2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[beet_root]

submitted my first application earlier this week (cornell). only nine more to go 😅 good luck all!

[zaira]

Submitting three applications within the next 24 hours (right under deadline, yeesh). Fellow procrastinators unite! The rest will go out sometime early next week so I can stop thinking about this process for a while. 

My TBR shelf is so neglected. Gonna finish Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, then I'm gonna finally get around to Orbital by Samantha Harvey and Speedboat by Renata Adler. Or I might just eat a lot of burritos and go into hibernation. We'll see. 

[prufrock_]

UC Irvine's app is really annoying. "give us an sop, an autobiography, and a Personal History Statement." like what???? just let me send in my 500 word sop that's perfect please i'm begging you. now i have to cut it up into 3 different documents and pad them with words that aren't needed and then trust you're gonna read it all??

Edited December 2 by prufrock_

[pananoprodigy]

10 hours ago, prufrock_ said:

UC Irvine's app is really annoying. "give us an sop, an autobiography, and a Personal History Statement." like what???? just let me send in my 500 word sop that's perfect please i'm begging you. now i have to cut it up into 3 different documents and pad them with words that aren't needed and then trust you're gonna read it all??

I find this really annoying too. I'd get it if the questions were all distinct but they just seem like variations of the same thing to me.

[Mystic_Sunshine]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm about halfway through all my applications and I'm starting to have dreams about rejections. Trying to tell myself that anxiety this early is not good!

[Mystic_Sunshine]

10 hours ago, prufrock_ said:

UC Irvine's app is really annoying. "give us an sop, an autobiography, and a Personal History Statement." like what???? just let me send in my 500 word sop that's perfect please i'm begging you. now i have to cut it up into 3 different documents and pad them with words that aren't needed and then trust you're gonna read it all??

I find this to be the hardest thing about applying. That every application asks questions in just a slightly different wording. 

[pananoprodigy]

15 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Hi everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm about halfway through all my applications and I'm starting to have dreams about rejections. Trying to tell myself that anxiety this early is not good!

Hi, welcome! Never too early to begin The Panicking lol. Where are you applying?  

[Mystic_Sunshine]

3 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

Hi, welcome! Never too early to begin The Panicking lol. Where are you applying?  

Everywhere lol! Sometimes I feel like 20 schools is too many and then others not enough Iowa, Maryland, NWP, Michener, Minnesota, UVA, Virginia Tech, University of Arizona, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Kansas, LSU, Illinois Michigan, UNLV, Mississippi and some others that I'm forgetting lol. Oh Syracuse and Rutgers! 

What about you?

[pananoprodigy]

42 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Everywhere lol! Sometimes I feel like 20 schools is too many and then others not enough Iowa, Maryland, NWP, Michener, Minnesota, UVA, Virginia Tech, University of Arizona, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Kansas, LSU, Illinois Michigan, UNLV, Mississippi and some others that I'm forgetting lol. Oh Syracuse and Rutgers! 

What about you?

Also kind of everywhere lol. Wyoming, Brown, Cornell, UTK, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Indiana Bloomington, NAU, Oregon, Oregon State, Minnesota Minneapolis, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Rutgers Camden, and then for SOME SILLY REASON I also applied to University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland despite being broke and there being pretty much zero hope of funding. 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

6 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

Also kind of everywhere lol. Wyoming, Brown, Cornell, UTK, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Indiana Bloomington, NAU, Oregon, Oregon State, Minnesota Minneapolis, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Rutgers Camden, and then for SOME SILLY REASON I also applied to University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland despite being broke and there being pretty much zero hope of funding. 

Well, it's always good to have dreams/choices! I'd love to study abroad but it's not in the cards for me. Good luck!!

[jinny-r]

Hello, I'm new here! I'm an international applicant, first time applying to US MFA programs. Got acceptances in the UK early this year for MA CW but ultimately, I couldn't pursue any of them without full funding. It's been two years since I graduated from undergrad, although I'm in my thirties now. (Long story why.)

I've applied to Cornell U and UT Michener so far, and am preparing for U of Arizona, Syracuse, Boston U, Brooklyn College, and Hunter College. All for fiction, while for Arizona, both fiction and poetry. International fees are very expensive and can't be waived for us (except for Boston, but still waiting on the result), so I can't apply to more. 

I have some local and international publications, residencies, and fellowships. Also taught in uni for two years. Hoping those count for something. Fingers crossed!

