2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[lemmmein]

23 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

I feel silly goofy even asking this but has anyone worked with an MFA consultant or something similar during the app process? I'm pretty skeptical about that kind of thing but now that I'm thinking about next year I can kinda see the value in having someone help with the SOP in particular (I feel like that may have been the weakest part of my application; it's at least the part I put the least effort into😬). Idk, just fishing for thoughts. 

I took a fiction workshop with a grad of the program I'm going to, and then I took another "MFA prep" workshop with her too! Her advice/reading of all my materials/the rec letter she was able to write having worked with me twice was absolutely invaluable.

[pananoprodigy]

17 hours ago, jka0124 said:

*waves* @Scribe already mentioned me (thank you!) but I can tell you what I’ve got coming up. If anyone feels weird about me talking about what I’ve got going on, sorry! I can delete.

1) I’m holding a masterclass via Cleaver Magazine on applying to MFAs.

2) I’m also holding a six-week summer class specifically for people reapplying in fiction. Several of my students last year got into Iowa, Michigan, Vanderbilt, etc.

3) I also do consultations on a sliding scale. Cleaver set the price of the masterclass, but I generally take a “pay what you can” approach for everything else, down to doing it for free. I’m just trying to get everyone into grad school 😂

Tysm, this is so helpful! I’m reapplying for fiction, so the summer class sounds like it would be perfect!

[decayingballads21]

Yall I feel like I’m going crazy. Has this week been super quiet or is it just me??? Anyone know why it’s been so quiet??? 😩😩😩

[sunnysequoia]

15 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

Yall I feel like I’m going crazy. Has this week been super quiet or is it just me??? Anyone know why it’s been so quiet??? 😩😩😩

I think most decisions have come out at this point and now it's just the waiting game for all the waitlists 🫠🫠🫠

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, sunnysequoia said:

I think most decisions have come out at this point and now it's just the waiting game for all the waitlists 🫠🫠🫠

I know at least six final decisions aren’t out. It’s super frustrating. They are likely all rejections as their acceptances went out quite some time ago. #justhitsend. 

[jka0124]

9 hours ago, trenchywrench said:

do you have a website/place i can look into this summer class, and is it online? even if i go where i think i may be going this year, i’ll still want to apply for transfer in the 2025 cycle and i would love to look into your seminar.

 

8 hours ago, nataliezimm said:

Also wondering this, I’d definitely love to apply for the summer class! 

 

3 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

Tysm, this is so helpful! I’m reapplying for fiction, so the summer class sounds like it would be perfect!

Hope y’all don’t mind I’m replying to you three at once!

My website is www.jesilfa.com Signups for the class start May 1st and you can sign up now to be notified. The form is here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PO4yGUqHyg6JJodpdR98Y_R85AiR6Tu5dt2L3SyrvAg/edit 

I do it this way so that people have a breather after 4/15 and make sure they want to take the class. 

[pananoprodigy]

Yeah soooo quiet this week. I’m STILL waiting for my Iowa and U of Oregon rejections. Humanely euthanize me already jeez 

[RobbieWrites]

I got waitlisted at Columbia for fiction yesterday and didn't get into NYU. Anyone else hear from the CU waitlist? Who has accepted their offers yet for any of their schools? Or are most waiting until April 15 deadline?

[OctopusCactus]

8 hours ago, RobbieWrites said:

I got waitlisted at Columbia for fiction yesterday and didn't get into NYU. Anyone else hear from the CU waitlist? Who has accepted their offers yet for any of their schools? Or are most waiting until April 15 deadline?

Someone in their MFA program told me that Columbia has a good amount of waitlist movement every year, in part because a decent number of people who get in sadly cannot swing the program with the funding they get offered. So if that's your #1 don't lose hope! Columbia's admitted students event is next week, and they're still in the process of scheduling admitted students' class visits and calls with current students. There will probably be some movement after those events take place.

