2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Rixor]

Rejected at UW-Seattle for fiction. It be like that sometimes. 

[Scribe]

35 minutes ago, Rixor said:

Rejected at UW-Seattle for fiction. It be like that sometimes. 

As I said, waitlisted. Any idea what their stipend is?

 

[Rixor]

8 minutes ago, Scribe said:

As I said, waitlisted. Any idea what their stipend is?

 

It was apparently ~15,000 a year in 2016. Tight with the COL--hopefully it's been raised since then.  Congrats on the waitlist! 

[trenchywrench]

anyone else who applied at U of Maryland get an “Under Grad School Review” update after an “Under Program Review” for the rest of the duration of your waiting?

i gathered from their site that this means that the Creative Writing program has made a decision on my application for their Fall 2024 fiction cohort—that the decision just has to go through UMD’s Graduate Dean because that’s just how they do it there. but do *all* UMD applications work this way? the update is kind of driving me insane and i’d love more info from anyone who is applying/has applied to UMD lol

[Scribe]

15 minutes ago, Rixor said:

It was apparently ~15,000 a year in 2016. Tight with the COL--hopefully it's been raised since then.  Congrats on the waitlist! 

that's the data i have too. thanks. 

[JanShell]

24 minutes ago, Rixor said:

It was apparently ~15,000 a year in 2016. Tight with the COL--hopefully it's been raised since then.  Congrats on the waitlist! 

I was accepted for fiction last week! It has been raised substantially - currently just under $28k, but I was also informed that the grad student union is currently negotiating with the university administration, and that number is likely to go up substantially prior to the start of next year or the university will risk a strike. 

[Scribe]

19 minutes ago, JanShell said:

I was accepted for fiction last week! It has been raised substantially - currently just under $28k, but I was also informed that the grad student union is currently negotiating with the university administration, and that number is likely to go up substantially prior to the start of next year or the university will risk a strike. 

Congratulations! It seems a great program.

that's great intel, thanks. any mention of a housing guarantee?

[JanShell]

No, although I didn't ask much about that. I asked where most people in the program live, and they said off campus. That's what I'd likely do anyway, so I didn't really press the topic.

[Scribe]

4 minutes ago, JanShell said:

No, although I didn't ask much about that. I asked where most people in the program live, and they said off campus. That's what I'd likely do anyway, so I didn't really press the topic.

I hear you. the PNW is one of the more beautiful places on earth. enjoy it!

[triuvled]

Was also waitlisted for University of Washington! Accepted by Eastern Washington University, rejected by Oregon State, still waiting to hear back from University of Oregon.

[subsolar]

2 hours ago, trenchywrench said:

anyone else who applied at U of Maryland get an “Under Grad School Review” update after an “Under Program Review” for the rest of the duration of your waiting?

i gathered from their site that this means that the Creative Writing program has made a decision on my application for their Fall 2024 fiction cohort—that the decision just has to go through UMD’s Graduate Dean because that’s just how they do it there. but do *all* UMD applications work this way? the update is kind of driving me insane and i’d love more info from anyone who is applying/has applied to UMD lol

Hi, I'm not sure if this helps but I was informed of my waitlist on 3/8, and I just logged in right now and my status says "Under Program Review." 

[trenchywrench]

1 hour ago, subsolar said:

Hi, I'm not sure if this helps but I was informed of my waitlist on 3/8, and I just logged in right now and my status says "Under Program Review." 

hi, there!

yeah, this is a little informative! i’d infer that your application went back to the “Under Program Review” stage because the program has to recommend that you come off the waitlist and onto admit status to the school, in which case that decision would result in a brief “Under Grad School Review” again. i could be misunderstanding, but maybe *all* the applications go through that process? i’m wondering what’s going on for sure

[Fronkophone]

4 hours ago, trenchywrench said:

anyone else who applied at U of Maryland get an “Under Grad School Review” update after an “Under Program Review” for the rest of the duration of your waiting?

i gathered from their site that this means that the Creative Writing program has made a decision on my application for their Fall 2024 fiction cohort—that the decision just has to go through UMD’s Graduate Dean because that’s just how they do it there. but do *all* UMD applications work this way? the update is kind of driving me insane and i’d love more info from anyone who is applying/has applied to UMD lol

My application changed to “under grad school review” as well, so I at best I am assuming the decisions are about to come out. I am not sure how it works with them but I too am anxiously waiting to hear what they say.

[pomelo]

FINALLY got my damn rejection from UMass Amherst. Jesus. It’s on the application portal and, in revisiting it, I was reminded that I paid $85 to apply. Isn’t it interesting that I was able to get 5 fee waivers out of the 10 programs I applied to and the two that had the most no-fuss fee waiver request processes were the ones I received an acceptance from? (I’m not implying anything, just a coincidence lol).
 

I’m not bitter that I wasn’t accepted to 8 out of 10 programs, I’m just so annoyed by the ones that have a several days/weeks-long gap between releasing acceptances/waitlists and rejections. Why?? Just send all the decisions!! 

[airlinefood_enjoyer]

hey do all the amherst rejections encourage you to apply again next year? i'm trying to discern whether I should read it as legitimate encouragement or just an attempt to get another 85 dollars out of me if this year doesn't work out 😂

[mmmmmsc]

also breaking my silence after a very anxious month of lurking! Context: I live in nyc and I work here as a writer. I know nyu did acceptances, rejections, and waitlists for poetry and fiction in early feb through the last few weeks. But I simply cannot find word or confirmation (either on the forums or through my contacts) that anyone who applied to nonfiction heard back either way. so my question is: any intel on nyu nonfiction? anyone got in? rejected? waitlisted? I clearly have not heard back so I know it might not be the best news. but I wont know until I know! thanks!

