2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Scribe]

2 minutes ago, TPike said:

Do they mail decisions? That’s kinda cool. Also, I’m STILL not accepted to MFA Draft

iowa is known for being one of the few to use snail mail. makes sense, they're also one of the few who insist on a hard copy manuscript. 

a few (NYU) give you the phone call... but i'm sure that's not for rejections. 

[orangee]

8 minutes ago, TPike said:

Do they mail decisions? That’s kinda cool. Also, I’m STILL not accepted to MFA Draft

Can second that Iowa still snail mails. Their rejection letters are only marginally better than Scribe's hypothetical DENIED trifolds lol.

Also, thank you to everyone for the congrats! It's wonderful not only to have a path into the MFA open for me finally, but to also have prospects of getting out of my (home)town. Feels good y'all :')

[TPike]

4 minutes ago, orangee said:

Can second that Iowa still snail mails. Their rejection letters are only marginally better than Scribe's hypothetical DENIED trifolds lol.

Also, thank you to everyone for the congrats! It's wonderful not only to have a path into the MFA open for me finally, but to also have prospects of getting out of my (home)town. Feels good y'all :')

Oo, ok wait, only the getting the physical acceptance would be cool. I wouldn’t want to wait for a rejection like that, God forbid 

[Scribe]

if i ran the mfa at iowa, the rejection letter would read, "HOW DARE YOU!"

[Rixor]

This wait is dreadful. Sorry, little rant: my sample pieces should be solid. One was published in a top 100 litmag where the editors said they "loved" it. A very kind professor who agreed to read both said they made her tear up. Emotional connection is my whole goal. But I keep thinking--what if they're all lying? Being nice, taking pity on me? I remember workshopping my stuff, red-in-the-face because I was secretly convinced my stuff is garbage. I'd really like to think my writing is solid enough to get admitted somewhere, but it's difficult to get over my own self-doubt. I feel like an imposter and that I'm wasting time worrying about all of this. I don't know how better-established writers do it. If anyone could share advice for lack of confidence, I would really appreciate it. 

I really hope admission decisions continue through tomorrow and AWP-week! It's hard having 0a/0r/0w! I'm so, so happy for those of you with w's and a's and I'm wishing the best for those of you with r's! 

[TPike]

17 minutes ago, Scribe said:

if i ran the mfa at iowa, the rejection letter would read, "HOW DARE YOU!"

Lolll bye😭

[itsbeensnowing]

29 minutes ago, Scribe said:

iowa is known for being one of the few to use snail mail. makes sense, they're also one of the few who insist on a hard copy manuscript. 

Rejecting via snail mail seems so silly to me, especially when they're mostly just form rejections anyways. Really committed to tradition, I guess. I didn't apply to Iowa, but UC Irvine also sends out physical rejection letters and requires hard copies of materials. They briefly lost my manuscript and said they would just print it on their side, which I couldn't help but think they could have done in the first place. (My printing quality wasn't great, so I was a little disappointed when they ultimately located my mail.)

[Scribe]

22 minutes ago, Rixor said:

This wait is dreadful. Sorry, little rant: my sample pieces should be solid. One was published in a top 100 litmag where the editors said they "loved" it. A very kind professor who agreed to read both said they made her tear up. Emotional connection is my whole goal. But I keep thinking--what if they're all lying? Being nice, taking pity on me? I remember workshopping my stuff, red-in-the-face because I was secretly convinced my stuff is garbage. I'd really like to think my writing is solid enough to get admitted somewhere, but it's difficult to get over my own self-doubt. I feel like an imposter and that I'm wasting time worrying about all of this. I don't know how better-established writers do it. If anyone could share advice for lack of confidence, I would really appreciate it. 

I really hope admission decisions continue through tomorrow and AWP-week! It's hard having 0a/0r/0w! I'm so, so happy for those of you with w's and a's and I'm wishing the best for those of you with r's! 

this all day. 

i have a not-so-secret fear that i'm frighteningly stupid and everyone is just being really, really nice to me. 

[Scribe]

30 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

Rejecting via snail mail seems so silly to me, especially when they're mostly just form rejections anyways. Really committed to tradition, I guess. I didn't apply to Iowa, but UC Irvine also sends out physical rejection letters and requires hard copies of materials. They briefly lost my manuscript and said they would just print it on their side, which I couldn't help but think they could have done in the first place. (My printing quality wasn't great, so I was a little disappointed when they ultimately located my mail.)

right, irvine. i couldn't remember the other one i applied to that asked for the hard copy. 

Sometimes convention is nice. Sometimes it's time to admit the romance is dead. 

[prufrock_]

Irvine and Iowa were both on my list to apply until I saw the hard copy requirements and I dropped them. I wonder, even with the big name prestige, if their application pool is a lot smaller because of it.

