2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[pananoprodigy]

5 minutes ago, Chex said:

Those are all great schools! Fingers crossed for good news. 

Was your previous MFA in a different field or did you leave the program midway (just wondering why you're pursuing another MFA, but of course feel free not to answer if this question is too personal)? 

Not at all! I did an MFA in screenwriting and spent the last ten-ish years working in the tv industry (which I think will be a pretty hefty strike against me, as I've heard Brown in particular rarely takes people who already have a writing-related MFA). 

Fingers crossed for you too!! Where are you waiting to hear from? 

[Kriskris2024]

Hi all! Lurker and first time poster here. I’m applying to MFA program's to hopefully become a professor one day. 

I only applied to five schools: Rutgers Newark, Rutgers Camden, Iowa, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss but I feel like I should have doubled it maybe? Ten seems to be the average number. 

I don’t have any formal education in writing but I have awarded published work so hopefully that works in my favor. Fingers crossed for us all as we head into February!

[GoldenTree]

5 hours ago, Rixor said:

Welcome back!! I hope this cycle goes well for you! The wait is killing me, too. It's my first cycle and I definitely feel a little insane. Goodness I really hope there's more news this week--really hoping schools want to push decisions before the AWP conference instead of after. Apparently AWP is almost always in late March, so it being so early this year could make waiting extremely long... 

I'm hanging in there... Kind of. Second-guessing literally everything. I mentioned my sole publication and a low-prestige award nomination, maybe I shouldn't've--maybe that came off as vain? I didn't apply to enough schools. Didn't properly explain my career aspirations. I have K-12 teaching experience so I expanded on that a lot in hopes it'd net me a TAship but they probably think it means I aspire to be a professor, which I hear is a terrible thing to write in SOPs.😔

Ahhh. I realize that I can't change what's submitted and that all we can do is wait. Just wish I could fall asleep until March. 

I definitely wish I could fast forward until early March too but there is so much to look forward to outside of these applications. Namely, some of those small joyful moments of life we often taken for granted. At my uni, there was a MFA panel, and one thing they emphasized was 90% was on the writing sample. If they love the writing, and they see little issues with anything else, chances are, you'll definitely get in. 

I don't think mentioning the publication and nomination is necessarily a bad thing. I for one, listed my entire publication record within my CV (as I've seen some CW profs do) and gave it to all schools. I also directly stated "I was interested in teaching" and I don't regret it at all because it's the truth. Plus, not all schools are the same. I know Syracuse actually wanted a teaching statement from me, so not all of them will be turned off by it. And if they are, it is something I'm interested in. My poetry mentor did tell me that in these SOPs I shouldn't be something I'm not, and neither should any of us. I for one am a bit tired of pretending to be something I'm not. I'm definitely past that point in my life. What's done is done. Nothing is 100% perfect to everyone at every point in time. 

Plus, I think we need to look at rejection a bit differently. I once heard a quote from a friend one time. "Rejection is redirection and protection." So remember that all of us will end up where we're supposed to be. And there's still hope. Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks, you'll be so excited about the program you got in. 

Edited January 29 by GoldenTree

[loveintrastevere]

13 hours ago, Rixor said:

Man, and I thought my ten schools were a lot... Now I'm thinking I should've applied to a lot more. I don't know if y'all relate, but I keep thinking about my applications with regret. "I should've mentioned this," "I should've cut this," etc. Ugh. Good things to know for next year, I suppose, if needed. 

Good luck, loveintrastevere! I'm hoping you get into one of your top choices! Did you happen to hear back from Boise State at all? Apparently a poetry applicant got an inteview invite. I haven't heard anything, but I'm fiction. 

Thank you Orangee! I'd love to learn (I'll try to message, if that is a thing on this site!). Also, congratulations on the acceptances and waitlists from your last cycle! I hope you get even more this round:) 

I haven't heard anything from Boise yet. LMK if you hear anything back as well:)

[writernity]

7 hours ago, Rixor said:

I have K-12 teaching experience so I expanded on that a lot in hopes it'd net me a TAship but they probably think it means I aspire to be a professor, which I hear is a terrible thing to write in SOPs.

Uh oh, is it? 😅 Hopefully including my interest in teaching undeserved populations too will make it a bit less terrible... I know college level teaching positions after graduating are far from guaranteed, but is it that bad to mention ambition? I don't recall any advice saying to avoid it in my research.