[loveintrastevere]

 I'm incredibly grateful for an offer I received from Wichita St., they have a 3 year program, offered me full funding with a stipend. The program is very interesting due to the fact the GTA's actually lead the classes they teach, as in they are not the assistant, they are the lone teacher. Kind of spooky, but extremely interesting. Also, I love the faculty, and the way the curriculum is structured.

I was offered the spot about a month back and have since been holding out my acceptance since I'm waiting to hear back from other schools. At this point, the only remaining I'd consider are Houston, Rutgers, Oregon, and Boise st., but that is only if I get full funding.

Wichita reached out to me the other day asking if I was still interested in attending, I assured them I am. Would you recommend I accept the offer from Wichita now? Or should I wait it out just to allow the process to run its course?      (I'm most likely attending Wichita due to my interest in the program and the fit regardless, but a part of me feels like I should wait until I know the answer from every school)

Thoughts?  

Thanks.

[Jane Wyman]

Anybody have intel on LSU or UNCG? They're the last two schools I'm waiting to hear from ...

[ssuunn]

18 minutes ago, loveintrastevere said:

Wichita reached out to me the other day asking if I was still interested in attending, I assured them I am. Would you recommend I accept the offer from Wichita now? Or should I wait it out just to allow the process to run its course?      (I'm most likely attending Wichita due to my interest in the program and the fit regardless, but a part of me feels like I should wait until I know the answer from every school)

That is totally up to you. The deadline is April 15 (unless stated otherwise) so you are fully within your rights to wait until then to make your final decision. I wouldn't worry about it looking bad or anything!

[trenchywrench]

1 hour ago, Jane Wyman said:

Anybody have intel on LSU or UNCG? They're the last two schools I'm waiting to hear from ...

i’m still waiting on LSU as well.

got my official Rutgers (Camden) rejection today. they said they “read my application with great interest,” but that seems like part of the generic letter. i honestly didn’t expect them to get back to me this soon. LSU should notify before the end of March, according to their site.

[prufrock_]

4 hours ago, Jane Wyman said:

Anybody have intel on LSU or UNCG? They're the last two schools I'm waiting to hear from ...

from what i can tell, acceptances and waitlists are out for LSU, starting early march. I applied and am counting it as a soft decline at the moment.

[Jackedup]

Hey guys,

I have been accepted to NYU with a half-scholarship (the least amount of funding possible for accepted students) and I'm not sure I can attend without a better funding package. I applied to four schools (Iowa, Michigan, NYU, Johns Hopkins) and have only been accepted at NYU. Is it possible that more funding could come up before the deadline? Does anybody know of students whose funding packages were revised?  Thanks a lot for the help. 

[infiniteplane]

hi everyone,

is it generally really frowned upon to renege on an acceptance? i'm sort of in a terrible position because i didn't fill out a financial aid application in time, and now the school may not get back to me before the reply date about whether or not i'll be given funding, so i'll have to make a decision without knowing 🥲 i know it certainly looks bad to go back on an offer, but like, bad enough that i wouldn't get in if i applied next cycle? would appreciate any insight on this!

[Scribe]

just to be a dick...

When is it okay to ask a university to refund your application fee? I mean you paid to have your application reviewed. If you don't receive a rejection by April 15, how do we know they even looked at it?

(BTW, anyone heard from UF yet?)

[Scribe]

16 hours ago, RobbieWrites said:

I got waitlisted at Columbia for fiction yesterday and didn't get into NYU. Anyone else hear from the CU waitlist? Who has accepted their offers yet for any of their schools? Or are most waiting until April 15 deadline?

 I don't know where you live currently but...

quoting this from Draft:

 

I’m going to say it. It’s almost $90,000 a year. Then you have to live in NYC. If you don’t have a solid plan to pay for it, think long and hard. And remember there’s more than one chance in life. If your writing is such that you were waitlisted out of as many as 1200 people, you can be confident that the next round will be no more a long shot than this one. Your writing will only get better. AND you ALREADY know more about the process than you did a few months back.

