2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Grass_y]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:30 PM, honeymoon said:

My undergrad is ~known~ for being an iowa pipeline (any guesses?) so pressures are high from my professors who wrote recommendations and helped in the process.

Edited January 22, 2023 by Grass_y
Asked to take down

[clil09]

1 hour ago, flowerpot said:

I applied to Arkansas as well. Haven't heard anything.

Maybe this week will bring good news. 

[flowerpot]

5 hours ago, clil09 said:

Maybe this week will bring good news. 

I hope so, too. I applied to ten programs in total, so I'm really hoping to hear some updates from a couple. I wanted to come back and say, though – now that I think about it, the protocol with Arkansas seemed to be that we submit our materials by 12/31, then in January the program reaches out to our referees for their letters, if we've made it to the next round. But it doesn't specify that we'll be informed right away. Maybe, if you haven't heard anything by February 1 and you feel comfortable enough with your referees to ask, you could inquire whether any of them received a prompt to submit letters for Arkansas? I might do that myself... good luck!

[clil09]

19 minutes ago, flowerpot said:

I hope so, too. I applied to ten programs in total, so I'm really hoping to hear some updates from a couple. I wanted to come back and say, though – now that I think about it, the protocol with Arkansas seemed to be that we submit our materials by 12/31, then in January the program reaches out to our referees for their letters, if we've made it to the next round. But it doesn't specify that we'll be informed right away. Maybe, if you haven't heard anything by February 1 and you feel comfortable enough with your referees to ask, you could inquire whether any of them received a prompt to submit letters for Arkansas? I might do that myself... good luck!

I’ll definitely reach out to my references in a couple weeks to check - good thinking. And, good luck! 

[clil09]

Yet here we are, hoping. 

[Leeannitha]

8 hours ago, clil09 said:

Yet here we are, hoping. 

If I have no control over what will happen once I submit my application, I’d rather be at least a little bit hopeful in the meantime before I actually hear back. It won’t make a difference how I feel about it either way, so why not be hopeful instead of miserable? 
good luck to you!

[Norwood]

Hey y'all,

It sure is a quiet freak-out thread this year! Stopping by to say hi and commiserate about one of the three or four worst parts of this whole miserable process: the waiting. 

This is my second application cycle (2021 was my first) and I applied to 12 programs (Syracuse, IWW, UT Austin NWP/Michener, U Minnesota, UNC Greensboro, Ole Miss, LSU, Ohio State, UVA, Indiana, Texas State San Marcos) all for fiction, with a secondary concentration in screenwriting for the couple cross-disciplinary programs on my list. 

Happy to be done with all the work—I applied to six programs last time, so this year felt especially hectic—but it is truly maddening how long it takes to hear back from everywhere. I also just happened to lose my day job (Happy New Year!), so all I have to distract me from stressing about my results is working on even more applications, this time for jobs that, I'm really hoping, I won't even be able to work for longer than six months.

I've been especially fixated these last few days on OSU, which I also applied to last app cycle and, by this time that year, had already rejected me. This collection of loosely related facts makes my brain go like this: Wow! It must mean they love me! This is my year! They're going to make me King of Columbus! They're going to throw me a dang-ass parade!! It couldn't be that the review is taking longer this year/the academic calendar is a bit different this time/that they're going to cut me from their final list anyway/any other possible (and much more statistically probable) negative outcome. 

Anyway, hope everyone else is holding up ok! 

[treaux]

2 hours ago, Norwood said:

This is my second application cycle (2021 was my first) and I applied to 12 programs (Syracuse, IWW, UT Austin NWP/Michener, U Minnesota, UNC Greensboro, Ole Miss, LSU, Ohio State, UVA, Indiana, Texas State San Marcos) all for fiction, with a secondary concentration in screenwriting for the couple cross-disciplinary programs on my list. 

It has been quiet on the thread this year, hasn't it? I also applied to Michener in fiction/screenwriting, though Michener notifies so late and is so selective that I mostly try not to think about it.

Just FYI — some people on Draft have been posting OSU decisions (fiction and poetry), so you might hear news sooner rather than later! Fingers crossed for you! 

[gremlingirl]

hiii everyone! i obsessively checked this thread last year, so i decided to hop in the conversation this year before the chaos truly ensues. i'm now a full year out of undergrad, and applied to eight programs last year with 0 acceptances. it was a huge disappointment, but now i couldn't be more grateful for the time i was able to dedicate to my writing while taking my "gap year" (at least that's what i've been calling it to make myself feel better, lol)! 

this year i'm only applying to three programs, and have very specific desires when it comes to a program's curriculum-- last year i applied to essentially every school that i could afford. i understand that i have cast a much smaller net this time around, but i feel much more confident in my sample and applications. wishing everyone the best of luck! 

is anyone else having a hard time writing new pieces during this waiting period? or is that just me?