 

2 hours ago, GoldenTree said:

I also directly stated "I was interested in teaching" and I don't regret it at all because it's the truth. Plus, not all schools are the same. I know Syracuse actually wanted a teaching statement from me, so not all of them will be turned off by it. And if they are, it is something I'm interested in. My poetry mentor did tell me that in these SOPs I shouldn't be something I'm not, and neither should any of us. I for one am a bit tired of pretending to be something I'm not.

I feel that 100%! Syracuse, NYU, Cornell, and Manhattanville all want to know if you have interest in/experience teaching IIRC. I'd think schools that have teaching assistantships would be interested in applicants who actually want to teach.

[Chex]

8 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

Not at all! I did an MFA in screenwriting and spent the last ten-ish years working in the tv industry (which I think will be a pretty hefty strike against me, as I've heard Brown in particular rarely takes people who already have a writing-related MFA). 

Fingers crossed for you too!! Where are you waiting to hear from? 

Ooh, that's a really cool background. I'm a first-time applicant who's done a number of "corporatey" things in the past. I'm waiting to hear from 12 schools for fiction: UT Austin, Wash U St Louis, Iowa, Cornell, Brown, UVA, Vanderbilt, U Wisc-Madison, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, and NYU.

 

6 hours ago, GoldenTree said:

I definitely wish I could fast forward until early March too but there is so much to look forward to outside of these applications. Namely, some of those small joyful moments of life we often taken for granted. At my uni, there was a MFA panel, and one thing they emphasized was 90% was on the writing sample. If they love the writing, and they see little issues with anything else, chances are, you'll definitely get in. 

I don't think mentioning the publication and nomination is necessarily a bad thing. I for one, listed my entire publication record within my CV (as I've seen some CW profs do) and gave it to all schools. I also directly stated "I was interested in teaching" and I don't regret it at all because it's the truth. Plus, not all schools are the same. I know Syracuse actually wanted a teaching statement from me, so not all of them will be turned off by it. And if they are, it is something I'm interested in. My poetry mentor did tell me that in these SOPs I shouldn't be something I'm not, and neither should any of us. I for one am a bit tired of pretending to be something I'm not. I'm definitely past that point in my life. What's done is done. Nothing is 100% perfect to everyone at every point in time. 

Plus, I think we need to look at rejection a bit differently. I once heard a quote from a friend one time. "Rejection is redirection and protection." So remember that all of us will end up where we're supposed to be. And there's still hope. Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks, you'll be so excited about the program you got in. 

Hear! Hear! 💯

[pomelo]

Honestly if your apps are in, it’s best not to think about what you could have done or said differently in your SOPs, or you’ll be torturing yourself! Same goes for the writing sample. I picked mine apart so much I can’t even look at it anymore lol. 
 

Off topic but does anyone recommend any writing workshops to take this spring? I’ve been eyeing SmokeLong Quarterly’s “Smokey Winter Fête” and their March Micro Marathon. 

Edited January 29 by pomelo

[pomelo]

Indiana folks - someone on Draft just announced they were waitlisted for fiction. 👀

[itsbeensnowing]

21 minutes ago, pomelo said:

Indiana folks - someone on Draft just announced they were waitlisted for fiction. 👀

I just got my rejection 😭 life comes at you fast

[ajcam]

8 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

I just got my rejection 😭 life comes at you fast

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that.  Big hugs… but then onwards and upwards! You’ve got this.

[Chex]

8 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

I just got my rejection 😭 life comes at you fast

Aww. 🫂 

[Rixor]

11 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

I just got my rejection 😭 life comes at you fast

I'm sorry to hear that!! 13 more to go, right? I hope you hear better news soon.

[Elle18]

Hi everyone!! My name is Elle! I was not planning on posting here but i’m caving lol. This is my second year applying for fiction programs. I got accepted to Boulder last year, but didn’t get any funding sooo here i am again! Is anyone else waiting on an acceptance to the Draft facebook group?? I swear i’ve been waiting for them to accept my request for a week😭

[Chex]

22 minutes ago, Elle18 said:

Hi everyone!! My name is Elle! I was not planning on posting here but i’m caving lol. This is my second year applying for fiction programs. I got accepted to Boulder last year, but didn’t get any funding sooo here i am again! Is anyone else waiting on an acceptance to the Draft facebook group?? I swear i’ve been waiting for them to accept my request for a week😭

Lol, I love how we're all coming out of the woodworks. Welcome!!

Draft is known to be slow in approving requests to join, so I'd just say to wait it out. Hopefully the moderators will let you in within this week or the next.

[Elle18]

2 minutes ago, Chex said:

Lol, I love how we're all coming out of the woodworks. Welcome!!

