2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[airlinefood_enjoyer]

22 hours ago, itsbeensnowing said:

Because I'm still on a waitlist, every hour post-April 15 has been moving at an absolute snail's pace. I wish I could get constant play-by-play updates about everything going on behind the scenes lol

I ended up accepting the offer at uiuc-- but it wasn't clear whether or not they filled the other two spots yet

[itsbeensnowing]

5 minutes ago, airlinefood_enjoyer said:

I ended up accepting the offer at uiuc-- but it wasn't clear whether or not they filled the other two spots yet

Thank you for the info! Considering it's been a few days, I hope they'd have let me know by now if the cohort is locked, but you never know. If I don't hear anything by the end of the day tomorrow I might email. I'm mostly antsy because my current best plan would require a lot of preparation that I can't really begin until I'm fully committed, which I can't do with this waitlist hanging over me. 

[airlinefood_enjoyer]

4 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

Thank you for the info! Considering it's been a few days, I hope they'd have let me know by now if the cohort is locked, but you never know. If I don't hear anything by the end of the day tomorrow I might email. I'm mostly antsy because my current best plan would require a lot of preparation that I can't really begin until I'm fully committed, which I can't do with this waitlist hanging over me. 

the faculty and departmental staff have been very good about communication so far-- i didnt get the impression that this is one of those programs that kind of leaves waitlisters in the lurch even after everything has been decided. if youre anxious about your options im sure an email wouldnt hurt-- i was open about weighing two options on short notice and they were pretty accommodating 

good luck-- hope I get to see you in the fall

[ssuunn]

Just got an acceptance in poetry for Miami University (in Ohio). Turning down, but just writing here in case anyone was on the lookout for them!

[Scribe]

UTK - denied!

[torturedpoet]

hey guys hoping this thread isn’t entirely dead yet.

i have to renege an acceptance I made on Monday and I’m anxious about how to go about it. I know it’s frowned upon but it’s the best choice for me right now. The program isn’t a good fit and I have some other sudden circumstances that are making it necessary for me to stay home this year. What’s the best way to go about telling this school? I’m going to do it asap. 
 

I do plan to reapply next year. Is this going to affect my future apps? Idk if programs talk to each other and I'm worried this might negatively affect my future applications 😥 any info or advice is appreciated 

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, torturedpoet said:

hey guys hoping this thread isn’t entirely dead yet.

i have to renege an acceptance I made on Monday and I’m anxious about how to go about it. I know it’s frowned upon but it’s the best choice for me right now. The program isn’t a good fit and I have some other sudden circumstances that are making it necessary for me to stay home this year. What’s the best way to go about telling this school? I’m going to do it asap. 
 

I do plan to reapply next year. Is this going to affect my future apps? Idk if programs talk to each other and I'm worried this might negatively affect my future applications 😥 any info or advice is appreciated 

first question: genre? this is important. poet? fiction? creative nonfiction? ?

whatever you do, be careful.  i knew this one cat who died of being frowned upon. horrible death too. it took like 60 years.  it was a conspiracy. the fuckers who killed him are still at large.

I'm not sure it will affect your applications next year. i suppose you could be put on a double secret probation list that's shared by all the programs. Maybe your picture goes up on their radar "do not take checks from this person" style. yeah, that specific program might remember you - maybe. or  jurist may be on the committee of another school next year. 
But there's hundreds of programs out there.  i mean, are they really going to blacklist you? it's a crazy level of effort to put in. 
I do think you do it asap, which you are. And I think you make it personal, which it seems you are. I would not in any way indicate you got a better offer, which you wouldn't, but you may neglect to say you will be reapplying next year. do NOT neglect that. tell them you will be applying next year, this could not be helped, and you will not be attending another program. You should probably ask about a deferral  policy. it's almost certainly a "no" but just asking shows you want to attend and really regret not being able to. 

seriously, what genre? (Don't laugh at me. you could be a songwriter.)

 

Edited April 20 by Scribe

[Rixor]

12 hours ago, torturedpoet said:

hey guys hoping this thread isn’t entirely dead yet.

i have to renege an acceptance I made on Monday and I’m anxious about how to go about it. I know it’s frowned upon but it’s the best choice for me right now. The program isn’t a good fit and I have some other sudden circumstances that are making it necessary for me to stay home this year. What’s the best way to go about telling this school? I’m going to do it asap. 
 

I do plan to reapply next year. Is this going to affect my future apps? Idk if programs talk to each other and I'm worried this might negatively affect my future applications 😥 any info or advice is appreciated 

If you're staying home, I think they won't be upset.

I'd imagine programs get upset if you tell them "I'm 100% gonna go here!" and then turn around and go to a different 'better' school. That's frowned upon. But even in that scenario, you should really be doing what's best for you.

