2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Scribe]

18 minutes ago, Mxxyr said:

Thank you! That is very sweet. I couldn't even imagine being in this position. Just 2 weeks ago I was reeling from my JHU and BU rejections and a soft rejection from UMASS-Amherst (my original first, second, and third choices!!). 

Needless to say I am absolutely overwhelmed, and after the last year of my life it feels surreal to have this kind of 'happy dilemma." 

I would rank NYU lower than the other three in terms of whether or not I can attend. I want to sit in on a class with Claudia Rankine to see what it is like, and I have notified them of my other two offers to see if they can offer me more than half tuition remission. But, I can barely survive in NYC (I live in Brooklyn) on a full salary job. At this point, NYU is looking a little ludicrous as an option. 

So, right now, it's between UMich, Brown, and Iowa.

Because I just heard from Brown today, my brain is lagging behind in processing the position I'm in right now, so I'm gonna go to happy hour me thinks! 

But if I'm going to be completely honest. . . each of these packages are incredible, and each of these programs has its incredible pros and its not so incredible cons. My fingers are trembling as I even try to update my personal spreadsheet, but I have only seen the funding package in full for UMich and Iowa. Brown will come in a couple of days and I'll have all the info I need to really see what's feasible for me. I don't have a lot of savings and I have 2 cats, so any decision I make I feel is a huge one. I've lived in the Northeast my whole life, and my family is still here. So, I can't just yet declare there is one offer among the 3 that I'd absolutely accept yet. And also, everyone in my life has a different opinion of where I should go, so that never helps aha. 

Currently, as of right now, I am just completely filled with awe and gratitude to be in this position at all. 

This is a wonderful problem to have. Be sure to triple check cost of living, ask about campus housing, local transportation, and travel home.

talk to current students as well as the school. 
and enjoy every fucking minute of it. 

[Scribe]

Attention UWash applicants. on 2/29 they were checking you out. 

[AngusWanderer]

6 hours ago, seeleimraum said:

Does anyone have info on Virginia Tech for poetry? Draft shows one poetry acceptance and one waitlist - both recorded over one month ago. My app portal still says "awaiting decision" and I'm wondering what's going on... Insights appreciated!

 I already had an info session with VT, I'm afraid. I believe they've sent out acceptance as well as waitlists.  

[Cokoneot]

I was recently accepted to The New School, with a scholarship worth 75% of tuition (meaning tuition will be about $9000 for me). I've heard mixed things about paid NYC programs like The New School, Columbia, and NYU. Some people have strong opinions that these schools are basically "open admission, rip-off schools" with 50% acceptance rates.

Anyone have any experience with The New School? Does it have a good reputation?

Any input on paid programs in general? Does my scholarship make a difference since the school will be slightly more affordable for me?

[Hank Moody]

32 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Attention UWash applicants. on 2/29 they were checking you out. 

Woah what does that mean?

[pansy flower]

I know I'm preaching to the choir and this has all been said before but I'm really struggling with the waiting this week. I am waiting to hear back from Sarah Lawrence. Trying not to get my hopes up or think about it. I've been lucky enough to get into one program already (American) and will likely attend. I've been rejected everywhere else. However, I write fantasy and Sarah Lawrence's speculative fiction program has (accidentally and unfortunately) become a dream for me. So... hope we hear from them soon.

If anyone knows from American alum if others have written fantasy in workshop lmk! I know they see something in my work because they accepted it but I'm very anxious about being the odd one out in the program. 

Anyway this was really just a venting post. Best of luck and sending support to everyone!

[Scribe]

Declined my first offer. 

and i was a dick about it. 

[Rixor]

2 minutes ago, pansy flower said:

I know I'm preaching to the choir and this has all been said before but I'm really struggling with the waiting this week. I am waiting to hear back from Sarah Lawrence. Trying not to get my hopes up or think about it. I've been lucky enough to get into one program already (American) and will likely attend. I've been rejected everywhere else. However, I write fantasy and Sarah Lawrence's speculative fiction program has (accidentally and unfortunately) become a dream for me. So... hope we hear from them soon.

If anyone knows from American alum if others have written fantasy in workshop lmk! I know they see something in my work because they accepted it but I'm very anxious about being the odd one out in the program. 

