writernity Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, ssuunn said: I've been thinking a lot about this phenomenon: when a few people get into almost every school they applied to... Last year I think there was a poet who got into like 8 fully-funded top tier programs. Good writing is good writing objectively, sure, (and I'm sure they're brilliant), but it seems kinda alarming that 8+ different adcoms thought the same thing by admitting that person. To me, that's a sort of omen to these programs that hints that they don't really have things in particular that they're looking for, and I can't stop feeling like that sort of erases all the unique things all of us bring to the table. Thoughts? There are the people who get into 8 top tier programs, but then there are also the people who get rejected from everywhere, even safety schools, except one top tier program. As the others have said, sometimes a writer hits the nail on the writing zeitgeist, and sometimes it might have to do with a banger SOP filled with accolades and the perfect grad student spirit. We can speculate all we want, but there's no way to really know for sure what's going on behind the scenes (though it certainly is interesting to think about, it's not worth worrying over invisible standards) 49 minutes ago, AngusWanderer said: More news on the NYU front: I have been offered the Wiley Birkhofer Fellowship (if I'm not mistaken). It does come with a substantial stipend. I'm over the moon right now! They did say that they made the call early, and it can still be weeks before the whole process is complete. I am praying for everyone applying to the program! I have also been rejected by Mississippi over the weekend😅 CONGRATS on the NYU fellowship!! 🎉🎉 That's awesome news!! And thanks for letting us know the timeline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebup Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) Not any updates just a quick rant and question. I have been anxiety ridden since the year started. It was nice that my first response was an acceptance from my safety program, but, so far, it's the only program that's accepted me out of the 5 that have gotten back to me. I'm getting more nervous because the program that accepted me isn't fully funded. I was talking to my best friend who's a med student and she asked me if I would attend the program if it was 90% funded, to which I immediately responded with, no. She looked at me like I was insane but I tried to explain how the first rule of MFA Hunger Games is to not pay a dollar for the MFA, or atleast that's what I've gathered (first year applicant here). I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? Edited February 20 by bumblebup Writerishlife and triciadawn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messindistress Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 slowly being driven paranoid as i countlessly refresh my status portals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3feetofsnow Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, ssuunn said: I've been thinking a lot about this phenomenon: when a few people get into almost every school they applied to... Last year I think there was a poet who got into like 8 fully-funded top tier programs. Good writing is good writing objectively, sure, (and I'm sure they're brilliant), but it seems kinda alarming that 8+ different adcoms thought the same thing by admitting that person. To me, that's a sort of omen to these programs that hints that they don't really have things in particular that they're looking for, and I can't stop feeling like that sort of erases all the unique things all of us bring to the table. Thoughts? I think numbers-wise it could have just been an extreme outlier, especially since the same thing doesn’t appear to be happening this year. Maybe that person really was just that good, haha (or that unique, where they could round out basically any program). They also might have tailored their application to each school. But yeah, I do think at the end of the day most schools are looking at the writing above anything, even if they do have particular things they favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadedoptimist Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 5 minutes ago, bumblebup said: Not any updates just a quick rant. I have been anxiety ridden since the year started. It was nice that my first response was an acceptance from my safety program, but, so far, its the only program that's accepted me out of the 5 that have gotten back to me. I'm getting more nervous because the program that accepted me isn't fully funded. I was talking to my best friend who's applying med student and she asked me if I would go, if it was 90% funded to which I immediately responded with, no. She looked at me like I was insane but I tried to explain how the first rule of MFA Hunger Games is to not pay a dollar for the MFA, or atlas that's what I've gathered (first year applicant here). I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? Nope. I refuse to take out loans because I know I'd never be able to pay them back. I thought I had applied to all fully funded programs but turns out my one 'A' so far is completely unfunded. I'm going to decline the offer soon unless by the grace of God they offer me funding. I think it's smart not to take out loans. However, if you have the savings to cover the 10%, that might be a different story. SisterRimbaud, Chex, bumblebup and 2 others 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, AngusWanderer said: More news on the NYU front: I have been offered the Wiley Birkhofer Fellowship (if I'm not mistaken). It does come with a substantial stipend. I'm over the moon right now! They did say that they made the call early, and it can still be weeks before the whole process is complete. I am praying for everyone applying to the program! I have also been rejected by Mississippi over the weekend😅 Amazing. