2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[CorneliusBreadicus]

1 hour ago, Southron said:

I still haven't heard anything from any of the schools I applied to since December, when UTK said I made it to round 2, but I think it's safe to say I won't be getting any acceptances this year. I had no idea it would be so utterly discouraging and disappointing to watch draft's spreadsheet fill up with acceptances/waitlists while my inbox is totally empty. I keep telling myself that I only need one, but even that now seems impossible. I just feel like a failure, and that I wasted my recommenders' time and my own with all this.

I guess I need to drastically rethink my writing sample and SOP if I try again for next year though right now I have no desire to do any of this again.

0a/0w/8r/9p

About UTK -- I also made it to round 2 and got my final rejection this week for poetry. I'm wondering if they send out rejections in waves before acceptances. I think that sort of system makes sense for schools who have multiple application phases. I would take it as a good sign that you haven't been notified of a rejection yet. Even if you do get rejected, you wouldn't have made it to round 2 if app readers didn't consider you talented enough to belong in next year's cohort. 

[writernity]

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

[Tomatotomato53]

14 hours ago, AngusWanderer said:

poetry!

Thanks for all your warm words! Fingers crossed for you all. 

 

I was waitlisted by JHU last year. They said their list was unranked and asked if I wanted to stay on the list. I replied, and they said, "Thanks for replying." I never heard from them again until 11 April when the system updated and sent me a form rejection. I know this is probably not what you want to hear and I am sorry if I've put a damper on things for you😭 

How come you posted it as fiction on the draft spreadsheet..?

[Scribe]

28 minutes ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

Revenge

Sublimation

Resistance

hypocrisy 

oblivion/denial

estrangement/disaffection 

i wouldn't call any of these favorites, they just are. 

[bumblebup]

I know this is a reach but would love to know. Whats the reasoning behind a program giving you a University ID AND an application reference ID. I'm also experiencing something of a mandala effect and hallucinating, thinking that I only saw the application reference ID and all of a sudden the University ID is there. Do they just give UID's to all applicants  in general?

[Scribe]

Here's a question for all:

How do we handle our sig line? 

do we reduce "p" as we get responses? also... possible? potential? pending?

[Rixor]

43 minutes ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

Cool topics! I'd love to read your stuff.

I like writing about science, animals, biology, evolution, queer identity, diaspora, and very flawed characters/people.

[Scribe]

3 hours ago, Southron said:

I still haven't heard anything from any of the schools I applied to since December, when UTK said I made it to round 2, but I think it's safe to say I won't be getting any acceptances this year. I had no idea it would be so utterly discouraging and disappointing to watch draft's spreadsheet fill up with acceptances/waitlists while my inbox is totally empty. I keep telling myself that I only need one, but even that now seems impossible. I just feel like a failure, and that I wasted my recommenders' time and my own with all this.

I guess I need to drastically rethink my writing sample and SOP if I try again for next year though right now I have no desire to do any of this again.

0a/0w/8r/9p

I'm feeling this hard. I very much see myself where you are before this is all over and i know i'm not doing this again. 

I don't think I wasted my time or my recommenders', nor do i think you did. The process made us better writers. I even started to enjoy it while hating it. it was quite weird. As for my recommenders, I haven't seen what they wrote so it's very possible they all hated me and were only too happy to sabotage my future. 

of course, there's also the very real possibility I suck ass. and what of it? I've long suspected I'm borderline retarded (not the high side of the line either) and my whole life people have just been really really nice to me. 

but i wont stop writing. 

[prufrock_]

10 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Here's a question for all:

How do we handle our sig line? 

do we reduce "p" as we get responses? also... possible? potential? pending?

reduce the P line once you get an answer. to me the p stands for pending.

[brdiget]

52 minutes ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

ooh i love fun weekend questions

i write about queerness, whiteness/racialization and music!

[jadedoptimist]

1 hour ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

Omg yassss I love hearing everybody's answers!! I write about dreams and existentialism a lot too!! I also like writing about technology and ethics.  Also contradictions, as indicated by my username.

[prufrock_]

2 hours ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

no matter how i start my stories, they always end up being about failed father/son relationships, or codependent & toxic romantic relationships. I add a lot of jokes to make it less sad, but maybe that's just a defense mechanism against sincerity.

I idealize 'new sincerity' but I have a hard time writing it.  One of the shorts i submitted is postmodern satire. Which maybe means I kinda really have no control over what I write or what ends up 'working', cause I wanted to write the opposite of that.