Anyway this was really just a venting post. Best of luck and sending support to everyone!

Just wanted to empathize with you! It's so hard waiting on these programs that historically tended to notify a few days or weeks ago. Especially given that this year apparently had a lower amount of applications overall! This week and the last have been especially tough!

I hope you hear good news from Sarah Lawrence soon! 

[aurqcyei]

1 hour ago, Cokoneot said:

I was recently accepted to The New School, with a scholarship worth 75% of tuition (meaning tuition will be about $9000 for me). I've heard mixed things about paid NYC programs like The New School, Columbia, and NYU. Some people have strong opinions that these schools are basically "open admission, rip-off schools" with 50% acceptance rates.

Anyone have any experience with The New School? Does it have a good reputation?

Any input on paid programs in general? Does my scholarship make a difference since the school will be slightly more affordable for me?

I honestly don't like giving opinions on school rep/rankings, because I think everyone's needs and fit are different, and everyone has their own ranking clustering internally that can be vastly different from everyone else's.

That said, AFAIK, 75% is the biggest scholarship tuition TNS gives, which is a pretty big indicator that they think highly of your writing sample. From Pearson's (and I have no idea how trustworthy/recent/reliable this data is) they accept 80%+ students that apply. From what I see on Draft, I think the 75% merit aid scholarship is quite rare?

In general, for programs you have to pay for, if you can afford it and be comfortable after paying for your program, fantastic. Great alums come from everywhere and the faculty at these programs tend to be stacked. 

If you can't afford it, I have a lot of personal opinions on why I wouldn't attend an MFA I'd have to pay for, especially in NYC, but I think the biggest point just boils down to: if you have to take out significant loans without a guaranteed way of paying it back after, it's...tough. Some people have made it work and have been wildly successful. But I also know a few people who will be paying off their student loans for the rest of their lives. 

Making art isn't about the money, but, I mean, it kind of also unfortunately is because we all have to eat. 

Edited March 5, 2024 by aurqcyei

[pansy flower]

8 minutes ago, Rixor said:

Just wanted to empathize with you! It's so hard waiting on these programs that historically tended to notify a few days or weeks ago. Especially given that this year apparently had a lower amount of applications overall! This week and the last have been especially tough!

I hope you hear good news from Sarah Lawrence soon! 

Thank you that is so sweet of you

[Hjanep]

26 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Declined my first offer. 

and i was a dick about it. 

Say more

[ssuunn]

21 minutes ago, Rixor said:

Just wanted to empathize with you! It's so hard waiting on these programs that historically tended to notify a few days or weeks ago. Especially given that this year apparently had a lower amount of applications overall! This week and the last have been especially tough!

I think we were all kinda talking about the number of applications at the start of the cycle, and this definitely seems true for some programs, but I think I read Idaho got a record number of applications not only for their program, but their entire graduate school. Michigan said over 800, which would be slightly more than last year. And someone else said Iowa got 900 fiction apps alone? So, it's sort of interesting to wonder which programs saw more apps and which saw less. IIRC @DanielNiver mentioned a school that got far fewer apps than expected... (I guess you don't have to fess up!) I wish we had stats for the last 3-5 years, because it certainly didn't feel like, at the end of this, that there were fewer apps than last year. WAY more stats given in Draft, but also way fewer given on the GradCafe results page. (This also might be endemic to younger people tending toward social media rather than a standalone forum? Who knows?)

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, pansy flower said:

I know I'm preaching to the choir and this has all been said before but I'm really struggling with the waiting this week. I am waiting to hear back from Sarah Lawrence. Trying not to get my hopes up or think about it. I've been lucky enough to get into one program already (American) and will likely attend. I've been rejected everywhere else. However, I write fantasy and Sarah Lawrence's speculative fiction program has (accidentally and unfortunately) become a dream for me. So... hope we hear from them soon.

If anyone knows from American alum if others have written fantasy in workshop lmk! I know they see something in my work because they accepted it but I'm very anxious about being the odd one out in the program. 

Anyway this was really just a venting post. Best of luck and sending support to everyone!

You’re not preaching to the choir, you’re singing with us. 

