2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[asm0deus]

2 minutes ago, carrruly said:

I got this email too. At first I was like, oh, cool, I might end up on the waitlist!! But now I'm realizing they probably just sent that to everyone, and I'm assuming no rejections have been sent yet at all. I would check the draft but I left the fb group because I figured I'd been rejected everywhere lol.... 

Well shoot…. maybe we’re the only ones…? Maybe??? I’m all waitlists this year (and was WL at NC State last year) so I guess I’ll be waiting around anyway. So strange, though!

[Magnolia Electric Co]

1 minute ago, prufrock_ said:

I think UIUC makes a very good case for being a top choice! working on Ninth Letter would be a major highlight if you're at all interested in editing. my only small reservation about the program is also one of its strengths: the incoming cohort size is 3 in fiction, which means there's a small chance you might not find people you really vibe with. but the small cohort would make things really tight knit, and half the reason i'm excited for the mfa is the community. (also since its such a small cohort, i've put just about no thought into it, since i don't think i'm getting in there.)

If I was waitlisted at Notre Dame that'd probably be my top choice, but only due to subjective reasons; Roy Scranton's life and writing is very similar to mine, so i thought he'd make a great advisor. but i got declined lol

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I am also excited about Ninth Letter and have similar reservations about cohort size - though my other programs are pretty much only 4 people, and I imagine 3-year programs will have a bit of a larger community overall. Notre Dame seems wonderful to me as well (though from the poetry side!).

[Mr. Scribblo]

14 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

but i got declined lol

hi, 
has notre dame sent out fiction rejections? i haven't received any interview notification, so I'm considering it a soft rejection

[Magnolia Electric Co]

5 minutes ago, glowingbrightly said:

I think you have four amazing waitlists and you’d be lucky to get off any one. WashU is up there a bit more in prestige but Notre Dame and Indiana have really solid reputations, and UIUC also looks lovely. You are probably right about Indiana being a bit more known than ND but ND has more reach in experimental circles (Action Books) while IU leans more traditional. I think they all have similarities in terms of LCOL but still decent midwest locations, funding, prestige so I’d choose solely based on how you vibe with faculty work. 

Thank you so much for the helpful insights! Yes - I feel beyond lucky to even be in this position at all! I am "near the top of a short list" at UIUC, Indiana, and Notre Dame, so I think those would be more likely than Wash U. I also heard that there might be some poetry-specific issues at Wash U, which give me pause. It's really helpful to hear those differences between Indiana and Notre Dame. I'm relatively happy with the stipend/cost of living, teaching load, and location for all of the schools, so I am digging around to try to figure out what differentiates them all!

[prufrock_]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scribblo said:

hi, 
has notre dame sent out fiction rejections? i haven't received any interview notification, so I'm considering it a soft rejection

good point, no, i haven't received an actual rejection, but i counted it as a soft rejection over a month ago.

[twelveyearoldrat]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scribblo said:

hi, 
has notre dame sent out fiction rejections? i haven't received any interview notification, so I'm considering it a soft rejection

i have also not heard anything still (for fiction) and i just emailed them to put myself out of my misery so will let u know what i hear

[carrruly]

2 minutes ago, asm0deus said:

Well shoot…. maybe we’re the only ones…? Maybe??? I’m all waitlists this year (and was WL at NC State last year) so I guess I’ll be waiting around anyway. So strange, though!

maybe I'm being too pessimistic haha, this is my first time applying. i am crossing our fingers for us both!!!

[essentialflowers]

hey guys, just received word from NC State that while I am not on the waitlist, they are still "considering" my application and I'll hear back in may. is this not a rejection?? I've never had a status update that looks like this before bahaha

[carly rae jepsenn]

25 minutes ago, Lady Gladys said:

Did you go to admitted student info sessions or an in-person visit? If you have time, can you share what you love about the program? What are you most looking forward to?

Yes, they hosted a welcome weekend, so the admits had a chance to visit Ann Arbor, speak with faculty and current students, look into housing, and much more. Obviously one of the biggest perks is the funding: besides the stipend, there are a lot of opportunities through the graduate school to apply for awards, travel grants, etc. 

