2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Runningforcats]

I don’t care what anybody says Im holding out for brown!!!!!!! 
 

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER

[exvat]

7 minutes ago, Runningforcats said:

I don’t care what anybody says Im holding out for brown!!!!!!! 
 

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER

Yes!! Screamingsportsbaby.gif, baby!!!

[RabbitRunner]

1 hour ago, everything bagel lover said:

I’m maybe a little late on this but as someone who applied to Top 10 programs my first round and none this time, I wanted to weigh in! It’s also been really insightful reading other peoples responses ❤️

My first cycle I applied to top 10 type programs + Hollins (my only waitlist)

This time, my partner wanted to live in a specific part of the country and them wanting to move is actually what spurred me to apply again. I did a mix of just Googling “MFA Colorado” and then reading work from faculty. I read one novel from each school’s fiction department. This was when I was applying only in Colorado and I only threw on the other ones last minute (thank god I did!)

I found NAU, Wyoming, and UNLV through Jess’s list in the draft and I’m ngl I did apply to non fully funded ones because I knew they’d be less competitive than somewhere like Michener. I’m so grateful for my acceptances and I think they’re genuinely great programs, I just don’t think my writing is competitive enough to make it through a sea of hundreds of super strong apps. I focused first on program vibes based on handbooks and faculty writing and balanced that with where I could see myself having a chance, whether it’s because they have a larger cohort, aren’t as talked about in online spaces like the draft, and only fund some of the cohort. 
 

To future applicants reading this: this isn’t to say you shouldn’t shoot for the stars! But also there are a lot of great programs with less prestige that I feel give you better odds of finding somewhere your work will fit well  I submitted one of my weird newer stories to NAU and they really liked it which makes me feels super good about the prospect of going there! 
 

edit to clarify: all programs with funded positions are prestigious to a degree and especially ones that do fund ALL accepted people (Wyoming and UNLV) are still mad competitive, as are all funded positions in any MFA program. I just meant that they’re not receiving the amount of apps that Michener or Iowa do. 

I know this is just a little detail in your post but I wanted to ask about Hollins if you don't mind. I got accepted there and am really excited about it! I'm trying to make a decision about where to accept and I'm leaning a lot towards Hollins but I'm a bit nervous about how small the school is. If you don't mind talking about it, I was curious about what drew you to apply there, I haven't really seen anyone else talk about them before!

[everything bagel lover]

5 minutes ago, RabbitRunner said:

I know this is just a little detail in your post but I wanted to ask about Hollins if you don't mind. I got accepted there and am really excited about it! I'm trying to make a decision about where to accept and I'm leaning a lot towards Hollins but I'm a bit nervous about how small the school is. If you don't mind talking about it, I was curious about what drew you to apply there, I haven't really seen anyone else talk about them before!

Congratulations!!!! Tbh I really liked the vibe they put forth on the website, I love the look of Roanoke and I have a lot of family in the south so I was drawn towards it. My professor who urged me to try applying for an MFA went there before going to the Iowa writers workshop (idk how he got two mfa’s or if he transferred or what) but I also was more interested in southern gothic literature and so Hollins seemed like a great place for that!
It is a small school but I think that can be to a benefit! At this point, it’s been years since I applied so I don’t remember much outside of liking their vibe. I will say, looking back, idk if I could have made the stipend work on my own without some external help, which I didn’t have at the time. I’d highly urge you talk to current students if you haven’t already and some advice my mom gave me: there’s no alternate paths. Where you’re meant to be is where you’ll be and you don’t have to worry about what ifs because they didn’t happen for a reason. It’s always helped me when I spiral down what if paths. 
what other programs are you currently considering alongside Hollins? 

[next_semester]

Have an interview coming up for a program I'm super interested in, but I just read in their MFA guidebook that grad students should devote themselves full time to their assistantship duties and not take on outside employment on a regular basis throughout the academic year as that will be a violation of the terms of the assistantship. I always planned on working as a server or something throughout grad school and am irritated as to why this has to be a rule for some programs, especially because a serving job can just be like 3 days a week for easy money. And the program is in an expensive city.

Does anyone have insight / experience regarding this rule for certain programs? Like is this something that could be negotiated within the department if a student really needs to make extra money?

[rapunzel]

15 minutes ago, next_semester said:

Have an interview coming up for a program I'm super interested in, but I just read in their MFA guidebook that grad students should devote themselves full time to their assistantship duties and not take on outside employment on a regular basis throughout the academic year as that will be a violation of the terms of the assistantship. I always planned on working as a server or something throughout grad school and am irritated as to why this has to be a rule for some programs, especially because a serving job can just be like 3 days a week for easy money. And the program is in an expensive city.

