2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[LivingUnderABigRock]

Hello all,

The process begins, figured I would start a thread on here with a story.

 

I just submitted to one of my top choices with a letter that references another school! It's very brief and the rest of the letter references the correct school, but take this as a sign that mistakes happen and it's okay to give yourself some space! Always have someone else read over your letter and other materials. I must have gone over mine ten times and still missed this, despite checking everything else and keeping a mostly unique letter for each school. Who knows if this will be enough to deny me flat out, I'm sure my very poor writing will be enough lmao!

Either way, best of luck to everyone. December 15th is still a few weeks away, but would love to hear from how everyone's doing and share responses.

 

P.S: Seems like UTK is the first school most will hear any news about since they have a first and second round system. I have seen some hear on being moved to the second round as early as December 16th. Obviously not an acceptance but a good sign that there is some quality to your writing that a school might be interested in.

[Rixor]

Hi everyone! I guess I'm just going to post my stats and schools... Talking about this process seems to make it a little less scary, and I've found some solace in reading through last year's thread, so it's only proper that I pay it forward.

I'm 22 years old and one year out of undergrad, where I got a BS in biology and minored in CW. I have one short story published in a lit magazine. I've only applied for fully-funded programs, all of them in fiction. Ten total! They're ASU, UMn, UW-M, UW-S, NAU, UNLV, UNLV-R, SFU, BSU, and OSU. 

So, so far, 0a/0w/0r/10p  

I'm trying to temper my expectations--I realize it's extremely unlikely that I'll get into any of these programs--but I hope I get at least one 'a!' 

Wishing all of you the best of luck! 

[wmly]

just heard back from poetry faculty at UIUC that i’m on the waitlist!

i didn’t think i had a chance so this is great news!! still waiting to hear back from 7 other schools… wishing everyone so much luck :’)

 

EDIT: if anyone has any tips on waitlist formalities (i.e following up w/ the school) or any stories about being on MFA waitlists please let me know!

Edited January 8 by wmly

[Hjanep]

Applied to 11 programs + a Hail Mary to Stegner and am now just anxiously awaiting results starting next month. I did: Indiana-Bloomington, UW-M, Michener, Zell, Iowa, NYU, Brown, JHU, UVA, Syracuse, Vanderbilt. This is my first year applying. I’m 36 and on my second career and have kids, I have low expectations for this year but also just want to know any information at all so I can know what my next year will look like. 

[pomelo]

Hey folks! Excited and scared out of my mind for this process and honored to be in your company. I’m 26, graduated in 2020 with a BA in Education and minor in Asian Studies. Applied to Brown, Cornell, Michigan, Michener, New Writer’s Project, Sarah Lawrence, Iowa, UMass Amherst, and UW-M for fiction and Northwestern for CNF. I have done minor literary stuff (published an essay and short story) but have never held a fellowship, internship, residency, etc or anything of the sort  

0a/0w/0r/10p

Good luck everyone! 

Edited January 9 by pomelo

[triciadawn]

Hi, all! I thought I'd help keep this thread going too after reading last year's thread! This will be my first year applying after contemplating for years (I've been a Draft lurker since 2016). Applied to Arkansas, Ole Miss, Minnesota State, BU, New School, Columbia, Hunter, and UNCG for fiction. And the usual suspects: Iowa, Michigan, UW-M, NYU. Very excited for results to come out! Best of luck to everyone! 

0a/0w/0r/12p

[seeleimraum]

~Hi folks, this is my second time applying to poetry MFA programs (first attempt was during undergrad 5 years ago): Iowa, UMichigan, Cornell, Vandy, UOregon, Indiana Univ, UC Irvine, Virginia Tech, UIdaho, UNCG, UMontana, USouth Carolina, UC Boulder. 0a/0w/0r/13p - biting my nails and ordering a weighted blanket in the meantime. Good luck y'all!~

[brdiget]

Hey everyone, this is my first time applying as I'm finishing my undergrad this year! I applied in poetry to Cornell, Brown, Michigan, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Michener, Northwestern and Virginia. Good luck all!!!!

[darr1]

Wishing everybody the best this cycle!!

First time applicant, lurked for a couple years now. Have seen enough amazing writers apply multiple years that I’m keeping my expectations healthy 😅 Applying in poetry to Iowa, Michigan, Syracuse, Indiana, Minnesota, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Michener, Arizona, and UC-Irvine.

0a/0w/0r/10p

[LivingUnderABigRock]

I see a lot of people applying to UofM I know it's a great program, but does anyone have any insight as to if their admissions team favors in-state residents? I have seen sources say that for undergraduate UofM is twice as likely to admit someone from Michigan rather than an out-of-state student, and I wonder if this carries over in some ways? 

