2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Tuxedocat]

Hey everyone! Out of reactions for today so thank you for all the congrats! But I just wanted to respond to the general things I’ve been seeing lately and recent posts. 
 

This was my second time applying. Last year I applied to 9 programs and was waitlisted at the NWP at the University of Texas at Austin. I was rejected from the 8 other programs. I never made it off the waitlist at NWP. But I turned my frustration into motivation. This was not the first time in my life when people doubted me, and I knew it was because they could not see the potential I saw in myself. So I decided to show them. I read through my application again. I wrote about a project I would do if I go into an MFA program. So I just did the project on my own. I went through archives, read books on my topics, spent months researching and writing. I started writing the poems I vowed to write in my application. At the same time, I went to a summer writing workshop at one of the programs I hoped to attend. I took in every ounce of feedback. I sought out other writers to give me feedback on my SOP essay and my writing sample. I listened and changed and became a better writer. 
 

Today, as I mentioned, I got into Michigan!! I was rejected by them last year. I have 2 acceptances until my belt this season, 3 rejections, and I think 12 pending. This season is going great for me, but it’s my second try at it. It’s not the end of the world to try again. Please have hope. Please keep writing. Whatever happens, let it motivate you to try harder, be better. There’s always room to improve. And nobody can take writing away from you. ❤️

[kpoetrottenapplecore]

1 minute ago, programedlove333 said:

i am waiting for both! i applied for fiction

okay sweet i was starting to get super nervous, glad someone else is waiting too. i applied for poetry! 

[exvat]

Unanimous response to my rejections from the people who know me and my poems well: "Wow, that school fucked up bad."

Forwarding their defensive love to everyone else riding the R train 💕 

We can go streaking together 🐎

[pananoprodigy]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Scribblo said:

wait, waitlist means 'progressed to round 2,' right? or am i missing something? did they already send round 1 results earlier? 

anyway, that's amazing! congratulations!!!

Sounds like they made offers already; sorry if that's bad news
 

"This year we were overwhelmed by the number of strong applicants competing for a very limited number of spots. Although your application was not among the first offers we made, there is a chance that we’ll be able to extend an offer to you in the coming weeks."

[rhaenyra]

Lightly bummed that I probably didn't get a waitlist from Michigan (soft R) because it was my top school, but genre probably matters a bit. Loved reading Julie Buntin and Peter Ho Davies this year, but their work is geared toward realist/contemporary fiction, and I submitted a ghost story. Now if it was a great ghost story that probably wouldn't matter, but I'm going to tell myself it does because it helps the sting a bit lol.

I'm very impressed by the UMich acceptances! Rooting for y'all to have a great time there.

[Mr. Scribblo]

5 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

Sounds like they made offers already; sorry if that's bad news
 

"This year we were overwhelmed by the number of strong applicants competing for a very limited number of spots. Although your application was not among the first offers we made, there is a chance that we’ll be able to extend an offer to you in the coming weeks."

yup, that stings a bit. but if i may ask, were you notified about moving to round 2? or is this your first response from them?

[pananoprodigy]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Scribblo said:

yup, that stings a bit. but if i may ask, were you notified about moving to round 2? or is this your first response from them?

Sorry, here's hoping you get better news today! They confirmed receipt of my sample back in december but otherwise, this is the first I'm hearing from them.

[Mr. Scribblo]

6 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

Sorry, here's hoping you get better news today! They confirmed receipt of my sample back in december but otherwise, this is the first I'm hearing from them.

thanks! i'm a little down because i was sure i'd progress to round 2. my only strength is my writing sample--everything else in my app has nothing to do with writing. so...

i progressed to round 2 of utk and ole miss, but i guess my sample isn't perfect. i know it's subjective, but still...

anyway, thanks again. hope you get more good news!!!

Edited February 21 by Mr. Scribblo

[VOID DARLING]

hi everyone, been following (all 65 pages) of this thread since its birth, finally bothering to make an account to post!!

it's my first time applying, and i only applied to 3 programs due to app fees. i was rejected from cornell, and as of today, waitlisted at michigan! still waiting to hear back from brown. 

the Draft FB group has been a great resource, but this forum does feel like more of a chatroom space and has been a great source of camaraderie (and collective freak-out) during this nerve-wracking time.

btw, wondering if anybody knows- the email i got from michigan said that the waitlist is "very short", though according to an FB post from someone who got off the michigan waitlist last year (and is now at HZWP), they shared that "Michigan's waitlist is quite big from my understanding".

wondering if anyone has any insight as to the actual length of the waitlist, and if it varies from year to year? TIA!

