2022 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, panglosian said:

Hey, anyone hear about interviews from UMass? I know some people were hearing mid-Jan ahead of decisions, some were hearing after acceptances.

Was it ever confirmed that anyone heard before their acceptance? I know there was a post on Draft about it, but I only saw evidence on this site that people were scheduling their interviews once they were accepted.

I applied to UMass, so hoping some information comes about soon.

[panglosian]

4 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Was it ever confirmed that anyone heard before their acceptance? I know there was a post on Draft about it, but I only saw evidence on this site that people were scheduling their interviews once they were accepted.

I applied to UMass, so hoping some information comes about soon.

That was my post you saw lmao XD

I'm basing a lot of my assumptions off the fact that someone in Draft last year got an interview Jan 14, and in the comments someone said they also got an interview. Those people ended up with an acceptance and waitlist respectively. Then I asked someone else who got in for fiction later if she interviewed ahead of time and she said yes, so that's when I really threw in the towel for UMass for that cycle. 

I did see a few people on GradCafe who had listed "interview to come" but of the ones from Draft it seemed they all got interviewed ahead of time. 

[mrvisser]

1 hour ago, panglosian said:

That was my post you saw lmao XD

I'm basing a lot of my assumptions off the fact that someone in Draft last year got an interview Jan 14, and in the comments someone said they also got an interview. Those people ended up with an acceptance and waitlist respectively. Then I asked someone else who got in for fiction later if she interviewed ahead of time and she said yes, so that's when I really threw in the towel for UMass for that cycle. 

I did see a few people on GradCafe who had listed "interview to come" but of the ones from Draft it seemed they all got interviewed ahead of time. 

Ah okay. Oof, January 14 is early. If they're still doing it that way, let's just hope that they're behind on apps compared to last year.

[panglosian]

17 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Ah okay. Oof, January 14 is early. If they're still doing it that way, let's just hope that they're behind on apps compared to last year.

Also though someone commented on my post saying that UMass just reached out to them a couple of days ago to get extra materials for the TA app, and said they're still reviewing apps. It might be a little late this year. 

[mjr58]

Is there any reason a program would send out acceptances and waitlists, but then not send rejections to everyone else? Thinking of UIUC, for instance.

Edited January 29, 2022 by mjr58

[mrvisser]

45 minutes ago, mjr58 said:

Is there any reason a program would send out acceptances and waitlists, but then not send rejections to everyone else? Thinking of UIUC, for instance.

They do, they just come much later than acceptances and waitlists, typically.

[koechophe]

59 minutes ago, mjr58 said:

Is there any reason a program would send out acceptances and waitlists, but then not send rejections to everyone else? Thinking of UIUC, for instance.

This is unfortunately standard practice. 

Since most every grad school runs on the same deadline for acceptance (April 15), most people don't accept their offers until a while after they've gotten their acceptance.

But schools, to hedge their bets, don't actually send out rejections usually until they are either full or close to full with accepted students. So you just have to wait until people actually accept the schools before schools usually do their batch rejections. 

Not all schools are like this, but a lot of them send rejections significantly later than acceptances, just in case a bunch of people say no, I think. 

[sassydragon]

Hi everyone! I don't know if you remember me, but I'm applying for the second time this year. Wrote new samples, workshopped them a million times, and am hoping they are stronger this year (I did get sent to stage 2 for UTK and OleMiss unlike last year, so yay?). But I am trying not to lose the joy I find in writing by placing all my self-worth and attention on this. So I am also applying to an MA program in communication with a professor whose work I admire (Hopefully this program is less competitive?) So either way is an adventure! I can move on with my life if things don't work out and try again after a few years if I still feel like I need this experience.

I hope you are doing well and irrespective of whether we all make it into programs or not, I hope that we end up in better places at the end of this season.

Edited January 30, 2022 by sassydragon
Typo (though probably still left some in)

[shakuton]

Hi all! I'm new here, but I only applied to one MFA (Iowa for poetry). I'm fresh out of an undergraduate business program and didn't take many writing courses, but I've been decently published & in some higher places, so fingers crossed. I focused on my PhD applications more than my MFA app, since I'm looking at using writing from an artistic ethnography and translation angle, so not expecting much. Good luck everyone~ 

[MissMosquito]

1 hour ago, sassydragon said:

(I did get sent to stage 2 for UTK and OleMiss unlike last year, so yay?).

