2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[fakepoet]

Hey everyone! Been lurking for months now, told myself I wouldn't make an account, and finally caved today bcs I do have a question. I don't have Draft so I can't ask people there/my results aren't on the spreadsheet.

I received a fully funded offer from Hunter for poetry. They emailed me telling me I was shortlisted, interviewed me, then sent an official offer letter. Their program deadline to accept the offer is March 14th, at which point if I haven't accepted they will "reluctantly move on to the next candidate on their list." The cursory research I've done points to Hunter having signed the 4/15 resolution, but it's under the name CUNY Grad Center, so I'm not 100% sure if this program specifically is covered. I was surprised their unofficial deadline was so early—I understand doing it in rounds and wanting to finalize the cohort asap, but the admitted student visit is the night before their deadline, which feels silly. I was recently accepted to Brooklyn as well and am on the Michigan waitlist—obviously, I want to keep my options open re Michigan and stuff. And these schools might not even be done notifying by the 14th—I'm still waiting on half of my schools' results. Anyone have anymore knowledge on whether Hunter counts as having signed the 4/15 resolution thing? + how should I go about bringing this up with the program director in a classy way? They seem really lovely and I do think I'll probably end up there, but I want to keep my options open, especially considering that Michigan would offer more financial security. Brooklyn also doesn't expect an answer from me until 4/15, so the Hunter deadline being so early feels kinda random.

Happy to answer any questions about the interview or anything if anyone is curious or has one coming up. All hope is not lost if you haven't heard from Hunter—I feel like they probably send out acceptances in phases depending on who accepts their offers.

(PS re NYU—I was in their MFA program for a year and basically got soft expelled by the admin behind my program's back this summer for Palestine-related reasons. The money situation is strange because some people receive MUCH more financial support from the program than others. I personally didn't like the social dynamic the mixed funding setup created. Some people received thousands of dollars a month and had fellowship-provided jobs related to the program, some people got nothing. And of course only a certain type of person can afford to pay half tuition at NYU. If I were Deborah Landau I would cut the program in half and fully fund everybody. But I digress. If anyone has questions about the NYU program I'm happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Got my Ocean connect and dipped so I consider my time there a success lol)

[kulfikat]

7 minutes ago, Hank Moody said:

Same here. Wonder what that means. Can't imagine it's good news at this point.

Yeah, me neither.

I'm imagining things: in the wildly unlikely scenario that all their acceptances and waitlists have rejected their offer already, we're still in the run.... but of course, this is my imagination going bonkers...

I presume, realistically, my name is one of the last few, alphabetically, so they probably haven't gotten to me yet. Or it may also have to do with international students. No clue. I'm speculating. 

[Hank Moody]

6 minutes ago, kulfikat said:

I'm imagining things: in the wildly unlikely scenario that all their acceptances and waitlists have rejected their offer already, we're still in the run.... but of course, this is my imagination going bonkers...

Now that'd be an exciting scenario. But yeah my last name is towards the end alphabetically too, so that's likely it. I mean I'm still waiting for JHU to reject me, presumably for the same reason.

[hopefull2025]

47 minutes ago, fakepoet said:

Hey everyone! Been lurking for months now, told myself I wouldn't make an account, and finally caved today bcs I do have a question. I don't have Draft so I can't ask people there/my results aren't on the spreadsheet.

I received a fully funded offer from Hunter for poetry. They emailed me telling me I was shortlisted, interviewed me, then sent an official offer letter. Their program deadline to accept the offer is March 14th, at which point if I haven't accepted they will "reluctantly move on to the next candidate on their list." The cursory research I've done points to Hunter having signed the 4/15 resolution, but it's under the name CUNY Grad Center, so I'm not 100% sure if this program specifically is covered. I was surprised their unofficial deadline was so early—I understand doing it in rounds and wanting to finalize the cohort asap, but the admitted student visit is the night before their deadline, which feels silly. I was recently accepted to Brooklyn as well and am on the Michigan waitlist—obviously, I want to keep my options open re Michigan and stuff. And these schools might not even be done notifying by the 14th—I'm still waiting on half of my schools' results. Anyone have anymore knowledge on whether Hunter counts as having signed the 4/15 resolution thing? + how should I go about bringing this up with the program director in a classy way? They seem really lovely and I do think I'll probably end up there, but I want to keep my options open, especially considering that Michigan would offer more financial security. Brooklyn also doesn't expect an answer from me until 4/15, so the Hunter deadline being so early feels kinda random.

