2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[OctopusCactus]

17 hours ago, justasmidge said:

I'm wondering if maybe they forgot to give me the award in the first place? It just seems weird that they would accept me again after I declined. I wrote to the grad admissions staff asking if they could explain what happened because it is a little disappointing that, because of the lack of funding, I decided that I wasn't going to entertain the accepted students events...but if I knew I had funding, it would have been a different story. 

They didn't forget, schools just hold some funds in reserve to negotiate with. First offer does not equal final/best offer. I know multiple people who have successfully negotiated better funding for MFAs, and having a fully funded offer in your pocket is a great point of negotiating leverage! 

[alwriting]

On 3/26/2024 at 8:23 PM, itsbeensnowing said:

Anyone know wtf is going on with Southern Illinois University? Guessing not a lot of people here applied there but I haven't seen any acceptances on the results page. It's getting quite late for any program to still not even have their first wave of acceptances out. But maybe they do and it just doesn't include anybody on this site. (I'm not on facebook, so if there's been any word there, let me know.)

Also, any intel on waitlist movement for Urbana-Champaign? (Or if they're getting close to finalizing their slots?) Dunno if I should be waiting on them.

Anyways, less than three weeks until the big decision day. Hang in there, everyone!

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. Wanted to offer some info on this (and some other schools if that's helpful to anyone). Just accepted an offer at IU for fiction and am consequently turning down an offer from SIU (they emailed me with an offer on Tuesday 3/26) & University of Arkansas (I know a while back some people were wondering about Arkansas). Best of luck, everyone! I've been very grateful for the info/community in this forum.

[pananoprodigy]

From university of Oregon: 
 

“Thank you for reaching out! The Creative Writing department has let us know that they will be sending out their final decisions in mid-April. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any updates on individual applications until that time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.“

Mid April when acceptances when out in January is crazy 

[ssuunn]

52 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

From university of Oregon: 
 

“Thank you for reaching out! The Creative Writing department has let us know that they will be sending out their final decisions in mid-April. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any updates on individual applications until that time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.“

Mid April when acceptances when out in January is crazy 

Not disagreeing, but the usual creative writing program director is on sabbatical, so a professor from a different department had to step in as the interim-director. That might have something to do with it, unfortunately. 

[ssuunn]

1 hour ago, alwriting said:

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. Wanted to offer some info on this (and some other schools if that's helpful to anyone). Just accepted an offer at IU for fiction and am consequently turning down an offer from SIU (they emailed me with an offer on Tuesday 3/26) & University of Arkansas (I know a while back some people were wondering about Arkansas). Best of luck, everyone! I've been very grateful for the info/community in this forum.

Congrats! If you have questions about Bloomington, feel free to DM.
Good luck finding housing! My landlord asked me if I was going to renew for August 2024 on January 2 this year.

[prufrock_]

1 hour ago, alwriting said:

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. Wanted to offer some info on this (and some other schools if that's helpful to anyone). Just accepted an offer at IU for fiction and am consequently turning down an offer from SIU (they emailed me with an offer on Tuesday 3/26) & University of Arkansas (I know a while back some people were wondering about Arkansas). Best of luck, everyone! I've been very grateful for the info/community in this forum.

Congrats, and thanks for letting us know!

The Ark waitlist seems rather large, so good luck yall!

[Sumire11]

On 3/26/2024 at 7:37 PM, triciadawn said:

4 hours ago, alwriting said:

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. Wanted to offer some info on this (and some other schools if that's helpful to anyone). Just accepted an offer at IU for fiction and am consequently turning down an offer from SIU (they emailed me with an offer on Tuesday 3/26) & University of Arkansas (I know a while back some people were wondering about Arkansas). Best of luck, everyone! I've been very grateful for the info/community in this forum.

 

Hello @alwriting

Just to clarify, the Ark one was an offer for Fiction yes? 

[alwriting]

45 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

Hello @alwriting

Just to clarify, the Ark one was an offer for Fiction yes? 

Yes, fiction!

[sunstitch]

On 2/28/2024 at 11:48 AM, airlinefood_enjoyer said:

hiiiii i got waitlisted too! Wishing you the best of luck. I would love to go there, but it isn't my definitive top choice. I'm waitlisted at 2 other places, and have 5 more pending that I hope might turn into an a or another w. 

I recall in the email reaching out about interviews, the director said there was a shortlist of 10 prose writers. I know they admit a cohort of 4. I'm guessing the waitlist is the 6 of us who got an interview but didn't get an initial acceptance offer. I may be a writer but I can do some math too 😏

I haven't heard anything back from Notre Dame yet. Not even a rejection. Any idea what this means? If they're going to reject me I'd like to know now so I can move on with a different school. But I also applied for both poetry and prose so I wonder if that somehow made things more difficult for me and the admissions process.