[3feetofsnow]

3 hours ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

I write a lot about childhood and growing up, queerness, disability, the limitations and consequences of scientific/technological advancement, intergenerational relationships and inherited trauma, and I love to insert one speculative/supernatural/fantastical element into an otherwise naturalistic setting to see how it shakes out.

[AngusWanderer]

3 hours ago, Tomatotomato53 said:

How come you posted it as fiction on the draft spreadsheet..?

Good question! As I've said in my original post, I'm not on draft☺️ 

 

[GoldenTree]

6 hours ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

I would say spirituality, my own crisis with hope, ecological & capitalism concerns, trauma, disability, and the inclusion of fairytale elements be it thematically or through these ideas of the imaginary journey if that makes sense to anyone. 

Edited February 18 by GoldenTree

[Renrenrenren]

Hey all! I’m new here, applying for MFA in creative write at 11 places. I’ve received my first rejection(JHU), yay, and am begin the stress segment of my journey lol. I keep seeing comments in the thread about the draft spreadsheet that you can see acceptances and things of the sort— is there some sort of access to that?? Not that finding out early if I’m rejected would be helpful, but it might be slightly alleviating to the pain of waiting (forgive my dramatization, I just would like to know!!!!) 

[GoldenTree]

1 minute ago, Renrenrenren said:

Hey all! I’m new here, applying for MFA in creative write at 11 places. I’ve received my first rejection(JHU), yay, and am begin the stress segment of my journey lol. I keep seeing comments in the thread about the draft spreadsheet that you can see acceptances and things of the sort— is there some sort of access to that?? Not that finding out early if I’m rejected would be helpful, but it might be slightly alleviating to the pain of waiting (forgive my dramatization, I just would like to know!!!!) 

Hi and welcome!

To access the draft spread sheet yourself you'd have to join MFA Draft 2024 on Facebook. It might take you a couple weeks to get accepted into the group though. I'm not on draft, I've been relying on people's mentioning which probably isn't the best but it works for me. In the meantime, if you're curious about a specific school you could always scroll through the thread or ask about a specific school on the thread. Hopefully that somewhat helps  

[saramsarang]

6 hours ago, writernity said:

Fun Weekend Question for everyone: what are your favorite topics/themes to write about?

I like to write a lot of stories about queer identity, different forms of love, deep dives into the psychology of fear and grief, death, dreams, and existentialism!

Grief is a theme that bleeds heavily in my work, it just happens even when I don't intend for it. Otherwise the themes I write about are rooted in South Asian women and culture, family dynamics, queerness and just a little bit of hope in that grief. Mostly I write about whatever, for me stories tend to be more character driven than plot driven, so I jump a lot through themes. For a long time I thought I was going to be writing in the romance genre but I ended up writing this speculative fiction/ magical realism piece for the mfa apps and it really surprised me and broadened my horizons! It's been super interesting to read everyone's answers and it's pretty cool to see so many different approaches and themes. Everyone here is super cool honestly, pretty honoured to be in the same cycle as all of you. 

[sheherazade11]

Does anyone know when the Stegner Fellowship starts sending out notifications?

[catacatacat]

So, one person on here says they were accepted for NYU poetry, and one person says they were contacted for NYU fiction, and there are no reports of any NYU anything anywhere else...?

[Hjanep]

1 hour ago, sheherazade11 said:

Does anyone know when the Stegner Fellowship starts sending out notifications?

In past years it’s been March 7thish 

[sheherazade11]

8 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

In past years it’s been March 7thish 

Thanks!

[saramsarang]

1 hour ago, catacatacat said:

So, one person on here says they were accepted for NYU poetry, and one person says they were contacted for NYU fiction, and there are no reports of any NYU anything anywhere else...?

Thing is NYU starts with the highest funding package. So it's possible that each of the candidates in each genre have gotten the highest funding and the rest are yet to follow spread out through the upcoming weeks. Admittedly, it is very early for NYU, even with the funding package because they've tended towards March and April for decisions in the last couple of years. But each year is different so I wouldn't completely discount the current reports. At this point, all we can do it wait and watch. 

[Reduwanul Hoque]

Yesterday, I reached out to the director of creative writing at USF to inquire about the status of my application after noticing several acceptances and waitlist notifications on draft. She said "We will have final decisions by April 16. I'm sorry for the long delay!" Although I anticipate a rejection, is it still possible to hold onto some hope?

[jadedoptimist]

I just googled the Stegner fellowship for the first time after hearing about it enough times to suggest that it's the most sought after ones.  Wow! If I don't get into an Mfa, I'm definitely applying to that...