2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Starbuck420]

 

2 hours ago, cherrypi said:

Friends, which program(s) include pedagogical emphasis?

I don't know of any and I'd be a little surprised if this were a thing, tbh. If you have to teach as part of your funding package, the dept will almost always give you some kind of support -- usually they will just force you to take a semester long "here's how to teach composition/creative writing" class with other GTAs -- but the goal of these programs is to produce writers, not teachers (as you say), so the teaching is always treated as a secondary concern at best. also, the academic job market for MFAs -- even highly established writers -- is truly, incredibly bad, so teaching college (unless you're adjuncting) is almost certainly not in the near future for any of us here, which makes it feel a little bit pointless to spend your time in grad school learning how to do it

in general, i think that the wealthier, better-funded programs are going to give you more support with teaching (and indeed, less teaching in general, which means that you can do a better job). I know that Brown literary arts faculty have tended to mentor individual GAs when they have to teach, for example, but this is about as luxurious as it gets in terms of support, afaik

tldr -- teaching as a grad student SUCKS lmao, avoid it if you can. having done manual labor and taught composition at a large, public R1 (at different times), I prefer manual labor. by a lot 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Starbuck420
this was longer than i meant it to be so i added a tldr

[cherrypi]

34 minutes ago, Starbuck420 said:

 

I don't know of any and I'd be a little surprised if this were a thing, tbh. If you have to teach as part of your funding package, the dept will almost always give you some kind of support -- usually they will just force you to take a semester long "here's how to teach composition/creative writing" class with other GTAs -- but the goal of these programs is to produce writers, not teachers (as you say), so the teaching is always treated as a secondary concern at best. also, the academic job market for MFAs -- even highly established writers -- is truly, incredibly bad, so teaching college (unless you're adjuncting) is almost certainly not in the near future for any of us here, which makes it feel a little bit pointless to spend your time in grad school learning how to do it

in general, i think that the wealthier, better-funded programs are going to give you more support with teaching (and indeed, less teaching in general, which means that you can do a better job). I know that Brown literary arts faculty have tended to mentor individual GAs when they have to teach, for example, but this is about as luxurious as it gets in terms of support, afaik

tldr -- teaching as a grad student SUCKS lmao, avoid it if you can. having done manual labor and taught composition at a large, public R1 (at different times), I prefer manual labor. by a lot 

I am indeed referring to adjuncting. I have a background and circumstances that are compatible with this plan, and have worked as a TA more than one semester in college. I’m in my 40s with a supportive partner +20 years while he climbed the ladder. My turn. 
 

Im surprised there’s not more focus on teaching writers to teach, personally. A good writer does not necessarily make a good writing instructor. 

[cherrypi]

1 hour ago, gagne said:

The one program I've been accepted to thus far and am on the fence as I await hearing about funding that has pedagogical training in the curriculum is Naropa University in Boulder, CO. It is also the only MFA I've seen with both critical and creative theses (yes, doing two theses).

The school also has an elementary education program and seems to have a lot of graduates able to go on to PhDs, so guessing they may have a strength there.

https://www.naropa.edu/academics/graduate-academics/mfa-creative-writing-poetics/degree-requirements/

Thank you so much. And congratulations! 

[Starbuck420]

 

7 minutes ago, cherrypi said:

I am indeed referring to adjuncting. I have a background and circumstances that are compatible with this plan, and have worked as a TA more than one semester in college. I’m in my 40s with a supportive partner +20 years while he climbed the ladder. My turn. 
 

Im surprised there’s not more focus on teaching writers to teach, personally. A good writer does not necessarily make a good writing instructor. 

got it, best of luck. IMO, you will be 100% prepared to adjunct comp after an MFA and a few semesters of GA experience

totally agree that good writers do not equal good teachers, of course. I do strongly feel that these are not teacher training programs, however, and frankly I respect depts that carve out maximum time for students to write/read, even when this comes at the expense of instructional training (just saying -- more of a general comment, rather than one that's directed at yours specifically)

[cherrypi]

8 minutes ago, Starbuck420 said:

 

got it, best of luck. IMO, you will be 100% prepared to adjunct comp after an MFA and a few semesters of GA experience

totally agree that good writers do not equal good teachers, of course. I do strongly feel that these are not teacher training programs, however, and frankly I respect depts that carve out maximum time for students to write/read, even when this comes at the expense of instructional training (just saying -- more of a general comment, rather than one that's directed at yours specifically)

