friendned Posted February 13 Posted February 13 What do people think about submitting novel excerpts vs. short stories? I submitted novel excerpts this time around and I'm really wondering if that was a poor choice. I've been debating (since yesterday) if I should put my novel aside from now and start working on several short stories from now so that they can be polished and ready for next year's cycle. Any thoughts on that?
Gander Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Stopping in to send support, and say that I saw an ASU waitlist on the result page; congrats to them, but damn, that sucks for me. That was a top choice of mine, and stings a lot, even more than JHU, considering I felt ASU was more "in reach." Guess that makes my top spec fic option left Syracuse. 0a/0w/4 soft rejections/2r/13p Best of luck everyone and continue to trudge through the writerly angst 🙂 misssalem 1
everything bagel lover Posted February 13 Posted February 13 3 minutes ago, Gander said: Stopping in to send support, and say that I saw an ASU waitlist on the result page; congrats to them, but damn, that sucks for me. That was a top choice of mine, and stings a lot, even more than JHU, considering I felt ASU was more "in reach." Guess that makes my top spec fic option left Syracuse. 0a/0w/4 soft rejections/2r/13p Best of luck everyone and continue to trudge through the writerly angst 🙂 Sorry, where do you see the ASU waitlist? An ASU poetry acceptance is in draft spreadsheet (congrats to mismanaged funds btw!) but I don't see anything for fiction in the draft or forum results page, but I could totally be missing something
prufrock_ Posted February 13 Posted February 13 2 minutes ago, friendned said: What do people think about submitting novel excerpts vs. short stories? I submitted novel excerpts this time around and I'm really wondering if that was a poor choice. I've been debating (since yesterday) if I should put my novel aside from now and start working on several short stories from now so that they can be polished and ready for next year's cycle. Any thoughts on that? I wouldn't call it a poor choice, since people do get in with novel excerpts all the time. That said, I think the majority are short stories. It's important to show you can end as strong as you start, which doesn't happen in a novel excerpt. I hope you get in somewhere, but it's not a bad idea to start a short just in case.
friendned Posted February 13 Posted February 13 4 minutes ago, prufrock_ said: I wouldn't call it a poor choice, since people do get in with novel excerpts all the time. That said, I think the majority are short stories. It's important to show you can end as strong as you start, which doesn't happen in a novel excerpt. I hope you get in somewhere, but it's not a bad idea to start a short just in case. Sorry for the jumbled mess of a question - my brain is fried right now. Thank you for your input. I think I'll put aside the novel and get started on short stories. It's the only thing that'll make me feel like I'm pressing onward.
Gander Posted February 13 Posted February 13 5 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said: Sorry, where do you see the ASU waitlist? An ASU poetry acceptance is in draft spreadsheet (congrats to mismanaged funds btw!) but I don't see anything for fiction in the draft or forum results page, but I could totally be missing something I saw it on the GradCafe results page. It doesn't specify fiction or poetry, I think. I'm actually not on Draft, haha. I hope I'm wrong, but I saw it and my heart dropped.
essentialflowers Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Just now, Gander said: I saw it on the GradCafe results page. It doesn't specify fiction or poetry, I think. I'm actually not on Draft, haha. I hope I'm wrong, but I saw it and my heart dropped. It's a nonfiction waitlist, so please don't lose hope! everything bagel lover and Gander 2
Tinky C. Clown Posted February 13 Posted February 13 I’m feeling the despair too, even though I’ve gotten a couple acceptances. Feeling really nervous about the biggies coming out soon, knowing I’ll never get the chance to apply to them again.
everything bagel lover Posted February 13 Posted February 13 6 minutes ago, essentialflowers said: It's a nonfiction waitlist, so please don't lose hope! I saw that too and it's a waitlist for the University of Arizona so I don't think any ASU waitlists have been logged 7 minutes ago, Gander said: I saw it on the GradCafe results page. It doesn't specify fiction or poetry, I think. I'm actually not on Draft, haha. I hope I'm wrong, but I saw it and my heart dropped. I looked up ASU and I think it might have been for PhD? Regardless, there is still hope yet as no fiction notifs seem to have gone out or at least logged on the forum or draft!
Gander Posted February 13 Posted February 13 (edited) Oh my god, I might be an idiot. I searched up "Fall 2025" for ASU and read a notif from February 2024 that tagged itself Fall 2025 instead of '24; which isn't the most unbelievable thing, but still. Carry on folks. Thank God that MFAs don't admit on account of common sense (or...or reading ability?) OCD does stuff to you, man. Edited February 13 by Gander everything bagel lover and friendned 2
everything bagel lover Posted February 13 Posted February 13 14 minutes ago, Gander said: Oh my god, I might be an idiot. I searched up "Fall 2025" for ASU and read a notif from February 2024 that tagged itself Fall 2025 instead of '24; which isn't the most unbelievable thing, but still. Carry on folks. Thank God that MFAs don't admit on account of common sense (or...or reading ability?) OCD does stuff to you, man. It's a stressful times and all of our data sets are weird, incomplete, and subject to error so it's totally understandable! I'm glad that this one lead to a more optimistic outcome tho! Gander 1
exvat Posted February 13 Posted February 13 1 minute ago, everything bagel lover said: It's a stressful times and all of our data sets are weird, incomplete, and subject to error so it's totally understandable! I'm glad that this one lead to a more optimistic outcome tho! Good time to remind that self-reported data are extremely unreliable. Making assumptions based on them is more likely to cause suffering than peace. Gander, Tuxedocat, prufrock_ and 3 others 4 2
KennyK Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Trying not to be devastated because I worked so hard on my applications (as did most of us I’m sure)! Hoping, really hoping, Notre Dame gives me a different fate. But I’m also nervous because I write spec fiction. exvat 1
Tinky C. Clown Posted February 13 Posted February 13 6 minutes ago, KennyK said: Trying not to be devastated because I worked so hard on my applications (as did most of us I’m sure)! Hoping, really hoping, Notre Dame gives me a different fate. But I’m also nervous because I write spec fiction. did you apply to more than two?
