2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Renrenrenren]

5 minutes ago, writernity said:

Got my rejection from Pittsburgh! Knew it was coming since I didn't get an interview. Congrats to anyone who's been accepted/waitlisted!

me too! Was that the most vague email or what? I read it like 10 times because it didn’t even have anything about being rejected or not going with me, just, “thanks for considering us, it’s competitive”. Sooo wonky lol

[Elle18]

Also just got my official rejection from Pitt which i knew was coming but still upsetting 😭 it was my top program so now I’m basically rethinking my entire life and decision to take this year to reapply to these programs 

[Rixor]

15 minutes ago, electricstardust said:

what is the protocol for letting schools know you don’t plan on attending? i’ve been fortunate enough to get 3 acceptances, one of which I am pretty certain I won’t be attending for various reasons. i’d like to let them know soon so someone else can get off the WL, but what do i say? is it rude to say no this early? should i let them know it just comes down to time/finances? also, i have a lot of experience with law school apps, and in that realm, it’s common advice that you don’t turn any offers down until you’ve heard back from all your schools. is there any reason why i would want to wait and see before i decline an offer? 

Congrats on the acceptances!!

It is definitely not rude. It's helpful to do it as early as possible so they can sort out the waitlist stuff. 

I don't see why it would hurt you if you knew 100% that you didn't want to attend. There's a tiny chance that both of your other two acceptances could be cancelled or something, but I doubt it's worth fretting over. 

Time/finances might be a good "out." I would probably just thank them profusely and let them know that a different program suited your situation better, and that you wanted to notify as soon as possible for their convenience. 

[lychees]

Here to join the rejection from Pitt club! To be honest, I only feel relief — thank god I can cross one more university off my list and move onto the next. Congratulations to everyone who's gotten acceptances or waitlists, I'm thrilled for all of you!  

[blondebrunette_29]

I am officially at my tipping point -- 4 rejections, 4 pending 😕 very nervous for what will come my way in the next few weeks

[prufrock_]

3 minutes ago, blondebrunette_29 said:

I am officially at my tipping point -- 4 rejections, 4 pending 😕 very nervous for what will come my way in the next few weeks

I'm sorry to hear it. I ran into the 'more rejections than pending, no acceptances or waitlists' wall yesterday and it hit me hard. I hope the best for you!

[writernity]

1 hour ago, Renrenrenren said:

me too! Was that the most vague email or what? I read it like 10 times because it didn’t even have anything about being rejected or not going with me, just, “thanks for considering us, it’s competitive”. Sooo wonky lol

Yes lol!!! The actual rejection notice is in the attached file which feels so unnecessary if they're just sending the same thing to everyone anyway 🤣

[writercl]

I asked this a little while ago and got a few responses, but are any of y'all applying to UH (University of Houston) & does the program have a good reputation? I know the PhD program is more known, but I wonder if the MFA program is good as well- 

Also, congrats to everyone who has gotten acceptances and waitlists so far 😇 & for the people who have only received rejections (like myself with 2 rejections), keep being encouraged! The right school will find you, whether it is this time around, or the next ❤️

[sunnysequoia]

I didn't get an interview at Pittsburgh and I've been waitlisted. I'm absolutely shocked. Can a school actually reject me now?????? This is too many waitlists to handle 😂😂😂

@DanielNiver Congrats on the Pittsburgh acceptance, and all your acceptances for that matter!!! We have quite a bit of overlap and I've been wondering, who is this nonfiction writer with nearly a dozen acceptances and waitlists?!?!?! 😂😂😂 Ohio State and Pittsburgh are also some of my top choices LOL

Edited February 28 by sunnysequoia

[decayingballads21]

28 minutes ago, sunnysequoia said:

I didn't get an interview at Pittsburgh and I've been waitlisted. I'm absolutely shocked. Can a school actually reject me now?????? This is too many waitlists to handle 😂😂😂

@DanielNiver Congrats on the Pittsburgh acceptance, and all your acceptances for that matter!!! We have quite a bit of overlap and I've been wondering, who is this nonfiction writer with nearly a dozen acceptances and waitlists?!?!?! 😂😂😂 Ohio State and Pittsburgh are also some of my top choices LOL

Omg sunny I’ve been thinking the same thing LOL! Go Daniel! And I’ve also been waitlisted at Pittsburgh! On three waitlists rn so I feel your pain haha. Crossing my fingers for both of us! 
 