There’s immeasurable value in an MFA program from many angles for sure, and time and cover to dive into content production is major. Totally agree. 
 

thanks for your thoughts 

[spencerlr]

4 minutes ago, Starbuck420 said:

 

got it, best of luck. IMO, you will be 100% prepared to adjunct comp after an MFA and a few semesters of GA experience

totally agree that good writers do not equal good teachers, of course. I do strongly feel that these are not teacher training programs, however, and frankly I respect depts that carve out maximum time for students to write/read, even when this comes at the expense of instructional training (just saying -- more of a general comment, rather than one that's directed at yours specifically)

Agree. I think MFAs should cater to people who want to write/edit/publish for a living. After all it is a masters in Fine Arts. Maybe some lesser known programs could edge out a niche in the market by specializing in teaching writing teachers, but perhaps that's too much of a loss-of-face.

I'm a bit worried because the school I'm likely going to offers one student a job at The Florida Review and everyone else TA jobs. I don't want to be a teacher but I TA'd 4 writing classes during undergrad and currently have a permanent job as a tutor with the Princeton Review, so they're probably going to place me in one of the teaching positions based on my CV. Curse my qualifications! 

36 minutes ago, cherrypi said:

I am indeed referring to adjuncting. I have a background and circumstances that are compatible with this plan, and have worked as a TA more than one semester in college. I’m in my 40s with a supportive partner +20 years while he climbed the ladder. My turn. 
 

Im surprised there’s not more focus on teaching writers to teach, personally. A good writer does not necessarily make a good writing instructor. 

Very true. I heard from someone who went to IWW while Vonnegut taught there that he was a terrible teacher. Frankly if I was a published and renowned writer and had to teach to survive, I'd probably just walk into class and say, "Read and write a lot. And read good stuff, or else you'll write bad stuff" and call it a day

[gagne]

17 minutes ago, spencerlr said:

Very true. I heard from someone who went to IWW while Vonnegut taught there that he was a terrible teacher. Frankly if I was a published and renowned writer and had to teach to survive, I'd probably just walk into class and say, "Read and write a lot. And read good stuff, or else you'll write bad stuff" and call it a day

My god, I can imagine. I guess the one positive for me (and perhaps this other person) is I've taught already, am currently teaching English as a New Language so I already teach reading and writing (albeit at different levels) and can definitely say a lot of teaching is an art itself (and so much brain power, so so much).

PS, English as a New Language (ENL) is ESL in some areas or English as a Foreign Language, so I work with K-12 multilingual students

[autumn wind]

11 hours ago, RosA-R said:

I know people say not to take out loans but seeing that a lot of people are applying cross country I figured that I do not have to take into account a certain cost since I already live here with my family and work in New York City.

I guess what I'm asking is if it's worth it to wait a year and apply again, and if you guys have any recommendations for programs with decent funding for creative nonfiction in New York City. I didn't know anything about graduate school before applying but having done research I really didn't want to go to any school but those three. I know that good funding is rare, regardless of where you go, which is why City college and Hunter seemed so attractive. 

Sorry for the long post; any advice is appreciated!

it's always worth it to give yourself more time to learn and improve, particularly as this is only your first year applying to mfas and, as you said, you didn't know much about graduate school going in. it's great that you're trying to stay local and that you have a built-in support system nearby to catch you if you fall, but i wouldn't recommend rushing into a non-funded admission decision your first round when you already cast such a small net. SLC in particular is an unfunded school, in the sense that none of its mfa admits are given full tuition coverage and a stipend (some might come close, but that's still not a fully funded program, which makes its practices financially predatory). 

to quote from jess sila (an admin of the draft group): "There are many people who get into private programs like Columbia, Sarah Lawrence, Emerson, New School, Cal Arts, and others with such a pittance in support that it makes me uncomfortable to watch. Also, many of these places hand out similar scholarships to all students as a way to prey on their ambitions. If a school gives everyone 50% off of tuition every year, then tuition just costs 50% every year. By giving you a (somewhat false) scholarship, they're just banking on you feeling grateful enough to attend. And I hate that. If you're in a position where an expensive private school is your only acceptance and you can't negotiate better funding, consider taking another year. You can do online or local workshops to strengthen your samples in order to knock it out of the park next year. You also already know the process which is half the battle."