Draft is known to be slow in approving requests to join, so I'd just say to wait it out. Hopefully the moderators will let you in within this week or the next.

Lol I know! 

And awesome thank you!! I’m glad it’s not just me that it takes forever for at least.

[prufrock_]

55 minutes ago, Elle18 said:

Hi everyone!! My name is Elle! I was not planning on posting here but i’m caving lol. This is my second year applying for fiction programs. I got accepted to Boulder last year, but didn’t get any funding sooo here i am again! Is anyone else waiting on an acceptance to the Draft facebook group?? I swear i’ve been waiting for them to accept my request for a week😭

I wanted to apply to CU boulder! (SGJ is on of my favorite authors). Their funding system kept me from applying though. Did you apply to boulder again?

[Rixor]

16 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

I wanted to apply to CU boulder! (SGJ is on of my favorite authors). Their funding system kept me from applying though. Did you apply to boulder again?

I actually almost completed my application to CU boulder... Until I realized about their funding system! A shame; both CU Boulder and CSU seem like they have lovely programs but I likely wouldn't be able to afford either. Interesting to know we're in the same boat. 

[Southron]

Hey y'all, I'm also anxiously waiting for decisions. I decided to apply to grad school after I got sick of working in the hospitality industry. Hope to hear something back this week from at least a couple of schools.

0a/0w/0r/17p

[goldentulip]

Hi, all!

Anxiety got the best of me and I started researching decision dates for the MFAs I applied to, and came across this forum! Honestly glad I did, as my friends have already graduated from MFAs, so I’m kind of on my own waiting here. 

I’m 5 years out of graduating from undergrad (English with a focus in Creative Writing). This is my second year applying. This year I applied to Brown, BU (got rejected), UMass, Indiana-Bloomington, and Vanderbilt for poetry. I know it’s a small selection but I’m AuDHD, so chose based on my needs. I was scared about it at first, but honestly after speaking to professors and friends I’ve kind of settled into the mentality of whatever happens, happens at this point. 

Good luck to all of us! Glad this micro-community exists.

0a/0w/1r/4p 

[ajcam]

2 hours ago, Elle18 said:

Hi everyone!! My name is Elle! I was not planning on posting here but i’m caving lol. This is my second year applying for fiction programs. I got accepted to Boulder last year, but didn’t get any funding sooo here i am again! Is anyone else waiting on an acceptance to the Draft facebook group?? I swear i’ve been waiting for them to accept my request for a week😭

Me as well! It’s been a week and a half now for me 🥲

[Elle18]

1 hour ago, prufrock_ said:

I wanted to apply to CU boulder! (SGJ is on of my favorite authors). Their funding system kept me from applying though. Did you apply to boulder again?

YES i love SGJ he’s awesome!! I’ve gotten to work with him a few times since he’s a good friend of one of my professors and he’s great. I actually ended up deferring my acceptance and asked to be considered again for funding - not sure how that’s going to turn out though. 

 

1 hour ago, Rixor said:

I actually almost completed my application to CU boulder... Until I realized about their funding system! A shame; both CU Boulder and CSU seem like they have lovely programs but I likely wouldn't be able to afford either. Interesting to know we're in the same boat. 

Yeaaaa last year i applied to a few unfunded programs and was so sad when i wasn’t able to go to boulder it’s such a shame!! This year i only applied to funded ones after that lol

[justasmidge]

Anyone else have friends that keep asking you if you've gotten into schools and you're like...just waiting until late February and all throughout March haha. 

Gosh, the wait is killing me but I guess with February around the corner, my days in limbo are slowly dwindling. From the Draft '23 Responses spreadsheet, I see that NYU typically comes out with their results in February and my friends and I are going to spend a weekend in Vermont around then, so I'm happy that, win or lose, that I'll have a good support system around me, no matter what happens with the decision. 

[ajcam]

I tell my family April. I won't know until April.  They still ask for updates every time i see them 😅

[garfieldlives]

Hello, everyone! I received an interview request from the California College of the Arts this morning. Did anyone else apply there? I'm applying for creative nonfiction. 

 

0a/0w/0r/5p + now 1 interview

Edited January 29 by garfieldlives

[seeleimraum]

Just wanted to share that UNC Greensboro emailed letting me know that my app "has started winding its way through the admissions committee." I also checked my Submittable account (which is where we had to submit the poetry sample) and the label has indeed turned from 'Received' to 'In Progress.' So, for anyone else who may have applied there - let the games begin. And may the odds be ever in our favor.