What schools are you still waiting to hear from?

[BlueJayBird]

16 hours ago, electricstardust said:

look up the council of grad schools april 15 resolution and see if the school is listed. if they are, then i believe they have to give you until april 15

The April 15 Resolution only applies to offers of financial aid, not offers of admission. It's really lame that that's the case  but the worst that happens if you back out of an acceptance of admission is that you forfeit whatever enrollment deposit they ask you to pay (which, for some schools, may indeed be significant).

Edited February 28 by BlueJayBird
addition of relevant info

[electricstardust]

1 hour ago, Rixor said:

Congrats on the acceptances!!

It is definitely not rude. It's helpful to do it as early as possible so they can sort out the waitlist stuff. 

I don't see why it would hurt you if you knew 100% that you didn't want to attend. There's a tiny chance that both of your other two acceptances could be cancelled or something, but I doubt it's worth fretting over. 

Time/finances might be a good "out." I would probably just thank them profusely and let them know that a different program suited your situation better, and that you wanted to notify as soon as possible for their convenience. 

thank you!! and thank you for the response! the school did even say they’d like to know as soon as possible haha, i just feel bad/sad turning them down lol

3 minutes ago, BlueJayBird said:

The April 15 Resolution only applies to offers of financial aid, not offers of admission. It's really lame that that's the case 

oh wow i had no idea, my bad! that is really lame :/

[orangee]

Got my UT Austin rejections last night--New Writers' Project and Michener. Not gonna lie, y'all, the NWP one stings like a mfer. I was waitlisted last year and had high (perhaps too high) hopes for getting in this year. I was straight-up fantasizing about my poetryful life in Austin. Alas...

OK, sad wallowy monologue over. Congratulations to all who have been accepted to UT Austin! It's a great, lively city (from what I remember) and the faculty seem fantastic.

Edited February 28 by orangee

[jka0124]

24 minutes ago, BlueJayBird said:

The April 15 Resolution only applies to offers of financial aid, not offers of admission. It's really lame that that's the case  but the worst that happens if you back out of an acceptance of admission is that you forfeit whatever enrollment deposit they ask you to pay (which, for some schools, may indeed be significant).

To clarify, “The April 15 resolution is an agreement among the signatory graduate schools to provide applicants until April 15 to consider offers of admission that also include financial support.”

So it only includes programs that have signed and have offered you support, but it does include admission itself.

Some schools haven’t signed (like Colorado State, unfortunately) and other schools have but the MFA programs don’t have to abide if they haven’t offered you support (like if you got into Columbia and they told you to take out loans lol). 

April 15 is such an iconic date that I would ask any program, signatory or not, if they would honor that timeline. Politely, of course.

 

[jka0124]

2 hours ago, electricstardust said:

what is the protocol for letting schools know you don’t plan on attending? i’ve been fortunate enough to get 3 acceptances, one of which I am pretty certain I won’t be attending for various reasons. i’d like to let them know soon so someone else can get off the WL, but what do i say? is it rude to say no this early? should i let them know it just comes down to time/finances? also, i have a lot of experience with law school apps, and in that realm, it’s common advice that you don’t turn any offers down until you’ve heard back from all your schools. is there any reason why i would want to wait and see before i decline an offer? 

If you know you wouldn’t attend a school no matter what, it’s fine to cut them loose. I had to do it a few times and my template was essentially, 

“Dear [Contact],

Thank you for the careful consideration of my work. Unfortunately, after weighing my options, I don’t think [program name] is the right place for me. It is a wonderful program and I wish you and the incoming cohort the best of luck.”

