2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Rixor]

1 hour ago, catsaregood.pdf said:

how will everyone be keeping busy during the next few weeks while we wait for our results to come in? 
 

 

Wish I had a good answer to that. I'm the least productive I've ever been at work or on my novel--it's so hard to focus on anything. 

I've been playing video games in my free time, mostly!

There was an excellent Draft thread of novel recommendations so maybe I'll check those out, too. 

[GoldenTree]

1 hour ago, catsaregood.pdf said:

how will everyone be keeping busy during the next few weeks while we wait for our results to come in? 
 

 

I'm currently finishing out my BA which I had hoped would take up all my mental focus (it definitely isn't working, maybe also because I've already finished out my major). What I've been doing mostly though is watching the whole slew of Tolkien movies (The Hobbit & LOTR). I've been getting distracted when I've tried to read lately, but those movies have successfully relaxed me and are quite long to get through. Also, since I haven't watched the Hobbit in 10 years, it was almost like I got to re-experience it for the first time.  Other than movies, I've been spending time with my mother and boyfriend, two super supportive realtionships of mine I'm eternally grateful for. 

Edited January 26 by GoldenTree

[triciadawn]

3 hours ago, catsaregood.pdf said:

how will everyone be keeping busy during the next few weeks while we wait for our results to come in? 
 

 

Work 😭 And Masters of the Air just came out on Apple TV. That’ll give me something to look forward to besides MFA results. 😂

Edited January 27 by triciadawn

[darr1]

I told myself I would read a bunch. Turns out refreshing grad cafe is much more productive 🤪 😆😆

[catsaregood.pdf]

3 hours ago, Rixor said:

Wish I had a good answer to that. I'm the least productive I've ever been at work or on my novel--it's so hard to focus on anything. 

I've been playing video games in my free time, mostly!

There was an excellent Draft thread of novel recommendations so maybe I'll check those out, too. 

i feel that!! i think it’s okay to give ourselves a break from productivity though!! we have all of our lives to “be productive” i think it’s okay for us to be kind to ourselves when our brains are not wanting to!! maybe it’s a time of rest :’) 

3 hours ago, GoldenTree said:

I'm currently finishing out my BA which I had hoped would take up all my mental focus (it definitely isn't working, maybe also because I've already finished out my major). What I've been doing mostly though is watching the whole slew of Tolkien movies (The Hobbit & LOTR). I've been getting distracted when I've tried to read lately, but those movies have successfully relaxed me and are quite long to get through. Also, since I haven't watched the Hobbit in 10 years, it was almost like I got to re-experience it for the first time.  Other than movies, I've been spending time with my mother and boyfriend, two super supportive realtionships of mine I'm eternally grateful for. 

congrats on finishing your major!!!! lol i started watching the curse and bridgerton!!!

1 hour ago, triciadawn said:

Work 😭 And Masters of the Air just came out on Apple TV. That’ll give me something to look forward to besides MFA results. 😂

!!!!!! 

1 hour ago, darr1 said:

I told myself I would read a bunch. Turns out refreshing grad cafe is much more productive 🤪 😆😆

lmao i felt that, i refresh gradcafe and my email constantly 😳 

 

[sunnysequoia]

2 hours ago, catsaregood.pdf said:

i feel that!! i think it’s okay to give ourselves a break from productivity though!! we have all of our lives to “be productive” i think it’s okay for us to be kind to ourselves when our brains are not wanting to!! maybe it’s a time of rest :’) 

congrats on finishing your major!!!! lol i started watching the curse and bridgerton!!!

!!!!!! 

lmao i felt that, i refresh gradcafe and my email constantly 😳 

 

I agree on not having to be productive all the time! In fact I pride myself on this LOL. It’s so important to engage in personal hobbies and interests and invest in your relationships with the people who matter to you. Our self-worth does not lie in the amount of work we contribute to this country’s capitalist economy and consumerist culture. No one ever died wishing they worked more 🙃

Bridgerton’s so good!!! I’m currently watching Friends (my third run through the series 😆).

