2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[neche]

Not gonna lie, sometimes I'm impressed by our resident troll's work rate lmao! It's just incredible bearing all that self-inflicted misery with so much fortitude and dedication. 

[a1a]

@Thunderroad12 , if you search a bit through Draft, you’ll find veterans making the claim that Adcoms often say 80% of applicants to fully funded programs are rejected after one page of their sample. The samples aren't following conventions of literary fiction, and you don’t need a lot of words to figure that out. If you look at the writing samples @koechophe has posted here, for instance, you will notice after one page that 50% of his words are for explaining.

Under the test, you take the last six fiction stories from the New Yorker. You mix that in with two stories from the applicant. You ask anyone, no matter how illiterate, to seek the two odd men out. If they pick your two stories, that means your stories don’t follow contemporary conventions from literary fiction. You are in the 80%. You don’t need to wait with baited breach for your admit decisions. You’ve basically been told by your high school guidance counselor that your B grade point average can’t get you into Harvard. So you apply to non-fully funded programs, or read more and apply next year. The test does not work for experimental fiction.

Some people here don’t like the test. They say it is too discouraging. They say the status quo, where most people wait with baited breath to get rejected everywhere is preferable. But the test really works. @mrvisser would have passed it.

@neche, it is no work at all. I write quickly. Editing, I do slowly, but I don't do real editing here.

Edited March 8, 2022 by a1a

[koechophe]

1 minute ago, neche said:

Not gonna lie, sometimes I'm impressed by our resident troll's work rate lmao! It's just incredible bearing all that self-inflicted misery with so much fortitude and dedication. 

I know, right? I have to wonder if maybe they'd actually get into a program if they spent more time writing and less time making an endless string of accounts on this forum. Gotta admire the dedication that they make a new account for each new post, just to make sure I (and whoever else has ignored them) see it.

I was able to get into a really competitive program, and I honestly don't think I would've if not for the help and support from people on here and draft. Legit, MDP helped me a lot in workshopping, and I learned so much about SOPs, how to interact with people, the type of writing they're looking for, and all the rest from forum comments and Draft. 

This forum has been a really encouraging place, and workshopping with other people, congratulating other people, and comforting other people has been a very uplifting and educational experience for me.

I am genuinely sad for the troll that they haven't had that. I really do hope that one of these days, they figure it out. 

[koechophe]

26 minutes ago, CHRISTOPHER QUANG BUI said:

So if I havent heard a peep, it’s probably safe to assume a rejection is on its way? 

 

Unfortunately yes. 

[Nightwitch]

12 minutes ago, a1a said:

You don’t need to wait with baited breach for your admit decisions.

*bated breath. Baiting is what you do.

[Thunderroad12]

30 minutes ago, a1a said:

@Thunderroad12 , if you search a bit through Draft, you’ll find veterans making the claim that Adcoms often say 80% of applicants to fully funded programs are rejected after one page of their sample. The samples aren't following conventions of literary fiction, and you don’t need a lot of words to figure that out. If you look at the writing samples @koechophe has posted here, for instance, you will notice after one page that 50% of his words are for explaining.

Under the test, you take the last six fiction stories from the New Yorker. You mix that in with two stories from the applicant. You ask anyone, no matter how illiterate, to seek the two odd men out. If they pick your two stories, that means your stories don’t follow contemporary conventions from literary fiction. You are in the 80%. You don’t need to wait with baited breach for your admit decisions. You’ve basically been told by your high school guidance counselor that your B grade point average can’t get you into Harvard. So you apply to non-fully funded programs, or read more and apply next year. The test does not work for experimental fiction.

Some people here don’t like the test. They say it is too discouraging. They say the status quo, where most people wait with baited breath to get rejected everywhere is preferable. But the test really works. @mrvisser would have passed it.

@neche, it is no work at all. I write quickly. Editing, I do slowly, but I don't do real editing here.

Thanks for the explanation. I saw reference to it, but couldn’t find the genesis. 

[a1a]

@Nightwitch, touche.

You're quite welcome, @Thunderroad12. It really is a test all applicants should take.

@koechophe, no, no. You have it all wrong. I have it automated. I’m technically savvy. Three keystrokes make a new account. It takes less time to make a new account than for someone to block posts from the new account. It’s all very efficient.

I reciprocate your sympathy, though. I actually do feel bad for any time wasted on blocking, but no solution is in my power. The powers that be, the moderator, believes in more censorship than I believe in. I feel bad even for time he has to spend.

[Yellow62]

First of all, congrats! Two amazing choices right there. With regard to general reputation, I'm not sure one side of the scale is tipped in favor of either program--within literary circles at least. Both are top-tier programs. 