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, Hmoody said:

Woah what does that mean?

I'd like to think it means they've narrowed down the list enough to bother checking our social media. 

on 2/29 they searched me. 

[Scribe]

2 hours ago, Cokoneot said:

I was recently accepted to The New School, with a scholarship worth 75% of tuition (meaning tuition will be about $9000 for me). I've heard mixed things about paid NYC programs like The New School, Columbia, and NYU. Some people have strong opinions that these schools are basically "open admission, rip-off schools" with 50% acceptance rates.

Anyone have any experience with The New School? Does it have a good reputation?

Any input on paid programs in general? Does my scholarship make a difference since the school will be slightly more affordable for me?

I know someone who took some classes there years ago, they said it was fine, she went on to emerson. 

as far as the others being open admission rip off schools, no. just no. I won't get in to how good or why but they're among the finest educational institutions in the world. anyone who even suggests nyu or columbia are diploma mills should be asked where they were on january 6.

but know, don't pay for an mfa. see below

1 hour ago, aurqcyei said:

I honestly don't like giving opinions on school rep/rankings, because I think everyone's needs and fit are different, and everyone has their own ranking clustering internally that can be vastly different from everyone else's.

That said, AFAIK, 75% is the biggest scholarship tuition TNS gives, which is a pretty big indicator that they think highly of your writing sample. From Pearson's (and I have no idea how trustworthy/recent/reliable this data is) they accept 80%+ students that apply. From what I see on Draft, I think the 75% merit aid scholarship is quite rare?

In general, for programs you have to pay for, if you can afford it and be comfortable after paying for your program, fantastic. Great alums come from everywhere and the faculty at these programs tend to be stacked. 

If you can't afford it, I have a lot of personal opinions on why I wouldn't attend an MFA I'd have to pay for, especially in NYC, but I think the biggest point just boils down to: if you have to take out significant loans without a guaranteed way of paying it back after, it's...tough. Some people have made it work and have been wildly successful. But I also know a few people who will be paying off their student loans for the rest of their lives. 

Making art isn't about the money, but, I mean, it kind of also unfortunately is because we all have to eat. 

all this. and more to the point of art not being about making money, it shouldn't be about starving in debt either. 

no output is guaranteed, but an mfa as a financial investment is on the low scale - at best. a significant number of people want the paid program, not for the letters or the agent or the job after.

For them, it's about nothing more than the room of one's own. and as an artist, what more could you ask?

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, Hjanep said:

Say more

well, without trying to compete for the greatest humble brag of all time - i have other offers and the treated me like something on their shoe. 

I know damn well I'm lucky to get waitlisted anywhere, let alone accepted at Stony Brook, let alone be offered any kind of financial package. I do. but they told me i was accepted, didn't follow up, and sent out other - maybe every other - official offer. I had to go chase after them. the i get an email saying to check the portal where they rewarded me for goping "back to school ("who's a good boy? who's a good little boy?") with a one time hit for 1000 bucks. again, lucky to have it, but then they threatened to take it away if i didn't reply fast enough. balls on them! finally, when i declined the offer they asked why and where i was going. it felt good to put down a public ivy but then the drop down was full of community colleges? eventually i was able to type out the school and in the box to explain why i said "full tuition and [5 figure stipend amount] is more that a 1000$.

I would never have been so ungrateful, had they just been a little bit professional. I'm going to decline others and I'm already working on my praise for them. I'm even going to send thankyous to the schools who rejected me but were prompt and courteous- syracuse, and uva to name but two.

1 hour ago, ssuunn said:

I think we were all kinda talking about the number of applications at the start of the cycle, and this definitely seems true for some programs, but I think I read Idaho got a record number of applications not only for their program, but their entire graduate school. Michigan said over 800, which would be slightly more than last year. And someone else said Iowa got 900 fiction apps alone? So, it's sort of interesting to wonder which programs saw more apps and which saw less. IIRC @DanielNiver mentioned a school that got far fewer apps than expected... (I guess you don't have to fess up!) I wish we had stats for the last 3-5 years, because it certainly didn't feel like, at the end of this, that there were fewer apps than last year. WAY more stats given in Draft, but also way fewer given on the GradCafe results page. (This also might be endemic to younger people tending toward social media rather than a standalone forum? Who knows?)

