2023 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[DayOld711Pizza]

I have an interview with University of Miami in a couple days, ahhhhhh 

[oceansoup]

I've been a chronic lurker on this thread -- but do we think all acceptances and waitlists have gone out for NYU, Rutgers and U of Arizona? 

[SillyGoofyGirl]

35 minutes ago, oceansoup said:

I've been a chronic lurker on this thread -- but do we think all acceptances and waitlists have gone out for NYU, Rutgers and U of Arizona? 

wondering the same thing for NYU! I haven't seen any wait list posts though!

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by SillyGoofyGirl

[flameazalea]

1 hour ago, oceansoup said:

I've been a chronic lurker on this thread -- but do we think all acceptances and waitlists have gone out for NYU, Rutgers and U of Arizona? 

I heard back from U of Arizona last Monday, and I know of a few others who heard back right around that time too. Not sure about NYU or Rutgers.

[beldani]

did anyone else apply to colorado state? i haven't heard anything from them but because of the competitive funding i wonder if they'll have a larger pool of waitlists/acceptances

[julesbishop]

hey all! i was recently accepted to the cornell fiction MFA. i got notified first by phone on saturday afternoon and received an official email alerting me to check the web portal about 24 hours later, on sunday. i was also accepted to guelph, waitlisted for michigan, and rejected by ubc. i hope this is helpful info on the process to people still waiting! good luck to everybody! ❤️ 

Edited February 27, 2023 by julesbishop

[jjooeeyy]

Dunno how many others applied, but Idaho should be sending out offers either this week or next. I emailed them a while back asking when they anticipated having offers out and they said they were meeting around the end of the month.

[dagreenkat]

58 minutes ago, julesbishop said:

hey all! i was recently accepted to the cornell fiction MFA. i got notified first by phone on saturday afternoon and received an official email alerting me to check the web portal about 24 hours later, on sunday. i was also accepted to guelph, waitlisted for michigan, and rejected by ubc. i hope this is helpful info on the process to people still waiting! good luck to everybody! ❤️ 

I wish Michigan would just message me already. I’ve no idea why they are dragging out notifications like this

[crosie]

Really crossing my fingers that Brown and Syracuse will notify this week. I feel like after I hear from them itll feel like the end and I can let go of the massive breath I’ve been holding all season. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by crosie

[halsklo]

1 hour ago, julesbishop said:

hey all! i was recently accepted to the cornell fiction MFA. i got notified first by phone on saturday afternoon and received an official email alerting me to check the web portal about 24 hours later, on sunday. i was also accepted to guelph, waitlisted for michigan, and rejected by ubc. i hope this is helpful info on the process to people still waiting! good luck to everybody! ❤️ 

wowowowow this is an amazing accomplishment!! congratulations omg and good luck on your new journey <33 

[julesbishop]

3 minutes ago, halsklo said:

wowowowow this is an amazing accomplishment!! congratulations omg and good luck on your new journey <33 

aw thanks so much! that's so kind!❤️ definitely still a bit dazed by the whole thing & nearly fainted when i got the call! 

[1badgloop]

13 hours ago, DayOld711Pizza said:

I have an interview with University of Miami in a couple days, ahhhhhh 

Same!! Good luck, you're gonna kill it!!

[flowerpot]

Wow! After a couple of agonizing weeks hearing nothing from any of my programs (except a rejection from Pittsburgh), good news has been trickling in since Friday – I'm on a "very short" waitlist at Arkansas (fiction), I've been waitlisted at Rutgers-Camden (fiction), and I have an interview with LSU in a couple of days. I've pretty much stopped obsessively refreshing my email and Draft altogether now... the prospect of me leaving my unbearable day job to pursue something I actually care about feels very real now, and not pie-in-the-sky. Good luck to everybody holding out for good news this week. 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by flowerpot
typo

[dagreenkat]

2 hours ago, dagreenkat said:

I wish Michigan would just message me already. I’ve no idea why they are dragging out notifications like this

Actually, has anybody gotten rejected from Michigan yet? Since apparently there's already been at least some acceptances and waitlists for poetry and fiction. 

[mosss]

13 minutes ago, dagreenkat said:

Actually, has anybody gotten rejected from Michigan yet? Since apparently there's already been at least some acceptances and waitlists for poetry and fiction. 

