2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[decayingballads21]

12 hours ago, beet_root said:

Keep in mind: if you’ve been offered a spot at a school that signed the April 15 resolution, but you’re waiting on other programs before you make your final decision, you can always just accept the first offer and back out if you change your mind. If you do it by April 15, you won’t be penalized.

Better to endure the temporary awkwardness of declining an offer you previously accepted than lose out on a spot in a program.

penalized! how so?😭

[P i e r r o t]

31 minutes ago, zaira said:

On the issue of consequences, there's one small, potentially unavoidable thing that could happen if a lot of people accept offers they might withdraw later.

Let's say Joe Writer panics and accepts an offer at Program A that he's not totally sure about. Program A sends an email to their waitlist saying their cohort is confirmed. Jane Author, seeing this email, assumes it's useless to wait for Program A so she accepts a spot at her second choice, Program B. Then a couple weeks later, Joe Writer withdraws his acceptance at Program A. Now Jane Author is a little annoyed because she could have stayed on the waitlist, but she didn't because she thought all of the available spots were confirmed. 

Again, I'm not saying you should make choices based on this somewhat-unlikely scenario. You need to focus on whatever makes sense for your specific situation. I don't blame anyone for wanting to confirm spots ASAP. 

This isn't unlikely at all! It's exactly this people are worried about and cautioning against, it seems—and I agree.

I'm firmly in the "all info is good info" camp, but that Draft post got people a bit unnecessarily freaked, I think. Just my two cents.

Edited Wednesday at 06:37 PM by P i e r r o t

[Eloise2897]

5 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:

penalized! how so?😭

If you try to decline a program after April 15th, you have to formally request to be released from your obligation to that school in order to be accepted at the other program, and they can refuse to release you. As far as I understand it, at least. 

[glowingbrightly]

14 minutes ago, exvat said:

Just chiming in to say that from a coldly mathematical perspective, you need at least 3 data points to define a trend—and even then, it's probably a flimsy assumption to make any consequential decision on, barring significant contributions from other data sets.

(Count the modifiers and conditionals 👆)

Northwestern, Pitt, Iowa International Writer’s Program, and Hamline make 4. I also know Irvine and Brown took 1 less student per genre this year. As it stands, we are lucky to be relatively unscathed but fields like biomed are having PhD offers rescinded left and right.  

6 minutes ago, P i e r r o t said:

This isn't unlikely at all! It's exactly this people are worried about and cautioning against, it seems—and I agree.

I'm firmly in the "all info is good info" camp, but that Draft post got people a bit unnecessarily freaked, I think. Just my two cents.

And making—or not making—decisions based on imagined waitlist movement is silly—if you are on a waitlist with an open offer this late in the game then that’s just the way it is and you shouldn’t blame yourself or others for taking the offers available to you. 

[zaira]

1 minute ago, glowingbrightly said:

I also know Irvine and Brown took 1 less student per genre this year. 

Not to get argumentative because I really feel this comes down to personal choice, but I didn't hear anything about Brown accepting one fewer this year. They ordinarily accept four, and on the website they changed it to five this year. 

Also I heard that another top school (I won't say which because I'm unsure if it's info they want posted publicly or not) added one additional acceptance to their cohort this year, bringing it up from four to five. 

Yes, funding is under threat as a whole. Yes, things are scary. But I also feel there's no need to all-out panic. I also fully understand the frustration and terror right now. It's a shitty situation for everyone. 

[decayingballads21]

7 minutes ago, zaira said:

Not to get argumentative because I really feel this comes down to personal choice, but I didn't hear anything about Brown accepting one fewer this year. They ordinarily accept four, and on the website they changed it to five this year. 

Also I heard that another top school (I won't say which because I'm unsure if it's info they want posted publicly or not) added one additional acceptance to their cohort this year, bringing it up from four to five. 

Yes, funding is under threat as a whole. Yes, things are scary. But I also feel there's no need to all-out panic. I also fully understand the frustration and terror right now. It's a shitty situation for everyone. 

Yes also idaho is taking 5 nonfiction students this year and last year they had 2 

[exvat]

Will add for myself: I am still waiting to commit, based on and at the encouragement of conversations with schools and their current/past MFAs. They have told me that, for my individual circumstances, waiting and gathering more data is the best strategy for me right now.

The thought of a rescinded acceptance because of funding issues, politics, etc. does not frighten me, even if I assume it's a realistic possibility. My life collapsed in 2023; I lost much, nearly died, and miraculously recovered. An MFA is what I want to do next with my life, and I am thrilled to have been accepted to 2 amazing programs in my dream city. But if the rug gets pulled out from under me by a rescinded acceptance—even if it's partly because I waited to confirm my slot—then, as I shared here in a story like six weeks ago, "Oh! Okay, bye bye." I have survived far, far worse. I have lost much, much more valuable things than a slot at a vaunted MFA program. If I lose this too, then I will pivot and figure something else out. I learned that I had resilience beyond anything I could have imagined, and I suspect many here would find the same in such circumstances, either in the midst of or after the suffering.

I will not let the specter of one possible future haunt my present. It took me 39 years to learn that, but that lesson alone has reduced my own suffering in this application cycle enormously.

May you all be at ease 🙏

[everything bagel lover]

Side note: I Just got my official rejection from Wyoming. It was very sweet and they encouraged me to apply again next year if I was still interested. I'm unsure if this was on everyone's email or not but the email overall is very kind. ❤️ 

[inthesameboat]

On 3/25/2025 at 8:44 AM, Eloise2897 said:

[to the tune of Wonderwall] Toooday is gonna be the day that I make it off the list at 'Cuse/ By now, these schools should somehow realize what they've gotta do/ I can't believe that Minnesota wouldn't want me in their cohort now...