[snowonthedesert]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to decide between NYU and Columbia for poetry. Are there any significant issues with Columbia's program other than the lack of funding?

[airlinefood_enjoyer]

21 hours ago, sunstitch said:

I haven't heard anything back from Notre Dame yet. Not even a rejection. Any idea what this means? If they're going to reject me I'd like to know now so I can move on with a different school. But I also applied for both poetry and prose so I wonder if that somehow made things more difficult for me and the admissions process.

Hi hi

Just a disclaimer, take anything I say with a grain of salt. I think there's at least one person posting on here who didn't get an interview but got waitlisted, so I'm just going off my best guess. I haven't heard anything since my waitlist update in late February. I got notified via portal update rather than a personal email. 

My gut tells me if you haven't heard anything it's a soft rejection. With any of these applications I suppose it's never truly over until you get that official rejection, but I wouldn't count on anything from ND if you haven't heard from them yet. 

[twoolspun]

10 hours ago, snowonthedesert said:

Hi everyone, I'm trying to decide between NYU and Columbia for poetry. Are there any significant issues with Columbia's program other than the lack of funding?

First time poster, long-time lurker! Thought I could interject here.

I had a good friend go to NYU and another go to Columbia, and at the end of the day both are good programs but I think NYU takes the bait. From what I heard, the faculty at Columbia had clear favorites since the student groups are so big, but it is apparently better for making friends since there are so many people you can connect with. My friend said he wasn't the favorite so sometimes it was difficult to get as extensive feedback, but still said he liked it because of his community.

But even though NYU has a smaller group, the mentorship seems better at NYU. My friend's thesis professor was Ocean Vuong which was crazy. But also that's a lucky year, with big poets coming in. You also (I think) get more opportunities to share work on a bigger stage (like scheduled readings and stuff). 

So basically, Columbia is great for writing at your own speed and forming your own connections. NYU is great for closer shaping from the faculty and has more opportunities to learn from really stellar people. You've probably heard this a million times, but at this point, I would pick where the funding is. 

[LivingUnderABigRock]

20 hours ago, airlinefood_enjoyer said:

Hi hi

Just a disclaimer, take anything I say with a grain of salt. I think there's at least one person posting on here who didn't get an interview but got waitlisted, so I'm just going off my best guess. I haven't heard anything since my waitlist update in late February. I got notified via portal update rather than a personal email. 

My gut tells me if you haven't heard anything it's a soft rejection. With any of these applications I suppose it's never truly over until you get that official rejection, but I wouldn't count on anything from ND if you haven't heard from them yet. 

 

I've seen no reported rejections from Notre Dame yet. Likely meaning they haven't pushed them out, I crossed it off my list a long time ago but I guess there's always a chance!

 

Edit: Looks like last year they didn't send rejections till the end of April, but it does look like someone got a waitlist around that time as well. Who knows!

Edited April 1 by LivingUnderABigRock
more info

[pananoprodigy]

Is anyone still waiting for their fiction rejection from Iowa? 

[Sumire11]

With D-Day approaching, wanted to get this off my chest. 

This was my first cycle appplying (5r, 1w, 0p) but like a lot of you, I've been writing and submitting for a long time now. In fact, over the years, I've had approximately 200 submissions, and while I was able to publish a couple pieces here and there, most of them ended up as rejections. I have this one story that I am very proud of (I used it as a part of my portfolio) and while it got favourable reviews so far (it made a longlists and were finalists for publications) all of them turned to rejections. Story of my life. Everything's attainable. Everything's impossible.

This cycle, it has been the same story. I got waitlisted at my top choice (Arkansas) but with D-Day approaching, I'm not sure I will be able to make it off the list. I actually emailed the coordinators two weeka ago to hopefully get a status update, but it has been radio silence from them ever since the initial email. For context, I'm an international student, and with visa complications and such, time is of the essence. Furthermore, while I hate my current job, I do need to properly commit to it in the coming weeks, which means I might have to take another hiatus from writing. As such, I'd love nothing more than some news about Arkansas, as a lot of major, upcoming life decisions depend on this. 

Could anyone share when is the latest people have made it off the waitliat at Arkansas? Also, in case we don't make it, are we notified? Honestly, I'd just like to be put out of my misery at this moment.

Edited April 1 by Sumire11

[darr1]

Has anyone heard any updates at all regarding the Iowa waitlists??

[justasmidge]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:01 AM, OctopusCactus said:

They didn't forget, schools just hold some funds in reserve to negotiate with. First offer does not equal final/best offer. I know multiple people who have successfully negotiated better funding for MFAs, and having a fully funded offer in your pocket is a great point of negotiating leverage! 

You are right - they told me that they were waiting for my FAFSA info to come in before they awarded funding.

