2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[prufrock_]

Just now, girlgenius said:

do we think NWP notifications went out on the same day as Michener? apparently last year they did, but haven't seen any NWP movement on here or Draft.....both of my UT portals still say In Review gah

I'm going to say no out of pure copium.

[jadedoptimist]

22 minutes ago, triciadawn said:

Someone should honestly make a documentary about us lol. 

Me, imagining a documentary not about inchoate writers but instead about frequenters of grad café. Possibly not what you had in mind, but I want it

[Chex]

8 minutes ago, girlgenius said:

do we think NWP notifications went out on the same day as Michener? apparently last year they did, but haven't seen any NWP movement on here or Draft.....both of my UT portals still say In Review gah

 

8 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

I'm going to say no out of pure copium.

Yeah lol I don't think they've gone out. No one has reported acceptances, waitlists, or rejections, whereas we've heard those re Michener. 

[prufrock_]

1 minute ago, jadedoptimist said:

Me, imagining a documentary not about inchoate writers but instead about frequenters of grad café. Possibly not what you had in mind, but I want it

David Attenborough voice over: Here we see the anxious writer, a creature of frayed nerves and jittery anticipation. It subsists on stale coffee, expired snacks, and the faintest glimmer of hope.

The air bristles with false promise. Days blur, punctuated by obsessive email checks and muttered pleas to unseen literary forces. Sanity frays. Should a sacrifice be made? An old rejection letter burned as an offering, perhaps?

And then... a chime. The pivotal moment. The anxious writer freezes. Will this be the sound of triumph, or the final, echoing note of defeat?

But alas, it is neither. The writer deletes yet another spam e-mail, wondering how they never noticed so many newsletters before.

For this one, the wait continues.

 

[jadedoptimist]

Just now, prufrock_ said:

David Attenborough voice over: Here we see the anxious writer, a creature of frayed nerves and jittery anticipation. It subsists on stale coffee, expired snacks, and the faintest glimmer of hope.

The air bristles with false promise. Days blur, punctuated by obsessive email checks and muttered pleas to unseen literary forces. Sanity frays. Should a sacrifice be made? An old rejection letter burned as an offering, perhaps?

And then... a chime. The pivotal moment. The anxious writer freezes. Will this be the sound of triumph, or the final, echoing note of defeat?

But alas, it is neither. The writer deletes yet another spam e-mail, wondering how they never noticed so many newsletters before.

For this one, the wait continues.

 

AHHHH I WAS HOPING A FICTION WRITER WOULD HOP ON THIS AND GIVE US A SNIPPET

sorry for yelling. this is great. I relate to this. I too freeze at the sound of an email. I too .. subsist on stale snacks...

i literally have had a protein bar and a frozen breakfast burrito today. but it had little specks of pepper in it. so actually, I'm thriving

The wait continues.

[cashewgirl]

Has anyone replied to UTK's waitlist email and gotten a reply back? I sent a simple email: thanking them for the waitlist, inquiring if it was ranked and letting them know I'm still interested etc. I did the same thing for 2 other waitlists and heard back from those schools within a day. I find it a little worrying they haven't replied after 2 days...

[lychees]

I just received my first acceptance from Colorado State for nonfiction with a fellowship offer, which was one of my dream programs! I am trembling as I type this and I genuinely gasped out loud when I saw the email. I'm sending all of this good luck out to all of you — I hope amazing things come everyone's ways soon! 

[jadedoptimist]

30 minutes ago, Chex said:

 

Yeah lol I don't think they've gone out. No one has reported acceptances, waitlists, or rejections, whereas we've heard those re Michener. 

For those who applied to NWP, an acceptance just appeared in the sheet!

[cowboifairy]

received my first acceptance to the University of New Mexico!! feeling so beyond excited and hoping all the best to you all <3. I have a bit of a silly question for those of you balancing waitlists/acceptances/pending applications. How do you all respond to acceptances/thank them for their consideration without immediately accepting the offer? There are some more schools I want to hear from before locking in anywhere, so advice would be super appreciated! Wishing you all some calmness and good news in the coming days in the meantime!

[Rixor]

5 minutes ago, cowboifairy said:

received my first acceptance to the University of New Mexico!! feeling so beyond excited and hoping all the best to you all <3. I have a bit of a silly question for those of you balancing waitlists/acceptances/pending applications. How do you all respond to acceptances/thank them for their consideration without immediately accepting the offer? There are some more schools I want to hear from before locking in anywhere, so advice would be super appreciated! Wishing you all some calmness and good news in the coming days in the meantime!

I've just been saying, "Thank you so much for this incredible news! I am so excited about possibly attending X University." And then follow up with some questions or more gratitutde. No need to say anything like, "I am so happy that I will be attending here." 

[cowboifairy]

3 minutes ago, Rixor said:

I've just been saying, "Thank you so much for this incredible news! I am so excited about possibly attending X University." And then follow up with some questions or more gratitutde. No need to say anything like, "I am so happy that I will be attending here." 

Thanks so much! Getting too nervous to write even simple emails myself nowadays...

[3feetofsnow]

Another USC acceptance just went out to a fiction applicant so it looks like they’re doing a slow rollout and there’s still a possibility that mine is coming, and a definite possibility of making the wait list… here’s hoping!

[jadedoptimist]

19 minutes ago, cowboifairy said:

Thanks so much! Getting too nervous to write even simple emails myself nowadays...

okay but this is a mood. I read my "thanks for the waitlist!" emails out loud to my mom, lol.

Edited February 23 by jadedoptimist

[cowboifairy]

11 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said:

okay but this is a mood. I read my "thanks for the waitlist!" emails out loud to my mom, lol.