Happy to answer any questions about the interview or anything if anyone is curious or has one coming up. All hope is not lost if you haven't heard from Hunter—I feel like they probably send out acceptances in phases depending on who accepts their offers.

(PS re NYU—I was in their MFA program for a year and basically got soft expelled by the admin behind my program's back this summer for Palestine-related reasons. The money situation is strange because some people receive MUCH more financial support from the program than others. I personally didn't like the social dynamic the mixed funding setup created. Some people received thousands of dollars a month and had fellowship-provided jobs related to the program, some people got nothing. And of course only a certain type of person can afford to pay half tuition at NYU. If I were Deborah Landau I would cut the program in half and fully fund everybody. But I digress. If anyone has questions about the NYU program I'm happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Got my Ocean connect and dipped so I consider my time there a success lol)

Hi! I just sent you a message. Would be happy to fill you in the advice others have given. Essentially, the consensus is to send a firm, but respectful email reminding the program of the April 15th date — and asking that you have until then to decide.

I’d also love to chat about NYU regarding poetry if you’d be willing. Thanks!

[fakepoet]

7 minutes ago, hopefull2025 said:

Hi! I just sent you a message. Would be happy to fill you in the advice others have given. Essentially, the consensus is to send a firm, but respectful email reminding the program of the April 15th date — and asking that you have until then to decide.

I’d also love to chat about NYU regarding poetry if you’d be willing. Thanks!

Hey! I don't seem to have any messages in my inbox, but I am also a boomer on the internet so could be missing something. I will try messaging you and see if that works. Really appreciate this—thank you! And yes, happy to talk NYU with you. One sec lemme try to dm

[kpoetrottenapplecore]

3 hours ago, Hjanep said:

Just wait. You could get into 2, decide the vibes are off at your top choice and go elsewhere. You’ve made it this far, just see it through

 

2 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

Definitely just wait! There’s still over a whole month till deadline day, anything can happen. South Carolina will be an option for you no matter what but imo there’s zero reason to cut off other options before you even have them unless you’re 10000% positive South Carolina is it 

thank you guys! you are so right. i'm a bit impulsive/anxious with this whole process so far but i do just need to trust it and usc will not disappear if i don't accept right away. i appreciate y'all !!!! 

[bucket]

anyone else waiting with bated breath today to possibly hear from brown? i know it could take until next week, but my heart rate does not understand that lol

[vilum]

15 minutes ago, bucket said:

anyone else waiting with bated breath today to possibly hear from brown? i know it could take until next week, but my heart rate does not understand that lol

Yes... although I already threw in the towel for that one. I applied there because, well it's Brown, but I know their program is very experimental and my writing is quite anchored to realism. I guess 2025 was not my year!

[Sumire11]

Hello

Anyone hear anything/know anything about Boise State (Fiction)? It's the final school I'm waiting to hear back from, and with all Rs so far, I'm kind of jittery.

[pananoprodigy]

5 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

Hello

Anyone hear anything/know anything about Boise State (Fiction)? It's the final school I'm waiting to hear back from, and with all Rs so far, I'm kind of jittery.

Waiting on them as well, and haven't heard anything. Was their deadline way earlier last year? Bc last year's spreadsheet has people getting interviews as early as late Jan

[Sumire11]

Just now, pananoprodigy said:

Waiting on them as well, and haven't heard anything. Was their deadline way earlier last year? Bc last year's spreadsheet has people getting interviews as early as late Jan

I'm not sure. I saw poetry interviews in February, and someone from the program did say that the interviews for fiction go out mid march, but I don't know really.

[choltebito]

2 hours ago, fakepoet said:

Hey everyone! Been lurking for months now, told myself I wouldn't make an account, and finally caved today bcs I do have a question. I don't have Draft so I can't ask people there/my results aren't on the spreadsheet.

