2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[saintjdog]

How many people are in Brown's cohort roughly? Esp their fiction cohort? I've had a hard time finding this info anywhere

[Lady Gladys]

4 minutes ago, saintjdog said:

How many people are in Brown's cohort roughly? Esp their fiction cohort? I've had a hard time finding this info anywhere

I just checked this a few days ago. I think the number for fiction is 5.

EDIT: Just looked it up to be sure:

In the past few years, the department has received between 900 and 1,050 applications. This year, the department anticipates offering admission to five fiction writers, five poets, and two candidates who apply to pursue work through the digital and cross-disciplinary track. 

Edited March 4 by Lady Gladys

[pananoprodigy]

First UNLV rejection on the spreadsheet, for those who applied there 

Edited March 4 by pananoprodigy

[KennyK]

5 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

First UNLV rejection on the spreadsheet, for those who applied there 

Have there been anymore updates for Riverside? I know there’s been 1 fiction and one NF posted

[Tinky C. Clown]

1 minute ago, KennyK said:

Have there been anymore updates for Riverside? I know there’s been 1 fiction and one NF posted

no

[analog_e]

I've been writing poetry and reading Infinite Jest and playing fiddle relentlessly on top of midterm assignments trying to keep my mind occupied and it's not working 😭 Brother, I just want to know...why is the only program to which I applied one of the last to notify

Edited March 4 by analog_e

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

1 hour ago, spewilicious said:

Hi, my best friend is currently in the second semester of his MFA at UAF. He was originally waitlisted for TAship, and then got it. If you'd like, I can give you his email, and you can talk to him about what it's actually like to live, attend, and work up there.

Would love that, thank you

[pananoprodigy]

15 minutes ago, KennyK said:

Have there been anymore updates for Riverside? I know there’s been 1 fiction and one NF posted

Just those two so far!

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

I'm still waiting for NWP, Texas State, and Kansas University. I wanna scream

[smallchange]

     🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️

 

        🕯️                         🕯️

 

    🕯️ Hunter interview 🕯️

 

       🕯️                            🕯️

 

               🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️

[obvswithoatmilk]

laughing at myself because my “word” for 2024 was “patience,” and my word for 2025 is “intuition,” and here i am, constantly refreshing everything and wondering why decisions are taking so long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’m still waiting for CNF from nyu, washu, depaul, and uchicago’s MAPH program.

 

it’s crazy how much anxiety i’ve experienced in the waiting processing compared to the draining, seemingly never ending application process. manifesting a week that brings clarity for everyone!!!

Edited March 4 by obvswithoatmilk
adding schools i’m waiting on

[prufrock_]

if last years draft accurate (and i don't think it is -- programs appear to be a week behind relatively), i should be hearing from my last 7 schools this week. I'm excited to get a definitive answer; my lease is expiring in two months and I need to either renew or not by april 1st!

[smallchange]

I am surprised to hear of people getting scholarships/funding at NYU. I didn't even consider NYU because I can't afford private school tuition for graduate school but I'm curious if there are other non-funded programs which can become funded on the dl...doesn't seem like Columbia is very generous. 

[rapunzel]

On 2/28/2025 at 8:39 AM, Hjanep said:

FWIW they’re in my workshop group and are so amazing and I could see how their voice would stand out in a pile of 1000 apps. It’s actually been really helpful to know their work and watch this shake out because I’m like “yep that’s so unique and not something anyone else could write” so I get why seeing other people’s successful apps wouldn’t be THAT helpful to guide what we do going forward 

wanted to bring this back and ask, like, unique in terms of form? setting? culture? character? something else? i think in my own work my form at least tends to be relatively straightforward, and i guess i would want to know if some of these schools are looking for something else so that i'd know they're not a good fit for me lol

Edited March 4 by rapunzel

[exvat]

16 minutes ago, smallchange said:

I am surprised to hear of people getting scholarships/funding at NYU. I didn't even consider NYU because I can't afford private school tuition for graduate school but I'm curious if there are other non-funded programs which can become funded on the dl...doesn't seem like Columbia is very generous. 

The standard acceptance package at NYU is a half-tuition scholarship, so two years would cost roughly $40k total in tuition/fees. Gotta make at least $30k to survive semi-ascetic in NYC tho.