[TPike]

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Edited January 27 by TPike
removed

[orangee]

Hey all! Poetry MFA hopeful here; just submitted the very last of my applications for this season. Now...we wait.

....

The waiting is going to kill me.

LOL, just kidding. This is my third round of apps, and though I'm still very motivated to do my best and apply like I've never applied before, I've come to a certain peace with the process. I'm anxious, I'm hopeful, I'm cautious, I'm all sorts of things, but I'm determined not to base my worthiness as a human and a poet based on MFA applications again. 

I've not really felt the need to "distract" myself from the anticipation of decisions getting released, per se, and I hope it stays that way. I'm also hoping to not face crushing rejection once more, but ya never know about that one.

Oh, did someone earlier in this thread mention they might try working in commercial fishing in Alaska if MFA apps don't pan out? Just thought I'd be able to add some insight as I am an Alaskan and have known some people who have worked on the seas.

Best of luck to everyone this season and beyond! 

[Rixor]

Congratulations on finishing up apps! I hope you hear good news this time around:) and I hope that you're able to stay unbothered by the decision rollouts. Could I ask how many schools you've applied to? 

40 minutes ago, orangee said:

Oh, did someone earlier in this thread mention they might try working in commercial fishing in Alaska if MFA apps don't pan out? Just thought I'd be able to add some insight as I am an Alaskan and have known some people who have worked on the seas.

That'd be me! My undergraduate degree is in biology and I really enjoyed studying fish, so if I don't get accepted this round (which I realize is unfortunately likely) I've been really considering work up in the Bering sea as a fisheries observer! 

I'd love (and deeply appreciate) to get any insights you might have! I know nothing about Alaska, except that people say it is cold, dark, beautiful, and expensive. My concerns with observing center the culture aboard fishing vessels, which I've unfortunately heard horror stories about. 

[loveintrastevere]

First time going through the application process. Submitted to around 20 schools for fiction, mostly fully funded, top choices are Arizona, Boise st, Michener, Oregon, iowa, south carolina, Boston, Wyoming, florida st. I looked for schools that favored time spent in workshop vs classroom. I graduated from DePaul last year from their film program, spent the last year at my parents saving up money and working locally. I've been compulsively checking this site and my email for updates. So nervous.

At a weird point where I feel like I need to be around other writers and especially mentors to become who I want to as a writer, put my all into this application process, hoping it pays off... Time will tell. Good luck to all.

[TPike]

27 minutes ago, loveintrastevere said:

First time going through the application process. Submitted to around 20 schools for fiction, mostly fully funded, top choices are Arizona, Boise st, Michener, Oregon, iowa, south carolina, Boston, Wyoming, florida st. I looked for schools that favored time spent in workshop vs classroom. I graduated from DePaul last year from their film program, spent the last year at my parents saving up money and working locally. I've been compulsively checking this site and my email for updates. So nervous.

At a weird point where I feel like I need to be around other writers and especially mentors to become who I want to as a writer, put my all into this application process, hoping it pays off... Time will tell. Good luck to all.

I only applied to 8 schools, and I'm definitely regretting that now. 

[orangee]

55 minutes ago, Rixor said:

Congratulations on finishing up apps! I hope you hear good news this time around:) and I hope that you're able to stay unbothered by the decision rollouts. Could I ask how many schools you've applied to? 

That'd be me! My undergraduate degree is in biology and I really enjoyed studying fish, so if I don't get accepted this round (which I realize is unfortunately likely) I've been really considering work up in the Bering sea as a fisheries observer! 

I'd love (and deeply appreciate) to get any insights you might have! I know nothing about Alaska, except that people say it is cold, dark, beautiful, and expensive. My concerns with observing center the culture aboard fishing vessels, which I've unfortunately heard horror stories about. 