Does anyone have insight / experience regarding this rule for certain programs? Like is this something that could be negotiated within the department if a student really needs to make extra money?

is it a fully funded program? (i.e. full tuition coverage + living stipend)? if so, it might be harder to make a case; even if the stipend isn't great compared to the city you're in, they believe it's enough to just get by on

if it's not, you might be able to bring up the situation with the director of the program? but i'm not sure

i've heard people say that it's not really something that's strictly upheld except in certain situations, but i also don't know if it's worth the risk, though i don't have experience obviously

[twelveyearoldrat]

hey folks, i've been stalking this forum/resisting stalking this forum for about 3 years now (this is my third app cycle, but first in fiction) and i've been accepted to sarah lawrence (can't afford it even w/ max stipend) and eastern washington (no info on funding yet) and am also waiting on brown and notre dame. so far i've got 11 R's (from the top 10 or whatev) but it's definitely been cool to see everyone else celebrate/commiserate. prob will take the eastern offer and never do this ever again (because fuck, three is enough) but figured id say hey first 🙂 thanks for sharing all your experience and good luck gamers.  

[misssalem]

4 hours ago, Runningforcats said:

I don’t care what anybody says Im holding out for brown!!!!!!! 
 

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER

PERIOD!!!!!! WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!!!!

[thelovelyunkown]

11 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

My apologizes for answering this late. As I compile my list for next year one of the biggest sticking points for me is course requirements. Some programs like UVA require students to take electives in literature and English. Other programs require students to pass a comprehensive exam or meet a second language requirement. I personally am more interested in programs where I am able to focus on poetry (no cross-genre requirement) and choose which electives I take. A program can have prestige, incredible faculty, full funding and still be incompatible due to structure. 

[tomat0tomat0]

13 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

pretty much googled "creative writing mfas with full funding and big stipends for international students" and went from there. turns out there's not too many to pick from. crossed out the ones with not-so-big stipends (international student visa = no extra part-time job to make ends meet) and the ones in locations i didn't love (with the caveat that if the prestige and/or cool faculty factor was high enough, "bad" location could be excused, eg- iowa). ended up with list of 18. applied to those.

Edited March 19 by tomat0tomat0

[analog_e]

7 hours ago, RabbitRunner said:

I know this is just a little detail in your post but I wanted to ask about Hollins if you don't mind. I got accepted there and am really excited about it! I'm trying to make a decision about where to accept and I'm leaning a lot towards Hollins but I'm a bit nervous about how small the school is. If you don't mind talking about it, I was curious about what drew you to apply there, I haven't really seen anyone else talk about them before!

 

7 hours ago, everything bagel lover said:

Congratulations!!!! Tbh I really liked the vibe they put forth on the website, I love the look of Roanoke and I have a lot of family in the south so I was drawn towards it. My professor who urged me to try applying for an MFA went there before going to the Iowa writers workshop (idk how he got two mfa’s or if he transferred or what) but I also was more interested in southern gothic literature and so Hollins seemed like a great place for that!
It is a small school but I think that can be to a benefit! At this point, it’s been years since I applied so I don’t remember much outside of liking their vibe. I will say, looking back, idk if I could have made the stipend work on my own without some external help, which I didn’t have at the time. I’d highly urge you talk to current students if you haven’t already and some advice my mom gave me: there’s no alternate paths. Where you’re meant to be is where you’ll be and you don’t have to worry about what ifs because they didn’t happen for a reason. It’s always helped me when I spiral down what if paths. 
what other programs are you currently considering alongside Hollins? 

If either of you have questions about Roanoke, feel free to DM, it's basically my hometown and I'm well acquainted with Hollins. A lot has changed since I left, but a lot is very much the same. Lack of walkability, meh transit, no culture. Also a revitalized downtown (that is not close to campus at all), persistent tho small DIY scene, lots of great hiking nearby. I've been in the building Hollins uses for creative writing and it's not particularly impressive but it is cute and cozy and the campus is small but beautiful.

[squid05]

15 hours ago, _redrabbit7 said:

SHENODAAAAAAAA!

CHANNNERRRRRRRR!

CAYLEEEYYYYYYYY!

🥱

TERRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY

[Eloise2897]

If anyone is on the Syracuse waitlist, I just emailed the department about potential waitlist movement. I got a (kind, detailed and super fast--like, within five minutes) response saying there has been no movement yet and they don't expect that until after their admitted students weekend, which is 2 weeks from now. So looks like we may be holding out 'til pretty close to the deadline. I also emailed Minnesota about their waitlist, but haven't heard back yet. 

[RabbitRunner]

10 hours ago, everything bagel lover said:

Congratulations!!!! Tbh I really liked the vibe they put forth on the website, I love the look of Roanoke and I have a lot of family in the south so I was drawn towards it. My professor who urged me to try applying for an MFA went there before going to the Iowa writers workshop (idk how he got two mfa’s or if he transferred or what) but I also was more interested in southern gothic literature and so Hollins seemed like a great place for that!
It is a small school but I think that can be to a benefit! At this point, it’s been years since I applied so I don’t remember much outside of liking their vibe. I will say, looking back, idk if I could have made the stipend work on my own without some external help, which I didn’t have at the time. I’d highly urge you talk to current students if you haven’t already and some advice my mom gave me: there’s no alternate paths. Where you’re meant to be is where you’ll be and you don’t have to worry about what ifs because they didn’t happen for a reason. It’s always helped me when I spiral down what if paths. 
what other programs are you currently considering alongside Hollins? 