[maz]

19 minutes ago, gremlingirl said:

this year i'm only applying to three programs, and have very specific desires when it comes to a program's curriculum-- last year i applied to essentially every school that i could afford. i understand that i have cast a much smaller net this time around, but i feel much more confident in my sample and applications. wishing everyone the best of luck! 

I'm doing the same this year -- I applied to 8 last year, got rejected, and this year applied to 4 that I really wanted to go to (three of which, for various reasons, I did not apply to last year). Good luck to you!

[c_eddy]

Anyone heard back from Ohio State yet?

Acceptances? Rejections? 

 

 

[mosss]

1 hour ago, gremlingirl said:

is anyone else having a hard time writing new pieces during this waiting period? or is that just me?

(this is my third year applying, for reference)

I couldn't write much the first time I was rejected to all the schools I've applied to. I had a hard time finding a writing group/schedule on my own, but last year I started drafting a novel and that's taken up a bunch of time! These last few months, especially, I've pushed a bunch words out and have done well with talking about my writing and workshopping some stories for old college friends in return. Finding people who you can talk to about writing definately helps!

Starting something new is also hard when your brain is racked with stress. I'm working on stuff I've already made outlines and written out ideas for, so for me it's easier to get the words out (and still I'm struggling to separate my writing time with thinking about MFAs lol)

[Grass_y]

Hey folks,

Just wondering if anyone heard back from Pitt/ were offered interviews yet?

[gremlingirl]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i don't know, i guess i just have a different perspective on the process of applying to MFA programs in writing.

who gets accepted and who doesn't is entirely subjective, and isn't reliant at all on how many or how few programs a person applies to. sure, applying to more programs will give your portfolio more of a chance to be seen by a program that might accept it. but there's more that goes on behind the scenes: the cohort the university already has, the staff that may or may not teach specific styles of writing, the personal opinions of application readers, the type of cohort they hope to create, etc etc. 

for me personally, i chose to apply to much fewer programs that i know check off all of my boxes as opposed to wasting the money on applications (money that i don't have) for other fantastic programs that don't necessarily serve my personal goals.

i think being optimistic about this process is vital-- there's no use in deciding you're f*cked before you even get the 'you're f*cked' email. plus, as artists, we all must be resilient. negativity does not serve resilience well. 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by gremlingirl
typo

[treaux]

Is anyone else applying 5+ years out of undergrad? I'm having difficulty explaining giving up a job that pays money and investing in my (non-writing) career to my parents/peers/etc.

[jjooeeyy]

3 minutes ago, treaux said:

Is anyone else applying 5+ years out of undergrad? I'm having difficulty explaining giving up a job that pays money and investing in my (non-writing) career to my parents/peers/etc.

i've been out of undergrad for 8 years. thankfully, my parents aren't worried about me, (and have respected my stubbornness—haha!) but i also rationalized this move by not making money/capitalism/career/etc into a moral argument against myself. that is to say, "i'm not a bad person for wanting to be a better writer." not sure if that will convince your parents, but hopefully it's helpful nonetheless!

[clil09]

Oh yeah I’m a decade plus removed from undergrad. I don’t have a family to support…so not much explaining to others about my decisions. My parents have come to expect the most absurd path possible.
 

It’s an existential choice for me…a two or three year hiatus that could lead to a lifetime of benefit isn’t a huge sacrifice in my thinking. Plus, I know I can walk back into a successful career path at any point given education and work experience. And, who knows, an MFA might look more appealing in some cases than an MBA. I think there’s a book called “A Whole New Mind” that discusses this approach to learning (creative degrees vs. business). Not that I’m doing an MFA to catapult a business career, but I don’t think it’s harmful in any regard. 
 

And, you know, you get to write and teach and take a vow of poverty for a couple years. Has to be good for the soul. 

[lanadelreystan]

11 hours ago, gremlingirl said:

hiii everyone! i obsessively checked this thread last year, so i decided to hop in the conversation this year before the chaos truly ensues. i'm now a full year out of undergrad, and applied to eight programs last year with 0 acceptances. it was a huge disappointment, but now i couldn't be more grateful for the time i was able to dedicate to my writing while taking my "gap year" (at least that's what i've been calling it to make myself feel better, lol)! 

this year i'm only applying to three programs, and have very specific desires when it comes to a program's curriculum-- last year i applied to essentially every school that i could afford. i understand that i have cast a much smaller net this time around, but i feel much more confident in my sample and applications. wishing everyone the best of luck! 

is anyone else having a hard time writing new pieces during this waiting period? or is that just me?

