2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[girlgenius]

50 minutes ago, Chex said:

It's going to be torture getting through it to next week when the AWP buzz will have died down.

the wait is driving me up a wall. acceptances for U-Mn and Syracuse in Draft last week have me thinking I didn't get in there, but I've only seen one mention of an acceptance at each (and Syracuse was for poetry). Switching between work tabs and Draft/Gmail every 1-2 minutes like a crazy person, really hoping AWP doesn't drag things out even longer!!

[prufrock_]

That Syracuse response is an outlier; last year nearly all responses from them came in march, so I don't expect to hear anything for a month or so more from them.

[ssuunn]

2 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

That Syracuse response is an outlier; last year nearly all responses from them came in march, so I don't expect to hear anything for a month or so more from them.

FYI last year, Syracuse poets were accepted on 1/25. I believe they were either told to not tell people publicly or those accepted didn't announce it on Draft/GradCafe.

[Hjanep]

4 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

That Syracuse response is an outlier; last year nearly all responses from them came in march, so I don't expect to hear anything for a month or so more from them.

I was looking through draft ‘23 (like a totally sane, rational, non-obsessive, you know) and poetry calls historically came out end of jan/early feb and fiction don’t come until end of feb for Syracuse

[Chex]

14 minutes ago, girlgenius said:

the wait is driving me up a wall. acceptances for U-Mn and Syracuse in Draft last week have me thinking I didn't get in there, but I've only seen one mention of an acceptance at each (and Syracuse was for poetry). Switching between work tabs and Draft/Gmail every 1-2 minutes like a crazy person, really hoping AWP doesn't drag things out even longer!!

Based on last year's notification patterns, Syracuse notifications for poetry go out two or three weeks earlier than the ones for fiction, so hold tight! You're still in the game. I'm absolutely with you on the switching tabs thing. Sending you virtual fist bumps of support. 👊🏾

6 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

That Syracuse response is an outlier; last year nearly all responses from them came in march, so I don't expect to hear anything for a month or so more from them.

Those were rejections; the actual acceptances went out in February. February 2/3 for poetry and 27/28 for fiction (at least according to posts on last year's Draft page).

Edited February 5 by Chex

[bluebikeyikes]

I'm not sure if anyone else applied to SAIC — I applied because I'm interested in exploring writing and visual arts together — I just got an interview email from them. 

0A/0W/2R/8P/1 Interview

[Southron]

Anyone heard anything from Arkansas yet? Their website said notifications of round two would go out toward the end of January.

[Chex]

5 minutes ago, bluebikeyikes said:

I'm not sure if anyone else applied to SAIC — I applied because I'm interested in exploring writing and visual arts together — I just got an interview email from them. 

0A/0W/2R/8P/1 Interview

Oh, that's fab! Congratulations! I hope you ace it.

[writernity]

18 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

That Syracuse response is an outlier; last year nearly all responses from them came in march, so I don't expect to hear anything for a month or so more from them.

From my Aggregated Data of the past 5 years here and 2 on Draft, Syracuse acceptances tend to be anywhere from early Feb to mid March. In previous years poetry/fiction seemed to send out results in bulk (with acceptances/waitlists/rejections around the same couple days), but in more recent years poetry and fiction seem to be a little separated and I haven't heard any rejections from poetry yet, only an acceptance (and someone mentioning a missed phone call in Draft) so it might be more spaced out this year.

[prufrock_]

8 minutes ago, Southron said:

Anyone heard anything from Arkansas yet? Their website said notifications of round two would go out toward the end of January.

I haven't heard anything, but I see this on their site:

 

"Each year, we receive hundreds of applications to fill only a handful of spots in fiction, poetry, and literary translation.

Applicants should not expect to hear about their admissions status until mid- to late-March."

[Southron]

11 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

I haven't heard anything, but I see this on their site:

 

"Each year, we receive hundreds of applications to fill only a handful of spots in fiction, poetry, and literary translation.

Applicants should not expect to hear about their admissions status until mid- to late-March."

I could have sworn I read that they would notify applicants if they made it to round 2 by the end of January, but can't seem to find that now. Maybe I was just misremembering the draft sheet from last season where the round 2 notifications went out at that time.

So.much.waiting.

Edited February 5 by Southron

[prufrock_]

2 minutes ago, Southron said:

I could have sworn I read that they would notify applicants if they made it to round 2 by the end of January, but can't seem to find that now. Maybe I was just misremembering the draft sheet from last season where the round 2 notifications went out at that time.

So.much.waiting.

you're onto something! i just checked my spreadsheet and i told my letter recommenders that they will hear back in January if I made it to round two.

well, shucks!

[sunnysequoia]

1 hour ago, bluebikeyikes said:

I'm not sure if anyone else applied to SAIC — I applied because I'm interested in exploring writing and visual arts together — I just got an interview email from them. 

