2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[CLCH]

Congrats on those Waitlisted at Johns Hopkins! That's so exciting!

 

Has anyone seen people post that they've been accepted there or would those calls still be going out?

[DefinitelyKnot]

10 minutes ago, crosie said:

Just got waitlisted at Johns Hopkins and I’m feeling all the feelings. Anyone know how many they usually put on the waitlist? I know the odds are slim to get in but it would be nice to have a better idea of my chances. 

Congrats--that's great news and a huge affirmation of your writing abilities, even if it doesn't work out this year.

Can I ask which genre that was? I'm waiting on my fiction application, and I haven't heard anything yet ?

[Mantisss]

19 minutes ago, sylviaplate said:

SAME! First piece of good news after two rejections - I don't have any helpful info, but I'm planning to ask how long the waitlist is and if it's ranked (maybe these are answered in the email already, but I lost my ability to read after the first sentence). There might be some helpful resources in Draft, but I left the group a couple days ago and have yet to be re-admitted.

Congratulations! Hope there's more good news in both our futures! 

I also got wait-listed at John Hopkins! Congratulations to both of you, and I hope, yes, that at least someone gets some good news out of this.

On a personal note, this is the first non-rejection I've received after a slew of applications, so that's good!

[halsklo]

do waitlists usually come before acceptances? 

[lanadelreystan]

17 minutes ago, halsklo said:

do waitlists usually come before acceptances? 

They usually come after

[crosie]

Congrats to both of y’all! After some digging the ‘22 waitlist seemed to be 12 people per genre from what I can gather.  Not great odds but someone did get in off the list last year. Im waitlisted for fiction — what about y’all? 

[jjooeeyy]

perhaps a long shot, but has anyone out there heard anything from idaho? in previous years they had acceptances out by now—worried that their cohort is so small that they might not report on here or draft.

[steins rose]

hi guys! congrats on all the acceptances and waitlists :,) still waiting back on word from all my programs, but pretty sure im rejected from UO since i saw some waitlists go out today on draft. so it goes! does anyone have any info on uc san diego? wondering if anyone has heard from them as i’ve seen acceptances go out around this time in the past. i asked a general q about them on draft a while ago, but it seems like no one has any info. lmk! ❤️

[CheezWhiz]

2 hours ago, crosie said:

Congrats to both of y’all! After some digging the ‘22 waitlist seemed to be 12 people per genre from what I can gather.  Not great odds but someone did get in off the list last year. Im waitlisted for fiction — what about y’all? 

Also waitlisted fiction at Johns Hopkins. One of the nicer notifications ever. 

[halsklo]

congrats to all those waitlisted for johns hopkins! what an amazing achievement and wonderful valentine's day notif 

[sylviaplate]

2 hours ago, crosie said:

Congrats to both of y’all! After some digging the ‘22 waitlist seemed to be 12 people per genre from what I can gather.  Not great odds but someone did get in off the list last year. Im waitlisted for fiction — what about y’all? 

I'm fiction, too. Definitely a long waitlist, but honestly to be in the top 16 applicants out of almost 400 feels (for me) like a win in and of itself. We're on the right track! 

27 minutes ago, Vargey said:

Also waitlisted fiction at Johns Hopkins. One of the nicer notifications ever. 

So nice. Huuuuge ego boost to have Danielle Evans in my inbox lol

[crosie]

Just got a follow up email. Thirteen on the fiction waitlist for Johns Hopkins and it’s not ranked. The odds are odd but I’ll take ‘em. 

[Mantisss]

35 minutes ago, crosie said:

Just got a follow up email. Thirteen on the fiction waitlist for Johns Hopkins and it’s not ranked. The odds are odd but I’ll take ‘em. 

Thank you for so bravely asking them that question! And for letting us know the answer.

Godspeed to all of us

[lanadelreystan]

I can't find any updated info on this and wanted to ask: what are the top fully funded MFA in CW programs right now? We all know the IWW for fiction and poetry is considered number one, with Michener and Michigan following very closely after. Which programs follow those top few? Which programs are typically considered prestigious in today's literary landscape? Prestige as in you say you went there, and publishers/agents/lit mag editors are like "We want to read YOUR work" and move it to the top of the pile? Super interested in knowing people's opinion and insider knowledge on this!!

[Coco_melons]

Rejected from Pitt besties (it was expected)  

Also has anyone else not heard from WUSTL yet?