you shouldn't feel grateful for an unfunded/partially funded offer, which will invariably be coming your way once you receive funding information, and if you've already experienced acceptance(s) your first round (especially when you applied to so few schools! congrats!), that's a positive indication that you'd likely continue to see success after another year, more research, and greater (self-guided) craft study.

if you do another round of applications, i would urge you also to consider looking into CNF programs outside of new york city. you're severely limiting yourself (and doing a great disservice to your talents) by staying local; if nothing else, you should identify and apply to some of the more prestigious fully funded mfa programs across the country to see what might happen. you don't have to accept if any admit you. you don't even have to consider moving, as you'll still have the local mfa circuit to act as safety schools. but you should certainly send a sample in and see how adcoms at the most selective schools respond to your work (you might be surprised by the results). as a CNF writer, you're competing with a much smaller pool of applicants than a fiction writer would be, so the odds are in your favor.

i say this for a few reasons: applying to only 3 mfa programs is extremely risky (5-10 is more typical and promises much safer results—mix in some unfunded, perhaps a low-res, and also a number of selective, fully funded programs); you never know where your writing might pull you, how much money schools might throw at you for it, and how this might change the course of your life and the trajectory of your career; to repeat an often used cliché, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. 

most people receive straight rejections their first year, so you're in a great spot right now. of course, wait to see what SLC says about funding to crunch the numbers, but remember that you shouldn't be taking out any kind of loan (or spreading yourself thin, financially speaking) for a school you're not totally 100% sold on and absolutely ecstatic to attend. to echo what others have said, if this was a program you'd done extensive research on, was housed on your dream campus/location, boasted a slew of professors whose writing you totally adored/wanted mentorship from, and so on and so forth, then taking out small loans with family support and a job cushion would be less shortsighted. but you have to think long-term and remember that you only get to do your mfa once (unless you drop out/have horrible experiences during your first, which is a whole other beast). go all out. take your time. have a plan a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h. apply to as many schools as you can. cast a wide net. look into schools with full funding (that means 100% tuition remission guaranteed to every admit, ON TOP of a livable stipend and perhaps also summer funding). 

ask yourself also what you hope to get out of an mfa. if you want to emerge with a manuscript that will very quickly secure you agents and a contract, you should be looking at more prestigious, flashy schools with a dedicated record of award-winning graduates; they'll be more eye-catching to pub houses, will make networking easier, and these programs might even bring agents to YOU during your stay. if you want to teach, or don't want to teach, factor this in. if you want to be able to take 2 classes a week while spending the rest of your time writing your book on your own terms, look into NYU. if you want to work with literary magazines, look into that. if you think 2 years is too little time to really invest yourself in a project, explore 3-year programs. 

funding isn't rare, per se. it just requires effort to secure, and you'll only secure it if you're applying to fully funded programs. don't tell yourself it's rare/impossible. first try. i know you said you only want to go to those 3 schools, but you might change your mind in a year after more meticulous research. NYU does in fact offer a few fully funded spots with fellowships for their "greatest" talent. it's a two-year program, so it WILL fly by, and many either love or hate its unstructured nature (teaching is not required, though you'll be paid $6,000 per class if you want that experience, and you won't be forced to be on campus every day of the week). there are excellent teachers there and though it's not as "rigorous," as some programs, it's still selective and produces the odd raven leilani. 

all in all, take a breather, bask in your successes, and consider trying again next year. as long as you're putting in the work, your writing will always get better with time, so your chances improve the slower you go. trust in your abilities and remember that you are worth full funding. good luck.

[autumn wind]

3 hours ago, gagne said:

The one program I've been accepted to thus far and am on the fence as I await hearing about funding that has pedagogical training in the curriculum is Naropa University in Boulder, CO. It is also the only MFA I've seen with both critical and creative theses (yes, doing two theses).

northwestern university's new dual MFA+MA degree does actually ask students to produce both critical and creative theses (critical in the second year, creative in the third "novel-writing" year) if anyone is interested in that kind of interdisciplinary breadth going into the next cycle: https://english.northwestern.edu/graduate/mfa-ma-program/index.html.