I want you to be where you want to be. I do NOT want to shit on your tomatoes. But I want you happy in both the long and short term. And the medium term. All the terms. But this is a huge move. Be good to yourself.

I have a home, family, available work,a small passive income stream, a gainfully employed spouse, and huge support system right here in NYC.

I turned down Columbia.

I believe in the program or I wouldn’t have applied. But there’s more to life and education than the brass ring. Or what you think is the brass ring.

YOU are the brass ring.

 

 

[trenchywrench]

16 hours ago, Jackedup said:

Hey guys,

I have been accepted to NYU with a half-scholarship (the least amount of funding possible for accepted students) and I'm not sure I can attend without a better funding package. I applied to four schools (Iowa, Michigan, NYU, Johns Hopkins) and have only been accepted at NYU. Is it possible that more funding could come up before the deadline? Does anybody know of students whose funding packages were revised?  Thanks a lot for the help. 

i'm a fellow NYU prospect with the same problem, albeit to a different degree. i'm from the waitlist. so my odds of getting sufficient funding to attend are substantially lower than yours, as what'll happen is that some accepted NYU applicants with the larger scholarship/stipend packages will probably decline their offers and then those packages will go to people with lower offers who asked for more funding. but it'll move in a linear fashion, as a trickle-down. you got the 50% scholarship out of the gate, which means you're lower on their list of accepted students, but

1. you still got in, and

2. there's no way of finding out exactly where you are on NYU's priority list of half-scholarship acceptances, or who they might choose to fund better to balance out the cohort when someone they wanted a lot declines their offer to go to Brown or Iowa or something. so,

you could very well be at the top of them. in which case getting a better package around that April 15th deadline is actually rather likely. you could also be in the middle, or at the very very bottom of that section of the potential cohort, or anywhere in between.

which is sort of a crappy answer, i know. just know your odds are much higher than zero. they are also better than mine. i already think it's pretty likely i may be going to a different program this year. but i'll still apply for transfer next year, just in case. i'm unwilling to put myself into debt for the amount of half the NYU M.F.A., no matter how prestigious it is.

Edited March 23 by trenchywrench

[Gradapp2024]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:54 AM, jka0124 said:

No, the issue is that people who are applying and new to the group were giving bad advice. The MFA app process is pretty unique (for better or worse). If you (general “you”) haven’t had a successful season or been in draft for 2+ years, you may be unknowingly spreading misinformation, especially since there isn’t a way to designate in the comments who’s a vet. It has nothing to do with opinion and people are free to post and comment.

As for draft, there are always people entitled af. And there are always people who are not ready to apply to programs and do anyway. This particular year has been an anxious, uninformed bunch. I say that with love. But I think we’re seeing some real post-pandemic…I don’t even know if “jitters” is the right word. But we as a nation haven’t really addressed most of us are traumatized so I’m not really surprised to see it manifest in places like these. I see it in my students too. 

I agree with most of what you say here. I think this fairly well articulated view is a Birds Eye rendering of what people are experiencing to a point in the cycle. Let’s not oversimplify though. People are entitled at all levels - the newbie to the “vet”. There’s no imaginary boundary of “greatness” that exists anywhere. When we believe one person is right - without question - we probably enter dangerous territory. That said, I don’t think that’s what you’re suggesting. However, my point was more a nod toward the censorship by the Draft in some ways (which - whatever it’s a moderators group - and the over “caring” that people use as an excuse to do so. Trust but verify sure. But maybe, just maybe, people aren’t as “I need to tell my story to the world” as others. That doesn’t mean they have less value. Or that they are wrong in their experience or even advice. 

