2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Jane Wyman]

1 hour ago, zaira said:

I got waitlisted at UVA for fiction!!! I'm over the moon. 

Just goes to show you shouldn't count yourself out until you hear from every school. 

We'll see if it turns into an acceptance, fingers crossed! The faculty are incredible and I'd love the chance to work with them. 

Hooray!!!

[jinny-r]

The past few weeks, I went about my days trying to forget my applications in hopes I will get a result once it's March, but agh. What's taking Ole Miss? 😢 I'm already assuming U of Arizona is a rejection for both the genres I applied to, so I only have Ole Miss left that might potentially be an acceptance.

The more I read about Ole Miss's MFA program, the more I've been falling in love with it, and it only recently occured to me that Oxford is where Faulkner lived. Southern gothic led me to developing my own poetics of writing about my rural hometown (albeit Asian). Turns out our own gothic tradition that is tied to multilingualism and colonialism can be traced to the Latin American marvelous realism and Faulkner's southern gothic. I would be really heartbroken if I can't go.

[Mystic_Sunshine]

3 minutes ago, jinny-r said:

The past few weeks, I went about my days trying to forget my applications in hopes I will get a result once it's March, but agh. What's taking Ole Miss? 😢 I'm already assuming U of Arizona is a rejection for both the genres I applied to, so I only have Ole Miss left that might potentially be an acceptance.

The more I read about Ole Miss's MFA program, the more I've been falling in love with it, and it only recently occurred to me that Oxford is where Faulkner lived. Southern gothic led me to developing my own poetics of writing about my rural hometown (albeit Asian). Turns out our own gothic tradition that is tied to multilingualism and colonialism can be traced to the Latin American marvelous realism and Faulkner's southern gothic. I would be really heartbroken if I can't go.

I've never related to someone so much because we are in a very similar situation. 

I also only really have OIe Miss as I am assuming my pending ones are soft rejections. I could be surprised by UNLV but I'm not holding my breath because I just don't think it's likely for me to get in based on my results. 

I too have obsessed over every detail of Ole Miss and would be heartbroken if I don't get accepted. 

[zaira]

7 minutes ago, jinny-r said:

The more I read about Ole Miss's MFA program, the more I've been falling in love with it, and it only recently occured to me that Oxford is where Faulkner lived. Southern gothic led me to developing my own poetics of writing about my rural hometown (albeit Asian). Turns out our own gothic tradition that is tied to multilingualism and colonialism can be traced to the Latin American marvelous realism and Faulkner's southern gothic. I would be really heartbroken if I can't go.

Just wanted to say this is really beautiful and I can feel the love and energy you have for this tradition. I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for you!! 

[curfew]

2 hours ago, zaira said:

I got waitlisted at UVA for fiction!!! I'm over the moon. 

Just goes to show you shouldn't count yourself out until you hear from every school. 

We'll see if it turns into an acceptance, fingers crossed! The faculty are incredible and I'd love the chance to work with them. 

YES!!! Yes yes YES!! This is such sick news, congrats!!

[exvat]

2 hours ago, zaira said:

I got waitlisted at UVA for fiction!!! I'm over the moon. 

Just goes to show you shouldn't count yourself out until you hear from every school. 

We'll see if it turns into an acceptance, fingers crossed! The faculty are incredible and I'd love the chance to work with them. 

Congratulations!!! Here's hoping it becomes an acceptance 🤞🤞

[Tinky C. Clown]

34 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

I've never related to someone so much because we are in a very similar situation. 

I also only really have OIe Miss as I am assuming my pending ones are soft rejections. I could be surprised by UNLV but I'm not holding my breath because I just don't think it's likely for me to get in based on my results. 

I too have obsessed over every detail of Ole Miss and would be heartbroken if I don't get accepted. 

after yesterday i almost hope ole miss waitlists me lol so i don’t have to consider it 

 

i 

[jinny-r]

39 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

I too have obsessed over every detail of Ole Miss and would be heartbroken if I don't get accepted. 