Besides that, though, the faculty members and students that I met were incredibly generous with their time and energy. That in turn created a very communal atmosphere and environment. One of the current students took us on a housing tour to three other students' apartments, and they all offered to tour apartments for us if we weren't able to be in Ann Arbor to look into places ourselves. The cohort size (9 per genre) is also appealing; several students referred to it as a "social program," which for me is a plus — the overall program seems big enough to accommodate a lot of different types of personalities, but not so large as to render anyone anonymous.

These are all just first impressions, of course, so we'll see what happens come fall. But overall I'm very grateful and very excited!

[asm0deus]

2 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

hey guys, just received word from NC State that while I am not on the waitlist, they are still "considering" my application and I'll hear back in may. is this not a rejection?? I've never had a status update that looks like this before bahaha

same with me and @carrruly ! seems it’s a weird way to say “sorry we’re taking so long sending out rejections!” but i do know the school my sister got into ended up admitting someone who was initially rejected (don’t scare urself too much with that info) so maybe they just wanna avoid that and keep a stock of a few extra people?

[glowingbrightly]

1 minute ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Thank you so much for the helpful insights! Yes - I feel beyond lucky to even be in this position at all! I am "near the top of a short list" at UIUC, Indiana, and Notre Dame, so I think those would be more likely than Wash U. I also heard that there might be some poetry-specific issues at Wash U, which give me pause. It's really helpful to hear those differences between Indiana and Notre Dame. I'm relatively happy with the stipend/cost of living, teaching load, and location for all of the schools, so I am digging around to try to figure out what differentiates them all!

oh no I hadn’t heard about poetry issues at WashU. I’m a poet too so I could offer a bit more direct advice if I knew what your own poetry was like and what your goals for it are. I think, because you have such great potential options, this really comes down to vibes more than anything else. Broadly, ND is going to be weirder and more into translation, IU is more supportive/craft-focused, and UIUC will be more interdisciplinary/socially conscious. 

[essentialflowers]

4 minutes ago, asm0deus said:

same with me and @carrruly ! seems it’s a weird way to say “sorry we’re taking so long sending out rejections!” but i do know the school my sister got into ended up admitting someone who was initially rejected (don’t scare urself too much with that info) so maybe they just wanna avoid that and keep a stock of a few extra people?

ohhh that is so good to know— congrats on being "waitlisted for the waitlist," as my professor eloquently told me a few mins ago hahaha. I thought I was rejected completely so nc state left my mind... I hope at least one of us hears some good news soon!! I'm wondering if a select amount of people received this email or if we all did 

[Lady Gladys]

4 minutes ago, carly rae jepsenn said:

Yes, they hosted a welcome weekend, so the admits had a chance to visit Ann Arbor, speak with faculty and current students, look into housing, and much more. Obviously one of the biggest perks is the funding: besides the stipend, there are a lot of opportunities through the graduate school to apply for awards, travel grants, etc. 

Besides that, though, the faculty members and students that I met were incredibly generous with their time and energy. That in turn created a very communal atmosphere and environment. One of the current students took us on a housing tour to three other students' apartments, and they all offered to tour apartments for us if we weren't able to be in Ann Arbor to look into places ourselves. The cohort size (9 per genre) is also appealing; several students referred to it as a "social program," which for me is a plus — the overall program seems big enough to accommodate a lot of different types of personalities, but not so large as to render anyone anonymous.

These are all just first impressions, of course, so we'll see what happens come fall. But overall I'm very grateful and very excited!

This sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing. This is the kind of info you'll never find on a website. I appreciate your insider info!

[zaira]

Rejection from Boston finally came in for fiction! They let me know my application was "among the top 60" so that was encouraging at least. 

Now time to focus all my hope on clearing the UVA waitlist 🕯️

[Tuxedocat]

21 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Thank you so much for the helpful insights! Yes - I feel beyond lucky to even be in this position at all! I am "near the top of a short list" at UIUC, Indiana, and Notre Dame, so I think those would be more likely than Wash U. I also heard that there might be some poetry-specific issues at Wash U, which give me pause. It's really helpful to hear those differences between Indiana and Notre Dame. I'm relatively happy with the stipend/cost of living, teaching load, and location for all of the schools, so I am digging around to try to figure out what differentiates them all!