[RosA-R]

1 hour ago, autumn wind said:

it's always worth it to give yourself more time to learn and improve, particularly as this is only your first year applying to mfas and, as you said, you didn't know much about graduate school going in. it's great that you're trying to stay local and that you have a built-in support system nearby to catch you if you fall, but i wouldn't recommend rushing into a non-funded admission decision your first round when you already cast such a small net. SLC in particular is an unfunded school, in the sense that none of its mfa admits are given full tuition coverage and a stipend (some might come close, but that's still not a fully funded program, which makes its practices financially predatory). 

to quote from jess sila (an admin of the draft group): "There are many people who get into private programs like Columbia, Sarah Lawrence, Emerson, New School, Cal Arts, and others with such a pittance in support that it makes me uncomfortable to watch. Also, many of these places hand out similar scholarships to all students as a way to prey on their ambitions. If a school gives everyone 50% off of tuition every year, then tuition just costs 50% every year. By giving you a (somewhat false) scholarship, they're just banking on you feeling grateful enough to attend. And I hate that. If you're in a position where an expensive private school is your only acceptance and you can't negotiate better funding, consider taking another year. You can do online or local workshops to strengthen your samples in order to knock it out of the park next year. You also already know the process which is half the battle."

you shouldn't feel grateful for an unfunded/partially funded offer, which will invariably be coming your way once you receive funding information, and if you've already experienced acceptance(s) your first round (especially when you applied to so few schools! congrats!), that's a positive indication that you'd likely continue to see success after another year, more research, and greater (self-guided) craft study.

if you do another round of applications, i would urge you also to consider looking into CNF programs outside of new york city. you're severely limiting yourself (and doing a great disservice to your talents) by staying local; if nothing else, you should identify and apply to some of the more prestigious fully funded mfa programs across the country to see what might happen. you don't have to accept if any admit you. you don't even have to consider moving, as you'll still have the local mfa circuit to act as safety schools. but you should certainly send a sample in and see how adcoms at the most selective schools respond to your work (you might be surprised by the results). as a CNF writer, you're competing with a much smaller pool of applicants than a fiction writer would be, so the odds are in your favor.

i say this for a few reasons: applying to only 3 mfa programs is extremely risky (5-10 is more typical and promises much safer results—mix in some unfunded, perhaps a low-res, and also a number of selective, fully funded programs); you never know where your writing might pull you, how much money schools might throw at you for it, and how this might change the course of your life and the trajectory of your career; to repeat an often used cliché, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. 

most people receive straight rejections their first year, so you're in a great spot right now. of course, wait to see what SLC says about funding to crunch the numbers, but remember that you shouldn't be taking out any kind of loan (or spreading yourself thin, financially speaking) for a school you're not totally 100% sold on and absolutely ecstatic to attend. to echo what others have said, if this was a program you'd done extensive research on, was housed on your dream campus/location, boasted a slew of professors whose writing you totally adored/wanted mentorship from, and so on and so forth, then taking out small loans with family support and a job cushion would be less shortsighted. but you have to think long-term and remember that you only get to do your mfa once (unless you drop out/have horrible experiences during your first, which is a whole other beast). go all out. take your time. have a plan a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h. apply to as many schools as you can. cast a wide net. look into schools with full funding (that means 100% tuition remission guaranteed to every admit, ON TOP of a livable stipend and perhaps also summer funding). 

ask yourself also what you hope to get out of an mfa. if you want to emerge with a manuscript that will very quickly secure you agents and a contract, you should be looking at more prestigious, flashy schools with a dedicated record of award-winning graduates; they'll be more eye-catching to pub houses, will make networking easier, and these programs might even bring agents to YOU during your stay. if you want to teach, or don't want to teach, factor this in. if you want to be able to take 2 classes a week while spending the rest of your time writing your book on your own terms, look into NYU. if you want to work with literary magazines, look into that. if you think 2 years is too little time to really invest yourself in a project, explore 3-year programs. 

funding isn't rare, per se. it just requires effort to secure, and you'll only secure it if you're applying to fully funded programs. don't tell yourself it's rare/impossible. first try. i know you said you only want to go to those 3 schools, but you might change your mind in a year after more meticulous research. NYU does in fact offer a few fully funded spots with fellowships for their "greatest" talent. it's a two-year program, so it WILL fly by, and many either love or hate its unstructured nature (teaching is not required, though you'll be paid $6,000 per class if you want that experience, and you won't be forced to be on campus every day of the week). there are excellent teachers there and though it's not as "rigorous," as some programs, it's still selective and produces the odd raven leilani. 

all in all, take a breather, bask in your successes, and consider trying again next year. as long as you're putting in the work, your writing will always get better with time, so your chances improve the slower you go. trust in your abilities and remember that you are worth full funding. good luck.