In the end, the issue may include people giving “troll” or poorly founded advice - but who is the bellwether for that? You? Me? What I am saying is that MFA Draft or any forum that allows people to speak needs to right the ship if the endeavor is to proclaim help and get out of their own heads. 😂

This isn’t some vendetta against any particular group. There is some solid, solid advice anywhere if you look. But it is an observation that warrants a call out so to speak about the inherent inequality in some places that propose equality. Just takes a little less defensiveness to see it.
 

peace ✌️ 

[Gradapp2024]

On 3/17/2024 at 7:24 AM, trenchywrench said:

i don’t have Facebook but my fiancée does and she was also a part of the 2024 cycle. her circumstances are extremely different from mine as she’s entitled money from a legal resolution to attend whatever MFA program she wants, regardless of the cost, so she will be starting at a low-residency of her choice this summer. i told her about Draft and hadn’t realized she joined it until she started showing me some of the comments people replied with on her posts. i was astonished by the arrogance—one individual essentially admitted to thinking they were entitled to admission to one of the top programs in the country just because one of their recommenders worked at that same school and in that same department. fucking wild.

I had three recommenders from top school and didn’t get in to that top school. lol. But several others accepted me. Go figure. It’s a wacky world out there for sure. I think each individuals experience is a good one in the end because it helps reframe what needs reframing, and gives direction regardless of outcome. To suggest otherwise is sus in my opinion as one person. 
 

it’s a chaotic and interesting experience though. Hmmmm I wonder if this now makes me a vet and worthy of everyone listening to me. Doubtful. 😂😂😂

[Gradapp2024]

On 3/22/2024 at 9:08 AM, loveintrastevere said:

 I'm incredibly grateful for an offer I received from Wichita St., they have a 3 year program, offered me full funding with a stipend. The program is very interesting due to the fact the GTA's actually lead the classes they teach, as in they are not the assistant, they are the lone teacher. Kind of spooky, but extremely interesting. Also, I love the faculty, and the way the curriculum is structured.

I was offered the spot about a month back and have since been holding out my acceptance since I'm waiting to hear back from other schools. At this point, the only remaining I'd consider are Houston, Rutgers, Oregon, and Boise st., but that is only if I get full funding.

Wichita reached out to me the other day asking if I was still interested in attending, I assured them I am. Would you recommend I accept the offer from Wichita now? Or should I wait it out just to allow the process to run its course?      (I'm most likely attending Wichita due to my interest in the program and the fit regardless, but a part of me feels like I should wait until I know the answer from every school)

Thoughts?  

Thanks.

Honestly? First congrats! Second yes. I personally would take the offer if I felt it was right. By doing so you create movement for others. We are all in this together - and others are waiting on your spot etc etc. If that makes sense. I make my early ish decision based on that criteria. I felt I was def leaning one direction and decided so I can also allow movement on other waitlists etc.  Best of luck!

[darr1]

On 3/22/2024 at 12:08 PM, loveintrastevere said:

 I'm incredibly grateful for an offer I received from Wichita St., they have a 3 year program, offered me full funding with a stipend. The program is very interesting due to the fact the GTA's actually lead the classes they teach, as in they are not the assistant, they are the lone teacher. Kind of spooky, but extremely interesting. Also, I love the faculty, and the way the curriculum is structured.

I was offered the spot about a month back and have since been holding out my acceptance since I'm waiting to hear back from other schools. At this point, the only remaining I'd consider are Houston, Rutgers, Oregon, and Boise st., but that is only if I get full funding.

Wichita reached out to me the other day asking if I was still interested in attending, I assured them I am. Would you recommend I accept the offer from Wichita now? Or should I wait it out just to allow the process to run its course?      (I'm most likely attending Wichita due to my interest in the program and the fit regardless, but a part of me feels like I should wait until I know the answer from every school)

Thoughts?  

Thanks.

If there’s a chance that funding from another school could change your decision, then you have every right to take as much time as you need. This is an enormous life choice and you need to do what is best for yourself!

 

edit: aren’t the other schools you listed all fully funded anyways?

Edited March 23 by darr1

[Scribe]

It's official:

1. waitlists are moving

2. there is rampant substance abuse among MFA program selection committees.

I'm accepted at NWP.

 

[ssuunn]

Congrats, @Scribe!

In terms of waitlists moving... I don't think their waitlists have even been finalized, but I plan to decline my offer from the University of Houston tomorrow. So, if someone gets in for poetry, thank me later!