I received a fully funded offer from Hunter for poetry. They emailed me telling me I was shortlisted, interviewed me, then sent an official offer letter. Their program deadline to accept the offer is March 14th, at which point if I haven't accepted they will "reluctantly move on to the next candidate on their list." The cursory research I've done points to Hunter having signed the 4/15 resolution, but it's under the name CUNY Grad Center, so I'm not 100% sure if this program specifically is covered. I was surprised their unofficial deadline was so early—I understand doing it in rounds and wanting to finalize the cohort asap, but the admitted student visit is the night before their deadline, which feels silly. I was recently accepted to Brooklyn as well and am on the Michigan waitlist—obviously, I want to keep my options open re Michigan and stuff. And these schools might not even be done notifying by the 14th—I'm still waiting on half of my schools' results. Anyone have anymore knowledge on whether Hunter counts as having signed the 4/15 resolution thing? + how should I go about bringing this up with the program director in a classy way? They seem really lovely and I do think I'll probably end up there, but I want to keep my options open, especially considering that Michigan would offer more financial security. Brooklyn also doesn't expect an answer from me until 4/15, so the Hunter deadline being so early feels kinda random.

Happy to answer any questions about the interview or anything if anyone is curious or has one coming up. All hope is not lost if you haven't heard from Hunter—I feel like they probably send out acceptances in phases depending on who accepts their offers.

(PS re NYU—I was in their MFA program for a year and basically got soft expelled by the admin behind my program's back this summer for Palestine-related reasons. The money situation is strange because some people receive MUCH more financial support from the program than others. I personally didn't like the social dynamic the mixed funding setup created. Some people received thousands of dollars a month and had fellowship-provided jobs related to the program, some people got nothing. And of course only a certain type of person can afford to pay half tuition at NYU. If I were Deborah Landau I would cut the program in half and fully fund everybody. But I digress. If anyone has questions about the NYU program I'm happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Got my Ocean connect and dipped so I consider my time there a success lol)

that is very interesting about NYU—thank you for sharing (and congrats on the Hunter acceptance!). I’m gonna dm you!

[OctopusCactus]

12 hours ago, thelovelyunkown said:

Any advice on how to find/choose recommenders when you donʻt have a lot of options? None of my professors except for one can attest to my skills as a creative writer. Next round Iʻm a little concerned Iʻm going to have to ask them to write 5+ letters of recommendation. Iʻm not really sure what to do. 

While ideally you would have recommenders who can speak to your writing skills, professors (or even professional colleagues) who can speak to things like your work ethic and ability to succeed in a competitive grad program could also be valuable.  Since you're already thinking next cycle, you could also go to a writing conference or retreat, or take a writing class between now and the fall with the goal of getting a strong letter out of it.  That's what I did.

[Hank Moody]

2 hours ago, kulfikat said:

Decided" under application status, but I haven't heard anything

My portal just updated with a rejection letter.

[epr]

2 hours ago, kulfikat said:

Has everyone heard from Virginia Tech about rejections? I see some rejections were reported yesterday, and my portal says "Decided" under application status, but I haven't heard anything. Anyone else yet to hear from them? 

I would assume its a rejection and they’re sending emails in batches. They’ve got 22 people waitlisted for 4 fiction spots, so unless there’s a huge amount of waitlist movement I doubt they’ll dip back into their applicant pool. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news 🥲

[Mystic_Sunshine]

Mississippi gave an acceptance on this day a year ago so I'm manifesting. 

Please please please. 

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

You guys know what I think? I think that the longer a school takes with the decisions, the more money in scholarships they should give. 

[exvat]

1 minute ago, ksiezniczka.monisia said:

You guys know what I think? I think that the longer a school takes with the decisions, the more money in scholarships they should give. 

Make it cosmic law

[RabbitRunner]

Hi! Sorta new lurker, I wish I had found this forum when I was first starting on applications! Good luck to everybody waiting on answers from schools, the wait really is torturous. I just got rejected from Virginia Tech for poetry and I expected it but I'm still trying to not to be too sad about it. I'm still waiting on George Mason, SIU, and Emerson but I got an acceptance and funding from Hollins University so I'm excited about that.

[analog_e]

1 hour ago, vilum said:

Yes... although I already threw in the towel for that one. I applied there because, well it's Brown, but I know their program is very experimental and my writing is quite anchored to realism. I guess 2025 was not my year!