Nobody in their right mind will be meaningfully upset if you say something like, "I'm sorry to inform you at this stage, but sudden unfortunate circumstances have made it impossible for me to pursue an MFA program this year, and I will need to withdraw my admission(?) for this reason. I deeply appreciate the opportunity and acknowledgement you've granted me. I wish I could've accepted your offer of admission, and (you can white lie a bit) I would appreciate being considered again in a future admissions cycle." 

[duto]

Been randomly stalking on here for information for a while but haven't chimed in yet. Has anybody heard anything from USF? I know a couple people here were on the waitlist, but it seems like it's been crickets from them. I got a waitlist notification back in February and they said we'd be notified "by or shortly after April 15" but it's been a week now and no word. 

Also, has anybody gotten definitive rejections from UCR yet? I think I saw that a few people got accepted/waitlisted, so I wrote them off as a rejection, but their portal still says "Decision Pending," which is kind of infuriating.

This was my first year applying and got rejections from everywhere else. It'd be nice to get a definitive "No" from these last two schools so I can get on with my life and start thinking about what to do next year. 

[Scribe]

4 hours ago, duto said:

Been randomly stalking on here for information for a while but haven't chimed in yet. Has anybody heard anything from USF? I know a couple people here were on the waitlist, but it seems like it's been crickets from them. I got a waitlist notification back in February and they said we'd be notified "by or shortly after April 15" but it's been a week now and no word. 

Also, has anybody gotten definitive rejections from UCR yet? I think I saw that a few people got accepted/waitlisted, so I wrote them off as a rejection, but their portal still says "Decision Pending," which is kind of infuriating.

This was my first year applying and got rejections from everywhere else. It'd be nice to get a definitive "No" from these last two schools so I can get on with my life and start thinking about what to do next year. 

I'm in the same place with UCR, it's ridiculous. They're the last school I'm waiting on just to close the book, ya know?

As for USF, I posted here last Friday (the 12th) that as of that date NO ONE had accepted OR declined an offer. I was contacted just in case on Monday (the 15th), they had no cohort. By Tuesday they sent an email to what I had presumed were the remaining (I took myself off during the call) wailtisters, "Are you still interested in and available for the USF MFA?". 

Since then at least one person off the waitlist, but maybe more, has accepted an offer. I say call and if there are still spaces remind them you were waitlisted.  I don't know why you didn't get that email. It seems to have gone out en masse. But it's also possible they're going in some kind of order. As far as i know, i'm the only one they cold called either Friday night or after. Now I'm wondering how many were on the waitlist and how many were given offers. I've seen three, five, and ten but I have no idea if any numbers are true. I suspect it's ten with 5 in poetry and 5 in prose. I think they have a CNF too. I know there were acceptance for both poetry and CNF before the 15th. 

Call and let us all know what's up. we don't know you but we're pulling for you. 

Edited April 20 by Scribe

[duto]

Well. That's disappointing.

[Scribe]

5 minutes ago, duto said:

Well. That's disappointing.

what happened??

i just revisited the draft thread and someone there SUSPECTS they're making offers one by one and giving each person a day to decide. 

[duto]

2 minutes ago, Scribe said:

what happened??

i just revisited the draft thread and someone there SUSPECTS they're making offers one by one and giving each person a day to decide. 

Oh, I was reacting to your previous reply. I just sent an email to the director of graduate studies, who had sent out the original waitlist email. I contacted him about a month ago to ask if they offered acceptances to the waitlisted people as spots became available or if they waited until a later date to reassess all at once (it was the former). Doubtful I'll hear back from him on a Saturday, but maybe there will be some news on Monday.

Thanks for the info in any case! And I guess we'll keep on the lookout for UCR rejections.

[Rixor]

I mentioned that USF completely ghosted me--no waitlist, no accept, no rejection, but my portal changed to "no active applications" and nobody responded to my email requesting info... Someone on Reddit who's at USF right now for their MFA told me, "I wouldn't completely count out USF because their admissions can be weird, someone in our program was admitted into the program in July. "

So... They're a wildcard, maybe? I've counted them out but maybe others shouldn't. Hope y'all hear back from UCR soon.

[duto]

July?!? That's bonkers.

I just logged into my portal again and it still says "Your application has been referred to the major for consideration," so I guess there's still hope.

I don't know what to make of UCR. Portal has said "Awaiting Decision" for months. I guess they're in the same boat as USF where they feel the need to hold off on sending out rejections in case they've still got spots left after the initial accepted and waitlisted candidates.

Thanks for the info in any event, though!

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, duto said:

July?!? That's bonkers.

I just logged into my portal again and it still says "Your application has been referred to the major for consideration," so I guess there's still hope.

I don't know what to make of UCR. Portal has said "Awaiting Decision" for months. I guess they're in the same boat as USF where they feel the need to hold off on sending out rejections in case they've still got spots left after the initial accepted and waitlisted candidates.

Thanks for the info in any event, though!