 

[bibsy]

hey, everyone!

i was thrust into this process totally last minute. i'm a narrative director, and i was laid off two weeks ago without warning. this was my second layoff in two years, and the state of the industries i work in (theatre, gaming, and immersive experiences) is, to say the least, dire. to broaden my field of potential options, i decided to take the plunge and send out grad school applications.

i'm a professional writer, but my foundational training is as a playwright. i graduated from carnegie mellon in december of 2019, prepared for a life as a theatre artist... annnnd then the pandemic decimated those prospects. i pivoted into video games... annnnd now we've seen 30,000+ gaming layoffs in the past 18 months. pivoted again into immersive experiences... annnnd the industry is so young that most ventures are startups, layoffs are rampant, and narrative professionals are the first to go.

it's a lot! i just turned 28, and i've experienced a lot of early career success; however, that's all been packaged in severe job insecurity. with the growing threat of AI to my field, i'm strategizing again. storytelling is a sacred practice to me, and i'm fairly agnostic when it comes to my preferred vessel. that said: the bulk of my experience is in inherently collaborative ventures. to continue centralizing writing in my life, i think the greatest gift i can offer myself is a more refined solitary practice that's focused on my prose so that i'm less dependent on an employer facilitating my ability to make my work. 

so. here we are!! i applied to yale for playwriting, but the other five schools on my list are all creative writing: iowa, university of houston, UCSD, UC riverside, and UC irvine. i am truly flying by the seat of my pants here and am realistic about my odds - but just working on applications is soo much better for my mental health than agonizing over empty job boards before the holidays.

[Chex]

1 hour ago, jinny-r said:

 

I've applied to Cornell U and UT Michener so far, and am preparing for U of Arizona, Syracuse, Boston U, Brooklyn College, and Hunter College. All for fiction, while for Arizona, both fiction and poetry. International fees are very expensive and can't be waived for us (except for Boston, but still waiting on the result), so I can't apply to more. 

 

Hey. Cornell offers a need-based fee waiver to all applicants, including int'l students (though this is moot since the deadline has passed). So does Brown University and Johns Hopkins. Certain nationalities also qualify for an automatic fee waiver from UVA. And there are some programs that do not require a fee in the first round: Ole Miss, Tennessee-Knoxville, Arkansas. 

Good luck with the rest of your applications! 

51 minutes ago, bibsy said:

hey, everyone!

i was thrust into this process totally last minute. i'm a narrative director, and i was laid off two weeks ago without warning. this was my second layoff in two years, and the state of the industries i work in (theatre, gaming, and immersive experiences) is, to say the least, dire. to broaden my field of potential options, i decided to take the plunge and send out grad school applications.

Aww, that's a lot of topsy-turvy. Fingers crossed you find the right place to land. 

[jinny-r]

8 hours ago, Chex said:

Hey. Cornell offers a need-based fee waiver to all applicants, including int'l students (though this is moot since the deadline has passed). So does Brown University and Johns Hopkins. Certain nationalities also qualify for an automatic fee waiver from UVA. And there are some programs that do not require a fee in the first round: Ole Miss, Tennessee-Knoxville, Arkansas. 

Good luck with the rest of your applications! 

Thank you for these suggestions! I'll give them a look. Mostly it's the asking for more recommendation letters that's making me hesitate, but the draw of waived fees may be stronger.

[carrruly]

ADVICE NEEDED

First time applying for an MFA and I was not an English/CW major in my undergrad so I'm not sure where I stand...I'm mainly applying to 2y fully funded programs that lean studio.

I have on my list so far:

NC State

UNCG

Brown (is it even worth trying???)

Iowa 

and debating between the following (my target is 5 schools):

- Notre Dame

- John Hopkins

anyone have any thoughts about these choices? or insight to the level of competitiveness? I was hoping to have 1 or 2 schools with a slightly higher acceptance rate but it seems like all the 2y fully funded programs are equally impossible to get into 

Edited December 3 by carrruly

[zaira]

4 hours ago, carrruly said:

anyone have any thoughts about these choices? or insight to the level of competitiveness? 

Your undergrad major doesn't factor in at all, so long as your writing sample's good. 

All fully-funded programs are competitive, yeah. That said, they're not equally competitive. Some schools get less attention than the top programs, so the applicant pool is a little smaller. For example, Brown gets something between 900 and 1,050 applicants and only admits five. UNCG probably gets fewer applicants and admits 10-12. 

