2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[decayingballads21]

2 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

I got accepted to CSU last Wednesday and was told that GTA info would come in the next few weeks. When you were accepted, did they also give you a GTA?

They don't fund everyone which is stressful. I know that another person accepted into fiction on Wednesday put funding tbd in their draft notif as well.

Yes it came with my acceptance. My best guess is they might be waiting to see if any offers are declined then they’d have more $! 
 

it is very stressful but I have my fingers crossed for you! 

[ssensibility]

I asked this in here about a week ago, but does anyone know when University of Southern California or University of Georgia acceptances / decisions come out? I see one USC waitlist on the Draft sheet. Didn't know if anyone in here applied or had any insider info! 

[programedlove333]

got an email from the UNCG director about an interview! im a fiction applicant

[everything bagel lover]

42 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

Yes it came with my acceptance. My best guess is they might be waiting to see if any offers are declined then they’d have more $! 
 

it is very stressful but I have my fingers crossed for you! 

Congratulations!! Thank you I appreciate it, I’m really hoping it comes through! 

[exvat]

Well, just did a long walking meditation labeling every sensation as just "seeing" or "hearing" or "feeling," and now it's just back to "waiting" like the SpongeBob coffee gif.

Hit my digits, NY schools 😀

[Cosmicinkwell]

Feeling rather defeated today. Will try to get ahold of these feelings and channel them more positively but the not knowing is killing me.

[Eloise2897]

Continued radio silence from Syracuse has me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure

Edited February 24, 2025 by Eloise2897
typo

[saintjdog]

Why is Johns Hopkins staggering rejections??? It seems like fiction rejections went out last week on 2/18 and 2/19, but I still haven't received mine. I don't understand the point of this at all! Is this normal?

[quadcrossedfingers]

Hello! I've been lurking but I'm popping in to celebrate - I got waitlisted at UMich for poetry!! It came after three straight rejections and I was feeling pretty much heartbroken (really had my hopes on UW Madison because I have family there 😕 ) but I'm feeling much better now and able to wait out my three pending apps without the abject dread and mounting panic that I won't get in anywhere, even if that is still true haha.

I'm vibing soooo hard for a spot to open at UMich for me! They didn't put out a ranking but they said it was a short list. Ofc I'm proud to even be waitlisted there, but I wish I knew what to plan for. Trying not to get my hopes up but I can't help myself. Either way, hooray! ❤️ 

[prufrock_]

Just now, saintjdog said:

Why is Johns Hopkins staggering rejections??? It seems like fiction rejections went out last week on 2/18 and 2/19, but I still haven't received mine. I don't understand the point of this at all! Is this normal?

yes, they take a two weeks+ to reject everyone for some reason based on last years data (i also haven't picked up a rejection from them yet). I can only assume it's a non automated system and whichever admin does it all just takes their time.

[pananoprodigy]

6 minutes ago, quadcrossedfingers said:

Hello! I've been lurking but I'm popping in to celebrate - I got waitlisted at UMich for poetry!! It came after three straight rejections and I was feeling pretty much heartbroken (really had my hopes on UW Madison because I have family there 😕 ) but I'm feeling much better now and able to wait out my three pending apps without the abject dread and mounting panic that I won't get in anywhere, even if that is still true haha.

I'm vibing soooo hard for a spot to open at UMich for me! They didn't put out a ranking but they said it was a short list. Ofc I'm proud to even be waitlisted there, but I wish I knew what to plan for. Trying not to get my hopes up but I can't help myself. Either way, hooray! ❤️ 

eeek congrats!!! That's huge!!!!

[Lady Gladys]

9 minutes ago, quadcrossedfingers said:

Hello! I've been lurking but I'm popping in to celebrate - I got waitlisted at UMich for poetry!! It came after three straight rejections and I was feeling pretty much heartbroken (really had my hopes on UW Madison because I have family there 😕 ) but I'm feeling much better now and able to wait out my three pending apps without the abject dread and mounting panic that I won't get in anywhere, even if that is still true haha.

I'm vibing soooo hard for a spot to open at UMich for me! They didn't put out a ranking but they said it was a short list. Ofc I'm proud to even be waitlisted there, but I wish I knew what to plan for. Trying not to get my hopes up but I can't help myself. Either way, hooray! ❤️ 

Congratulations! Huge accomplishment!!

[strawberrymatcha]

20 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

yes, they take a two weeks+ to reject everyone for some reason based on last years data (i also haven't picked up a rejection from them yet). I can only assume it's a non automated system and whichever admin does it all just takes their time.

it does seem a bit odd that the majority of rejections came out on consecutive days last year (2/13-15) whereas this year there’s been a bit of a pause. you’re probably right though, all we can do is wait at this point!

[HalBear]

Y'all this waiting is starting to be painful.

But the wise words of Billy Joel are helping me through.. "You can't be everything you wanna be before your time." 