Thanks!  I applied to 11 schools this round, 10 the last, and 4 before that. Got an acceptance from Emerson last year, and was on a small handful of more robustly-funded programs' waitlists but never made it off them with acceptances. Here's to hoping for better prospects!

I'd love to talk to you about Alaska! The concerns about fishing boats are not unwarranted, but their conditions are survivable...you just have to be very hardy. 

[Rixor]

Man, and I thought my ten schools were a lot... Now I'm thinking I should've applied to a lot more. I don't know if y'all relate, but I keep thinking about my applications with regret. "I should've mentioned this," "I should've cut this," etc. Ugh. Good things to know for next year, I suppose, if needed. 

Good luck, loveintrastevere! I'm hoping you get into one of your top choices! Did you happen to hear back from Boise State at all? Apparently a poetry applicant got an inteview invite. I haven't heard anything, but I'm fiction. 

Thank you Orangee! I'd love to learn (I'll try to message, if that is a thing on this site!). Also, congratulations on the acceptances and waitlists from your last cycle! I hope you get even more this round:) 

[writernity]

Hi all!! I just started really taking a look at these forums. I didn't realize how useful they might have been earlier in the app process, but now at least I can scream about the Anxiety of Waiting here!

I have one app left to do due in a couple of days--it's more or less finished, but I'm reading one of the professor's books to make my SOP more personal. I'm applying to 12 total schools (13 apps-- 2 for Brown in Fiction and Cross-disciplinary/Digital Media) and have absolutely 0 idea how good my prospects are. So hard to tell when the success of your writing sample is largely up to the subjective taste of the faculty 😭

One school I applied to but haven't seen any discussion of is Manhattanville-- is there a reason it seems to be completely under the radar? It doesn't offer much funding, but if you get accepted for the teaching track it turns a 2 year program to 3 with the last 2 years of tuition fully covered. There are also additional tuition remission opportunities in merit scholarships and working on their lit mag. The opportunities don't seem bad compared to some other more expensive non-funded programs, and there's a strong emphasis on community building and a lot of literary events hosted there. I spoke to the program director in a zoom meeting, who seems very nice and eager to find people who will be a good fit for the program, and it's been around since the 90s. So, what gives? Why haven't I seen a single person mention it by searching the forums? Am I missing something??

[Chex]

5 hours ago, orangee said:

Hey all! Poetry MFA hopeful here; just submitted the very last of my applications for this season. Now...we wait.

....

The waiting is going to kill me.

LOL, just kidding. This is my third round of apps, and though I'm still very motivated to do my best and apply like I've never applied before, I've come to a certain peace with the process. I'm anxious, I'm hopeful, I'm cautious, I'm all sorts of things, but I'm determined not to base my worthiness as a human and a poet based on MFA applications again.

Awww, I hope third time's the charm for you!!! Welcome to the forum!

4 hours ago, loveintrastevere said:

First time going through the application process. Submitted to around 20 schools for fiction, mostly fully funded, top choices are Arizona, Boise st, Michener, Oregon, iowa, south carolina, Boston, Wyoming, florida st. I looked for schools that favored time spent in workshop vs classroom. I graduated from DePaul last year from their film program, spent the last year at my parents saving up money and working locally. I've been compulsively checking this site and my email for updates. So nervous.

At a weird point where I feel like I need to be around other writers and especially mentors to become who I want to as a writer, put my all into this application process, hoping it pays off... Time will tell. Good luck to all.

Considering how competitive these applications can be, 20 does not sound like an outrageous number of schools to apply to, honestly. And I get what you mean about being at a point where you want to be around other writers. It's the same for me. I feel like it's going to push my writing into a new and exciting (hopefully) stage. 

3 hours ago, TPike said:

I only applied to 8 schools, and I'm definitely regretting that now. 