Thank you so much for this response!! To give some background, I moved to New York at 17, taking that risk. I applied to only two undergrad programs here (I'm from North Carolina), got into both, and moved up. Because of a series of events, my family moved up, too, my little sisters went to public school and are now in college here, too. I already did my big risk taking move, and I wouldn't ever do it again, this is home! Because of the pandemic and a financial aid thing, I'm completing a creative writing bachelor's now. I know other programs are selective or prestigious or well funded but to me nothing is worth leaving this city and my family. Which is why my selection is so small. 

I didn't know much about grad school, I'm first generation college, child of immigrants, and from a rural area ( hence why no one advised me to apply to more than two undergrads, or at least one in state!!), but I had been planning on grad school since last summer. 

I actually visited Sarah Lawrence taking my little sister on an undergrad tour and loved the campus and did find some faculty cool and promising! It's solely the price that is terrifying, assuming little funding. 

I am really sorry I'm vomiting all this here, but I am seeing that the alternatives, like potentially moving, are not options I want to consider. I'm already working in the lit mag world, and I did look up some things about other MFAs. The reason I applied is because I have life plans that are very meaningful to me, and I know I will either go now, or fifteen years from now. 

I appreciate everyone's comments!!!! I am still cheering for all of you, and I really appreciate the reality checks!! I feel like the people I look up to in writing all have MFAs from this place or that, but this cycle has shown me that this might not be my path, although I really did admire and would love to attend the programs I applied to.

I look forward to seeing where you all end up, and fingers crossed for those of us still waiting on one or more school!

 

ETA: thank you so much for the info on NYU as well. I think if anything I would give myself one more try if I don't feel comfortable this year (although as I process the rejection and acceptance I am learning I wouldn't have been happy with a different outcome), and I would apply there for sure!

Edited March 20, 2022 by RosA-R
More thanks!

[gagne]

1 hour ago, autumn wind said:

northwestern university's new dual MFA+MA degree does actually ask students to produce both critical and creative theses (critical in the second year, creative in the third "novel-writing" year) if anyone is interested in that kind of interdisciplinary breadth going into the next cycle: https://english.northwestern.edu/graduate/mfa-ma-program/index.html.

This is great to know as I didn’t know about this program before

[chefjuice]

This is a self-pity post: I’m on the waitlist for University of Minnesota for fiction, which is my top choice, but apparently there’s only one spot to compete for ? not sure how many are in the alternate pool besides me, but there’s one for sure. 
April 15 is gonna be a heart breaker! 

[caw21718]

Hey all! I'm new here but I did some lurking lol so should I assume if I haven't heard from NYU, Hunter, or UCI yet, I'm denied?

So far I've been accepted to The New School with 75% tuition covered, USF in california, SFSU, CSULB, CCA. Is anyone else debating any California schools?? Waiting to hear from UCR, St. Mary's, SJSU. I was denied at UCSD and UC Davis.

Does anyone know anything about CCA or SFSU??

Congrats to everyone on your acceptances!

[evergreen13]

11 hours ago, caw21718 said:

Hey all! I'm new here but I did some lurking lol so should I assume if I haven't heard from NYU, Hunter, or UCI yet, I'm denied?

So far I've been accepted to The New School with 75% tuition covered, USF in california, SFSU, CSULB, CCA. Is anyone else debating any California schools?? Waiting to hear from UCR, St. Mary's, SJSU. I was denied at UCSD and UC Davis.

Does anyone know anything about CCA or SFSU??

Congrats to everyone on your acceptances!

NYU has done all their first round acceptances and it looks like the waitlist is out/done too. I'm not sure why they don't send out rejections at this point as well. 

 

Congrats on The New School and getting so much tuition covered!

Edited March 20, 2022 by evergreen13

[0-8_ThePerfectSeason]

11 hours ago, caw21718 said:

Waiting to hear from UCR, St. Mary's, SJSU.

 

 I heard already from SJSU and have heard nothing from UC Riverside.  I've seen Fall 2022 acceptances for both posted either here or on MFA Draft. 

[ref]

@RosA-R

Mother Hen Jess Sil declared Sarah Lawrence to be one of the predatory schools. You willing to risk going to one of them? How much tuition does Sarah Lawrence want from you? 