 

Would be good to know if this is true with other schools as well. Or maybe it would make people more anxious to know that this has an effect! haha

 

Either way, Best of luck to everyone!

 

 

Edited January 11 by BasilicaHands

[triciadawn]

3 hours ago, BasilicaHands said:

I see a lot of people applying to UofM I know it's a great program, but does anyone have any insight as to if their admissions team favors in-state residents? I have seen sources say that for undergraduate UofM is twice as likely to admit someone from Michigan rather than an out-of-state student, and I wonder if this carries over in some ways? 

 

Would be good to know if this is true with other schools as well. Or maybe it would make people more anxious to know that this has an effect! haha

 

Either way, Best of luck to everyone!

 

 

I don’t think location is a factor in MFA admissions. The most important thing is your writing sample. 

[bluebikeyikes]

Hi everyone! I'm applying to 7 programs for CNF in the U.S.: OSU, SAIC, Wash U., Northwestern (MFA + MA), Oregon State, U. of Pittsburgh, and U. of Washington. I've also applied to all three programs in Canada. Best of luck everyone! 

0A/0W/0R/11P

[decayingballads21]

18 hours ago, bluebikeyikes said:

Hi everyone! I'm applying to 7 programs for CNF in the U.S.: OSU, SAIC, Wash U., Northwestern (MFA + MA), Oregon State, U. of Pittsburgh, and U. of Washington. I've also applied to all three programs in Canada. Best of luck everyone! 

0A/0W/0R/11P

Hey everyone! 

bluebikeyikes, glad to see another CNF applicant. I’m applying to all those US schools as well (just not u Washington)

Best of luck to everybody! 

[justasmidge]

Also wishing the best for everyone this cycle! 

First time applicant, but if I got in, this would be my second master's. I got my first one ten years ago and am happy to have a career that I love in transportation policy and planning. But I've always loved to write and after attending a few writing workshops last year, I feel it's time to make good on that. What has been fascinating about this admissions process is that there is a lot of camaraderie and a really good spirit of people wanting to help others out. I can certainly say that for public administration back when I was applying in 2012, I didn't know any of my fellow applicants. It is certainly a very welcome difference : D 

I'm specifically applying to NYC-based programs as I'm in a position in my career where I can't leave, both for professional and financial reasons. Thankfully, I'm used to a schedule where chaos reigns as I also was a full-time student with a full-time job during my first master's degree and used to be a campaign organizer where I was working 80+ hour weeks. I know it's going to be a lot but if I get in, I'll figure it out. 

I'm applying to fiction tracks of NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, Brooklyn, The New School, Sarah Lawrence, Hunter, and City College of New York. 

Does anyone else wish that they could put down musicians as writing influences? I honestly would love to put Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus down because they've really inspired me but I don't want to veer too off course. 

 

[bluebikeyikes]

2 hours ago, decayingballads21 said:

Hey everyone! 

bluebikeyikes, glad to see another CNF applicant. I’m applying to all those US schools as well (just not u Washington)

Best of luck to everybody! 

Wow, that's great! I'm glad to see another CNF applicant applying to these programs as well!

[decayingballads21]

 

1 minute ago, bluebikeyikes said:

Wow, that's great! I'm glad to see another CNF applicant applying to these programs as well!

Me too!! I haven’t seen many. How are you feeling about your apps and the whole process?? Idk why I’m more nervous bc I feel like there’s less CNF applicants but also feel like everyone’s amazing so idk. I’m scared!! But excited. But scared!

[bluebikeyikes]

9 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

 

Me too!! I haven’t seen many. How are you feeling about your apps and the whole process?? Idk why I’m more nervous bc I feel like there’s less CNF applicants but also feel like everyone’s amazing so idk. I’m scared!! But excited. But scared!

I'm definitely feeling anxious as well! I only have one app left (U of Washington Bothell) and it's wild to think that OSU might get back to us in as soon as ten days! I'm scared haha. But also excited to meet more amazing writers no matter my next step looks like!

[decayingballads21]

Just now, bluebikeyikes said:

I'm definitely feeling anxious as well! I only have one app left (U of Washington Bothell) and it's wild to think that OSU might get back to us in as soon as ten days! I'm scared haha. But also excited to meet more amazing writers no matter my next step looks like!

It’s nice to meet you!! And I wish you the best of luck.

I know I’m literally so nervous about OSU. That’s my top program 😭 fingers crossed for us!!  what are your top programs? 

[bluebikeyikes]

34 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

It’s nice to meet you!! And I wish you the best of luck.

I know I’m literally so nervous about OSU. That’s my top program 😭 fingers crossed for us!!  what are your top programs? 