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebup Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 9 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said: Nope. I refuse to take out loans because I know I'd never be able to pay them back. I thought I had applied to all fully funded programs but turns out my one 'A' so far is completely unfunded. I'm going to decline the offer soon unless by the grace of God they offer me funding. I think it's smart not to take out loans. However, if you have the savings to cover the 10%, that might be a different story. Yeah looks like we're in the same boat. I can't afford to take out any loans and I thought I applied to all fully funded programs as well. Of course my 1A was like, we don't offer full merit scholarships anymore, sorry! Lol, fingers crossed for the rest of my responses and yours, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pomelo Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) 32 minutes ago, bumblebup said: I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? I applied to one program that isn’t fully funded (Sarah Lawrence) because I like the program and wanted to give at least one NYC school a shot (SLC is not in the city proper but I’ve been told that many students live in the city and commute to campus). I didn’t apply to NYU, Columbia, and the New School because they’re not fully funded. I wanted to though. But I graduated from college debt free (need-based scholarship. I was a FGLI student) and I would like to continue being debt free. I applied to one third party scholarship and was rejected but if I’d applied to more than one non-fully funded program, I probably would have looked for more scholarships to keep costs as low as possible. I’d (begrudgingly) pay the 10% of tuition and fees only if I had to and really really wanted to attend the program. And only if the program’s location has a low COL. Everyone’s situation is different. I’ve read that fully funded programs are great but they’re not perfect, students still have to work hard, pinch pennies, and make sacrifices to afford to live. Edited February 20 by pomelo triciadawn and bumblebup 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 31 minutes ago, bumblebup said: Not any updates just a quick rant and question. I have been anxiety ridden since the year started. It was nice that my first response was an acceptance from my safety program, but, so far, it's the only program that's accepted me out of the 5 that have gotten back to me. I'm getting more nervous because the program that accepted me isn't fully funded. I was talking to my best friend who's a med student and she asked me if I would attend the program if it was 90% funded, to which I immediately responded with, no. She looked at me like I was insane but I tried to explain how the first rule of MFA Hunger Games is to not pay a dollar for the MFA, or atleast that's what I've gathered (first year applicant here). I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadedoptimist Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Michigan is notifying. Hold onto your hats and socks, folks. SisterRimbaud and messindistress 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsbeensnowing Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 7 minutes ago, bumblebup said: Not any updates just a quick rant and question. I have been anxiety ridden since the year started. It was nice that my first response was an acceptance from my safety program, but, so far, it's the only program that's accepted me out of the 5 that have gotten back to me. I'm getting more nervous because the program that accepted me isn't fully funded. I was talking to my best friend who's a med student and she asked me if I would attend the program if it was 90% funded, to which I immediately responded with, no. She looked at me like I was insane but I tried to explain how the first rule of MFA Hunger Games is to not pay a dollar for the MFA, or atleast that's what I've gathered (first year applicant here). I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? I'd personally definitely attend a program that's 90% funded. The "don't pay anything out of pocket" is a solid rule since MFAs don't have the same tangible return on investment as other degrees and you'd rather focus on writing during the program than have to do a lot of outside work just to pay for it (let alone keep up with living expenses), but there's still an intrinsic value to a master's degree that'd be worth the 10% to me. Nobody should put themselves in a debt hole for an MFA, that's for sure. So it does depend on one's own financials and post-degree plans. Also, some programs are more diploma-mill-y than others, obviously I wouldn't pay any amount for a program I don't believe in. Last cycle, I only applied to fully funded programs, because I figured it just wouldn't be worthwhile otherwise. Not just financially, but because I shouldn't go down this path if I'm not a good enough writer to get into one of these programs. But, idk, I have a computer science degree and was able to keep the costs down for that, so it wouldn't be so bad to turn the tables and pay for a not-so-useful degree. I think this past year of relative aimlessness has me a little more desperate. I still ended up applying mostly to fully funded programs again this time around, but I wanted to give myself more leeway. (I think two of mine aren't fully funded, and I'd be happy to get into either. Not that they're really any more likely than the others.) bumblebup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasmidge Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 48 minutes ago, bumblebup said: Not any updates just a quick rant and question. I have been anxiety