Did you also comb through social media posts to know more? Checking hashtags and such ahahaha. So glad to know I'm not the only one obsessing! Good luck to us!

37 minutes ago, zaira said:

Just wanted to say this is really beautiful and I can feel the love and energy you have for this tradition. I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for you!! 

Thank you so much! 😍 Now I'm trying to figure out time travel so I can tell my past self to include what I just said in my SOP. How could I have forgotten to mention Faulkner? (Thankfully I still talked about my plans for a tropical gothic novel lol)

[everything bagel lover]

46 minutes ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

after yesterday i almost hope ole miss waitlists me lol so i don’t have to consider it 

 

i 

That's lowkey how I'm feeling about UNLV, it's an incredible program but it comes with more logistical complications for me than NAU or CSU.

1 hour ago, jinny-r said:

The past few weeks, I went about my days trying to forget my applications in hopes I will get a result once it's March, but agh. What's taking Ole Miss? 😢 I'm already assuming U of Arizona is a rejection for both the genres I applied to, so I only have Ole Miss left that might potentially be an acceptance.

The more I read about Ole Miss's MFA program, the more I've been falling in love with it, and it only recently occured to me that Oxford is where Faulkner lived. Southern gothic led me to developing my own poetics of writing about my rural hometown (albeit Asian). Turns out our own gothic tradition that is tied to multilingualism and colonialism can be traced to the Latin American marvelous realism and Faulkner's southern gothic. I would be really heartbroken if I can't go.

This is incredible and I've got my fingers crossed for you! That sounds like a really incredible literary pursuit and I hope that you get good news soon!

And you as well @Mystic_Sunshine I hope y'all can be cohort buddies :))) 

Edited 23 hours ago by everything bagel lover
clarifying always

[misssalem]

Would it be absolutely delulu to assume there's still hope for a Brown Acceptance or nah? Asking for a friend's sense of sanity. 😭😅

[Mystic_Sunshine]

19 minutes ago, jinny-r said:

Did you also comb through social media posts to know more? Checking hashtags and such ahahaha. So glad to know I'm not the only one obsessing! Good luck to us!

 

Oh gosh. I've read the handbook. Stalked every social media post. Read stuff from the faculty. Googled alumni....It's been...bad. but its the only program I've let myself imagine myself at since its the only good news I got lol.

[VOID DARLING]

19 minutes ago, misssalem said:

Would it be absolutely delulu to assume there's still hope for a Brown Acceptance or nah? Asking for a friend's sense of sanity. 😭😅

sameeeee this radio silence omg

[VOID DARLING]

for what it's worth, i've had some pretty drastic changes in personal circumstances and hence was hoping to get some clarity on the decisions release date so i can make plans etc. so i emailed Brown re: estimated decisions dates and this is their reply:

Dear Applicant,

 

Your application is currently awaiting a decision from the program.  There are no further updates at this time.  

 

Best,

Admissions Office

Brown University Graduate School

[kpoetrottenapplecore]

anyone who is still waiting for a UNCG response, I emailed Terry Kennedy and he said they should be sending stuff out starting the 17th, but could be sooner! They have two new hires and it has put them behind a little this year. 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

1 hour ago, everything bagel lover said:

That's lowkey how I'm feeling about UNLV, it's an incredible program but it comes with more logistical complications for me than NAU or CSU.

This is incredible and I've got my fingers crossed for you! That sounds like a really incredible literary pursuit and I hope that you get good news soon!

And you as well @Mystic_Sunshine I hope y'all can be cohort buddies :))) 

Thank you!!!

Hoping for the best for you!

[Nauna]

16 hours ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

What are people still waiting on that isn't soft rejection?

I saw UNLV for poetry and non fiction but not fiction unless I'm missing it or no one reported. 