It's nice to meet you too! And yes, best of luck, OSU is a great program! I hope we get in : )

Honestly, I would be grateful to get any fully funded offer as I only applied to schools that I'm excited for. Right now, I'm slightly leaning towards Northwestern and U of Washington as they have MFA + MA and I'm interested in integrating critical/theoretical aspects into my writing

[triciadawn]

On 1/12/2024 at 3:32 PM, justasmidge said:

Also wishing the best for everyone this cycle! 

First time applicant, but if I got in, this would be my second master's. I got my first one ten years ago and am happy to have a career that I love in transportation policy and planning. But I've always loved to write and after attending a few writing workshops last year, I feel it's time to make good on that. What has been fascinating about this admissions process is that there is a lot of camaraderie and a really good spirit of people wanting to help others out. I can certainly say that for public administration back when I was applying in 2012, I didn't know any of my fellow applicants. It is certainly a very welcome difference : D 

I'm specifically applying to NYC-based programs as I'm in a position in my career where I can't leave, both for professional and financial reasons. Thankfully, I'm used to a schedule where chaos reigns as I also was a full-time student with a full-time job during my first master's degree and used to be a campaign organizer where I was working 80+ hour weeks. I know it's going to be a lot but if I get in, I'll figure it out. 

I'm applying to fiction tracks of NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, Brooklyn, The New School, Sarah Lawrence, Hunter, and City College of New York. 

Does anyone else wish that they could put down musicians as writing influences? I honestly would love to put Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus down because they've really inspired me but I don't want to veer too off course. 

 

Hey, fellow NYC schools applicant here! I used to live in the city and I’ve been dying to move back! 
 

I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to cite musical influences as well  songwriting is still writing, and it can help further articulate your aesthetics. I read an sop from someone in Draft Workshop Facebook group who referenced music. They got into Virginia, so I say go for it. 

 

 

 

[Chex]

Hi everyone!

Longtime(ish) lurker finally compelled to make an account. It's awfully quiet in here and the wait is grating. I am a first-time applicant to fiction programs. I hope everyone is holding up well. Sending you all good luck!

 

[sunnysequoia]

Hello everyone! Lovely to see fellow nonfiction candidates here. I'm nearly 27, five years out of undergrad where I completed my B.A. in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis, and a first-time applicant.

I'm applying to what may be an excessive number of 16 programs LOL. I was torn between pragmatically wanting full funding and the fantasy of pursuing my writing dreams in New York. Even after acknowledging that it wouldn't be smart to pursue an MFA in a program where I'd be worrying about outrageously high living costs and massive debt, I couldn't bring myself to not apply to my New York schools. In the end, I figured I might as well apply, and if I get in, I can decide then whether I can make it work.

My fully funded schools are: UMass Amherst, Rutgers U Camden (full funding available but not guaranteed), U of Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Miami U, U of Minnesota, U of Iowa, Wash U St. Louis, U of Arizona, and Oregon State. The rest are Sarah Lawrence, Hunter College, NYU, The New School, U of San Francisco, and SF State. (I did rule out Columbia due to the enormous class size, lack of funding, and ludicrous $110 application fee. The last was also the case for NYU, and I applied there only after I received a fee waiver for another school. I decided that I wasn't going to apply to two schools with such an exorbitantly high fee that they feel entitled to charge just because they are a private, for-profit university, and I preferred NYU over Columbia.)

I'm three-quarters of the way done with my applications. Only ones left are Rutgers, Hunter, USF, and SFSU with deadlines through mid-February. I'm so mentally checked out at this point that I'm just not stressing over my remaining ones LOL, especially since 3 of them are for non-fully funded programs. I likely won't apply to them on the off chance that I am accepted into any fully funded program before their respective deadlines.

Good luck to everyone in this process!

0a/0w/0r/12p/4 still applying 🙃

[decayingballads21]

There was a fiction acceptance in draft just posted, for Ohio state. Does anyone know if fiction, poetry and CNF acceptances come out separately or at the same time? I’m so nervous 

[aurqcyei]

46 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

There was a fiction acceptance in draft just posted, for Ohio state. Does anyone know if fiction, poetry and CNF acceptances come out separately or at the same time? I’m so nervous 

According to the notification spreadsheet from last year, it looks like results for CNF & poetry came out around the 19th over a few days, with acceptances coming out first, then waitlists, then rejections for all genres on the 25th. No results for fiction acceptances in the spreadsheet, as far as I can see. 

Edited January 16 by aurqcyei

[triciadawn]

3 hours ago, Chex said:

Hi everyone!

Longtime(ish) lurker finally compelled to make an account. It's awfully quiet in here and the wait is grating. I am a first-time applicant to fiction programs. I hope everyone is holding up well. Sending you all good luck!

 

I know it’s been so quiet this year compared to previous cycles! Best of luck to you too! Where did you apply?