Hoping these 8 work beautifully for you! It's both a numbers and qualities game, so you could get in off your 8. I know people who've done just 3 or 4 (or even just 1) and gotten in, though that's not the norm. I was gonna do 5 or 6 because I simply couldn't afford to apply to more schools, but towards the end, I somehow found the energy and resources (thanks in part to app fee waivers) to push to 12. It definitely wasn't easy.

2 hours ago, Rixor said:

Man, and I thought my ten schools were a lot... Now I'm thinking I should've applied to a lot more. I don't know if y'all relate, but I keep thinking about my applications with regret. "I should've mentioned this," "I should've cut this," etc. Ugh. Good things to know for next year, I suppose, if needed.

Yeah, when I finished my 12 applications I thought that was too much until I heard from some other applicants. But I've also heard that 10-12 is the average number for most applicants, and what seems to be the sweet spot in terms of preparation vs spreading yourself out. If you have particular wants from a program, you're going to have to eliminate a number of schools from your list. Looking back, there are maybe a few schools I applied to that I realise now I'm not so keen on (after learning more about them). On the other hand, there are one or two schools I'd add to my list.

As for beating yourself up about what you could have changed or improved in your applications, that's more or less a universal affliction. I refused to look at mine until a week or so ago when I wanted to submit part of my manuscript for a workshop thing and promptly found an annoying typo. I'm just rolling with it and refusing to let it make me any more anxious. There are no perfect applications. The results will ultimately tell us what direction to go.

1 hour ago, writernity said:

One school I applied to but haven't seen any discussion of is Manhattanville-- is there a reason it seems to be completely under the radar? It doesn't offer much funding, but if you get accepted for the teaching track it turns a 2 year program to 3 with the last 2 years of tuition fully covered. There are also additional tuition remission opportunities in merit scholarships and working on their lit mag. The opportunities don't seem bad compared to some other more expensive non-funded programs, and there's a strong emphasis on community building and a lot of literary events hosted there. I spoke to the program director in a zoom meeting, who seems very nice and eager to find people who will be a good fit for the program, and it's been around since the 90s. So, what gives? Why haven't I seen a single person mention it by searching the forums? Am I missing something??

Hi! Welcome!!

I haven't ever heard of Manhattanville, to be honest, but that's probably mostly because I'm not in the States. I checked their website out now and they seem interesting. Can't say why it's not a more popular program given that there's at least some potential for funding.

Wishing you good luck in all your applications!

[itsbeensnowing]

10 hours ago, TPike said:

I only applied to 8 schools, and I'm definitely regretting that now. 

6 hours ago, Chex said:

Yeah, when I finished my 12 applications I thought that was too much until I heard from some other applicants. But I've also heard that 10-12 is the average number for most applicants, and what seems to be the sweet spot in terms of preparation vs spreading yourself out

I applied to 10 schools last year, and I do think that's about as many I could possibly apply to while giving every application a suitable amount of individual attention. I ended up doing a lot more research over the past year and swapping some schools out (got rid of some far reaches that I had only applied to because of their name recognition in favor of some that I think would be a better fit), and I didn't intend to go over last year's number but ended up throwing in some last minute "why nots" into the mix, so ultimately I've applied to 15 this time around. Honestly, past a certain point idk how much adding new applications actually changes your odds, assuming you're applying to places in the same general realm of selectivity. I get the sense (which could be wrong) that most people who've gotten into one program have also gotten into at least one other, so that lowers the chances of one of those extra few programs being the end-all be-all. And as you add more programs, you're probably moving away from ones that are the closest fit for your work and being more indiscriminate about it, which in turn might make it harder to individualize the application.

But, still, it's hard not to feel like throwing some extra applications in won't hurt (and creates a larger pool of potential committee members who might appreciate your work), which is why I did so this year. Realistically, if I succeed this time around, I don't think that will be what made the difference (but it'll be funny if it does).