I too was surprised when @Rixor said this. I was under the impression this was at least an average year, if not better than average.

if you snoop around some schools websites, there are areas that disclose the hard numbers but this year and even last year are likely not yet available. Becca McKay told me she knew the exact number but couldn't disclose it. 
 

Edited March 6, 2024 by Scribe

[Rixor]

Yeah, I might be completely wrong! It's just my guess from cross-referencing the data between this year and last year's spreadsheets for those schools that did disclose the numbers. Most seem to have went down, but I'm bad at math.

[DanielNiver]

1 hour ago, ssuunn said:

I think we were all kinda talking about the number of applications at the start of the cycle, and this definitely seems true for some programs, but I think I read Idaho got a record number of applications not only for their program, but their entire graduate school. Michigan said over 800, which would be slightly more than last year. And someone else said Iowa got 900 fiction apps alone? So, it's sort of interesting to wonder which programs saw more apps and which saw less. IIRC @DanielNiver mentioned a school that got far fewer apps than expected... (I guess you don't have to fess up!) I wish we had stats for the last 3-5 years, because it certainly didn't feel like, at the end of this, that there were fewer apps than last year. WAY more stats given in Draft, but also way fewer given on the GradCafe results page. (This also might be endemic to younger people tending toward social media rather than a standalone forum? Who knows?)

Hahaha my bad! I just didn't want to inflate expectations for those who applied to the specific program, but Wyoming was the program which I was told by a current MFA student that was a bit lower than normal.

[prufrock_]

I officially let my apartment know i'm not renewing my lease. I now have 59 days to either get an acceptance and move to wherever wants me, or find another apartment around here for another year while working on next years applications. As if the process couldn't be more stressful 😮‍💨

 

 

Edited March 6, 2024 by prufrock_

[jadedoptimist]

         

         

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  🕯                                 🕯
🕯              ❤️ iowa         🕯
  🕯. poetry                       🕯
    🕯            summoning  🕯
        🕯            circle 🕯
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[itsbeensnowing]

1 hour ago, Scribe said:

I'd like to think it means they've narrowed down the list enough to bother checking our social media. 

on 2/29 they searched me. 

How did you know they searched you??

[electricstardust]

4 minutes ago, jadedoptimist said:

         

         

              🕯      🕯   🕯
     🕯                          🕯
  🕯                                 🕯
🕯              ❤️ iowa         🕯
  🕯. poetry                       🕯
    🕯            summoning  🕯
        🕯            circle 🕯
            🕯   🕯  🕯  
                 

 

 

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  🕯                                 🕯
🕯             ❤️ brown         🕯
  🕯                poetry         🕯
    🕯            summoning  🕯
        🕯            circle 🕯
            🕯   🕯  🕯  
                 

 

 

[_redrabbit7]

Received an email a few hours ago informing me that I've been waitlisted for Brown Digital/Cross-disciplinary MFA. Two applicants have been accepted and two waitlisted. They said they received 1,100 applications for 12 spots across all their Lit Arts tracks. I'm so worried right now. What's the probability that someone will reject Brown's offer so I could get their spot? 😔

Edited March 6, 2024 by _redrabbit7

[Scribe]

53 minutes ago, itsbeensnowing said:

How did you know they searched you??

linked in lets you know who searched you. 

[saramsarang]

Congratulations to people on the Brown acceptances and waitlists, it's incredible news!

All of these Brown notifications are making me antsy. I know part of it is because I really love Brown's program, but mostly it's because it means my cycle is over and I'm coming out with all rejections. I'm unsure about what to do with my life in the next year, I also keep saying next year like I'm applying next cycle but I don't know what kind of stories I want to tell right now either, so everything is very uncertain. But it is what it is, life goes on and I'll pick up the pieces. For everyone else still waiting on more schools, I'm sending good luck your way, I hope you hear some good news! And to those who are in a similar position as me, I hope your writing strengthens and you fall in love with it even more. 

(On a more funnier note, for everyone else who is waiting on Brown, even Jess on draft said that Brown is their "white whale" so it really is one of the universe's deep dark mysteries 👀)