exvat Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Just now, KennyK said: Trying not to be devastated because I worked so hard on my applications (as did most of us I’m sure)! Hoping, really hoping, Notre Dame gives me a different fate. But I’m also nervous because I write spec fiction. Rooting for you—and all spec fic writers—because my world and language has been shaped and elevated as much by spec fic as "literary" fiction. Le Guin, Stephenson, and Herbert have influenced me as much as Baldwin, Cusk, and Hesse. curfew and yrblues 2
KennyK Posted February 13 Posted February 13 7 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said: did you apply to more than two? I applied to a total of 13. 2 of which are soft rejections. My colleague told me my overall package was good but my only disadvantage was that I write spec fiction. But, it’s a new day so I’ll push through it.
Mystic_Sunshine Posted February 13 Posted February 13 I'm wondering if Mississippi has contacted anyone. The reading period is over Saturday so strange no news
friendned Posted February 13 Posted February 13 How much do you think schools consider your GPA? I have a different path than most - I graduated with my Doctorate in Pharmacy in 2017 (six-year program that didn't have a bachelor's degree attached) and I did not have the best GPA. Mostly because I was forced into being there and I suppose slacking off in class was my "act of rebellion." Any thoughts on how that might be impacting me? Or do programs not really care about that, especially because it was in a totally different field?
everything bagel lover Posted February 13 Posted February 13 11 minutes ago, friendned said: How much do you think schools consider your GPA? I have a different path than most - I graduated with my Doctorate in Pharmacy in 2017 (six-year program that didn't have a bachelor's degree attached) and I did not have the best GPA. Mostly because I was forced into being there and I suppose slacking off in class was my "act of rebellion." Any thoughts on how that might be impacting me? Or do programs not really care about that, especially because it was in a totally different field? I think if the GPA is high enough to meet the basic requirements for the graduate school and be moved to the department itself, it's fine. I've also seen many programs say that if a GPA is below the threshold required, exceptions can be made if the writing it strong. Overall, I think it's not that big of a deal. prufrock_ 1
Gander Posted February 13 Posted February 13 6 minutes ago, friendned said: How much do you think schools consider your GPA? I have a different path than most - I graduated with my Doctorate in Pharmacy in 2017 (six-year program that didn't have a bachelor's degree attached) and I did not have the best GPA. Mostly because I was forced into being there and I suppose slacking off in class was my "act of rebellion." Any thoughts on how that might be impacting me? Or do programs not really care about that, especially because it was in a totally different field? Take my word with a grain of salt, but I'd imagine unless absolutely horrible, your GPA means very little to the Grad Councils. I'd imagine they look at writing samples primarily, personal statements and essays and LORs secondarily, and GPA/academic record as a distant third. The only way I think they'd care about GPA is as a reflection of your ability to handle the rigor of an MFA, but I'd say the six-year Doctorate proves that you're super well off in academia. This is also only taking GPA at face value; I'm sure it matters even less if you were involved in interesting work, groups, internships, etc. Even a lot of non-art degrees put more value in your accomplishments and experiences than your GPA.
friendned Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Just now, Gander said: Take my word with a grain of salt, but I'd imagine unless absolutely horrible, your GPA means very little to the Grad Councils. I'd imagine they look at writing samples primarily, personal statements and essays and LORs secondarily, and GPA/academic record as a distant third. The only way I think they'd care about GPA is as a reflection of your ability to handle the rigor of an MFA, but I'd say the six-year Doctorate proves that you're super well off in academia. This is also only taking GPA at face value; I'm sure it matters even less if you were involved in interesting work, groups, internships, etc. Even a lot of non-art degrees put more value in your accomplishments and experiences than your GPA. Thanks for the reassurance...my GPA was a 2.8 (which I guess is pretty horrible, but still made it through the program). I really didn't put my best foot forward there. Hoping that isn't coming back to bite me in the ass now. But still, really appreciate you taking the time to say something rocinante78 1
friendned Posted February 13 Posted February 13 11 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said: I think if the GPA is high enough to meet the basic requirements for the graduate school and be moved to the department itself, it's fine. I've also seen many programs say that if a GPA is below the threshold required, exceptions can be made if the writing it strong. Overall, I think it's not that big of a deal. Makes sense. I think most of them require a 3.0, but I received a 2.8. Not sure how big a deal that is, but hoping that isn't one of the factors impacting me right now. Either way, thanks for reaching out and responding :).
programedlove333 Posted February 13 Posted February 13 46 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said: I'm wondering if Mississippi has contacted anyone. The reading period is over Saturday so strange no news i applied n havent heard anything, no news on draft n no update on their website so i think they havent reached out to anyone yet
everything bagel lover Posted February 13 Posted February 13 I know it's not for everyone, but this week feels quieter than I expected. I was hoping to hear from UNLV or CSU this week but I'm hoping that next week bears good news! I know that CSU already accepted one fiction person so I'll cross my fingers for a waitlist ❤️ Many of my programs notify later so idk why I'm holding my breath but what else is a girl to do? Actually be productive at work? Mr. Scribblo, programedlove333, misssalem and 2 others 5
strawberrymatcha Posted February 13 Posted February 13 UC Davis waitlist is out! Hoping for more UC news soon :”)
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