2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[eternalwhitenights]

18 hours ago, 1moreX said:

Just got the phone call - accepted at Brooklyn. Have you heard anything from the other NY schools? I haven't heard a peep. I expect they're coming really soon.

 

18 hours ago, 1moreX said:

Thank you. Yes, very excited. I like the way Brooklyn handled me -- quick note that I was a finalist, immediate zoom interview, openness and honesty, so receptive to my writing and my personal case. My other acceptance so far (which shall remain nameless) was the opposite, kind of cool.

I might regret this, but my troll spidey senses are going off full throttle. Dear troll, is that you? Nice try if so.

@MDP congratulations, love!!!!! Woooohoooooo!!!!!!!! That's amazing!!

[panglosian]

I got waitlisted at Hollins!! Now I have to put my apartment shopping on hold smh XD

[eternalwhitenights]

4 minutes ago, panglosian said:

I got waitlisted at Hollins!! Now I have to put my apartment shopping on hold smh XD

Woooooo!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!

[koechophe]

26 minutes ago, eternalwhitenights said:

I might regret this, but my troll spidey senses are going off full throttle. Dear troll, is that you? Nice try if so.

Naw, this guy's not the troll. They've been pretty polite and uplifting (And trust me, if the troll was going to fake-claim they got in, they would do it a lot harder on one of their known troll accounts to be like, "See, I told you I know what I'm talking about!")

@panglosianHuge congrats on getting waitlisted! You've had a stellar season!

Edited March 10, 2022 by koechophe

[koechophe]

If anyone's still waiting on Brown poetry, someone posted the following email on Draft:

“The poetry faculty members are in the final stages of their review of this year's MFA applications; we are hoping to have recommendations from the poets in the next few days; once those recommendations are in hand, we'll be sharing them with the Graduate School for review. Once that review is completed, decision information will be shared by the Graduate School. We remain hopeful that the information will be ready by the middle to the end of next week.”

[oubukibun]

1 hour ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

Woo-hoo!

Congrats, dude!

What sweet relief, no?  Thanks again for your notes on my work.  Proof enough you'll be a great addition to any cohort.

It's all right to have our Cinderella moments...  Knowing we have to work for them in lieu of getting our very own fairy godmother has never detracted from the simple grace of seeing it come true.

Here's to Hollins and a little pinch of luck!  The same for everyone else with their acceptances and waitlists!

One less on my list, and two more to go, phew.

 

Cheers for now!

[1moreX]

2 hours ago, nicolette7766 said:

Has anyone on here had an interview for a spot in a MFA program? I just had one for the first time and I am still anxious haha. I was curious to hear about other people’s experiences. 

I had two interviews, one as a finalist at Brooklyn College. I looked up Brooklyn in last year's results and saw that some people were waitlisted after the interview and others accepted, so I was really nervous. I emailed Brooklyn to get an idea of the kinds of questions to prepare for, and they wrote back that they just wanted to get to know me. (Elizabeth McCracken re the PS -- they "just want to make sure you're not crazy.") The interview was brisk but very warm and informal. They asked questions that were tailored to me. They said nice things about my writing sample. I asked my questions. After half an hour, the interview ended. I left with a really good impression of Brooklyn College. I would pass that along to the rest of you. When you speak to the director, you get a real vibe about whose hands you're in. Yes, I kicked myself afterwards for talking too much, but this whole application process is helping me understand that the personal touch via interview or whatever is very important to me. So is genuineness -- not over-selling on their side or mine.

They just want to know we're not crazy, guys.

I also zoomed with a school where I'm waitlisted. It wasn't an official interview, just an opportunity for questions.  It was similarly very warm and informal and it was untimed. I was also very impressed with the school. Although it does have teaching assistantships, there were no questions from them about teaching philosophy. It's their job to train the assistants to teach, after all.

Hope this helps. My general feeling -- if you get to the interview, prepare, of course, go for a run before the interview to settle your nerves, and then relax. You've already come really far.

[1moreX]

1 hour ago, eternalwhitenights said:

 

I might regret this, but my troll spidey senses are going off full throttle. Dear troll, is that you? Nice try if so.

@MDP congratulations, love!!!!! Woooohoooooo!!!!!!!! That's amazing!!

Are you asking me if I'm the troll? Honestly, if you saw me you'd laugh out loud at yourself, but more at me. But I have looked at some of these troll exchanges. The troll uses numbers, I believe. Some people have noted that already. At the risk of sounding like a mother, try not to engage.

[koechophe]

5 minutes ago, 1moreX said:

After half an hour, the interview ended. I left with a really good impression of Brooklyn College. I would pass that along to the rest of you. When you speak to the director, you get a real vibe about whose hands you're in.

I actually was so surprised about this when I got to talk with the director of McNeese. Like, I got a much better idea of how the program worked, and he was brutally honest about things that might turn people off of the program. 