Congrats on advancing to Stage II for UTK and OleMiss. I loved just how streamlined OleMiss's application process was. The only reason I didn't apply to UTK was for the scholarly essay requirement. I just couldn't bring myself to dust off and polish a scholarly essay I wrote from almost twenty years ago!

 

Are you applying for poetry or fiction?

Edited January 30, 2022 by MissMosquito
Typo

[sassydragon]

8 minutes ago, MissMosquito said:

Are you applying for poetry or fiction?

I'm applying to fiction!

I love this two-step process. I wish more places followed this. Definitely saved me some app fees last time when I wasn't quite ready haha. I was able to submit a critical sample only because I was already prepping for my MA app.

[MDP]

Almost in February...how's everyone feeling?

[Rm714]

1 hour ago, MDP said:

Almost in February...how's everyone feeling?

Terrified, lol. I keep oscillating between getting my hopes up ridiculously high and then convincing myself I'll get rejected from all of my top choices. I'm a terribly impatient person (a character flaw, I know), so the waiting is the hardest part.

[panglosian]

UMass Amherst interview requests are going out now, so far only seeing fiction, and we might not be hearing about results until March

[MissMosquito]

UO acceptances are out today! So far, I've only seen an acceptance for fiction on the results page. My chest just tied itself in a triple knot! Oh god, how am I going to get through this day?

[Ydrl]

And I saw a FSU acceptance, it was for the PhD, but usually they come out around the same time. Now I'm nervous.

[hulahoop]

Hello all. 

New to gradcafe but not to this forum as I have been lurking for the past week. Decided to finally join because I saw a UO acceptance went out and am now on the verge of freaking out.

Does anyone know if they send out all their acceptances at once? I'm not familiar with the admissions process. 

[mjr58]

44 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

And I saw a FSU acceptance, it was for the PhD, but usually they come out around the same time. Now I'm nervous.

That would be a shockingly fast turnaround, no? Given that the deadline was 15 January and admissions are not rolling? Still worried, though!

[sassydragon]

25 minutes ago, mjr58 said:

That would be a shockingly fast turnaround, no? Given that the deadline was 15 January and admissions are not rolling? Still worried, though!

It is! But they did send the acceptances in early Feb last time (saw on Draft and in the results page).

[SteveHolt]

1 hour ago, hulahoop said:

Hello all. 

New to gradcafe but not to this forum as I have been lurking for the past week. Decided to finally join because I saw a UO acceptance went out and am now on the verge of freaking out.

Does anyone know if they send out all their acceptances at once? I'm not familiar with the admissions process. 

Based on admissions reports for other schools, most of the time acceptances are sent out all at once or over the course of a few days. But you never know for sure until you receive a rejection, there are plenty of exceptions. 

[mjr58]

Rejected from Wyoming this afternoon. Second confirmed and fourth probable rejection.

[MDP]

Rejection from results page: "Short and sweet via email. Did mention they had more applicants than in years past, perhaps that is setting the tone for this year's admissions." Hoping there wasn't a massive influx of applicants like last year, but realistically I'm sure there was! Gahhh

[SteveHolt]

44 minutes ago, mjr58 said:

Rejected from Wyoming this afternoon. Second confirmed and fourth probable rejection.

I was rejected as well  Cowboys we are not

[koechophe]

2 hours ago, mjr58 said:

Rejected from Wyoming this afternoon. Second confirmed and fourth probable rejection.

Dang... you've got some schools the release decisions early if you're already up to 4 probable. Not a peep out of any of mine yet, except BSU, which has sent out poetry interview requests (or... 1 poetry interview request, to be precise), but nothing for fiction that I've seen. 

[mjr58]

Just now, koechophe said:

Dang... you've got some schools the release decisions early if you're already up to 4 probable. Not a peep out of any of mine yet, except BSU, which has sent out poetry interview requests (or... 1 poetry interview request, to be precise), but nothing for fiction that I've seen. 

OSU & Wyoming are definite rejections; seems all the Mississippi round two emails have been sent & the Illinois acceptances & waitlists announced. I'm pretty sure I'm staring down the barrel of over a dozen straight-up rejections.