Nope! I applied in fiction and have heard nothing back yet, though I'm thinking it's a rejection (gut feeling, nothing logical)

[treaux]

16 minutes ago, mosss said:

Nope! I applied in fiction and have heard nothing back yet, though I'm thinking it's a rejection (gut feeling, nothing logical)

I think that they're just dilly dallying on sending out the rejections, as these schools, somewhat inexplicably, seem to do. 

[feralgrad]

On 2/25/2023 at 6:23 PM, bananabread123 said:

Hi all! I had a quick question - so I got into NYU MFA (fiction) with full funding, but I am not totally sure if I should take it or wait another year.

You got some great advice, so I won't belabor my point, but I do want to add: If you go into the MFA to start a career as a writer, you will may be disappointed. Making a career as a writer is almost impossible unless you're Jodi Picoult; the income is too sporadic for most people. A recent grad from my program just wrote a highly popular YA novel and received advances on two more, and he still had to get another job on top of that (and that's in a genre that's growing way faster than literary fiction or poetry).

As for other options: The academic job market is extremely oversaturated, and applying for a professor position is the same amount of work as applying for a grad program (seriously). Working in publishing is competitive but possible, but only if you volunteer for lit mags, small presses, etc. as extracurriculars. Technical writing is way less competitive, but some people find it saps their energy to write creatively.

I'm not saying this to scare you. However, I've seen a number of people go into MFA programs expecting career opportunities, and then they become embittered when those don't materialize. I don't know much about NYU, so I would recommend researching their extracurricular opportunities, career placement stats, etc. Regardless, it may be more realistic to think of the degree as a personal achievement rather than a professional one. Perhaps this is a detour where you can focus on work you find meaningful before returning to the field you've already been successful in.

[1badgloop]

Looks like UF acceptance calls were all made on Saturday and waitlist emails are going out now

[flameazalea]

Rejected from Oregon State for Poetry. Currently 0a // 0wl // 3r // 1p. This week has been brutal. Keeping my fingers crossed for WVU but it looks like I'd better start prepping for applications next season (that is, if I'm able to afford to apply. Even sending out four applications this season ate up my savings, and I can't afford to keep going at this unfortunately).

Did want to share on behalf of one of my friends // classmates who just got waitlisted at UF!

[beldani]

17 minutes ago, flameazalea said:

Rejected from Oregon State for Poetry. Currently 0a // 0wl // 3r // 1p. This week has been brutal. Keeping my fingers crossed for WVU but it looks like I'd better start prepping for applications next season (that is, if I'm able to afford to apply. Even sending out four applications this season ate up my savings, and I can't afford to keep going at this unfortunately).

Did want to share on behalf of one of my friends // classmates who just got waitlisted at UF!

so sorry to hear about the rejection! oregon state's program is just so tiny that even the top 5% of applicants are fighting tooth and nail for a waitlist spot. sending good vibes for wvu!

[beldani]

speak of the devil, there's a csu acceptance on the board. has anyone seen anything about colorado state on draft??

[SillyGoofyGirl]

5 minutes ago, beldani said:

speak of the devil, there's a csu acceptance on the board. has anyone seen anything about colorado state on draft??

nothing on draft so far, just searched the page for you

[crosie]

57 minutes ago, flameazalea said:

Rejected from Oregon State for Poetry. Currently 0a // 0wl // 3r // 1p. This week has been brutal. Keeping my fingers crossed for WVU but it looks like I'd better start prepping for applications next season (that is, if I'm able to afford to apply. Even sending out four applications this season ate up my savings, and I can't afford to keep going at this unfortunately).

Did want to share on behalf of one of my friends // classmates who just got waitlisted at UF!

If you do apply next year, definitely ask for fee waivers. Even if you don’t qualify on paper, a lot of schools will just give you one if you email to ask. I got one for Vanderbilt this year because 95 dollars felt like way too much on a server budget. 

[halsklo]

just got the jhu rejection...

note to self: don't check decision notifs at work!

good luck to everyone for the rest of the cycle!!!

[dagreenkat]

3 minutes ago, halsklo said:

just got the jhu rejection...

note to self: don't check decision notifs at work!

good luck to everyone for the rest of the cycle!!!

So sorry to hear. I know you were really riding on that as your one chance. Hopefully you'll still go for it again next year. Best of luck with the rest of your 2023!