2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[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 yesterday at 07:04 PM 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!

[smallchange]

5 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

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!

Thanks! I saw a lot of advice online that it's riskier to apply with novel excerpts to these programs which really gave me pause about applications this year and I over-thought everything

Also congrats on your acceptances! That must feel incredibly satisfying and sounds super deserved!!

[womanonline]

Question -- what is the general consensus on Emerson College's MFA program? 

I applied last year and got in without one of my recommenders even submitting their recommendation (because I had decided I was going to wait to apply). Also, looking back, my writing sample was terrible, some of the worst I've ever written (I say this as objectively as I can, not trying to down myself). Based on the Draft, it looks like only acceptances to Emerson. Are they not a very selective program? 

I didn't know much about MFA programs when I applied, and I just saw them on some list of the best programs (plus I thought that Boston would be a fun city), but now that I'm more involved/educated, I'm wondering about how good their program is. Can anyone speak to this? 

Mostly asking because I'm considering reapplying since they accepted me once, but I don't know if it would be worth it. 

[prufrock_]

On 1/29/2025 at 10:16 PM, Scribe said:

just checking in and wanted to let you guys know that Irvine has started reviewing apps. 

*hides five dollars in a copy of Battleborn by Watkins and slides it your way* why don't u admit my friend mr honest abe here.

[Catpaw]

2 minutes ago, smallchange said:

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?

Yeah I submitted completely different material for the second round, and geared my writing in 2024 towards the applications. I do have the misfortune of working in awkwardly long forms—most of my 'short' stories are too long for many MFA submissions. So my initial goal was to write some short standalone stories, because those seem best-suited to MFA application requirements. But in the end, everything got too long again (blah!) so I ended up focusing on projects that I felt would excerpt effectively for an application.

My strongest piece in my previous application round was a 65-page novella, and I really struggled to find ways to excerpt it effectively and without breaking the story's logic. I'm not sure I ever did succeed. (Clearly not, since I didn't get in anywhere lol!) I do think my strongest piece this round was a story-in-three-sections that I managed to squeeze down to exactly 40 pages. So all the 40-page-max applications got that story in full. I don't think it got me any acceptances this round either, but I feel much better about that application because I feel I was better able to demonstrate my abilities within the space they give you. That makes the rejections feel less bitter. I'd rather be rejected for giving it my all, and to know I showcased myself the best I could, regardless of their decisions.

[Tinky C. Clown]

24 minutes ago, womanonline said:

Question -- what is the general consensus on Emerson College's MFA program? 

I applied last year and got in without one of my recommenders even submitting their recommendation (because I had decided I was going to wait to apply). Also, looking back, my writing sample was terrible, some of the worst I've ever written (I say this as objectively as I can, not trying to down myself). Based on the Draft, it looks like only acceptances to Emerson. Are they not a very selective program? 

I didn't know much about MFA programs when I applied, and I just saw them on some list of the best programs (plus I thought that Boston would be a fun city), but now that I'm more involved/educated, I'm wondering about how good their program is. Can anyone speak to this? 

Mostly asking because I'm considering reapplying since they accepted me once, but I don't know if it would be worth it. 

i got in this year and i’m really really skeptical of it because they’ve been accepting people before the deadline and before reviewing all their apps. there’s somewhere on this thread where someone said they seem desperate and that’s 100% true from my experience. i have more to say but i don’t wanna do it on a public forum that anyone on the internet can read – does gradcafe do direct messages?

[_redrabbit7]

Has anyone heard from Johns Hopkins or Brown University yet?

[womanonline]

3 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

i got in this year and i’m really really skeptical of it because they’ve been accepting people before the deadline and before reviewing all their apps. there’s somewhere on this thread where someone said they seem desperate and that’s 100% true from my experience. i have more to say but i don’t wanna do it on a public forum that anyone on the internet can read – does gradcafe do direct messages?

I think you can do direct messages? Not sure, I’m pretty new here but I think so

[Catpaw]

19 minutes ago, smallchange said:

Thanks! I saw a lot of advice online that it's riskier to apply with novel excerpts to these programs which really gave me pause about applications this year and I over-thought everything

So. This is true, all other things equal. However. I have a friend who applied with only a novel excerpt, and they got into one of the most selective programs and were also waitlisted at two others (with a guarantee of getting off the waitlist for one of them).