Yeah , except it looks like they’ve sent out acceptances and waitlists. So unless they’re planning on going to the folks they didn’t want in the first place, something is wrong. 
I’ve been saying for months now that there’s no excuse. Once you have your waitlist established it is stupid and wrong to not send out waitlists. What allows it is a mentality which makes the April 15 agreement necessary to begin with. This sort of thing should be addressed as well. The school that drags its feet may well find itself victim of the practice. 
is it not entirely possible, in fact likely, usf is in the position it is because they’re acceptees are in limbo somewhere else. Not everyone is here or on draft. Not everyone knows about the April 15 deadline. 
it’s a shitshow and no one benefits from pretending it isn’t. 

[Rixor]

Finally got my USF rejection email from John Lennon (holy shit!?). He said that they filled their cohort. At least, for fiction. 

[duto]

2 hours ago, Rixor said:

Finally got my USF rejection email from John Lennon (holy shit!?). He said that they filled their cohort. At least, for fiction. 

Same. That's about all she wrote except for the enduring silence from UCR.

[Scribe]

2 hours ago, Rixor said:

Finally got my USF rejection email from John Lennon (holy shit!?). He said that they filled their cohort. At least, for fiction. 

 

39 minutes ago, duto said:

Same. That's about all she wrote except for the enduring silence from UCR.

I'm glad they filled their cohort. 

And now for UCR. I know it's stupid, but i feel like this leg of the journey isn't over until I get it. maybe it's because I kept telling everyone to hang in until the end. That or I lived with so much anxiety for so long I don't know how to live without it. 

[RobbieWrites]

Is anyone holding onto a Columbia Fiction acceptance that they have no intention of attending? If so, I know someone (Me) who is eagerly trying to get off the waitlist and attend this fall <333 Hope everyone is getting into their dream schools!

[LivingUnderABigRock]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:18 PM, RobbieWrites said:

Is anyone holding onto a Columbia Fiction acceptance that they have no intention of attending? If so, I know someone (Me) who is eagerly trying to get off the waitlist and attend this fall <333 Hope everyone is getting into their dream schools!

I'm not sure how their waitlist works but I'll very likely be declining my spot as the financials just don't make sense for me, hopefully it means you'll get moved up! Congrats by the way!

[prufrock_]

One of my apps turned into an acceptance with funding! but after trying to do the math, I decided to turn it down. the stipend did not cover the cost of living in the area. Kind of surreal to turn down a funded opportunity, but i told myself i'd only do this if it meant no debt. Going into debt for rent is worse than going into debt for tuition considering interest rates.

I'm looking forward to applying next year. I'll only be submitting apps for very well funded schools, and if i don't get in, that's life. I hope to see some of ya'll next year here. And grats to ya'll who wont be here! This has been a fun experience of communal dread and excitement.

[Chex]

1 hour ago, prufrock_ said:

One of my apps turned into an acceptance with funding! but after trying to do the math, I decided to turn it down. the stipend did not cover the cost of living in the area. Kind of surreal to turn down a funded opportunity, but i told myself i'd only do this if it meant no debt. Going into debt for rent is worse than going into debt for tuition considering interest rates.

I'm looking forward to applying next year. I'll only be submitting apps for very well funded schools, and if i don't get in, that's life. I hope to see some of ya'll next year here. And grats to ya'll who wont be here! This has been a fun experience of communal dread and excitement.

Well done and welcome to the Association of Those Not Getting Into Debt for This. I turned down NYU. See you again next year! 🤝

[Hjanep]

1 hour ago, Chex said:

Well done and welcome to the Association of Those Not Getting Into Debt for This. I turned down NYU. See you again next year! 🤝

I think I’m right there with you. Just got off the NYU waitlist and saving money for another 1.5 years even at the job I hate sounds better than giving them a penny 

[Scribe]

7 hours ago, prufrock_ said:

One of my apps turned into an acceptance with funding! but after trying to do the math, I decided to turn it down. the stipend did not cover the cost of living in the area. Kind of surreal to turn down a funded opportunity, but i told myself i'd only do this if it meant no debt. Going into debt for rent is worse than going into debt for tuition considering interest rates.

I'm looking forward to applying next year. I'll only be submitting apps for very well funded schools, and if i don't get in, that's life. I hope to see some of ya'll next year here. And grats to ya'll who wont be here! This has been a fun experience of communal dread and excitement.

so I didn't know exactly how much (or little) funding many schools offered until I was accepted. occasionally someone on draft would post the offer and now that there's a separate sheet just for acceptances I'm learning a lot more. Look into teaching loads. some schools give funding but with heavier teaching loads, like 2:2. if they do, i don't know how much time is left to write. but if they don't!!! - there's time for a side gig. I don't want it but i will probably have to at some point. consider everything. if you're in class 3-4 hours a week, teaching and grading paper for another 20 (they can't possibly think they're going to get that out of me) studying and writing for classwork another 6, and workshopping and writing another X? (I suddenly have a new question for the group), then there might be a few hours a week available to tutor some high school snot or drive an uber or some other make-your-own hours thing. 

do not count out a great program solely because you might have to do part time or summers. 

there were women on draft openly discussing sex work. There's always a way.