[smallchange]

Just now, exvat said:

The standard acceptance package at NYU is a half-tuition scholarship, so two years would cost roughly $40k total in tuition/fees. Gotta make at least $30k to survive semi-ascetic in NYC tho.

insane.....

[Hjanep]

7 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

wanted to bring this back and ask, like, unique in terms of form? setting? culture? character? something else? i think in my own work my form at least tends to be relatively straightforward, and i guess i would want to know if some of these schools are looking for something else so that i'd know they're not a good fit for me lol

It’s honestly hard to dissect and say “well this character evolution combined with this precise language approach generates this effect which is probably appealing” or anything like that. I would equate it to reading the beginning of Luster by Raven Leilani and perking up and thinking “wow this is so different and not something I have thought about before!” Not that it’s the same subject matter, but I would say that is closer to my interpretation of an experience of reading these stories. Again, it’s not particularly helpful to have specifics because we’re talking about art and how that art is connecting with readers so what works for one writer isn’t going to work for another. 
 

I listened to a George Saunders interview where he talked about mimicking Hemingway in his early writerly days and realizing he really wasn’t Hemingway. And also think about what a bummer it would be if he hadn’t started doing his own weird thing that we all now know and love. I think we all need to just figure out what the thing is that works for our writing and although there’s much to be admired in other people’s writing too, in this instance it isn’t going to generate a fix that will get us in next time. 

[pananoprodigy]

53 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

if last years draft accurate (and i don't think it is -- programs appear to be a week behind relatively), i should be hearing from my last 7 schools this week. I'm excited to get a definitive answer; my lease is expiring in two months and I need to either renew or not by april 1st!

I'm also waiting to hear back from 7 and right there with you re: decision making. I just want to KNOW what my options are even if they're not the options I was hoping for. fhsdjhfsdkf

edit: and so far this week is SLOWWWW

Edited March 4 by pananoprodigy

[Eloise2897]

Being on 4 waitlists is really starting to get to me. I feel badly that I can't give the acceptance I'm considering an answer, though I know it's my right and they haven't been pushy. It's already been a long 4 months waiting on some answers, and I know these waitlists are likely to shift right up to the deadline. It's rough--I was really hoping to know all my options by now and start planning ahead. Still waiting on UVA and NMU, too, but that almost feels less stressful than watching the waitlists. 

[zaira]

Also worth noting that sometimes writers find that voice, really lean into it...and it doesn't connect. It doesn't make their voice any less beautiful, unique, or necessary. It doesn't mean they should change a damn thing about it. 

I was in a workshop where someone brought in a truly wacky short story. I don't want to describe it in too much detail to protect anonymity here. It was one of those stories that rewards a close read, the kind where if you zone out for even a moment you'll lose the plot. The sentence construction was nothing short of high art. I've never read anything like it before or since. I gushed over it for a solid week. 

But.

It demanded a lot of the reader. It wasn't something you could breeze through. And a lot of people in the workshop didn't get it. These were serious readers and talented writers themselves; this story just didn't speak to them like it spoke to me and a handful of other folks in the room. If that story had entered the MFA application gauntlet? Not sure it would have fared well.

Some voices naturally carry into certain environments (workshops, MFA slush piles) and other voices have a more niche appeal. I'd hate to see writers with those niche voices tone themselves down to try to appeal to certain tastes. 

[Nauna]

5 hours ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

I looked up Ole Miss and there spring break is next week so I'm hoping that means it could be this week. Same for boulder. 

Maybe certain programs notify over spring break? Idk 

I would be surprised if most programs didn't do notifications over spring break. It's their chance away from the typical hustle and bustle of their standard everyday admin/faculty duties, so having that time to work on other things is a gift. 

[GhostOfHermann]

There are two Texas New Writer's Program (NWP) waitlist entries that just showed up in the Draft spreadsheet a little while ago. Now I'm anxious to hear about the Fiction results for NWP.

[Sumire11]

Yeah

I hope fiction isn't out yet, but I just don't know at this point. 

[Nauna]

Not sure if I've missed this discussion, but have we heard anything from Iowa's Poetry applicants? I only see Fiction responses on the spreadsheet.

[luckylike56]

10 minutes ago, Nauna said:

Not sure if I've missed this discussion, but have we heard anything from Iowa's Poetry applicants? I only see Fiction responses on the spreadsheet.

also waiting on iowa poetry