Can I ask what the poetry specific issues are? Or can I DM you to ask? I’m meeting with their faculty this week as I was admitted to WashU for poetry at the start of March.

10 minutes ago, carly rae jepsenn said:

Yes, they hosted a welcome weekend, so the admits had a chance to visit Ann Arbor, speak with faculty and current students, look into housing, and much more. Obviously one of the biggest perks is the funding: besides the stipend, there are a lot of opportunities through the graduate school to apply for awards, travel grants, etc. 

Besides that, though, the faculty members and students that I met were incredibly generous with their time and energy. That in turn created a very communal atmosphere and environment. One of the current students took us on a housing tour to three other students' apartments, and they all offered to tour apartments for us if we weren't able to be in Ann Arbor to look into places ourselves. The cohort size (9 per genre) is also appealing; several students referred to it as a "social program," which for me is a plus — the overall program seems big enough to accommodate a lot of different types of personalities, but not so large as to render anyone anonymous.

These are all just first impressions, of course, so we'll see what happens come fall. But overall I'm very grateful and very excited!

Seconding this! Also, I’m so happy to hear you committed to Michigan 🥳!!!! I’m 99% sure I’m committing to Michigan but I have to wait it out a bit before I officially commit to see what happens with one of my waitlists. And I’m going to do some more talking with the faculty at WashU and some of the other programs that admitted me just to be certain.
 

It is interesting that I had to leave Ann Arbor after Welcome Week for everything to click for me. There is something really special about the program and the people at UMichigan. Everyone is so kind, generous, and supportive. There is a lot of time and space given to your writing. There are so many opportunities for awards and funding (like travel/conference stipends, research funding, etc.) that further enrich the program. Just a really great program and environment all around. 

[Magnolia Electric Co]

19 minutes ago, glowingbrightly said:

oh no I hadn’t heard about poetry issues at WashU. I’m a poet too so I could offer a bit more direct advice if I knew what your own poetry was like and what your goals for it are. I think, because you have such great potential options, this really comes down to vibes more than anything else. Broadly, ND is going to be weirder and more into translation, IU is more supportive/craft-focused, and UIUC will be more interdisciplinary/socially conscious. 

Those descriptions are so helpful, thank you! I think I'll have to do some soul-searching about my poetic goals - I would say my poetry is both traditional and interdisciplinary, with a focus on translation. So I will have to figure out what direction I'm most looking to push it in. Thank you so much for the insights!

@Tuxedocat I will be curious to hear how your conversations with Wash U poets go! I got my information from a current student on draft, so I am really a third-hand source here, but yes you are welcome to DM me (or I'm sure you would be welcome to DM a current student as well for a more direct report - a few responded to someone's post asking to connect with students at Wash U a little while ago after waitlists went out).

[snottlebie]

14 minutes ago, glowingbrightly said:

oh no I hadn’t heard about poetry issues at WashU. I’m a poet too so I could offer a bit more direct advice if I knew what your own poetry was like and what your goals for it are. I think, because you have such great potential options, this really comes down to vibes more than anything else. Broadly, ND is going to be weirder and more into translation, IU is more supportive/craft-focused, and UIUC will be more interdisciplinary/socially conscious. 

Hey, curious how you came to those conclusions about the programs? (Or is that focused on the poetry side of things?)

I do think in terms of prestige UIUC is pretty underrated - its stipend is higher than notre dame, Indiana, Syracuse (I think), and Iowa, for example, with a low cost of living (slightly lower or equal to all those listed above, though not a big difference). It has more teaching than ND and Iowa but also has that 3rd year. 

I’ve heard that frequently there’s a lot of crossover with Illinois and Indiana in terms of who they accept. Both are very welcoming to speculative work or literary/spec. 

[glowingbrightly]

5 minutes ago, snottlebie said:

Hey, curious how you came to those conclusions about the programs? (Or is that focused on the poetry side of things?)

I do think in terms of prestige UIUC is pretty underrated - its stipend is higher than notre dame, Indiana, Syracuse (I think), and Iowa, for example, with a low cost of living (slightly lower or equal to all those listed above, though not a big difference). It has more teaching than ND and Iowa but also has that 3rd year. 