Let this be a lesson not to get down on yourself if you don't get a funding offer immediately. I honestly thought, despite my other acceptances, that I wasn't good enough because I didn't get funding at first, when really, it turns out it was a matter of paperwork.

[jadedoptimist]

Just wanted to pop in and say hi as the season winds down and we get closer to the 15th. I'm so thankful for the support of this community when I was stressing hard in February! I've officially accepted my offer from Brown 

I'll be back checking in next year for sure to see how people from this cycle who chose to reapply are doing, to try to pay the support forward! If anyone wants feedback on their personal statement or sample this summer (poetry) I would be more than happy to correspond, just message me! Love y'all!

[darr1]

1 hour ago, jadedoptimist said:

Just wanted to pop in and say hi as the season winds down and we get closer to the 15th. I'm so thankful for the support of this community when I was stressing hard in February! I've officially accepted my offer from Brown 

I'll be back checking in next year for sure to see how people from this cycle who chose to reapply are doing, to try to pay the support forward! If anyone wants feedback on their personal statement or sample this summer (poetry) I would be more than happy to correspond, just message me! Love y'all!

I have friends who went there for undergrad and said the faculty are SO amazing. Congratulations!!

[decayingballads21]

If anyone is on the waitlist at Oregon state for nonfiction and doesn’t plan on attending pls let them know asap!!! im crossing all my fingers and toes that I can get in, it’s my dream school  😭😭

 

standing in solidarity with all those still on waitlists and sending lots of love and good vibes to you all!!!🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[waitlistpurgatory]

Hello! I was recently notified that a school's waitlist has officially closed. I appreciated them emailing me rather than making me wait until April 15th. I was going to email back just to say that I appreciated the follow up, but I was also wondering if I could potentially ask for feedback.

I figured there wasn't a risk in asking (even if they, most likely, say no) but now I'm second guessing whether I should do that in case it comes off as unprofessional or needy/desperate, idk. I keep going back and forth on this but was wondering if other people have asked in the past and how that's worked out or if there's a general convention that you shouldn't ask or it's pointless to ask since they will say no. Thank you for any insight!!

[prufrock_]

23 minutes ago, waitlistpurgatory said:

Hello! I was recently notified that a school's waitlist has officially closed. I appreciated them emailing me rather than making me wait until April 15th. I was going to email back just to say that I appreciated the follow up, but I was also wondering if I could potentially ask for feedback.

I figured there wasn't a risk in asking (even if they, most likely, say no) but now I'm second guessing whether I should do that in case it comes off as unprofessional or needy/desperate, idk. I keep going back and forth on this but was wondering if other people have asked in the past and how that's worked out or if there's a general convention that you shouldn't ask or it's pointless to ask since they will say no. Thank you for any insight!!

Most schools say 'we can't give feedback on rejections' on their website. I suppose asking for feedback on a rejection from the waitlist is a bit different, but worth double checking their site to make sure they say not to even ask.

I'm not sure how much actionable advice you'd get other than 'you would have been accepted but xyz fit better for rounding out the cohort, try again next year.'

i'm just speculating though, if anyone else has more insight i'm also curious (since i'm on a few waitlists as well!).

[nothingnothing]

anyone from outside of NY thinking about going to a program in NY? how are you thinking through housing? anyone asking for more funding regarding this?

Got accepted to programs in two of the most expensive cities in the country, and though the funding is great the relocation is absurd.

[aurqcyei]

4 hours ago, waitlistpurgatory said:

Hello! I was recently notified that a school's waitlist has officially closed. I appreciated them emailing me rather than making me wait until April 15th. I was going to email back just to say that I appreciated the follow up, but I was also wondering if I could potentially ask for feedback.

I figured there wasn't a risk in asking (even if they, most likely, say no) but now I'm second guessing whether I should do that in case it comes off as unprofessional or needy/desperate, idk. I keep going back and forth on this but was wondering if other people have asked in the past and how that's worked out or if there's a general convention that you shouldn't ask or it's pointless to ask since they will say no. Thank you for any insight!!

Take this with a grain of salt since I'm a first time applicant, but I'm of the opinion that I don't think it'll hurt. Not professional or needy if you're polite and say that you understand if they can't, but obviously be prepared for a no or a 'balanced cohort' response like prufrock mentioned. Asking from the waitlist makes more sense than a rejection, IMO, especially if you're asking if there's anything that would have pushed your application over the edge. 

[twoolspun]

1 hour ago, nothingnothing said:

anyone from outside of NY thinking about going to a program in NY? how are you thinking through housing? anyone asking for more funding regarding this?

Got accepted to programs in two of the most expensive cities in the country, and though the funding is great the relocation is absurd.

If we're talking Columbia my friend went through their student housing (he moved from Tampa). Said it was straight-forward and affordable for what it is. It was in Morningside Heights/Manhattanvillea area. Don't know about NYU or other schools. What schools and genre are you looking at?