0A/0W/2R/8P/1 Interview

Congratulations!!! You got this 😀

[Scribe]

3 hours ago, Hjanep said:

I was looking through draft ‘23 (like a totally sane, rational, non-obsessive, you know) and poetry calls historically came out end of jan/early feb and fiction don’t come until end of feb for Syracuse

that's crazy. you're totally obsessive and sick. 

now then, how long is the 2023 draft spreadsheet, and how many people on there got responses from Indiana? 

there's 11 people on the waitlist this year. I'm wondering how many applied and how many are actually on the waitlist. they won't tell you where you are on the waitlist or how many applied. and of course they won't tell you about how many don't take the offer every year. I mean, i think it's a pretty good program, doesn't everyone else?

will they accept new people on draft 23 this year? is it worth it?

i might need help.

[Hjanep]

1 minute ago, Scribe said:

that's crazy. you're totally obsessive and sick. 

now then, how long is the 2023 draft spreadsheet, and how many people on there got responses from Indiana? 

there's 11 people on the waitlist this year. I'm wondering how many applied and how many are actually on the waitlist. they won't tell you where you are on the waitlist or how many applied. and of course they won't tell you about how many don't take the offer every year. I mean, i think it's a pretty good program, doesn't everyone else?

will they accept new people on draft 23 this year? is it worth it?

i might need help.

I’m just glad we are all the same kind of sick

[darr1]

Only three schools I applied to have released results and they're all fiction except for that outlier Syracuse acceptance.

Also- had my first "I'm in college" dream, so it's great to know the obsessive refreshing is reaching my subconscious. The college in my dream seemed to offer only one major, ping pong, so that was a nice twist.

[Chex]

5 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

I’m just glad we are all the same kind of sick

100%. I have read every single post I can on draft '23. I even applied to join draft '22 and '21 but they rightly ignored me. The same way I scrolled through years and pages of mfa posts here on gradcafe. Lord knows what I could have achieved with all that time.

7 minutes ago, Scribe said:

that's crazy. you're totally obsessive and sick. 

now then, how long is the 2023 draft spreadsheet, and how many people on there got responses from Indiana? 

there's 11 people on the waitlist this year. I'm wondering how many applied and how many are actually on the waitlist. they won't tell you where you are on the waitlist or how many applied. and of course they won't tell you about how many don't take the offer every year. I mean, i think it's a pretty good program, doesn't everyone else?

will they accept new people on draft 23 this year? is it worth it?

i might need help.

You can find the draft '23 notification spreadsheet in this year's draft group. Just check the comments under the google sheet post.

[TPike]

Soooo, are we thinking Johns Hopkins is doing accepting orrrr👀

[Chex]

5 minutes ago, TPike said:

Soooo, are we thinking Johns Hopkins is doing accepting orrrr👀

I think they've only notified poetry applicants (at least those accepted; we've only heard from one person so far, out of a presumed three). Fiction applicants (those accepted) can expect to hear back by next week.

[Scribe]

24 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

I’m just glad we are all the same kind of sick

truth. 

here's another question, does anyone know how long one usually has to prepare for an interview? like if they called, would i have time to remember whatever i said in my SOP? Who their faculty is, etc?

[Hjanep]

2 minutes ago, Scribe said:

truth. 

here's another question, does anyone know how long one usually has to prepare for an interview? like if they called, would i have time to remember whatever i said in my SOP? Who their faculty is, etc?

I assume the interviews are then just screening to make sure admitted students aren’t going to be dicks in workshop. But I know NOTHING

[TPike]

7 minutes ago, Chex said:

I think they've only notified poetry applicants (at least those accepted; we've only heard from one person so far, out of a presumed three). Fiction applicants (those accepted) can expect to hear back by next week.

Ooo, I'm a poetry applicant so maybe not. Thank you!

[Chex]

8 minutes ago, Scribe said:

truth. 

here's another question, does anyone know how long one usually has to prepare for an interview? like if they called, would i have time to remember whatever i said in my SOP? Who their faculty is, etc?

Interviews are usually scheduled for anything from 24 hours to a week-ish. I have never heard of an on-the-spot interview. Depending on the program, what they ask is varied. Typically, they want to get a feel of you and know how you'll fit into their program. Some with a stronger focus on teaching want to know how you approach teaching - in terms of pedagogical philosophy and/or experience. It's also your opportunity to find out more about the program/faculty/related things.

[Scribe]

36 minutes ago, Chex said:

100%. I have read every single post I can on draft '23. I even applied to join draft '22 and '21 but they rightly ignored me. The same way I scrolled through years and pages of mfa posts here on gradcafe. Lord knows what I could have achieved with all that time.

You can find the draft '23 notification spreadsheet in this year's draft group. Just check the comments under the google sheet post.

OH NO! YOU'RE RIGHT!

[Scribe]

5 hours ago, Chex said:

Wow wow. People are reporting poetry acceptances from Johns Hopkins and University of South Florida on Draft.