University of Pittsburgh (I had an interview in early February, but they had frozen grad offers) & Ole Miss Phase II.  Please Universe, I promise to do amazing work in either of these programs!! ❤️❤️

[essentialflowers]

Waiting on Wyoming: A Novel continues... checked their portal and they made me update my password but I read it wrong and thought it was a rejection. Safe to say I am going crazy. 

 

ALSO CONGRATS TO EVERYONE ON THEIR VARIOUS WAITLISTS/ ACCEPTANCES!!!!

[Eloise2897]

Anyone else make the mistake of falling in love with a program they're waitlisted at? Syracuse was always a top choice for me, but since I got waitlisted I've been doing even more research on the school and the town, and now I think I'll be absolutely devastated if I don't make it off that list. 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

7 minutes ago, Nauna said:

University of Pittsburgh (I had an interview in early February, but they had frozen grad offers) & Ole Miss Phase II.  Please Universe, I promise to do amazing work in either of these programs!! ❤️❤️

would be so cool if several of us end up cohort mates  

Wishing you the best of luck. 

[pananoprodigy]

Just now, Eloise2897 said:

Anyone else make the mistake of falling in love with a program they're waitlisted at? Syracuse was always a top choice for me, but since I got waitlisted I've been doing even more research on the school and the town, and now I think I'll be absolutely devastated if I don't make it off that list. 

I feel like I have the opposite problem where I've been mentally counting my waitlists as rejections and have therefore given them zero research or further consideration. If any of them turn into As it's actually going to be really jarring and I will for sure be in panic mode scrambling to make a decision. Yours seems like the healthier approach!!

[Nauna]

5 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

would be so cool if several of us end up cohort mates  

Wishing you the best of luck. 

It really would be! ❤️ Wishing you best of luck too!! xo 

[everything bagel lover]

19 minutes ago, Eloise2897 said:

Anyone else make the mistake of falling in love with a program they're waitlisted at? Syracuse was always a top choice for me, but since I got waitlisted I've been doing even more research on the school and the town, and now I think I'll be absolutely devastated if I don't make it off that list. 

Not exactly the same, but this is what I've done with CSU. They were already top choice and then I just hyper focused on how great the program is and Fort Collins and I've gotten so mentally attached to the idea of going there. I'm already accepted, but without funding, it's a no go so I feel only 75% of the way accepted. I'm trying to make peace with the possibility of not going to protect my mental wellbeing lol 

[Hjanep]

19 minutes ago, Eloise2897 said:

Anyone else make the mistake of falling in love with a program they're waitlisted at? Syracuse was always a top choice for me, but since I got waitlisted I've been doing even more research on the school and the town, and now I think I'll be absolutely devastated if I don't make it off that list. 

There are at least two people in the draft spreadsheet in at Syracuse AND a bunch of other schools for fiction so I think it’s totally reasonable to maintain hope for some movement. 
 

This time last year (as I sit here with my basket of Rs and Ps), I was listening to Barbra Streisand’s memoir and she was talking about losing a big break audition to someone else early on and just thinking, “Well, it’s her turn now. I’m excited for her.” And being at peace with it not being her turn yet. 
 

ALSO am on day two of being absolutely bedridden with something that I thought was norovirus but now think could be the flu or something else and am realizing Brown/etc could have a person suffering from something similar (or worse! An administrator at my kids’ school who has a child in my son’s class lost their husband on Sunday) and am trying to just stay calm (and asleep because disease) because a lot could be going on. It’s probably someone else’s turn right now. 

[tomat0tomat0]

39 minutes ago, Nauna said:

What are people still waiting on that isn't soft rejection?

brown if that still counts, rutgers-camden, u of miami, u of florida 

[Hjanep]

6 minutes ago, tomat0tomat0 said:

brown if that still counts, rutgers-camden, u of miami, u of florida 

Brown, Montana, UCI (but maybe a soft R based on draft), JHU if that still counts as weird secret backup WL, UVic BC which I was shortlisted for an am assuming is sitting with another candidate at the moment