I'm super interested in what's the best course of action when it comes to applying to MFAs. When I was in undergrad, I applied to maybe 11-12 programs and got into two. Two years later, I applied to eight programs, including one of the ones I previously got accepted to, and got rejected from all of them. And I 100% know my writing sample was stronger! So it seems the admissions process is super subjective, with some years having certain people on the board who would love your work and some years featuring faculty members who just don't vibe with what you write. This year, I applied to 19 with the mindset "I'll have to get into at least one!"

[Leeannitha]

10 hours ago, lanadelreystan said:

Two years later, I applied to eight programs, including one of the ones I previously got accepted to, and got rejected from all of them.

That is TERRIFYING. thank you for sharing because that really brought home how subjective this whole process is…. I hope this year is different!! 

[Grass_y]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on Emerson. I wasn’t planning on applying to them. Though they keep sending me fee waivers to apply to the MFA program and set up an interview and such. Is it worth it? 
 

So I am considering it. How is their fiction or CNF program? 
 

How is the funding? I only applied to fully funded programs but Emerson claims to have generous grants and fellowships?

Any info is appreciated!

[flowerpot]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:18 PM, Grass_y said:

Hey folks,

Just wondering if anyone heard back from Pitt/ were offered interviews yet?

I applied to Pitt too. Haven't heard anything.

 

On 1/23/2023 at 10:58 AM, Norwood said:

Hey y'all,

It sure is a quiet freak-out thread this year! Stopping by to say hi and commiserate about one of the three or four worst parts of this whole miserable process: the waiting. 

This is my second application cycle (2021 was my first) and I applied to 12 programs (Syracuse, IWW, UT Austin NWP/Michener, U Minnesota, UNC Greensboro, Ole Miss, LSU, Ohio State, UVA, Indiana, Texas State San Marcos) all for fiction, with a secondary concentration in screenwriting for the couple cross-disciplinary programs on my list. 

Happy to be done with all the work—I applied to six programs last time, so this year felt especially hectic—but it is truly maddening how long it takes to hear back from everywhere. I also just happened to lose my day job (Happy New Year!), so all I have to distract me from stressing about my results is working on even more applications, this time for jobs that, I'm really hoping, I won't even be able to work for longer than six months.

I've been especially fixated these last few days on OSU, which I also applied to last app cycle and, by this time that year, had already rejected me. This collection of loosely related facts makes my brain go like this: Wow! It must mean they love me! This is my year! They're going to make me King of Columbus! They're going to throw me a dang-ass parade!! It couldn't be that the review is taking longer this year/the academic calendar is a bit different this time/that they're going to cut me from their final list anyway/any other possible (and much more statistically probable) negative outcome. 

Anyway, hope everyone else is holding up ok! 

I also applied to LSU and UVA! Let's hope we hear something soon, especially from UVA.

[Grass_y]

43 minutes ago, denner said:

Samantha Chang says not to take out loans for an MFA because in 99% of cases you will have to spend your whole life paying it back. There is little money in writing. Most MFA graduates get jobs that have nothing to do with writing, incidentally. 

You get a lot of complaints too that none of this should be said to spare the feelings of the students who already fell victim to the predatory schools, but the veterans are unanimous that it is better to spare a new victim their fate. The unelected leader of draft makes an annual post she calls "tough love" to bash these schools. She is wimpy in her language and politically correct, but her thesis is don't go to these places. 

So bottom line, you shouldn't go to a school unless it is fully funded or at least has a $9K tuition like the state schools in California. Even $9K tuition will be a gigantic burden, but not everyone will get into a fully funded school. There are about 50 fully funded schools. The bottom ones are much easier to get into than the top ones. Don't believe the posts above from @Leeannitha and @lanadelreystan that imply it is all subjective and random. It is false that getting into number 50 is just as hard as getting into number 1. 

Thanks for the insight. I think I’ll just stick with the 8 (fully funded) programs I already applied too. 

[c_eddy]

OSU Decision was in on my applicant portal - Denied. Not surprised or anything just wanted to post in case others status may have also updated!

[Norwood]

1 hour ago, c_eddy said:

OSU Decision was in on my applicant portal - Denied. Not surprised or anything just wanted to post in case others status may have also updated!

Damn, same here! Welp, one down, 11 to go. 

[ElleNoelle]

Aaannnddd that makes three of us—fingers crossed my other apps pan out