Or something like that. If I had more of a connection with folks, I’d sprinkle in something more personal maybe. But for most, it was just this basic thing. Everyone replied with a basic good luck; some asked to let them know where I ended up (mostly so they could argue for resources from the university). 

[Scribe]

5 hours ago, lychees said:

Thank you (and @Scribe) for the advice, I really appreciate it! Unfortunately Colorado State isn't listed there — I guess I'm wondering if it's a social faux pas to email and formally request an extension if they aren't listed? Or if I can expect to even receive an extension even if CSU isn't part of the resolution? 

this is for all the marbles. act like it. ask. I wouldn't wait either, if you are going to ask for more time, give the courtesy of giving them time to decide and get back to you. and don't be afraid to mention that's what you're doing. simply explain that you have a lot of balls in the air right now and there are work, family, and other dynamics at play and some more time would be appreciated. 

4 hours ago, lastnightagain said:

Hope everyone is well today. Has anyone heard of any acceptances from UNC-Wilmington this cycle?

They were on my list so i'm interested to know about their funding offer. let us know when you hear. 

[Scribe]

3 hours ago, blondebrunette_29 said:

I am officially at my tipping point -- 4 rejections, 4 pending 😕 very nervous for what will come my way in the next few weeks

 

3 hours ago, prufrock_ said:

I'm sorry to hear it. I ran into the 'more rejections than pending, no acceptances or waitlists' wall yesterday and it hit me hard. I hope the best for you!

Let me tell you and everyone else thinking like this something you already know, this is not how math works. after this is all over, you can write all your acceptances, rejections, and waitlists on index cards, shuffle them, and get a different order - or the opposite order - or the same order. what if all your acceptances came first - then you sat back happy waiting for michner, michigan, iowa, vandy, and jhu? would you presume you'd be getting in? no, of course not. 

this is a variation on the gambler's fallacy. each event is unrelated. 

those thinking about whether to cut schools loose early (before they accept another offer or have more, or are holding out for a waitlist rather than say yes somewhere) should think about this too. not only is it still early, as long as you have one pending app, it's on the table. 

when you know, you know. THEN you sign the form and decline the other offers and waitlists or call sour grapes. until then, play to the buzzer. 

 

 

Edited February 28 by Scribe

[Scribe]

AND 

A

NOTHER 

THING!

most people who apply to MFA programs this year will get in nowhere. if you get in anywhere, or are even waitlisted, it's a pretty good show.

if you are rejected everywhere, then next year go hard in the paint, play to the buzzer, and leave it all on the floor. 

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

That includes the pursuit of instruction. 

[jbs]

Anyone have any info on VCU's program? I am "quite high" on the waitlist. 

[Scribe]

Rutgers is apparently sending out interview requests. Of course, it’s one of the schools where my recommender failed me. 

[ssuunn]

Just FYI, GradCafe keeps trying to download a virus exe every time I load the forum. I think they keep getting hacked. Be safe!

[Chex]

NYU's funding offer is shit, LOL. They're offering half tuition scholarship. Absolutely not! God, I hope this is not the only acceptance I get. 😭

[Scribe]

1 minute ago, Chex said:

NYU's funding offer is shit, LOL. They're offering half tuition scholarship. Absolutely not! God, I hope this is not the only acceptance I get. 😭

you can ask for more but i don't know how that works. i do know 50% leaves a lot to pay for. then there's the roof and food. 

[writernity]

Finally got a funding offer followup from Stony Brook! It's the 25% tuition + small stipend one some others here have gotten. The letter said this is "one of the highest offers our program is able to make" and they mentioned at the open house that they don't really offer full tuition to anyone anymore, so I'm not sure if they still offer the 50% funding TAship they advertise on the website or if this is what that one dropped to. I'm a little disappointed because I really like SB, but this might be too much for me to pay for unless I don't get any better offers and decide I really want to stick with it.

[decayingballads21]

I know waitlists are good but for some reason it feels like being a last minute choice to fill a spot rather than being someone they actually rly want in the program. My brain keeps coming to this negative conclusions about it. Can someone make me feel better about waitlist status 😭😭