I was so impressed at how genuine it all was, and that like 30 minute conversation gave me a better idea of how things will work than the months beforehand I spent researching.

I can't stress this enough, I don't think you really know about the program until you actually talk with the person running it. 

 

[smrgblrg]

2 hours ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

Congratulations! Me too! This is my first positive result and I’m so surprised and thrilled! Do you know if the waitlist is normally big? The email said it’s not ranked supposedly. Wishing you all the best!

[eternalwhitenights]

20 minutes ago, 1moreX said:

Are you asking me if I'm the troll? Honestly, if you saw me you'd laugh out loud at yourself, but more at me. But I have looked at some of these troll exchanges. The troll uses numbers, I believe. Some people have noted that already. At the risk of sounding like a mother, try not to engage.

My apologies. ? I definitely have learned not to engage with our trollmeister the hard way--I was active on the forums last year, did engage with our troll, and ain't nobody got time to go down that rabbit hole again. ? I more took a shot in the dark based off the way you'd written a few phrases and to see if I still had my troll-sussing-out skills on point. (Masochistic amusement, I guess? I.e. I need to stop obsessively checking GradCafe for admission results.) I'm very, very glad my wires were crossed in this case, though, because that means that I get to congratulate you on your Brooklyn College movement as the real deal, woot!  That's a huge accomplishment, and I'm glad you left with a good impression of their program (based off your other post you just made about your interview with them as a finalist). Do you have an idea if you're going to go with their program yet?  

Sorry again about misguessing about you troll-wise! I'm so glad I get to genuinely congratulate you instead.  

[1moreX]

1 hour ago, eternalwhitenights said:

My apologies. ? I definitely have learned not to engage with our trollmeister the hard way--I was active on the forums last year, did engage with our troll, and ain't nobody got time to go down that rabbit hole again. ? I more took a shot in the dark based off the way you'd written a few phrases and to see if I still had my troll-sussing-out skills on point. (Masochistic amusement, I guess? I.e. I need to stop obsessively checking GradCafe for admission results.) I'm very, very glad my wires were crossed in this case, though, because that means that I get to congratulate you on your Brooklyn College movement as the real deal, woot!  That's a huge accomplishment, and I'm glad you left with a good impression of their program (based off your other post you just made about your interview with them as a finalist). Do you have an idea if you're going to go with their program yet?  

Sorry again about misguessing about you troll-wise! I'm so glad I get to genuinely congratulate you instead.  

Please don't apologize. Hope I didn't sound harsh. I'm on here obsessively now, too, especially on Results, because I want to see if other people have heard from the NY schools.

Thank you for your congrats. I wish the best for you, too. I'm very very disposed towards Brooklyn because of the CW faculty and the noble history of City College and what they call the "intimacy" of the program at Bklyn which I also saw in the interview.

Good luck to you in all this.

[gagne]

3 hours ago, koechophe said:

If anyone's still waiting on Brown poetry, someone posted the following email on Draft:

“The poetry faculty members are in the final stages of their review of this year's MFA applications; we are hoping to have recommendations from the poets in the next few days; once those recommendations are in hand, we'll be sharing them with the Graduate School for review. Once that review is completed, decision information will be shared by the Graduate School. We remain hopeful that the information will be ready by the middle to the end of next week.”

This is great to know! I am hoping it is not on the 15th though as that's a hard day for me already in my personal life.

[koechophe]

3 hours ago, kipp said:

His school McNeese says on its website that a TA-ship will reduce tuition to $3K/year, and that has to be paid. There are probably also thousands in fees, including for health insurance. No stipend.

Responding to the troll is something I avoid, but I actually want to make sure there's correct information here in case anyone is considering the school. What he's saying isn't true. 

The program says you're responsible for between 1.3 and 1.5k per semester (2 semesters a year) total, and the school does in fact provide a stipend. It's not a brilliant stipend (8k, so pretty dang low, but 8k is a lot better than nothing). 

The wording on the website is misleading, so I can see why you came to that conclusion. 

Other schools offer a lot more funding, definitely, but it's a lot less bleak than "pay thousands more than 3k a year and don't get anything for teaching." 

I will be attending (assuming I don't get any other offers, which I'm taking as a given), but I can do so without getting into debt. One of the perks of having no debt, a robust savings account, a working wife, and no kids. 

My bar was that I wanted a program where I wouldn't have to pay tons of tuition and get into debt, and this does fit the bill. 

I'd totally get why other people wouldn't with that low of funding, but I eventually want to be a professor. This program lets me get an MA in English alongside my MFA, which would make my resume a lot more versatile, and I'm looking for an MFA as much for teaching experience and the credential as I am for writing experience. I'll probably explore a doctorate in Rhet/comp after this, and the MA in English will give me much better odds of getting into that. 