9 hours ago, Rixor said:

Man, and I thought my ten schools were a lot... Now I'm thinking I should've applied to a lot more. I don't know if y'all relate, but I keep thinking about my applications with regret. "I should've mentioned this," "I should've cut this," etc. Ugh. Good things to know for next year, I suppose, if needed.

If there's any constant in the universe, it's that I'll always question my portfolio choices, and I'll always cringe when I think about my SOPs. There's always room for regrets and what-ifs, especially when there aren't really universally agreed upon rules for how to approach these materials. All we can do is cross our fingers and, if it doesn't work out, try something new next time around.

[pomelo]

9 hours ago, writernity said:

One school I applied to but haven't seen any discussion of is Manhattanville-- is there a reason it seems to be completely under the radar?

I’ve never heard of it but I feel the same way about Rosemont College, a small private Catholic school just outside of Philly. They have an MFA program and the opportunity to get a dual degree MA in Publishing. I’ve never seen anyone mention it. I would say most people I’ve seen have their sights set on the fully funded programs. Personally, I don’t want to go into debt for this degree!

[writernity]

43 minutes ago, pomelo said:

I’ve never heard of it but I feel the same way about Rosemont College, a small private Catholic school just outside of Philly. They have an MFA program and the opportunity to get a dual degree MA in Publishing. I’ve never seen anyone mention it. I would say most people I’ve seen have their sights set on the fully funded programs. Personally, I don’t want to go into debt for this degree!

I'm definitely prioritizing schools that are guaranteed fully funded, but also wanted to add a couple of good opportunities that aren't guaranteed but have the possibility of full/almost full tuition coverage. If you play your cards right with Manhattanville and get the teaching track + lit mag assistantship + merit scholarship, you'd end up fully covering tuition, and if you missed out on either the lit mag or scholarship it'd still only be paying about $2500 for 3 credits in the first semester and all the rest would be covered with the teaching track + one of them. From speaking to the director, it seems they try to give the merit scholarship to as many people as they can, too, trying to cover at least 1/3rd of the tuition for everyone.

I know some people don't want to have to teach, though, which is fair-- for me it's a perk because I'm aiming for professorship, and gaining in-classroom teaching experience was one of the top factors in the schools I chose. Mville isn't my first choice, but if I got into only that and Columbia with partial scholarships, I'd definitely pick it over Columbia.

[loveintrastevere]

1 hour ago, writernity said:

I'm definitely prioritizing schools that are guaranteed fully funded, but also wanted to add a couple of good opportunities that aren't guaranteed but have the possibility of full/almost full tuition coverage. If you play your cards right with Manhattanville and get the teaching track + lit mag assistantship + merit scholarship, you'd end up fully covering tuition, and if you missed out on either the lit mag or scholarship it'd still only be paying about $2500 for 3 credits in the first semester and all the rest would be covered with the teaching track + one of them. From speaking to the director, it seems they try to give the merit scholarship to as many people as they can, too, trying to cover at least 1/3rd of the tuition for everyone.

I know some people don't want to have to teach, though, which is fair-- for me it's a perk because I'm aiming for professorship, and gaining in-classroom teaching experience was one of the top factors in the schools I chose. Mville isn't my first choice, but if I got into only that and Columbia with partial scholarships, I'd definitely pick it over Columbia.

Does Mville assist with housing at all? I know its rolling admission so I'm considering applying, but after looking at rent prices in the area, I think I could only realistically go if there was either an on-campus housing option or housing stipend.

[writernity]

2 hours ago, loveintrastevere said:

Does Mville assist with housing at all? I know its rolling admission so I'm considering applying, but after looking at rent prices in the area, I think I could only realistically go if there was either an on-campus housing option or housing stipend.