I think there were a number of factors that made my friend's application really work for the schools who admitted them. And, all other things equal: being able to submit two stories, or a novel excerpt + a story, does up your chances a lot. A couple of MFA professors have expressed their hesitations on social media about novel excerpts, since an excerpt doesn't reliably show them whether an applicant can 'land the plane' with endings, so to speak. So including at least one short story is a way to say "oh I absolutely can land this plane, check this out, vroom vroom" et cetera.

But if you feel that your stories are a notable caliber below what you're able to do at novel length, and that your novel writing is your strongest by far—submit the novel!

I don't think my friend would have gotten into any school with their short stories at the time. Their novel-in-progress was a caliber above. And yes, their novel excerpt still  got them rejected from a ton of schools, but it also really impressed a couple others, and that's all it takes to get in. You just need to impress one.

[snottlebie]

5 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

i got in this year and i’m really really skeptical of it because they’ve been accepting people before the deadline and before reviewing all their apps. there’s somewhere on this thread where someone said they seem desperate and that’s 100% true from my experience. i have more to say but i don’t wanna do it on a public forum that anyone on the internet can read – does gradcafe do direct messages?

Yes, go to their profile and then there’s a message option

[rapunzel]

1 minute ago, Catpaw said:

So. This is true, all other things equal. However. I have a friend who applied with only a novel excerpt, and they got into one of the most selective programs and were also waitlisted at two others (with a guarantee of getting off the waitlist for one of them).

not to butt into this conversation but how do you get a guarantee of getting off a waitlist? i could use that about now 😭

[pananoprodigy]

3 minutes ago, _redrabbit7 said:

Has anyone heard from Johns Hopkins or Brown University yet?

A bunch of JHU acceptances got reported for both fiction and poetry last week, but Brown doesn't usually notify until early March

[exvat]

All these fictioneers getting accepted... Maybe, as poet, I should learn to string sentences together... 🤔

Nah

[nikolairostov]

Hi, new here! Just got waitlisted for Helen Zell for fiction - very excited and of course wondering what my chances are. The email said the list is small, but I’m wondering how small.

Rejected from Cornell, and after reading this thread I guess soft rejected from Michener and Johns Hopkins. Still waiting on Iowa, Brown, NYU, and Columbia.

Edited 23 hours ago by nikolaibolkonsky

[Catpaw]

3 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

not to butt into this conversation but how do you get a guarantee of getting off a waitlist? i could use that about now 😭

It's not butting in at all, this is a forum!! 😄

I wish I could give you a satisfying answer, but it was super specific to their situation. Pretty much: it was for a school that does interviews, and the interview was friendly and casual, and afterwards my friend was told that they were #1 on the waitlist.

And my friend happened to know that one of the people who had gotten accepted flat-out to this school wasn't planning to attend it. (The other person had also gotten into Iowa, and was clear that they were accepting Iowa.) So my friend knew that someone from the waitlist was definitely getting in off the waitlist—and they were #1 on the waitlist—so yeah.

 

[rapunzel]

16 minutes ago, Catpaw said:

It's not butting in at all, this is a forum!! 😄

I wish I could give you a satisfying answer, but it was super specific to their situation. Pretty much: it was for a school that does interviews, and the interview was friendly and casual, and afterwards my friend was told that they were #1 on the waitlist.

And my friend happened to know that one of the people who had gotten accepted flat-out to this school wasn't planning to attend it. (The other person had also gotten into Iowa, and was clear that they were accepting Iowa.) So my friend knew that someone from the waitlist was definitely getting in off the waitlist—and they were #1 on the waitlist—so yeah.

 

okay that makes more sense 😭 but wow that's incredible for them! thanks though 😕 

[KennyK]

Do yall think they would send out request for interviews after their usual business hours? 

[seezeegee]

A stream of straight rejections so far, without any acceptances or waitlists, which is making me want to dissolve or vanish or something --- but it is really, really lovely to be able to read the thoughts of people on their second round of applications and the support and encouragement everyone has to give here. 🫂😶‍🌫️

[pananoprodigy]

Michigan rejection just hit for me. Bummerrrr

[baguettemagique]

Just heard back from Michigan. Rejected, but no biggie. Maybe it's a good sign that it took so long? My surname is near the beginning of the alphabet, too. Anyway, It's good to get the closure. Still have six more schools to hear from, including JHU, so we'll just have to see...

 

Edited 22 hours ago by baguettemagique

[Mystic_Sunshine]

At least I know the cow is happy. And that makes the rejection a little better.