2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[nauseated]

1 minute ago, tomat0tomat0 said:

maybe we should start placing bets on what schools we think'll say something today. any guesses?

i've assumed rejections but technically still haven't heard back from: JHU (still!), WashUstLouis, notre dame, iowa, NYU, UTexas NWP, rutgers-N, and last but not least UVA-- anybody else in a similar spot? still waiting on Brown, rutgers-C, UofMiami, and UofFlorida. manifesting those 🙏 

No word from NWP, Brown ORRR JHU! Want to send a fruit basket to whoever does admin at Michener for at least giving me a clean rejection

[Hjanep]

5 minutes ago, nauseated said:

No word from NWP, Brown ORRR JHU! Want to send a fruit basket to whoever does admin at Michener for at least giving me a clean rejection

Yeah I’m waiting on my hard Rs from NYU, Iowa and JHU, plus brown, uva, uci, Montana. I’m assuming goose egg for me this year but we’ll see

[prufrock_]

6 minutes ago, nauseated said:

No word from NWP, Brown ORRR JHU! Want to send a fruit basket to whoever does admin at Michener for at least giving me a clean rejection

I'm in the same spot w/ those three. 

"I've never met this man in my life" - JHU to all of us, somehow.

[tomat0tomat0]

7 minutes ago, nauseated said:

No word from NWP, Brown ORRR JHU! Want to send a fruit basket to whoever does admin at Michener for at least giving me a clean rejection

right!!!! i don't understand what's so difficult about emailing a rejection?! and i Really don't understand how they decide what order their "batches" are sent out in. literally shoutout to syracuse, michigan, and michener for at least being efficient with their cruelty lmao. i fear i sound rude complaining so much but also like. cmon.

[prufrock_]

6 minutes ago, tomat0tomat0 said:

right!!!! i don't understand what's so difficult about emailing a rejection?! and i Really don't understand how they decide what order their "batches" are sent out in. literally shoutout to syracuse, michigan, and michener for at least being efficient with their cruelty lmao. i fear i sound rude complaining so much but also like. cmon.

there's two ways i simultaneously look at it:

1) as long as it's before april 15th, then they're not 'late'. We shouldn't technically know that other people already got in/waitlisted/declined. we only know because we're anxious little freaks (affectionate).

2) they probably know we know yet still they aren't putting us out of our misery so its fair to be upset.

[bucket]

brown, you’re killing me here…

[misssalem]

13 minutes ago, bucket said:

brown, you’re killing me here…

Girll, Brown and UVA are putting me through it rn

Edited Tuesday at 04:28 PM by misssalem

[pananoprodigy]

Anybody else officially in the spiraling/existential crisis/what am I even doing with my life phase? Everything just feels so exhausting and uncertain, which is kind of just how it feels to be a writer in general, and I hate it.

[Hjanep]

1 minute ago, pananoprodigy said:

Anybody else officially in the spiraling/existential crisis/what am I even doing with my life phase? Everything just feels so exhausting and uncertain, which is kind of just how it feels to be a writer in general, and I hate it.

🙋🏼‍♀️

 

I think the current political backdrop and federal grant cuts etc aren’t helping. This year and app cycle feels particularly bleak

[FFFRANK]

UW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 🕯️🕯️🕯️

[seah0rse]

20 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

🙋🏼‍♀️

 

I think the current political backdrop and federal grant cuts etc aren’t helping. This year and app cycle feels particularly bleak

Idk if this helps but I was panic-imagining a scenario (with very limited understanding of money & universities) where STEM research funding does get cut & then the university looks at the novelists/poets & says “why are we paying them again?” & reallocates my stipend to something arguably more important. I asked a program director if the MFA was at risk in all of this & the response was basically that the university takes a very long time to make any changes/decisions, so if something were to happen, it’s very unlikely that any changes would go into effect during my time at the school. being amidst the whiplash of admissions / this current administration has done some damage to my nervous system 🫠 but asking the school outright what they’re dealing with did alleviate some anxiety.

[misssalem]

UVA rejection email received. At least I know now 😅😅

1 hour ago, misssalem said:

Girll, Brown and UVA are putting me through it rn

[Hjanep]

“We are not likely to extend you an offer” lol why not “we ARE NOT extending you”

[Eloise2897]

If I ever feel like time is moving too fast and life is passing me by, I'll just apply for an MFA again. The past 4 months have dragged on like nothing else.

[prufrock_]

4 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

“We are not likely to extend you an offer” lol why not “we ARE NOT extending you”

i also found this a bit strange, it made me wonder if it was a waitlist for a moment.

compared to last years wording: "We are sorry to tell you that we cannot offer you a place at this time. We received many fine submissions this year, but we can only offer admission to a few applicants." - they removed this second sentence, too. I guess they didn't find this years submissions particularly fine.

[Hjanep]

3 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

i also found this a bit strange, it made me wonder if it was a waitlist for a moment.

compared to last years wording: "We are sorry to tell you that we cannot offer you a place at this time. We received many fine submissions this year, but we can only offer admission to a few applicants." - they removed this second sentence, too. I guess they didn't find this years submissions particularly fine.

Glad they took that extra week to get the letter right. At least we’re out of our misery for that one. Ready for the rest 🙇🏼‍♀️

[Tinky C. Clown]

I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON OMG

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

Just now, Tinky C. Clown said:

I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON OMG

Dude, leave something for the rest of us!

 

Congrats 💙💙💙💙💙💙

[everything bagel lover]

1 hour ago, pananoprodigy said:

Anybody else officially in the spiraling/existential crisis/what am I even doing with my life phase? Everything just feels so exhausting and uncertain, which is kind of just how it feels to be a writer in general, and I hate it.

Me too! Living in a constant state of uncertainty is stressful and I haven't written anything in weeks. I got a literary magazine rejection yesterday and I went "phew, it's not a school" which was fun at least lol 

 

Edit: HELL YEAH @Tinky C. Clown

Edited Tuesday at 06:17 PM by everything bagel lover
congrats :)))))

[Nauna]

 I mean obviously UVA had to accept SOME poets... but the spreadsheet makes it look like, "Nah, we're just not feelin poetry this year." 🫠

[Lady Gladys]

15 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON OMG

Tinky, I am so happy for you!!! This is your #1, right?

[Tinky C. Clown]

5 minutes ago, Lady Gladys said:

Tinky, I am so happy for you!!! This is your #1, right?

it’s my favorite of the places i got in/waitlisted at

[prufrock_]

6 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

it’s my favorite of the places i got in/waitlisted at

grats!!! the pacific northwest is so pretty!

[GhostOfHermann]

Does it look like Notre Dame is done for Fiction? I only see two entries in the draft spreadsheet, but they are the same person (first and interview and later an acceptance). I am assuming they are done and it's a rejection for me but curious.

[Tuxedocat]

1 hour ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON OMG

CONGRATS!!! 🎉🎈🎊