If one of your main goals is to gain teaching experience, Cornell seems pretty unparalleled when it comes to MFA programs due to that two-year lectureship opportunity. That's essentially three years of teaching experience between the 2nd year of the MFA and the post-grad lectureship. Pretty amazing. 

Can't speak to location or quality of pedagogical training, but it doesn't seem you can go wrong with either program. Best of luck with your decision!

[mrshakeysingstheblues]

1 hour ago, a1a said:

@Thunderroad12 , if you search a bit through Draft, you’ll find veterans making the claim that Adcoms often say 80% of applicants to fully funded programs are rejected after one page of their sample. The samples aren't following conventions of literary fiction, and you don’t need a lot of words to figure that out. If you look at the writing samples @koechophe has posted here, for instance, you will notice after one page that 50% of his words are for explaining.

Under the test, you take the last six fiction stories from the New Yorker. You mix that in with two stories from the applicant. You ask anyone, no matter how illiterate, to seek the two odd men out. If they pick your two stories, that means your stories don’t follow contemporary conventions from literary fiction. You are in the 80%. You don’t need to wait with baited breach for your admit decisions. You’ve basically been told by your high school guidance counselor that your B grade point average can’t get you into Harvard. So you apply to non-fully funded programs, or read more and apply next year. The test does not work for experimental fiction.

Some people here don’t like the test. They say it is too discouraging. They say the status quo, where most people wait with baited breath to get rejected everywhere is preferable. But the test really works. @mrvisser would have passed it.

@neche, it is no work at all. I write quickly. Editing, I do slowly, but I don't do real editing here.

You keep using the word “illiterate.”  I do not think it means what you think it means. If readers were illiterate, they would be unable to read. 
 

Most of us may not be able to pass “The New Yorker Test”, but your posts and multiple accounts help you pass the “Living In My Parents’ Basement Test” with flying colors. 
 

I have no doubts that writing is no work for you, as evidenced by how prolific of a poster you are. But, tell me, how much work is it for you to make the trek up those winding basement stairs for another Mountain Dew Zero and bag of Cheetos? Is it taxing? 
 

Or should we stand idly by while you dig out your “Word-of-the-Day” calendar to impress us all? We, the illiterate masses, await your word! Guide us!

[VillaTheKilla]

I saw an acceptance for brown fiction on the result page and I don't hear anything from them. Is it safe to assume that I am rejected?

Also, does anyone hear any partial funding offer from NYU fiction?

[koechophe]

7 minutes ago, VillaTheKilla said:

I saw an acceptance for brown fiction on the result page and I don't hear anything from them. Is it safe to assume that I am rejected?

 

Not necessarily. That's the only acceptance I've seen (it was cross-posted to Draft), it was only yesterday, and Brown tends to have a larger cohort, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more notifications that haven't gone out. 

It's definitely a lot less likely that you're in, but I think they likely haven't notified everyone yet (or else we'd see more posts) and none of this rules out you being on a wait list.

So... probably a rejection OR waitlist, but there's a slim chance it might not be. 

  

7 minutes ago, VillaTheKilla said:

Also, does anyone hear any partial funding offer from NYU fiction?

On Draft, a user got a hold of NYU and they told her that they had just started making notifications (late february) and would continue notifying all throughout March. So it sounds like a gradual thing where it'll be hard to tell until you actually have a decision. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by koechophe

[VillaTheKilla]

3 minutes ago, koechophe said:

Not necessarily. That's the only acceptance I've seen (it was cross-posted to Draft), it was only yesterday, and Brown tends to have a larger cohort, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more notifications that haven't gone out. 

It's definitely a lot less likely that you're in, but I think they likely haven't notified everyone yet (or else we'd see more posts) and none of this rules out you being on a wait list.

So... probably a rejection OR waitlist, but there's a slim chance it might not be. 

 

Got it. Thank you. Also congrats for getting into McNeese!

[a1a]

@mrshakeysingstheblueswrites “You keep using the word “illiterate.”  I do not think it means what you think it means. If readers were illiterate, they would be unable to read.  ….. But, tell me, how much work is it for you to make the trek up those winding basement stairs for another Mountain Dew Zero and bag of Cheetos? Is it taxing? Or should we stand idly by while you dig out your “Word-of-the-Day” calendar to impress us all? We, the illiterate masses, await your word! Guide us! “

Let’s do two words of the day.

1.      illiterate

a. unable to read and write:an illiterate group.

b. having or demonstrating very little or no education.

c. showing lack of culture, especially in language and literature.

d. displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/illiterate

A writer must know secondary definitions.