Is it worth trying for Brown? YES, VERY MUCH SO. Five people will get into Brown. You may very well be one of those five. I saw someone last year who got accepted into Brown and rejected from many of the other top programs. You never know which program is gonna vibe with what you're writing. 

I wouldn't base your apps on acceptance rates. Go with the ones you feel are the perfect fit for you from an artistic standpoint. You only do your MFA once! It's hard to give more specific advice on program selection since it's such a personal thing. What's right for me may not be right for you, etc. 

Best of luck! 

Edited December 3 by zaira

[Leeannitha]

Just wanted to say that I’ve submitted all my applications. Now just time to wait…. 
 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

9 hours ago, Leeannitha said:

Just wanted to say that I’ve submitted all my applications. Now just time to wait…. 
 

Congrats! How many did you apply to?

[Prosaic Ioniser]

Thoughts about Notre Dame?

Hello, I'm an international student applying to MFAs (mostly in the US and some in Canada) for the first time this year! I cannot decide if I should even apply to Notre Dame because once I started the application process I was asked whether their religious affiliation was part of my reason for applying and that made me go WAIT WHAT??

Perhaps the name should have tipped me off, but honestly in Europe (where I'm from) many universities still have 'catholic' in their name for historic reasons and it doesn't really mean anything. After some research, I understand that Notre Dame offers worship in its premises etc. but can any one actually tell me how religious it is in practice? And what the impacts may be for a creative writing course? I just really don't know what to expect as someone who's a bit wary of the fanaticism the US can be prone to when it comes to religion (personally I'm an atheist and obviously don't really care about what other people believe in but I just don't want to feel like anything is imposed on me or my writing.)

This may be a bit of a weird question but any insight into this would be much appreciated!

Here is my list of applications (focused on fully funded + insurance in the US): Washington University, University of Guelph, Johns Hopkins, Oregon State, Virginia, U of. Washington, Wyoming, TCD

Good luck to everyone currently applying and thanks for all the previous posts  

[prufrock_]

2 hours ago, Prosaic Ioniser said:

Thoughts about Notre Dame?

 

I had the same hesitation; from the research i've done, it appears Notre Dame is 'as catholic as you want it to be'. You can attend the university as an atheist and never attend mass, etc.

I am applying, despite not being religious, which shows through my work.

[analog_e]

Hey all, first time applying. Finally, in my twilight years (32), about to finish a degree in English at UVA. I figured I would aim for two longshots this year-staying at UVA or moving to Providence for Brown. I clicked submit on Brown today and am planning to submit for UVA a bit closer to the deadline so I can tighten up one of the excerpts (could not use the same piece for both applications due to page number requirements being different). Just finished my only two exams and am about to have my final class, then it's three ten page essays between me and break. My thinking is that if I do not get in this year, I will just devote the year to honing my fiddle playing and try again next fall. Either way I am content. It'll be a nice surprise or an oh well rather than crushing disappointment. 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

2 hours ago, analog_e said:

Hey all, first time applying. Finally, in my twilight years (32), about to finish a degree in English at UVA. I figured I would aim for two longshots this year-staying at UVA or moving to Providence for Brown. I clicked submit on Brown today and am planning to submit for UVA a bit closer to the deadline so I can tighten up one of the excerpts (could not use the same piece for both applications due to page number requirements being different). Just finished my only two exams and am about to have my final class, then it's three ten page essays between me and break. My thinking is that if I do not get in this year, I will just devote the year to honing my fiddle playing and try again next fall. Either way I am content. It'll be a nice surprise or an oh well rather than crushing disappointment. 

Welcome and good luck  I'm also applying to UVA and it is one of my top choices! 

 

[analog_e]

17 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Welcome and good luck  I'm also applying to UVA and it is one of my top choices! 

 

I'm going to have a tough time deciding should I be admitted to both. Brown is my dream school, but I've lived in Charlottesville since 2018 and built a life here. UVA has been exceptional to me in every possible fashion and I really love the professors I've worked with. It's a really exceptional university in a really exceptional little city.

[Mystic_Sunshine]

1 hour ago, analog_e said:

I'm going to have a tough time deciding should I be admitted to both. Brown is my dream school, but I've lived in Charlottesville since 2018 and built a life here. UVA has been exceptional to me in every possible fashion and I really love the professors I've worked with. It's a really exceptional university in a really exceptional little city.

I've never actually been but I've heard really good things. 

[Leeannitha]

11 hours ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Congrats! How many did you apply to?

7! Michener, Iowa, NYU, JHU, UNLV, Vanderbilt, & Helen Zell.