--Cue the troll saying some super disparaging thing because I replied to them--

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by koechophe

[koechophe]

And right on schedule, disparaging comment! Boy, I'm good at this!

For anyone that's considering teaching, here are my thoughts. 

Getting any gig as a tenured professor is extremely competitive and difficult, but Creative Writing jobs are particularly brutal to get. Getting in as an English teacher is often much more viable, and once your foot is in the door, you might have better luck transitioning into CW at your school. 

That's why I'm planning for a PhD in Rhet/Comp--I'll be much more likely to get a job as a tenured professor. You don't get that degree to try and get a creative writing job, it's meant for teaching English courses (Specifically, you guessed it, rhetoric and composition). 

My undergrad is in English, not Creative Writing. I love fiction, but I'm enough of a realist to know that it's difficult to get into, and having spent a lot of time teaching English in my undergrad, I'd be quite happy there too. 

But I wanted an MFA because I wanted to improve as a writer, and also for the credential and teaching experience too. Doing both routes feels like a good compromise since I can still try for those ultra-difficult CW jobs while also falling back on English jobs where I can. 

I likely won't even need to dip into my savings account to pay for the degree, since my wife works, and we really don't spend much money. But I fully acknowledge I'm lucky to be in that boat. 

If anyone here other than the troll has genuine questions about asexuality (and how it works in a cis relationship) feel free to DM me. I don't want to stray super off-topic in the general thread. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by koechophe

[miyano2699]

Applied for a few poetry MFA programs.

Just discovered that one of my recommenders did not send their letter in for one of my applications. Is it too late to ask them to send it in lol?

Also, got waitlisted at two programs - does anyone have stories about getting off the waitlist? If I recently wrote poems that I personally believe are better than the ones in my application manuscript, should I send them to the admissions? 

[koechophe]

1 minute ago, miyano2699 said:

If I recently wrote poems that I personally believe are better than the ones in my application manuscript, should I send them to the admissions? 

No, unless they specifically ask for material, you shouldn't send them anything else. I know it kind of sucks, but your application is your "shot" to show them what you can do. You pay an application fee, and they read the material you send in. Asking them to read even more material is considered impolite and might also come off as desperate (Unless of course they ask for more, then go right ahead!)

 

3 minutes ago, miyano2699 said:

Just discovered that one of my recommenders did not send their letter in for one of my applications. Is it too late to ask them to send it in lol?

 

Probably not? There's no harm in them sending it in now, so I'd ask them to anyway. But honestly, a lot of programs aren't too stuffy about that, and I've heard of several times where people get in without them, so try not to worry about it too much. 

Hope some of this helps. Getting waitlisted is a HUGE honor, it shows that you were one of the top applicants. And know, whatever happens, you'll have your decisions mid-april (or, at worst, late-april) so it won't be too long now before you find out!

[sassydragon]

15 hours ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

Just catching up with messages and noticed this. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[Nicolas M.]

16 hours ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

Congrats!! I hope you get it  Btw I'm also waiting to hear back for NYU fiction, fingers crossed for both of us!

[neche]

17 hours ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

I'm almost as happy as when I got admitted off a waitlist. No one deserves a great news more than you do. Here's hoping you eventually get in. ?

[MDP]

Ran out of reactions, but thank you all so much for the congrats!!! Fingers crossed, though even if I did get off the list, I wouldn't be able to go unless I were granted funding/a stipend. (And I doubt people accepted off their waitlist are first in line for funding!) In any case I'm just so relieved to have gotten SOME positive feedback, huge vote of confidence for if/when I reapply  

[neche]

University of Florida (fiction) need to get moving, man. They're holding me ransom so badly.

[koechophe]

23 minutes ago, MDP said:

In any case I'm just so relieved to have gotten SOME positive feedback, huge vote of confidence for if/when I reapply

Really glad you got some good news at the end of this season ?. I'm hoping you do reapply, but obviously do whatever works best for you. But either way, managing to get your things together and apply right after just going sober is dang impressive. I think you have cause to feel really good about yourself for what you've accomplished this year. 

[MDP]

3 minutes ago, koechophe said:

Really glad you got some good news at the end of this season ?. I'm hoping you do reapply, but obviously do whatever works best for you. But either way, managing to get your things together and apply right after just going sober is dang impressive. I think you have cause to feel really good about yourself for what you've accomplished this year. 

Thank you! Honestly I don't know how I even managed to apply this year at all, ha. I still have three places to hear back from (NYU, Iowa, and UNM), though I'm assuming rejections from NYU and Iowa. UNM hasn't begun notifying yet to my knowledge, so it's my last real wild card.

[Nightwitch]

18 hours ago, MDP said:

WAITLISTED AT HOLLINS!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!! I'm so happy for you MDP!!