ridden since the year started. It was nice that my first response was an acceptance from my safety program, but, so far, it's the only program that's accepted me out of the 5 that have gotten back to me. I'm getting more nervous because the program that accepted me isn't fully funded. I was talking to my best friend who's a med student and she asked me if I would attend the program if it was 90% funded, to which I immediately responded with, no. She looked at me like I was insane but I tried to explain how the first rule of MFA Hunger Games is to not pay a dollar for the MFA, or atleast that's what I've gathered (first year applicant here). I guess I'm posing the question to you all, would you pay any amount out of pocket for this degree? I would want it to be as close to fully funded as possible. Given my job, I qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and believe it or not - my loans from my undergrad and MPA are actually going to be forgiven later this year. I do enjoy my work (I'm a transportation planner) so if I do have to get loans again, I'll just put them through PSLF. However, I know that this is a bit of a special situation. bumblebup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadedoptimist Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 16 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said: Michigan is notifying. Hold onto your hats and socks, folks. Well, that's that. Looks like acceptances and waitlists for both fiction and poetry went out, based on Draft. Oof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brdiget Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Umich waitlist for poetry!!! Email says "As a matter of policy we don't give out numerical positions." LOL fair enough prufrock_, sunnysequoia, cashewgirl and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashewgirl Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Oof is right... Happened fast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostinthegraveyard Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Hi all, I've seen on Draft that people are hearing from Michener Center, specifically for Fiction... does anyone know if different concentrations hear at different times, or is it all in one? Just trying to figure out if I should start assuming rejection, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpuddle1 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 5 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said: Well, that's that. Looks like acceptances and waitlists for both fiction and poetry went out, based on Draft. Oof. I thought UMICH accepted nine in each genre? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadedoptimist Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 4 minutes ago, mudpuddle1 said: I thought UMICH accepted nine in each genre? Yes that's right! There def aren't 18 posts or spreadsheet entries but I'm assuming there are many people who were accepted/waitlisted who aren't on Draft. I could be wrong and there could be more coming! mudpuddle1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfernalDesireMachines Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Lurker for a while, finally joined. As stands now: (0a/0w/4r/6p) with two further presumed rejections (Oregon and Michigan). Still waiting on Syracuse, Iowa, Brown, and UVA, but assuming this year is a wash. My first rejection was the closest I had to a "safety" (Kansas). Telling myself this means I just need to work harder for the next year. Read more, write more, get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prufrock_ Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) Sorry to all in the wave of rejections from university of Michigan! And grats to any A's and W's! It is a great looking program. I didn't apply as they asked for 'several stories (about 30 pages)' but I only had 20 pages I was confident in (two stories). I thought it was odd they asked for so much! Edited February 20 by prufrock_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingUnderABigRock Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 Looking for a final bit of hopium. Is there any reason why emails for acceptances wouldn't all go out at the same time? like maybe they do some personalization? IDK. its over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perfectloop Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 15 hours ago, perfectloop said: Hello! Is anyone still waiting on Virginia Tech? I applied there, JHU, and Michigan — seems like they gave acceptances/waitlists last year across a range of dates in Feb… For fiction btw! Bump/assuming a Michigan rejection 😕 triciadawn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadedoptimist Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 18 minutes ago, cashewgirl said: Oof is right... Happened fast... I'm numb. lol 2 minutes ago, LivingUnderABigRock said: Looking for a final bit of hopium. Is there any reason why emails for acceptances wouldn't all go out at the same time? like maybe they do some personalization? IDK. its over. Haha I think we can have hopium until the end of today. then its truly over 2 minutes ago, perfectloop said: Bump/assuming a Michigan rejection 😕 I'm waiting on Vtech too but there are some early Draft responses, so I'm not optimistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjooeeyy Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) . Edited February 20 by jjooeeyy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triciadawn Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I officially left MFA Draft. Happy for everyone but obsessively comparing myself to everyone as results pour in isn't helping my mental health. 🙃 jka0124, Rixor, bluebikeyikes and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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