2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[baguettemagique]

Congrats! And yeah, it'd be hard to turn down a fully funded spot at Iowa... I'm on the WL and am not holding my breath.

Edited March 10, 2025 by baguettemagique

[Tinky C. Clown]

damn. i’m 8th on the waitlist for boulder. hate it here.

[exvat]

Congrats @baguettemagique and @nikolairostov!! Yes, I also got into Columbia (poetry), with generous offer to pay them $200k 😂

Emailing with my other school about the possibility of upping funding... 🤞

[baguettemagique]

So, Columbia vs NYU for fiction... assuming the same $$$, which one would y'all choose? 

[exvat]

1 minute ago, baguettemagique said:

So, Columbia vs NYU for fiction... assuming the same $$$, which one would y'all choose? 

Assuming same money, it would depend on goals and vibes, esp after visits. I'm 40 and have a strong work history, an MS, and a desire to focus on craft (rather than pedagogy, say). So for me and what I'm looking for, I'd probably choose NYU. If I were younger and looking to build a strong CV ASAP in a program, I'd probably choose Columbia.

[poet-hopeful]

Hey everyone! I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I just wanted to commiserate. This is my second time applying - this year I applied to five schools - and it's looking like a clean sweep of soft rejections across the board. I know poetry especially is really subjective, but this is affecting me more than I thought it would 🥺 It's really really hard not to doubt my own work.

I received a fellowship for poetry recently, and it was definitely validating, but it's been my dream for so long to go back to school for writing (I've been working for 7 years now). I want to try again this fall, but man, this process can be so taxing.

Congrats to everyone on the waitlists and acceptances! I'm so excited for all of you, and I hope you can take some time to celebrate :)

[DJ Lambchop]

After all rejections this year, I'd hoped my Iowa letter would have at least been the "please apply again" one. But it was literally the shortest rejection out of any schools I applied to. And I put so much effort into making the envelope I sent them look nice (special paper, calligraphy). 

I knew I was getting rejected from this school, but I didn't expect the complete stab to the heart when I opened the letter. 

[rapunzel]

3 minutes ago, DJ Lambchop said:

After all rejections this year, I'd hoped my Iowa letter would have at least been the "please apply again" one. But it was literally the shortest rejection out of any schools I applied to. And I put so much effort into making the envelope I sent them look nice (special paper, calligraphy). 

I knew I was getting rejected from this school, but I didn't expect the complete stab to the heart when I opened the letter. 

wait are all rejection letters not the same?? i thought they'd all just be "sorry, not this time, X applicants for X spots"; i didn't think even rejections were ranked! 

[orb weaver]

16 hours ago, Tuxedocat said:

Oh I meant why so late at night. It was after midnight EST when you posted which would be 11pm Iowa time. And it’s a Sunday! This is all assuming you posted soon-ish after the call so maybe they called much earlier

Yeah I was v confused to be getting the call at 9 pm on a Sunday but 🤷

[DJ Lambchop]

2 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

wait are all rejection letters not the same?? i thought they'd all just be "sorry, not this time, X applicants for X spots"; i didn't think even rejections were ranked! 

Last year they sent out some ranked letters. I assumed they'd continue doing that. Other schools do ranked rejections, but not any of the ones I applied to (I think).

[inkidacat]

(editing this, pls ignore) 

Edited March 10, 2025 by inkidacat

[rapunzel]

1 minute ago, DJ Lambchop said:

Last year they sent out some ranked letters. I assumed they'd continue doing that. Other schools do ranked rejections, but not any of the ones I applied to (I think).

bruhhh

what even is the point of ranking rejections 😭

[exvat]

11 minutes ago, orb weaver said:

Yeah I was v confused to be getting the call at 9 pm on a Sunday but 🤷

Is no hour safe in this crazy game????

[baguettemagique]

Just now, exvat said:

Is no hour safe in this crazy game????

Nope! I'm an American applying from abroad and had a school overlook my current address.  My response was very sleepy but very happy. 

[exvat]

36 minutes ago, baguettemagique said:

Nope! I'm an American applying from abroad and had a school overlook my current address.  My response was very sleepy but very happy. 

Haha, I bet. My Columbia professor kept thinking I was on the West Coast for some reason, despite all my addresses being NJ 🤷‍♂️

[clowniebrownie]

anyone know much about Brooklyn college's program? Reputation/ other factors. Possibility of scholarship/ funding. Thank you!

[lurkingwriter3]

Did Columbia notify everyone by email this year? I thought they did it by phone call, but it seems like it was an auto generated email. Considering that to be a soft rejection too

 

I'm an ivy league grad and I've gotten all rejections. Shocked.

[Tinky C. Clown]

6 minutes ago, lurkingwriter3 said:

Did Columbia notify everyone by email this year? I thought they did it by phone call, but it seems like it was an auto generated email. Considering that to be a soft rejection too

 

I'm an ivy league grad and I've gotten all rejections. Shocked.

not to be rude, but being an ivy league grad has little bearing on decisions. 

[exvat]

Been emailing with NYU about the possibility of my funding (standard package, half-tuition scholarship) increasing before enrollment. They confirmed that there's a real chance additional funding will be reallocated [to moi] by the April 15 deadline. This is in line with what I've heard from years past, with some accepted folks suddenly getting upgraded to full-tuition scholarships in April.

Bday is mid-April sooo... 👀

Edited March 10, 2025 by exvat
Accidentally included SSN and mother's maiden name

[_redrabbit7]

Hello, all. Has anyone heard anything else from Brown since that one call reported on Friday?

Edited March 10, 2025 by _redrabbit7

[Hjanep]

44 minutes ago, _redrabbit7 said:

Hello, all. Has anyone heard anything else from Brown since that one call reported on Friday?

Nothing from them or UVA who both were pretty swift with rejections last year. Not sure what the deal is

[marcelswann]

Got into Columbia with a 20k scholarship! Only acceptance so far so i'll take the W

but still very pricey

1a/6r/2w

 

[exvat]

19 minutes ago, marcelswann said:

Got into Columbia with a 20k scholarship! Only acceptance so far so i'll take the W

but still very pricey

1a/6r/2w

 

Congrats, that's a huge W for sure!!

[Tinky C. Clown]

holy shit waitlisted at brooklyn college, really shocked. they never interviewed me.

[nikolairostov]

5 hours ago, baguettemagique said:

Congrats! And yeah, it'd be hard to turn down a fully funded spot at Iowa... I'm on the WL and am not holding my breath.

Congrats and good luck - you never know! Someone could easily prefer another program's location, faculty, cohort size, etc.