Not necessarily—I listened to a podcast with one of their poetry candidates and he said most of his peers write within convention. I think the opportunities for experimentation are just more present.

[smallchange]

3 hours ago, fakepoet said:

Hey everyone! Been lurking for months now, told myself I wouldn't make an account, and finally caved today bcs I do have a question. I don't have Draft so I can't ask people there/my results aren't on the spreadsheet.

I received a fully funded offer from Hunter for poetry. They emailed me telling me I was shortlisted, interviewed me, then sent an official offer letter. Their program deadline to accept the offer is March 14th, at which point if I haven't accepted they will "reluctantly move on to the next candidate on their list." The cursory research I've done points to Hunter having signed the 4/15 resolution, but it's under the name CUNY Grad Center, so I'm not 100% sure if this program specifically is covered. I was surprised their unofficial deadline was so early—I understand doing it in rounds and wanting to finalize the cohort asap, but the admitted student visit is the night before their deadline, which feels silly. I was recently accepted to Brooklyn as well and am on the Michigan waitlist—obviously, I want to keep my options open re Michigan and stuff. And these schools might not even be done notifying by the 14th—I'm still waiting on half of my schools' results. Anyone have anymore knowledge on whether Hunter counts as having signed the 4/15 resolution thing? + how should I go about bringing this up with the program director in a classy way? They seem really lovely and I do think I'll probably end up there, but I want to keep my options open, especially considering that Michigan would offer more financial security. Brooklyn also doesn't expect an answer from me until 4/15, so the Hunter deadline being so early feels kinda random.

Happy to answer any questions about the interview or anything if anyone is curious or has one coming up. All hope is not lost if you haven't heard from Hunter—I feel like they probably send out acceptances in phases depending on who accepts their offers.

(PS re NYU—I was in their MFA program for a year and basically got soft expelled by the admin behind my program's back this summer for Palestine-related reasons. The money situation is strange because some people receive MUCH more financial support from the program than others. I personally didn't like the social dynamic the mixed funding setup created. Some people received thousands of dollars a month and had fellowship-provided jobs related to the program, some people got nothing. And of course only a certain type of person can afford to pay half tuition at NYU. If I were Deborah Landau I would cut the program in half and fully fund everybody. But I digress. If anyone has questions about the NYU program I'm happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Got my Ocean connect and dipped so I consider my time there a success lol)

Good to know re: Hunter. My hopes are slim but it does seem like they have some kind of a batched schedule reviewing applications, I’d guess because the program is so small.

 

That makes sense that NYU would attract a “certain type of person.” I was confused about funding because someone in the fb group mentioned getting a “fully funded” offer there plus full tuition remission which I didn’t know they offered. Any program that can fund their whole cohort but chooses not to doesn’t sit right with me. I’m sorry to hear about your experience there, that’s horrible. I have a friend doing a PhD there (in the English department) who is very involved in pro-Palestine activism so that’s a surprise to hear. Congrats on your offers/waitlists! Sounds like you’re off somewhere better no matter what. 

Edited March 5 by smallchange

[szymborskasy]

the boston university wait is killing me!!!! still radio silence from them, and the week before BU's spring break too...atp i just want an answer ...

[zaira]

5 minutes ago, szymborskasy said:

the boston university wait is killing me!!!! still radio silence from them, and the week before BU's spring break too...atp i just want an answer ...

Sameeeee. It's the only program I feel might be a good fit for me in terms of timeline and overall vibes so I'm hoping to get some good news. Though at this stage I'll take any answers, good or bad. 

I wonder how many of us are still waiting? 

[Tinky C. Clown]

52 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Mississippi gave an acceptance on this day a year ago so I'm manifesting. 

Please please please. 

no, their first acceptances were 3/7 onward. not sure where you're seeing this

[szymborskasy]

3 minutes ago, zaira said:

Sameeeee. It's the only program I feel might be a good fit for me in terms of timeline and overall vibes so I'm hoping to get some good news. Though at this stage I'll take any answers, good or bad. 

I wonder how many of us are still waiting? 

same...im super interested in their global fellowship program...

there's at least two other people on draft still waiting for fiction, but cannot really make out beyond that! BU's accepts came out around this time last year though so hopefully this week??