[Scribe]

15 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

Irvine and Iowa were both on my list to apply until I saw the hard copy requirements and I dropped them. I wonder, even with the big name prestige, if their application pool is a lot smaller because of it.

At least by one. 

[sunnysequoia]

Dang I was just looking up the Northwestern Litowitz program and realized that when I researched Northwestern months ago, I came across the wrong MFA program; they also have a part-time MFA for prose and poetry in their School of Professional Studies, which seems to mostly offer evening and online classes for working professionals. Looking at Litowitz now, it looks absolutely incredible. 3 years of funding (including the summers?!) for a dual MFA+MA and in Chicago?? I probably would have applied had I done the correct research 🥲 Oh well, what am I gonna do now haha! Tbh the larger number of historical lit requirements compared to other MFAs and quarter system would probably be too much for me (I already experienced both in my undergrad LOL). Just trying to justify to myself that this program might not have been the best fit for me anyway to make the regret of not applying sting less 😅

[pananoprodigy]

For everyone looking for something to do to distract themselves from the constant email refreshing, I just spent a couple of hours compiling a big list of writing residencies I'm going to apply for over the next year, and I honestly feel a lot better. If you're like me and need to feel like you're working towards something instead of just sitting around waiting, I feel like doing something like that would help! Doesn't have to be residencies, but putting plans in place/setting up something new to hope for is important I think. The apps are out of our hands now so might as well give yourself another goal to work towards in the meantime. 

[Scribe]

27 minutes ago, sunnysequoia said:

Dang I was just looking up the Northwestern Litowitz program and realized that when I researched Northwestern months ago, I came across the wrong MFA program; they also have a part-time MFA for prose and poetry in their School of Professional Studies, which seems to mostly offer evening and online classes for working professionals. Looking at Litowitz now, it looks absolutely incredible. 3 years of funding (including the summers?!) for a dual MFA+MA and in Chicago?? I probably would have applied had I done the correct research 🥲 Oh well, what am I gonna do now haha! Tbh the larger number of historical lit requirements compared to other MFAs and quarter system would probably be too much for me (I already experienced both in my undergrad LOL). Just trying to justify to myself that this program might not have been the best fit for me anyway to make the regret of not applying sting less 😅

I didn’t apply because I had the wrong deadline. 
I think you win. 
 

[TPike]

43 minutes ago, Scribe said:

At least by one. 

You're funny 😭

[Scribe]

25 minutes ago, TPike said:

You're funny 😭

i'm glad someone thinks so. 

mostly it's just anxiety coping. 

what the hell happened to me? it wasn't so long ago i was all about full on punk rocking a diy publishing house. now i'm sweating the man. 

Edited February 2 by Scribe

[bluebikeyikes]

Congrats to everyone who has gotten acceptances and waitlists! I also got rejected from Northwestern today but didn't have time to comment the forum until now. It hurts since the opportunity to pursue MFA + MA seems amazing but I'll be okay with it! 0A/0W/2R/9P

On another note, I have been surprisingly productive during the waiting period and have drafted two CNF essays. I sent one to a mentor and they commented that it is much stronger than my earlier works, so I can't help but wonder if it's a sign that I should wait another year to apply haha. Unfortunately, my situation is kind of complicated and grad school would offer me more safety/security than a job, so finger crossed for any acceptance!

[TPike]

17 minutes ago, Scribe said:

i'm glad someone thinks so. 

mostly it's just anxiety coping. 

what the hell happened to me? it wasn't so long ago i was all about full on punk rocking a diy publishing house. now i'm sweating the man. 

No, I get it. This might be the most anxious I've ever been. I just submitted two extra applications because there are too many what ifs!

[writernity]

4 hours ago, Rixor said:

This wait is dreadful. Sorry, little rant: my sample pieces should be solid. One was published in a top 100 litmag where the editors said they "loved" it. A very kind professor who agreed to read both said they made her tear up. Emotional connection is my whole goal. But I keep thinking--what if they're all lying? Being nice, taking pity on me? I remember workshopping my stuff, red-in-the-face because I was secretly convinced my stuff is garbage. I'd really like to think my writing is solid enough to get admitted somewhere, but it's difficult to get over my own self-doubt. I feel like an imposter and that I'm wasting time worrying about all of this. I don't know how better-established writers do it. If anyone could share advice for lack of confidence, I would really appreciate it. 

I really hope admission decisions continue through tomorrow and AWP-week! It's hard having 0a/0r/0w! I'm so, so happy for those of you with w's and a's and I'm wishing the best for those of you with r's! 

Ahhh, classic imposter syndrome. You are not alone-- such feelings are INCREDIBLY common, even in some of the most successful authors. Lots of well-established authors DO still worry if they're good enough, even if all the signs say they're doing amazingly. Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, and Neil Gaiman, for example, have all written/spoken about struggling with imposter syndrome. It's very easy, especially as a creator, to compare yourself to others, even as you climb higher and higher and reach goal after goal. In a field where success and what's "good" is highly subjective, there's no objective way to measure skill or progress, which makes it harder to accept achievements for what they are.