They do have on-campus housing for 21+ students that grad students can live in! That's also a major concern for me-- it's not convenient to commute to, and the rent prices in the area ARE really high. The director said the on-campus pricing is somewhere around $5.5-6k a semester, so definitely a pretty big expense if you can't find cheaper housing nearby. I'd say if you want to apply do it soon, since the priority deadline has passed for financial aid rewards but they haven't made any decisions yet.

[pananoprodigy]

Hi all, first time posting - at least, first time posting in eight years. 🙃 I lurked this site to the point of actual insanity when I was applying to my first mfa, and I kind of can't believe I'm doing it all again but here we are lol. I told myself I was banned from thegradcafe, reddit, and all the rest until decisions come out but I'm weak and the waiting is killing me so hi! Hope everyone's hangin in there. 

[Rixor]

8 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

Hi all, first time posting - at least, first time posting in eight years. 🙃 I lurked this site to the point of actual insanity when I was applying to my first mfa, and I kind of can't believe I'm doing it all again but here we are lol. I told myself I was banned from thegradcafe, reddit, and all the rest until decisions come out but I'm weak and the waiting is killing me so hi! Hope everyone's hangin in there. 

Welcome back!! I hope this cycle goes well for you! The wait is killing me, too. It's my first cycle and I definitely feel a little insane. Goodness I really hope there's more news this week--really hoping schools want to push decisions before the AWP conference instead of after. Apparently AWP is almost always in late March, so it being so early this year could make waiting extremely long... 

I'm hanging in there... Kind of. Second-guessing literally everything. I mentioned my sole publication and a low-prestige award nomination, maybe I shouldn't've--maybe that came off as vain? I didn't apply to enough schools. Didn't properly explain my career aspirations. I have K-12 teaching experience so I expanded on that a lot in hopes it'd net me a TAship but they probably think it means I aspire to be a professor, which I hear is a terrible thing to write in SOPs.😔

Ahhh. I realize that I can't change what's submitted and that all we can do is wait. Just wish I could fall asleep until March. 

[Chex]

1 hour ago, pananoprodigy said:

Hi all, first time posting - at least, first time posting in eight years. 🙃 I lurked this site to the point of actual insanity when I was applying to my first mfa, and I kind of can't believe I'm doing it all again but here we are lol. I told myself I was banned from thegradcafe, reddit, and all the rest until decisions come out but I'm weak and the waiting is killing me so hi! Hope everyone's hangin in there. 

Hi! It's good to have you here, welcome! Eight whole years and you're back, wow! Amazing how insistent our creative passions can be, even when we let them fall by the side for a while. I'm really glad you chose to share this because it is inspiring. I hope this application season presents you with resounding success and a truly wonderful place to develop your writing.

What genre are you applying for and what schools have you submitted to?

Edited January 28 by Chex

[pananoprodigy]

2 minutes ago, Chex said:

Hi! It's good to have you here, welcome! Eight whole years and you're back, wow! Amazing how insistent our creative passions can be, even when we let them fall by the side for a while. I'm really glad you chose to share this because it is inspiring. I hope this application season presents you with resounding success and a truly wonderful place to develop your writing.

What genre are you applying for and what schools have you submitted to?

Thanks! I applied for fiction at Brown, U of Arizona, U of Oregon, and Iowa. All long shots, but since I've already gotten myself in lifelong debt from one MFA program (lol) I decided I'll only do another if it's fully funded and someplace I'd be absolutely hyped to go both program and location-wise. So we'll see!

[Chex]

1 hour ago, pananoprodigy said:

Thanks! I applied for fiction at Brown, U of Arizona, U of Oregon, and Iowa. All long shots, but since I've already gotten myself in lifelong debt from one MFA program (lol) I decided I'll only do another if it's fully funded and someplace I'd be absolutely hyped to go both program and location-wise. So we'll see!

Those are all great schools! Fingers crossed for good news. 

Was your previous MFA in a different field or did you leave the program midway (just wondering why you're pursuing another MFA, but of course feel free not to answer if this question is too personal)? 

Edited January 29 by Chex