[shhhh]

20 minutes ago, Coco_melons said:

Rejected from Pitt besties (it was expected)  

Also has anyone else not heard from WUSTL yet?

Yep! I haven't heard from WUSTL. Also haven't heard anything from Cornell or Johns Hopkins. Wonder if that's a no? Radio silence...

[Coco_melons]

@shhhh Yeah, I’m also awaiting a decision from Cornell for fiction (to my knowledge they only released poetry decisions so far). I saw on the draft notifications about John Hopkins so good luck. 

[Nightmaric]

Hi everyone!

This is my first application cycle and I have been benefitting greatly from reading all of your responses in this thread! I know that two IWW fiction acceptances have been posted in the MFA Draft Facebook group. As acceptances seem to have gone out on Monday and Tuesday this week, does that mean that those who haven't heard have been either waitlisted or rejected at this point?

[flowerpot]

Rejected from Pittsburgh with a very nice (and timely, considering that I know acceptances were notified yesterday) letter! 

Waiting for the rejection from Hopkins, because I know that's coming down the pike too.

Has anybody else who made the second round for Arkansas heard anything new? It's been nearly three weeks, so I'm getting paranoid that someone out there has been contacted for an interview and I'm out of the running... things this cycle certainly felt off to a good start with that email on 1/27, lol.

Congratulations to everybody who got into JHU and Pitt!

[lanadelreystan]

4 minutes ago, Nightmaric said:

Hi everyone!

This is my first application cycle and I have been benefitting greatly from reading all of your responses in this thread! I know that two IWW fiction acceptances have been posted in the MFA Draft Facebook group. As acceptances seem to have gone out on Monday and Tuesday this week, does that mean that those who haven't heard have been either waitlisted or rejected at this point?

Iowa staggers the notifications of their accepted applicants. Last year, they made phone calls over the course of a few weeks. Someone in the Facebook group for MFA applicants was accepted into the IWW for fiction and commented that the faculty member told them they're still making calls and that she was the fourth acceptance they had notified at that point. They are making calls based on funding packages based on that accepted person's comment. So I assume the people getting called first have a higher stipend/more funding with less teaching duties?

[crosie]

Anyone heard anything from UNCG? I had an informational interview with them a couple weeks ago and am curious if they’ve started notifying. 

[treaux]

 

23 hours ago, Druzy said:

I know Cornell notified Poetry people a while ago - has anyone heard anything about Fiction? I don’t have FB, so I can’t check Draft…

I haven't seen or heard anything about Cornell fiction either. 

19 hours ago, steins rose said:

hi guys! congrats on all the acceptances and waitlists :,) still waiting back on word from all my programs, but pretty sure im rejected from UO since i saw some waitlists go out today on draft. so it goes! does anyone have any info on uc san diego? wondering if anyone has heard from them as i’ve seen acceptances go out around this time in the past. i asked a general q about them on draft a while ago, but it seems like no one has any info. lmk! ❤️

I applied to UO too (in fiction), also assuming a rejection now since acceptances and waitlists have both been posted. Unfortunately don't know anything about UCSD, sorry. 

Really thought I'd have heard back from more places by now — I've only gotten decisions from two schools! (Including Oregon, 3.)  

[Nightmaric]

Thank you for explaining that, @lanadelreystan! I had seen that IWW staggers responses, but was feeling apprehensive about remaining hopeful, so I wanted to see what others here thought. Keeping my fingers crossed for others still waiting to hear back!

Edited February 15, 2023 by Nightmaric

[lanadelreystan]

5 minutes ago, Nightmaric said:

Thank you for explaining that, @lanadelreystan! I had seen that IWW staggers responses, but was feeling apprehensive about remaining hopeful, so I wanted to see what others here thought. Keeping my fingers crossed for others still waiting to hear back!

No problem! This process is so not transparent, and I wish it were, especially as results come out. Would love to know the mindset adcoms have and the process by which they execute it so that I can like... get a better grip on why I'm accepted to one program but not another. Also, question for you and anyone else: did Iowa start notifying poetry yet? I only saw fiction updates

[Nightmaric]

1 minute ago, lanadelreystan said:

No problem! This process is so not transparent, and I wish it were, especially as results come out. Would love to know the mindset adcoms have and the process by which they execute it so that I can like... get a better grip on why I'm accepted to one program but not another. Also, question for you and anyone else: did Iowa start notifying poetry yet? I only saw fiction updates

I haven't seen any IWW poetry notifications yet.