[baguettemagique]

Hello everyone, I'm also a fellow lurker! Reading through this thread has made me feel less alone, though I'm not sure it's helping my anxiety... I'm also not on Facebook, so no access to what's going down on Draft.

This is my first year applying (fiction), and aside from being waitlisted at Cornell, I haven't heard a peep from Michigan or JHU. Not really sure what to think. Obviously, you hope for the best, but I can't help but assume it's an R.

(I'm also an American currently living abroad, so I keep turning on my U.S. SIM card—that's the # I stupidly put on my application—to make sure I haven't missed any calls. Just sittin' here, twiddlin' my thumbs.) 

Edited February 21 by baguettemagique
Wanted to add info re: Draft

[womanonline]

Looks like Boston University is starting to send out emails on the Draft (for fiction so far)

Edited February 21 by womanonline
forgot to say genre

[PsychPoet]

2 minutes ago, womanonline said:

Looks like Boston University is starting to send out emails on the Draft (for fiction so far)

Yep, just got my Dear John letter from them. After Syracuse this one doesn't really sting. Doesn't hurt that I judged them as my least likely application b/c of my history with them. Not 100% I'll reapply to them next year among my 25. Def will Syracuse (assuming it's a blanket of rejections this year). 

[Tinky C. Clown]

when do we think iowa will enter the chat?

[womanonline]

Just now, Tinky C. Clown said:

when do we think iowa will enter the chat?

I really thought this week would show a lot more results than it did. It's looking like next week might be big. I do see somewhat of a trend of some schools sending later decisions so far than they have in previous years. I wonder if that's due to an influx of applicants or something else. 

[prufrock_]

1 minute ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

when do we think iowa will enter the chat?

it's gotta be soon! even the weekend is a possibility imo.

[KennyK]

Do we think Notre Dame will release fiction decisions today?

 

Edited February 21 by KennyK
Wasn’t finished typing

[Mystic_Sunshine]

8 minutes ago, womanonline said:

I really thought this week would show a lot more results than it did. It's looking like next week might be big. I do see somewhat of a trend of some schools sending later decisions so far than they have in previous years. I wonder if that's due to an influx of applicants or something else. 

I can't tell if next week will be big for me or mostly silent. There are a few I think will for sure come next week (NWP, Rutgers) and I also thought Colorado, UNLV, Maryland, and Virginia tech would be out by now. 

I know for sure that LSU, UVA, and Ole Miss will be in march though  so much waiting. 

[pananoprodigy]

7 minutes ago, KennyK said:

Do we think Notre Dame will release fiction decisions today?

 

Have there been any fiction interviews reported? I thought we were still waiting but maybe I missed it

[KennyK]

1 minute ago, pananoprodigy said:

Have there been any fiction interviews reported? I thought we were still waiting but maybe I missed it

Sorry that’s what I meant! If you think we’ll see interviews being sent out for fiction from them today? Sorry for the confusion.

[smallchange]

For people who have applied twice:

I submitted an excerpt of a novel that has been kind of my "burning" project for the past year, along with one short story (which I changed depending on the program based on "vibe" and faculty--and now kind of regretting that). I knew going into it that the novel excerpt was less developed than the short stories I ended up submitting but it was what I really wanted to talk about in my SOP and what I intend to work on for the next few years with or without an MFA. The friends and family who looked over my application thought the novel excerpt was very strong, but I personally wasn't 100% happy with where it was when I submitted.

So my question is--did you guys significantly change what you submitted? Especially in regards to submitting a larger project vs stories which can stand alone?