 

2.      winding.

bending or turning; sinuous.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/winding

 

Basement stairs are straight. They don’t wind.

 

@VillaTheKilla, yes with Brown's acceptance posted, you can assume Brown did not accept. @koechophe is mistaken. OK, maybe you still have a 1 in 10,000 chance, but don't put hope in miracles.

[koechophe]

1 hour ago, VillaTheKilla said:

Got it. Thank you. Also congrats for getting into McNeese!

Thanks! Still trying to convince myself that there wasn't some sort of mistake,or anything lol. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by koechophe

[gagne]

I applied to Brown in Poetry but will check my portal when my computer charges and update if there’s poetry news.

[floralhell]

has anyone heard from Ole Miss about a poetry waitlist? I've only seen fiction posted on draft.

[gagne]

I checked the ApplyWeb portal for Brown and there's no decision for me for Poetry. Either they decide on Fiction and Playwriting earlier or those are false posts.

[Nightwitch]

9 hours ago, gagne said:

I checked the ApplyWeb portal for Brown and there's no decision for me for Poetry. Either they decide on Fiction and Playwriting earlier or those are false posts.

The person on Draft updated her post - the graduate school accidentally sent out acceptances early. 

[gagne]

1 hour ago, Nightwitch said:

The person on Draft updated her post - the graduate school accidentally sent out acceptances early. 

This makes sense and playwriting isn’t housed under Literary Arts like Fiction and Poetry. Honestly a little nervous about Brown application as I took a risk with my portfolio since they have so many translators and multilingual writers so I showed my bilingual cards so to speak and mentioned some multilingual techniques I am familiar with in education.

[JunieBaloonie]

On 2/24/2022 at 3:31 PM, JunieBaloonie said:

Hello all! New here; stopped by to see if anyone had heard from the schools I'm still waiting on. I'll provide an update in hopes it will help someone else:

Accepted: UNCW (notified on Tuesday, February 22), waiting on teaching assistantship and funding information and was told I could expect that in the next week(ish).

I emailed the other schools to ask about when decisions will be made. Here's what I learned:

• Emerson - Late March (which, sheesh, means I will probably have to withdraw my app since other schools will want a decision from me before that!)
• UBalt - Waiting on a reply
• Pittsburgh - Waiting on a reply, but it looks like I was likely passed over considering others here have noted interview calls last week
• Brown - Mid-March (but that information is available on their site)

Hope this helps!

Here's an update for anyone who needs it. My genre is fiction.

UNCW - Accepted on 02/22, waitlisted for funding/assistantship and no word as of 03/09

UBalt - Accepted on 03/03, after I emailed to let them know I had another offer on the table. They moved up the review of my application. 

Pittsburgh - Rejected on 03/02

Brown - Still waiting

Emerson - Still waiting

[Ydrl]

Hey, not sure if this applies to anyone besides accepted students, but my portal finally updated for IWW. Anyone feel like checking theirs?

[maryak99]

did anyone else encounter the same problem with the stanford stegner portal? they sent out emails that decisions came out but the portals didn't update to say anything?

i remember someone said on here a few days ago that they got admitted to stanford, was it the stegner one? assuming that it was, they probably sent out acceptances earlier, but i'm not sure. it'll be nice to get rid of the anxiety though, so i can just go back to sleep without refreshing my email again and again

[mrshakeysingstheblues]

37 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Hey, not sure if this applies to anyone besides accepted students, but my portal finally updated for IWW. Anyone feel like checking theirs?

Mine still says “In Progress”. 

[Grad0520]

16 minutes ago, maryak99 said:

did anyone else encounter the same problem with the stanford stegner portal? they sent out emails that decisions came out but the portals didn't update to say anything?

i remember someone said on here a few days ago that they got admitted to stanford, was it the stegner one? assuming that it was, they probably sent out acceptances earlier, but i'm not sure. it'll be nice to get rid of the anxiety though, so i can just go back to sleep without refreshing my email again and again

Yes, same experience with the Stegner portal. A few people have reported this in Results. Such a bummer.

[Nightwitch]

23 minutes ago, maryak99 said:

did anyone else encounter the same problem with the stanford stegner portal? they sent out emails that decisions came out but the portals didn't update to say anything?

i remember someone said on here a few days ago that they got admitted to stanford, was it the stegner one? assuming that it was, they probably sent out acceptances earlier, but i'm not sure. it'll be nice to get rid of the anxiety though, so i can just go back to sleep without refreshing my email again and again

Maybe they sent out the mail early, by mistake?