol.

[eternalwhitenights]

1 minute ago, Greithe said:

Thanks! And I love your name - I used to live in Ireland, and darn near studied Theology at one point. ? 

Looking around the Iowa site, it seems they've even assigned us University ID#s and everything - I suppose it's necessary to process us through the admissions system, but still, thousands of people going in and out of their system every year without even enrolling just seems mind-boggling.

I will be very happy on the day I delete the last portal bookmark, and close the door on this life chapter. What a wringer lol.

Random sidenote, I lived in Ireland, too!!! When did you live there, and where? I studied at NUIG for a semester, and dated an Irish guy for 4 1/2 years and lived in Mullingar (where Niall Horan is from) when I went over to visit him on two separate occasions! My MFA thesis is going to be my Irish Potato Famine novel and love story that takes place during it (if I get in, it'll be a thesis--I'm still writing it either way, lol!). I just had to shoutout Ireland here, because I miss Galway so, so much, and Galway Bay is the most beautiful place in the world, and just hi hello how are you to a fellow once-lived-in-Irelander!

[turtlesfordays]

I feel like I’m heading for a year of rejections here, so does anyone have advice for getting over feeling that you should’ve been writing more, should’ve tried harder, should’ve revised better, should’ve...etc? Because I feel like I’ve been lazy and even knowing the odds are not in anyone’s favor I’m having a hard time not placing all the blame on my self-perceived lack of commitment to the craft.

[Greithe]

2 minutes ago, eternalwhitenights said:

Random sidenote, I lived in Ireland, too!!! When did you live there, and where? I studied at NUIG for a semester, and dated an Irish guy for 4 1/2 years and lived in Mullingar -

Oh, do I have family photos on Galway Bay! We lived just a few hours northeast, not quite halfway to Mullingar. Our beloved old service dog was born in Mullingar, so that town will always have a place in my heart. My kids went to school across the street from a famine graveyard that had been turned into a lovely memorial park. Oh, I miss it, I miss it. Let me know when I can read your book! ❤️ 

[eternalwhitenights]

13 minutes ago, Greithe said:

Oh, do I have family photos on Galway Bay! We lived just a few hours northeast, not quite halfway to Mullingar. Our beloved old service dog was born in Mullingar, so that town will always have a place in my heart. My kids went to school across the street from a famine graveyard that had been turned into a lovely memorial park. Oh, I miss it, I miss it. Let me know when I can read your book! ❤️ 

Ah, that's brilliant!!! Can't wait to go back and have the craic someday.  Did you ever visit Neachtains in Galway? It's still my fav pub because of the live music and artistic atmosphere. Also, Carlsberg ftw. ✌️

And oh my gosh, what a breathtaking place to grow up across from. I remember when my ex and I were driving through West Cork, and we came upon some Famine house ruins, I could just feel the sadness. I mean, it just seeped from the land. You could almost wade through it, it was so thick.

Did you veer into Roscommon area, then? And awww, yay to your service dog!!! Although my memories of Mullingar aren't so hot (my ex is my ex for a reason, ha), I used to work at a place called Gallery 29 (they're closed down now) when I was over there on my working holiday visa, and it was me and two old Irish sisters running the entire enterprise, and boy, did that place become my respite. I miss Emily's cakes, and oh. My. Gosh. do I miss 99s. I STILL haven't found comparable ice cream over here in the States. 

Also, that's so cool you have family pics near Galway Bay!!! I found out after I got back from studying abroad and living in Ireland that my mom's side of the family actually came from a small town about 6-8 miles or so outside of Galway, and it was one of those full-circle, palimpcestical moments where it confirmed what I'd always felt in my soul, this pull towards Galway and Ireland. That was a pretty rad moment.

And I will let you know when it's out! I plan on it changing the world, so watch for it.  

What do you write, btw? Did you apply this round to schools? I applied to one program, Notre Dame, because, yo,  their Irish Studies program is the bomb dot com, and I can research and write my little heart out on Thomas Davis and the Young Irelanders and Grainne ni Mhaille to my heart's content in their program. Here's hoping.

Edited February 25, 2021 by eternalwhitenights

[Greithe]

7 minutes ago, eternalwhitenights said:

 

Did you veer into Roscommon area, then? And awww, yay to your service dog!!!

He was my treasure, God rest his sweet soul! And yes, exactly; we haunted Lough Key Forest Park quite a bit.

I write fiction rooted in landscape and folklore, on the edge of magical realism, and like to explore how the old stories keep retelling themselves in every generation. I've been published; I've gotten some compliments for setting and voice etc, but my challenge is digging deeply enough emotionally, daring to be vulnerable enough for the story, and that's where I'm hoping MFA workshops can help me. IFFFF I can get in, and that's looking so iffy right now lol - I'm still waiting to hear from five programs, or 4 once Iowa finishes calling its lucky few. If I don't get in anywhere this round, I'll go job hunting for now and try some low-res options next go, I think.

Or, maybe just live in a van near the beach. That's really getting tempting these days!

[panglosian]

49 minutes ago, fishfish24 said:

Thanks for this. Syracuse and Iowa on the back of Michigan and Minnesota... I'll take a night of hopefulness

Tbh I'm in the boat of "I'm going to pretend I still have a chance at Syracuse and Cornell until literally told otherwise"....... like a hopeful child.....

[eternalwhitenights]

4 minutes ago, Greithe said:

He was my treasure, God rest his sweet soul! And yes, exactly; we haunted Lough Key Forest Park quite a bit.

I write fiction rooted in landscape and folklore, on the edge of magical realism, and like to explore how the old stories keep retelling themselves in every generation. I've been published; I've gotten some compliments for setting and voice etc, but my challenge is digging deeply enough emotionally, daring to be vulnerable enough for the story, and that's where I'm hoping MFA workshops can help me. IFFFF I can get in, and that's looking so iffy right now lol - I'm still waiting to hear from five programs, or 4 once Iowa finishes calling its lucky few. If I don't get in anywhere this round, I'll go job hunting for now and try some low-res options next go, I think.

Or, maybe just live in a van near the beach. That's really getting tempting these days!

Lovely! Yeah, the lakes in the Midlands were some of the best parts of it. Also, the fact that there are 1000 year old castles like every 3 miles, lol.

And ooo, your fiction sounds scintillating! I have an entire book of Lady Gregory's Irish folklore that I bought at Charlie Byrne's in Galway, and I definitely want to incorporate some type of Irish folklore into the thematic schema of my novel, at some point. Just going to try to soak up as much as I can for now so that when that magic moment of creativity and consciousness click in the midst of story writing, I'll be able to pull from a treasure trove.

I hope you hear back from Iowa, and all your programs soon, and, I mean, there are worse things than having the ocean as your front yard, ha!

And to your van on a beach aspirations, I think Matt Foley said it best:

C'est la vie?