I’ve heard that frequently there’s a lot of crossover with Illinois and Indiana in terms of who they accept. Both are very welcoming to speculative work or literary/spec. 

Yeah it’s focused towards the poetry side and mostly considering things like faculty and program vibes. While we all need to survive, I don’t really think stipend amount should be relevant to deciding where best to practice, and teaching load also shouldn’t be overlooked. It isn’t that IU or UIUC doesn’t welcome experimentalism or translation work—the question is what program is best to grow the kind of work that Magnolia is making. Personally, I considered applying to all of these schools but I just didn’t see myself in the faculty’s work so I don’t think it would have been the right fit, whereas the program I ended up at has two amazing faculty that I see myself in deeply and who are also compelled by my work—I wouldn’t trade that for almost anything, especially a few thousand dollars or a guaranteed third year.

[snottlebie]

10 minutes ago, glowingbrightly said:

Yeah it’s focused towards the poetry side and mostly considering things like faculty and program vibes. While we all need to survive, I don’t really think stipend amount should be relevant to deciding where best to practice, and teaching load also shouldn’t be overlooked. It isn’t that IU or UIUC doesn’t welcome experimentalism or translation work—the question is what program is best to grow the kind of work that Magnolia is making. Personally, I considered applying to all of these schools but I just didn’t see myself in the faculty’s work so I don’t think it would have been the right fit, whereas the program I ended up at has two amazing faculty that I see myself in deeply and who are also compelled by my work—I wouldn’t trade that for almost anything, especially a few thousand dollars or a guaranteed third year.

Ah gotcha, maybe I read too fast and missed the earlier context of the convo. Someone had mentioned prestige (more so in IU vs ND I think, but also with UIUC in play) and since ‘prestige’ is so nebulous, I wanted to share what I knew. 
 

I do think stipends are quite important, but yes, a few thousand either way doesn’t matter *too much* (the point at which it starts to matter being very personal). A 2nd vs 3rd year is a big consideration. The time you get to spend on your work can’t be discounted, but if a shorter program has better vibes and people you connect with more, wouldn’t you rather spend your time in that program? So I get your point!

 Teaching load definitely matters to me, but in the context of Magnolia, who said those components were all equal, then yes, it comes down to faculty. I would caution that sometimes you don’t see much in their work, but they may be excellent readers of your own work. This can be hard to know ahead of time. Always worth asking current students about mentorship availability. 

[honeytreasures]

Does anyone have any insight in to U Maryland—College Park? I’m on the waitlist right now for fiction and just trying to figure out how many people have committed

Edited March 24 by honeytreasures

[Nnenna14]

3 minutes ago, honeytreasures said:

Does anyone have any insight in to U Maryland—College Park? I’m on the waitlist right now and just trying to figure out how many people have committed

I’m on the waitlist too, for fiction. Lindsay hasn’t replied to my reply to her waitlist mail since 10/03. Happy to connect if you want. 

Edited March 24 by Nnenna14

[carrruly]

1 hour ago, essentialflowers said:

ohhh that is so good to know— congrats on being "waitlisted for the waitlist," as my professor eloquently told me a few mins ago hahaha. I thought I was rejected completely so nc state left my mind... I hope at least one of us hears some good news soon!! I'm wondering if a select amount of people received this email or if we all did 

I am wondering the same thing. trying to get back into the MFA draft FB group to check if anyone else got this email, or if anyone has been rejected yet

[glowingbrightly]

2 minutes ago, carrruly said:

I am wondering the same thing. trying to get back into the MFA draft FB group to check if anyone else got this email, or if anyone has been rejected yet

it looks like a few on draft got it—says will update by may 1st. hard to know if everyone did but this seems different from the vague pitt email that everyone got. 

[essentialflowers]

2 minutes ago, carrruly said:

I am wondering the same thing. trying to get back into the MFA draft FB group to check if anyone else got this email, or if anyone has been rejected yet

please let me know if you find an answer!!! trying not to be delusional about it bahaha

[honeytreasures]

13 minutes ago, Nnenna14 said:

I’m on the waitlist too, for fiction. Lindsay hasn’t replied to my reply to her waitlist mail since 10/03. Happy to connect if you want. 

Yes would love that! She hasn’t responded to my email either