[sunnysequoia]

3 hours ago, airlinefood_enjoyer said:

hey do all the amherst rejections encourage you to apply again next year? i'm trying to discern whether I should read it as legitimate encouragement or just an attempt to get another 85 dollars out of me if this year doesn't work out 😂

Yeah they said that in my letter too. Pretty sure it's just boilerplate language LOL.

2 hours ago, mmmmmsc said:

also breaking my silence after a very anxious month of lurking! Context: I live in nyc and I work here as a writer. I know nyu did acceptances, rejections, and waitlists for poetry and fiction in early feb through the last few weeks. But I simply cannot find word or confirmation (either on the forums or through my contacts) that anyone who applied to nonfiction heard back either way. so my question is: any intel on nyu nonfiction? anyone got in? rejected? waitlisted? I clearly have not heard back so I know it might not be the best news. but I wont know until I know! thanks!

There's 1 acceptance and 4 waitlists for NYU nonfiction on the MFA Draft Facebook group. Acceptances came out in late February, waitlists on March 7th. I've been assuming a rejection since I haven't heard back.

[DayOld711Pizza]

I haven't heard from UCI just yet but I'm seeing it as a soft rejection. 

I received a letter from Iowa with the standard "your manuscript was well-received" etc etc. It excited me very much last year when I received the same message verbatim but this year...eh. Just means I've become stagnant in my writing.

Time to keep practicing to get different results next application season  It'll be my fourth time applying, but every time I've been rejected I've learned something new about myself, and I don't believe I'll ever get anywhere with my writing until I've come to know who I truly am. 

Also, to those who are struggling this application round, I recommend the essay "On Self-Respect" by Joan Didion. It's a hell of a read.

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, DayOld711Pizza said:

I haven't heard from UCI just yet but I'm seeing it as a soft rejection. 

I received a letter from Iowa with the standard "your manuscript was well-received" etc etc. It excited me very much last year when I received the same message verbatim but this year...eh. Just means I've become stagnant in my writing.

Time to keep practicing to get different results next application season  It'll be my fourth time applying, but every time I've been rejected I've learned something new about myself, and I don't believe I'll ever get anywhere with my writing until I've come to know who I truly am. 

Also, to those who are struggling this application round, I recommend the essay "On Self-Respect" by Joan Didion. It's a hell of a read.

So, I won't say it's definitely a rejection, but I know two people are accepted from out of state and half the cohort must be from in state and the fiction cohort was five this year. I do not know if there are more in state acceptees on the poetry side or not. 

hope this helps. 

[trenchywrench]

17 hours ago, Fronkophone said:

My application changed to “under grad school review” as well, so I at best I am assuming the decisions are about to come out. I am not sure how it works with them but I too am anxiously waiting to hear what they say.

if you find out before me, would you be willing to let me know what the outcome is? i was hoping we’d find out today, but business hours went wooosh and i’ve seen UMD’s Grad School take 14+ days in some cases…i’m guessing this cycle of decisions might come out as late as the end of March. UMD is my last real chance to get out of waitlist limbo considering i’m only otherwise waiting on Rutgers (Camden) and they seem to have already done everything but rejections. so i acknowledge i’m being a weeny bit neurotic about the affair

[decayingballads21]

is there any likelihood of waitlist movement in the next few weeks, or is that all gonna only happen in April?

[sunnysequoia]

12 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

is there any likelihood of waitlist movement in the next few weeks, or is that all gonna only happen in April?

There's already been 2 reports (1 nonfiction, 1 fiction) on the Draft spreadsheet of people getting accepted off waitlists! So I think hopefully we'll see more movement very soon!  

[Scribe]

1 minute ago, sunnysequoia said:

There's already been 2 reports (1 nonfiction, 1 fiction) on the Draft spreadsheet of people getting accepted off waitlists! So I think hopefully we'll see more movement very soon!  

This. and there's more coming. 

[trenchywrench]

1 hour ago, decayingballads21 said:

is there any likelihood of waitlist movement in the next few weeks, or is that all gonna only happen in April?

some people already know where they want to go, got into their first choice school, and will probably decline other offers in a timely manner accordingly. so it’s certainly possible for waitlists to move in our favor before April. but i believe we’ll see the heaviest movement in late April/early May! especially given some people (like myself) may have to turn down offers from a waitlist (if we get them) due to insufficient funding. some waitlists are open up until the first day of classes at a program as well, so a few of us may even be contacted in the summertime.

Edited March 15, 2024 by trenchywrench

[Scribe]

10 minutes ago, trenchywrench said:

some people already know where they want to go, got into their first choice school, and will probably decline other offers in a timely manner accordingly. so it’s certainly possible for waitlists to move in our favor before April. but i believe we’ll see the heaviest movement in late April/early May! especially given some people (like myself) may have to turn down offers from a waitlist )if we get them) due to insufficient funding. some waitlists are open up until the first day of classes at a program as well, so a few of us may even be contacted in the summertime.

I'm not sure about the heaviest movement. I mean, I'm projecting here but i want to pull the trigger as soon as possible. (I'm actually having trouble declining an offer) What affects the speed of waitlist movement the most is the drag of acceptance and rejection. It's a month out from D-day and I'm still waiting on 7 official notifications. Of course there's plenty of overlap too. I'm on 5 waitlists, but I'm only waiting on one really. By the end of next week I alone wil be responsible for a one point movement at two schools at least. That doesn't count my waitlists because if i'm last, i may not move them at all. 
But yes, this will easily continue into May which will make housing an issue for many. then there's the separate waitlists for funding - which is just fucking cruel. that fucks shit up for a lot of people.