 

 

[beet_root]

1 hour ago, programedlove333 said:

got an email from the UNCG director about an interview! im a fiction applicant

me too! high five lol

[gordonandwafflesandmrblik]

5 hours ago, CLCH said:

I got into Iowa for fiction over the weekend.

Hi everyone! I have not posted at all but I've read everyone's posts. I got an acceptance call from Iowa over the weekend and wanted to let you guys know what Sam Chang said she's going to be making calls for probably this whole week. So if you haven't heard anything, it's still possible! 

 

also, for those of you getting discouraged, I reapplied. It's so random and crazy. Last year I was waitlisted at five programs and this year I was rejected from all five of those same programs. I thought, Jesus, I guess I got worse in the last year. And right when I was feeling down, I got the phone call.

Keep goiiiiiiinnnnngggggg!!!!

Wanted to give you a huuuge congratulations🎊 and also a huge thank you for sharing that they’ll keep making calls. This message allows me to keep dreaming/hoping/fantasizing for the week, so please know you’ve genuinely made a stranger’s whole week lol! Sending good karma your way

[luckylike56]

1 hour ago, saintjdog said:

Why is Johns Hopkins staggering rejections??? It seems like fiction rejections went out last week on 2/18 and 2/19, but I still haven't received mine. I don't understand the point of this at all! Is this normal?

its so annoying, I'm a poetry applicant still waiting for mine

[programedlove333]

22 minutes ago, beet_root said:

me too! high five lol

omg yayyyy hopefully we are future cohort friends 🙏🙏

[inthesameboat]

2 hours ago, Eloise2897 said:

Continued radio silence from Syracuse has me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure

@Eloise2897 have you considered reaching out to admissions? I'm also going crazy waiting for my fiction response but not sure if emailing is a bad look... I might reach out if I haven't heard anything by mid-March.

Edited February 24, 2025 by inthesameboat

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Hi everyone! I am a first-time poetry applicant, and I have been so grateful for this forum while I've been wading my way through my applications. The amount of collective wisdom and support here is truly amazing.

As someone with little knowledge of MFA programs, I was hoping the hive mind might be able to help me get a better sense of a few programs: Illinois (UIUC), Indiana Bloomington, and Notre Dame. Really any thoughts would be helpful - facts, opinions, hearsay, comparisons, speculation... The only information I have is what I can find on the schools' websites, what I've learned so far from this forum, and a sketchy Poets & Writers ranking from 2012.

Although I am a poet, I am hoping to learn more about the programs in general, so any thoughts at all would be much appreciated. Thank you so much, and I hope you are all making it through these months okay!

 

[Cosmicinkwell]

Rejected from CSU. Oh well...

[snottlebie]

21 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Hi everyone! I am a first-time poetry applicant, and I have been so grateful for this forum while I've been wading my way through my applications. The amount of collective wisdom and support here is truly amazing.

As someone with little knowledge of MFA programs, I was hoping the hive mind might be able to help me get a better sense of a few programs: Illinois (UIUC), Indiana Bloomington, and Notre Dame. Really any thoughts would be helpful - facts, opinions, hearsay, comparisons, speculation... The only information I have is what I can find on the schools' websites, what I've learned so far from this forum, and a sketchy Poets & Writers ranking from 2012.

Although I am a poet, I am hoping to learn more about the programs in general, so any thoughts at all would be much appreciated. Thank you so much, and I hope you are all making it through these months okay!

 

It’d help to know what specific info you’re looking for, as there are a lot of facts one could give. If you join the Facebook mfa draft group, and use the search function, you’ll find posts from current students that give helpful info, or you could always message them directly with specific Qs. Good luck on the journey!

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Thank you for your reply! That's a good point. I guess maybe the larger question is, what kinds of things set those programs (or really any two MFA programs) apart? I know concrete facts like 2 vs. 3 years, faculty, teaching load, and that sort of thing, but I imagine there are also a lot of qualitative differences that are hard to find just through looking through school websites. I was wondering if there were things known to be especially positive, or not so positive, about those three programs. Unfortunately, I am not part of Draft - otherwise I would definitely do that!

[analog_e]

Still waiting on my one program... I'm worried I'll be in Providence walking around the Brown campus when the email to check the portal for rejection comes thru since some friends and I decided to spend Spring break there

[writeordie]

3 hours ago, gordonandwafflesandmrblik said:

Wanted to give you a huuuge congratulations🎊 and also a huge thank you for sharing that they’ll keep making calls. This message allows me to keep dreaming/hoping/fantasizing for the week, so please know you’ve genuinely made a stranger’s whole week lol! Sending good karma your way

Oh MY GOD, SECONDING THIS, @gordonandwafflesandmrblik thank you SO MUCH for telling us. I have been looking at Draft every five seconds waiting to see how many Iowa calls have been registered and trying to guess, based on the ratio of "reported" acceptances vs. total whether there would be more. THANK YOU. AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! The literal dream. Way to GO. 

Edited February 25, 2025 by writeordie
Ugh. Quoted the reply instead of the post.