Here is Mother Hen's main arguments: 

All the vets say not to take out loans. They will all tell you the same even if you can live with the parents free.

99% of MFA grads never publish a book or get a job related to writing. The only writing jobs that pay a decent wage are tenure track. About 1 in 1000 MFA graduates manage to get that. So no, don’t take on debt for a degree that gives you no capacity to pay it back. You’ll end up on that loan repayment program that is contingent on your income, and then stay low income your whole life, slowly paying the loan back. Better to keep applying till you get into a fully funded school. If that means never, then never; at least you won’t be impoverished. 

@evergreen13:  Mother Hen posted that you’d be a fool to pay full fare at NYU. According to Mother Hen, NYU says full fare is 50% below what it should be, but NYU is merely declaring what its price should be. It is like a Manufacturer’s suggested price that no one actually charges.  

Even @koechophe, who usually makes things up and gives bad advice will tell you not to go to the predatory schools. 

 

 

 

[Rm714]

Accepted at Emerson for fiction! Apparently funding details are to come. I applied by the Priority Deadline, so they might've not released all of their decisions yet. A friend of mine who applied for Poetry did not hear back today.

[EducationHGSE]

Just received an Emerson College Fellowship for fiction, but unsure what qualifies as full funding! Does anyone have any insight?

[Newb5000]

Alright. Tempting the notification gods here. Anyone heard from Iowa State or Nevada Las Vegas yet? Put me out of my misery please.

6r/2w/2???

[floralhell]

I don't know why I was so nervous to reach out to current students at the programs I'm considering! I finally worked up the courage to do it today and oh my god they are all so nice. If you are like me and have been procrastinating it out of anxiety, take the leap! It was so encouraging and really helped soothe my worries about so many different topics ❤️ 

[worldcleft]

On 3/20/2022 at 9:08 AM, autumn wind said:

northwestern university's new dual MFA+MA degree does actually ask students to produce both critical and creative theses (critical in the second year, creative in the third "novel-writing" year) if anyone is interested in that kind of interdisciplinary breadth going into the next cycle: https://english.northwestern.edu/graduate/mfa-ma-program/index.html.

Something similar, via PhD, at USC: https://dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd

"At home in USC's Department of English, the USC Ph.D. IN CREATIVE WRITING & LITERATURE PROGRAM is one of the few dual Ph.D. programs in the country that weaves the disciplines of literature and creative work into a single educational experience. Students complete coursework in both creative writing and literature. The dissertation project is comprised of creative and critical manuscripts, both of which are essential for completion of the degree."

[CHRISTOPHER QUANG BUI]

Anyone know the deal over at West Virginia University? They seem to be sending their rejections out slowly. 

[maybenot14]

On a "very short" waitlist at University of Miami (Fl) for Fiction. Pretty bummed; it's the only school I applied to. Anyone know how the waitlists at this school work, or any general waitlist advice?

Edited March 21, 2022 by maybenot14

[nicolette7766]

3 minutes ago, maybenot14 said:

On a "very short" waitlist at University of Miami (Fl) for Fiction. Pretty bummed; it's the only school I applied to. Anyone know how the waitlists at this school work, or any general waitlist advice?

I’m pretty sure I got the exact same email lol I’m for fiction, too. 

With waitlists, if someone who was offered a spot declines it, the person with the number one waitlist spot gets in. You can ask Miami how high on the waitlist you are, what number you are, etc but a lot of programs won’t share this information. 

I’ve been considering my options lately, and I think I’m going to commit to OSU when I get home from work today. So that’ll be one less person you have to worry about lol 

Good luck!

[koechophe]

29 minutes ago, nicolette7766 said:

With waitlists, if someone who was offered a spot declines it, the person with the number one waitlist spot gets in. You can ask Miami how high on the waitlist you are, what number you are, etc but a lot of programs won’t share this information. 

 

This is true for some programs, but a lot of programs don't actually rank their waitlists.

From what I've read, a lot of programs really try to build a diverse group of writers (not just ethnicity/sexuality diverse, but diverse as far as writing types, personalities, ages, etc). 

To that end, a lot of them don't actually rank their waitlist. If someone drops from consideration, they pick someone on the waitlist who will preserve the diversity they were looking for in the incoming class. 

Not sure if that is encouraging or not, but from what I've read, that's how a lot of programs do it.