Thanks and thanks for such a thoughtful response! It does look gorgeous in that area and honestly beyond liking the faculty(and one of the poets, Kevin Prufer, who went there), a lot of the reason I applied is because the vibe feels right for some reason. I'll try and not worry that it's a small school since a lot of MFA cohorts are pretty small anyway. I definitely will reach out to a current student to ask questions! Also love your mom's advice, that's a great point. I only have one other acceptance right now, to SIU Carbondale, and the stipend is a bit higher so I'm still considering them. I'm holding out a bit of hope for an acceptance from George Mason but at this point I'm guessing it's a rejection.  

[luckylike56]

any nc state acceptances here? specifically poets?

[Mystic_Sunshine]

10 hours ago, next_semester said:

Have an interview coming up for a program I'm super interested in, but I just read in their MFA guidebook that grad students should devote themselves full time to their assistantship duties and not take on outside employment on a regular basis throughout the academic year as that will be a violation of the terms of the assistantship. I always planned on working as a server or something throughout grad school and am irritated as to why this has to be a rule for some programs, especially because a serving job can just be like 3 days a week for easy money. And the program is in an expensive city.

Does anyone have insight / experience regarding this rule for certain programs? Like is this something that could be negotiated within the department if a student really needs to make extra money?

This probably isn't true for all programs - but most have verbiage like that in their handbook. My funded MA program does. 

However, literally no one in the department cares if you have another job as long as you maintain a B average, attend class/do your work, and fulfill all the requirements of your assistantship. I know a lot of people who have other jobs. 

I mean the reality is most professors were broke grad students at some point too. So a lot of them are going to understand. But I don't think anyone in my program asked for permission. 

 

 

[honeytreasures]

17 hours ago, NicoleNW said:

Sorry I’ve already asked about this, but was curious if anyone else was still waiting on Iowa? (I applied nonfiction)

On the draft Facebook people said they were still making decisions based on the last time they emailed!

[Hjanep]

I’m feeling very “isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result” but maybe TODAY is the day we hear from Brown. On this final day of winter. 

[exvat]

17 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

This probably isn't true for all programs - but most have verbiage like that in their handbook. My funded MA program does. 

However, literally no one in the department cares if you have another job as long as you maintain a B average, attend class/do your work, and fulfill all the requirements of your assistantship. I know a lot of people who have other jobs. 

I mean the reality is most professors were broke grad students at some point too. So a lot of them are going to understand. But I don't think anyone in my program asked for permission. 

 

 

Corroborating with something someone at Vanderbilt told me: that while the program says MFAs shouldn't have outside employment, the stipend doesn't reasonably cover living expenses in Nashville, so the unspoken reality is that they'll grudgingly allow you to keep a job as long as you show up to 100% of program responsibilities. Miss one thing tho, and it's likely to be unpleasantly addressed. I got a "better to ask forgiveness than permission" vibe around extra-program employment.

[honeytreasures]

10 hours ago, next_semester said:

Have an interview coming up for a program I'm super interested in, but I just read in their MFA guidebook that grad students should devote themselves full time to their assistantship duties and not take on outside employment on a regular basis throughout the academic year as that will be a violation of the terms of the assistantship. I always planned on working as a server or something throughout grad school and am irritated as to why this has to be a rule for some programs, especially because a serving job can just be like 3 days a week for easy money. And the program is in an expensive city.

Does anyone have insight / experience regarding this rule for certain programs? Like is this something that could be negotiated within the department if a student really needs to make extra money?

I just touched based w a professor at a program that has a similar policy— she said most grad schools have that requirement but it’s understood by profs & students alike that outside employment is necessary considering cost of living

[Mystic_Sunshine]

14 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

I’m feeling very “isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result” but maybe TODAY is the day we hear from Brown. On this final day of winter. 

Me but with Mississippi. 

I know they said 2 weeks last Monday and they are taking that mighty literal. 

[kaleidoscopegurl]

First time poster -  despite the rejections, the angst, all the stress,  I think this is sort of beautiful and honorable for us all to collectively be fighting for spots to make the world more aware, more conscious, more interesting, and more unique. Cheers to us. 

[inthesameboat]

2 hours ago, Eloise2897 said:

If anyone is on the Syracuse waitlist, I just emailed the department about potential waitlist movement. I got a (kind, detailed and super fast--like, within five minutes) response saying there has been no movement yet and they don't expect that until after their admitted students weekend, which is 2 weeks from now. So looks like we may be holding out 'til pretty close to the deadline. I also emailed Minnesota about their waitlist, but haven't heard back yet. 

Thanks for the update Did you email the Graduate Studies Administrator who sent the waitlist email or a faculty at the department?

[Eloise2897]

8 minutes ago, inthesameboat said:

Thanks for the update Did you email the Graduate Studies Administrator who sent the waitlist email or a faculty at the department?

Yep, it was Terri from the English Graduate Office who sent the initial waitlist email. She is super kind. 

[epr]

Looks like Rutgers-Camden is releasing for folks not on draft