The way I've dealt with it, personally, starts with a general self-confidence baseline. Not just about writing, but everything. And the way I've increased my self-confidence is by being aggressively positive towards myself. Switching out self-deprecating humor for self-aggrandizing humor, "I suck at everything" for a semi-sarcastic "I'm the best at everything, actually." I catch whenever I'm doubting myself and tell myself "no, actually, that's not true, and there's nothing to support that that could be the case." (Having a strong support network and trusting attitude also helps, but not everyone may have that or be able to use the same strategy I have. I have developed genuine strong self-confidence, but that process can be difficult and take a long time and be different for different people.)

Sometimes it helps to logic it out, think about what it would be like if the roles were reversed. If you saw someone else's piece get accepted to a top 100 litmag with a comment like that from the editors, would you think they were being pitied? That they weren't actually good enough to be published there? If you were an editor for a prestigious publication, would you publish bad work just because you felt bad for an author you had no personal connection to? How do you think the people giving you feedback would feel, if they put thought and emotion into their response and you thought they were just pitying and lying to you? How would you feel if someone thought that about the earnest feedback you gave them? Do you really think a whole workshop group and professors and editors, people you know to treat the others around them with honesty and respect, would collectively lie to your face just out of pity? It's not fair to them to doubt all the compliments you get, and most importantly, it's not fair to yourself. Give yourself the same grace you give others.

It can be really hard to deal with self-doubt, and take a while to truly build the confidence to shut it down. It's natural to doubt yourself occasionally (and sometimes good, but not to this extent). Sometimes "fake it til you make it" is enough for the time being, and sometimes that helps build genuine confidence. I've seen this tumblr post on switching imposter syndrome for conman syndrome, which may be another way to deal with it but I'm not sure how successful it would be 🤣

 

Edited February 2 by writernity

[Gradapp2024]

10 hours ago, Scribe said:

i'm glad someone thinks so. 

mostly it's just anxiety coping. 

what the hell happened to me? it wasn't so long ago i was all about full on punk rocking a diy publishing house. now i'm sweating the man. 

It’s like being left on “read” until you know either way. I’ve had girlfriends who hate me that have been more transparent about their break up. Of course, they didn’t have 600-2,000 suitors lined up. Hmmm. Or did they? 🫣 would explain a lot.

[triciadawn]

To kill time, I’ve been reading the 2020 thread on GradCafe and how the earlier  posts aged terribly. 😭

[Scribe]

Holy shit. 
did anyone else get the UF email??

 

program canceled this year!

Edited February 2 by Scribe

[brdiget]

15 hours ago, Rixor said:

I'd really like to think my writing is solid enough to get admitted somewhere, but it's difficult to get over my own self-doubt. I feel like an imposter and that I'm wasting time worrying about all of this. I don't know how better-established writers do it. If anyone could share advice for lack of confidence, I would really appreciate it. 

i think everyone here completely understands this feeling! tbh what really helped me was changing my metric of 'success' so that it relied less on external factors like magazine acceptances, prizes, etc and more on what i could control in my work.

i've been working on my first book length project lately and for the first while since i was approached about a contract i was really afraid, insecure, not sure if i was ready, etc. what if im not good enough, what if im too young, what if no one buys it/reads it? i was talking to a professor about this and they were like the thing about self-doubt and project-doubt is it has the same result as just plain procrastination. i was like damn did you have to put it like that????? but i realized committing to a project (or even to a writing career) meant I should put aside those inevitable feelings of doubt at least until the work is done. it might never go away, but at least i can say that it didn't stop me.

i also decided i couldnt think about prizes or anything like that until everything was done, and that i needed to do the writing for its own sake. my mini goal has been to really enjoy writing the poems, instead of thinking about them as work to be done before a deadline. (can't say i've been succeeding here but i am trying!) it sounds like you already have an amazing goal for what you want your work to do—to connect emotionally with readers! and even though you can't guarantee that a reader will connect with your work (as I'm sure you know from workshopping), you can control what goes into your work. so i guess my advice is to think and write towards that goal, even if you think you're bad. whether or not you're actually bad, all you can do is write, anyway. (and im sure you're not actually bad lol)

[PinkBlue]

21 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Holy shit. 
did anyone else get the UF email??

 

program canceled this year!

Just got it too! So strange. I wonder what happened.

Also I wasn't sure if anyone posted already, but I received a University of Oregon acceptance this week. They said they were kind of early this year. 

[prufrock_]

35 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Holy shit. 
did anyone else get the UF email??

 

program canceled this year!

i'm glad this wasn't one of the schools i applied to; i'm sorry to anyone who did, what a terrible thing to happen. How could they only know in the middle of applications that they would have no spots? Seems like a very weird situation.