The amount of typos in my thank yous to my recommenders was genuinely mortifying to look back on lmao

[BlueJayBird]

45 minutes ago, cowboifairy said:

received my first acceptance to the University of New Mexico!! feeling so beyond excited and hoping all the best to you all <3. I have a bit of a silly question for those of you balancing waitlists/acceptances/pending applications. How do you all respond to acceptances/thank them for their consideration without immediately accepting the offer? There are some more schools I want to hear from before locking in anywhere, so advice would be super appreciated! Wishing you all some calmness and good news in the coming days in the meantime!

Congrats!!!! Similar to what Rixor said, thank them and express your excitement about being admitted. If they gave you a date by which you have to reply, I'd end with "I will be sure to reply with my formal acceptance of my place in the program by (date)" (this communicates your enthusiasm without making a formal commitment yet and it avoids the awkward "I'm still waiting to hear back from other places" line). Or, if they didn't give you a date, ask "By what date do you need my formal acceptance of my place in the program?"

Hope that's helpful! Excited for you!!!

Edited February 23 by BlueJayBird
typo

[Chex]

1 hour ago, jadedoptimist said:

For those who applied to NWP, an acceptance just appeared in the sheet!

Oh wow... 

[CLCH]

Do you guys know, does Iowa send out rejections only by mail or do they notify you online as well?

[Hjanep]

6 minutes ago, CLCH said:

Do you guys know, does Iowa send out rejections only by mail or do they notify you online as well?

Looking at previous years, it seems like they update the portal when they send out your rejection?

[jadedoptimist]

2 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

Looking at previous years, it seems like they update the portal when they send out your rejection?

I thought it was all snail mail for rejections, idk.

[chocolateoranges]

Hi everyone! This is my first time actually participating in the forum despite obsessively checking/reading it daily. 

At the moment it feels like I am destined to just keep racking up rejections, and if I consider the schools that haven't notified but most likely are 'r's since they've given out acceptances/interviews to others, then i'm over halfway through my applications, and all have been bad news (BU, JHU, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame). This makes 0a/0w/5r/4p. At this point in the whole process having more rejections than any signs of getting in, I'm starting to feel like it's not even worth checking my email anymore... My other schools are Iowa (of course, I couldn't help myself), UVA, U of Maryland, and Brown. I just feel like these schools are all the same caliber as those that have already rejected me, so why would they accept me if the others didn't?

I hate to be so pessimistic and cynical about it, it makes me feel so gross and unlike myself in general. I've been trying to snap out of it, focus on all my plan B options instead since i'm psyching myself out, but does anyone have an honest/realistic opinion about the chances at this stage for people in this position? Does anyone have any advice or insight on this feeling to stop from spiraling? I know that many people apply multiple times for MFAs, and this is only my first time where I only applied to fully funded, very competitive programs, so it's not shocking in the least to get rejected across the board--but, I just kind of want to know if I should stop the self torture of even thinking I still have a chance, or if that's a bad attitude (likely! lol) and I should hold out hope? 

Thanks to all for being here & offering your unknowing support to me these past few weeks ☺️

[jadedoptimist]

IWW called someone on Draft just now!

[darr1]

2 minutes ago, chocolateoranges said:

Hi everyone! This is my first time actually participating in the forum despite obsessively checking/reading it daily. 

At the moment it feels like I am destined to just keep racking up rejections, and if I consider the schools that haven't notified but most likely are 'r's since they've given out acceptances/interviews to others, then i'm over halfway through my applications, and all have been bad news (BU, JHU, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame). This makes 0a/0w/5r/4p. At this point in the whole process having more rejections than any signs of getting in, I'm starting to feel like it's not even worth checking my email anymore... My other schools are Iowa (of course, I couldn't help myself), UVA, U of Maryland, and Brown. I just feel like these schools are all the same caliber as those that have already rejected me, so why would they accept me if the others didn't?

I hate to be so pessimistic and cynical about it, it makes me feel so gross and unlike myself in general. I've been trying to snap out of it, focus on all my plan B options instead since i'm psyching myself out, but does anyone have an honest/realistic opinion about the chances at this stage for people in this position? Does anyone have any advice or insight on this feeling to stop from spiraling? I know that many people apply multiple times for MFAs, and this is only my first time where I only applied to fully funded, very competitive programs, so it's not shocking in the least to get rejected across the board--but, I just kind of want to know if I should stop the self torture of even thinking I still have a chance, or if that's a bad attitude (likely! lol) and I should hold out hope? 

Thanks to all for being here & offering your unknowing support to me these past few weeks ☺️

I’m in a similar situation (first time applying, all rejections with one waitlist so far), and it’s v hard not to just write it all off, but it helps me to remember that when 700 people apply for 12 spots, that doesn’t imply a pool of 688 bad writers in addition to those 12 awesome ones. Plus every year it looks like many people get into one great school and get a rejection from another equally great school.

[foundress of nothing]

9 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said:

IWW called someone on Draft just now!

it sounds like everyone who was accepted (domestically at least, for fiction) got voicemails on Tuesday already 😭

[pelicant]

Has anyone heard from FSU? I saw there was a rejection up here and mine updated yesterday to say: “Your application has been reviewed by your academic department and a recommendation has been made to the Graduate Admissions Office.”

Not sure if that is good news or could easily mean recommended for rejection! Waiting is killing me since now it’s almost the weekend!

[jadedoptimist]

3 minutes ago, foundress of nothing said:

it sounds like everyone who was accepted (domestically at least, for fiction) got voicemails on Tuesday already 😭

Yeah, this is making me feel like poetry will for sure be coming out next week... I'm sweating

Edited February 23 by jadedoptimist