Also--I haven't fully given up hope yet, I have one waitlist, two rejections, 1 soft rejection now with Michigan, and four schools to go so we shall see....but I'm a big Plan B person lol so I am already thinking about a potential next round

 

[Tinky C. Clown]

2 minutes ago, smallchange said:

For people who have applied twice:

I submitted an excerpt of a novel that has been kind of my "burning" project for the past year, along with one short story (which I changed depending on the program based on "vibe" and faculty--and now kind of regretting that). I knew going into it that the novel excerpt was less developed than the short stories I ended up submitting but it was what I really wanted to talk about in my SOP and what I intend to work on for the next few years with or without an MFA. The friends and family who looked over my application thought the novel excerpt was very strong, but I personally wasn't 100% happy with where it was when I submitted.

So my question is--did you guys significantly change what you submitted? Especially in regards to submitting a larger project vs stories which can stand alone?

Also--I haven't fully given up hope yet, I have one waitlist, two rejections, 1 soft rejection now with Michigan, and four schools to go so we shall see....but I'm a big Plan B person lol so I am already thinking about a potential next round

 

i think it’s smartest to submit completely new or heavily heavily revised work in your second round 

[everything bagel lover]

16 minutes ago, smallchange said:

For people who have applied twice:

I submitted an excerpt of a novel that has been kind of my "burning" project for the past year, along with one short story (which I changed depending on the program based on "vibe" and faculty--and now kind of regretting that). I knew going into it that the novel excerpt was less developed than the short stories I ended up submitting but it was what I really wanted to talk about in my SOP and what I intend to work on for the next few years with or without an MFA. The friends and family who looked over my application thought the novel excerpt was very strong, but I personally wasn't 100% happy with where it was when I submitted.

So my question is--did you guys significantly change what you submitted? Especially in regards to submitting a larger project vs stories which can stand alone?

Also--I haven't fully given up hope yet, I have one waitlist, two rejections, 1 soft rejection now with Michigan, and four schools to go so we shall see....but I'm a big Plan B person lol so I am already thinking about a potential next round

 

I substantially revised one of the stories I submitted last round, did smaller revisions to another that got published between my first round and now, and then an entirely new one that I only sent out to two programs in addition to a revised one. (I sent each program two short stories) I will say, the revisions were needed and made for a much stronger application.

I think it really depends on what you've got locked and loaded. My stories I submitted this time are my most polished pieces and I gave them a lot of revisions. I've gotten in with both my revised pieces and my new one, but there's no way to really know until you do it. Just send what you think is your strongest. I think reading craft books like "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" and even "Elements of Style" have really helped me polish my work for resubmission this round.

I hope that you hear good news soon! I'm also a big plan b person lol

Edited February 21 by everything bagel lover
typos lol always typos

[exvat]

Just came out of a 75 min meditation to realize I'm gonna be fine if it's another cycle of straight rejections. Like, a-okay. Happily backpacking down a dirt road and chewing on wild onion greens in the sunshine a-okay. Whew!

[smallchange]

4 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

I substantially revised one of the stories I submitted last round, did smaller revisions to another that got published between my first round and now, and then an entirely new one that I only sent out to two programs in addition to a revised one. (I sent each program two short stories) I will say, the revisions were needed and made for a much stronger application.

I think it really depends on what you've got locked and loaded. My stories I submitted this time are my most polished pieces and I gave them a lot of revisions. I've gotten in with both my revised pieces and my new one, but there's no way to really know until you do it. Just send what you think is your strongest. I think reading craft books like "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" and even "Elements of Style" have really helped me polish my work for resubmission this round.

I hope that you hear good news soon! I'm also a big plan b person lol

 

13 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

i think it’s smartest to submit completely new or heavily heavily revised work in your second round 

Thanks! That's very helpful. My gut says to keep working on the novel and aim to submit two really strong excerpts, but I also would really love to have a story or two actually published this year (I have had a major block about even submitting to literary journals for fear of rejection but these grad school rejections are helping me get over that hurdle)

[everything bagel lover]

3 minutes ago, smallchange said:

 

Thanks! That's very helpful. My gut says to keep working on the novel and aim to submit two really strong excerpts, but I also would really love to have a story or two actually published this year (I have had a major block about even submitting to literary journals for fear of rejection but these grad school rejections are helping me get over that hurdle)

That's a great plan! Also, no writing is wasted writing. If you're driven to keep working on your novel, you totally should and that's not to say you can't work on short stories at the same time! The life of a writer is full of rejections and it's best to practice it often so you don't lose your calluses lol

For this season though, you're still in the running so don't count yourself out!