 

(don't think I've ever felt this unhinged in my life)

BTW, I reached out a few days ago to check in about the Syracuse fiction waitlist and they said that only 1 person had accepted the offer so far. Maybe there's hope for us 😅

[carrruly]

On 3/24/2025 at 3:54 PM, essentialflowers said:

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

it looks like no rejections have been sent yet for NC State and from the draft it looks like at least ~10 other people got this email just looking at posts and comments....one girl said she replied on the email to ask if it really was a second waitlist or if it was sent to everyone but it looks like she hasn't heard back yet...im starting to think they really just sent this to everyone which SUCKS because it really got my hopes up lol

[squid05]

Ive visited this forum and Draft at least 35 times today, cant even quantify the visits to my email, portal, and the spreadsheet. What else can I neurotically check instead of being productive? Open to suggestions! 

[Southron]

On 3/23/2025 at 3:04 PM, Nauna said:

I was wondering the same thing! So heartbreaking! It wasn't my top choice for relocation, but I really vibed with the poetry faculty during the interview & love their work. I would have accepted the offer in a heartbeat.

Same, I had really high hopes after the interview and they went to the top of my list afterwards. I really hope we end up hearing anything from them soon.

Between what I've been told and what others have posted on draft, it seems that even the professors there don't know what is happening with the program at the moment.

Edited Thursday at 12:00 AM by Southron

[Jane Wyman]

Anybody else get a *second* rejection from Syracuse tonight? 

Edited Thursday at 12:50 AM by Jane Wyman

[Lady Gladys]

18 minutes ago, Jane Wyman said:

Anybody else get a *second* rejection from Syracuse tonight? 

Was it a duplicate? Just resent? Or was it something different? 

[Jane Wyman]

2 minutes ago, Lady Gladys said:

Was it a duplicate? Just resent? Or was it something different? 

The first rejection was from the coordinator, but this new one was from the portal itself.

[zaira]

21 minutes ago, Jane Wyman said:

Anybody else get a *second* rejection from Syracuse tonight? 

Ha! Yeah I got a second one on Tuesday night. And I recall someone else saying they got a second rejection last week too. 

[glowingbrightly]

18 minutes ago, zaira said:

Ha! Yeah I got a second one on Tuesday night. And I recall someone else saying they got a second rejection last week too. 

twas me. i thought it was nice that the coordinator sent out early Rs but i did not need a second one to make it official/rub it in 😪

[Jane Wyman]

8 minutes ago, zaira said:

Ha! Yeah I got a second one on Tuesday night. And I recall someone else saying they got a second rejection last week too. 

Well, at least it's a great feeling!

[P i e r r o t]

8 hours ago, glowingbrightly said:

Northwestern, Pitt, Iowa International Writer’s Program, and Hamline make 4. I also know Irvine and Brown took 1 less student per genre this year. As it stands, we are lucky to be relatively unscathed but fields like biomed are having PhD offers rescinded left and right. 

Minor detail, but just for the record: Irvine first went from six to five fiction acceptances last cycle, not this cycle (though yes, they are only taking five again this year—annoyingly, because I happen to be first on their waitlist ahhhhhhhh). Point being whatever their funding issue is, it seems to be unrelated to the current chaos.

Edited Thursday at 03:20 AM by P i e r r o t

[glowingbrightly]

2 minutes ago, P i e r r o t said:

Minor detail, but just for the record: Irvine first went from six to five fiction acceptances last cycle, not this cycle (though yes, they are only taking five again this year—annoyingly, because happen to be first on their waitlist ahhhhhhhh). Point being whatever their funding issue is, it seems to be unrelated to the current chaos.

ahhh so sorry to hear you are still waiting! hoping your spot opens up soon!

[djk233]

Hi all, I've been accepted into University of Southern Mississippi's MA program and University of South Carolina's MFA and shortlisted at Pitt's MFA, all for fiction. Any idea how these programs rank in terms of prestige and job placement? I know that's not everything, but just trying to get a sense of it. I'd like to get a PhD eventually so thinking MA at USM would put me in a position to get the PhD there. But also might be valuable getting the masters somewhere else. (Pittsburgh's also home, so that's a plus.) Any thoughts?
 

[Nauna]

5 hours ago, Southron said:

Same, I had really high hopes after the interview and they went to the top of my list afterwards. I really hope we end up hearing anything from them soon.

Between what I've been told and what others have posted on draft, it seems that even the professors there don't know what is happening with the program at the moment.

Yeah, I think someone on Draft may have been interpreting Diana's email as "indefinitely," rather than her actually using that language. In the email that she sent me, it really seemed that they are in the dark just as much as everyone else. I think it's interesting that, not long after that mass email went out to applicants with the PDF letter, media sources claimed that the pause was over, when it definitely wasn't.

[Chex]

On 3/24/2025 at 6:30 PM, Magnolia Electric Co said:

@prufrock_ I am also waitlisted at UIUC! It looks like you're likely to head to Rutgers, but I'd be curious if you have any thoughts about UIUC as I'm trying to figure out whether it should be one of my top choices if I get in. Also @Chex if you don't mind sharing I'd love to hear what you have heard about UIUC!

My other waitlists are Indiana, Notre Dame, and Wash U. I am really struggling to figure out which should be my top choice (if accepted, of course) so I would love anyone's thoughts on this! My sense is that Indiana and Wash U might have more prestigious reputations? But I don't really know. Which would you all choose?

Hi! Sorry for responding so late. I'm just going to copy and paste what a poetry vet who ultimately went to Cornell wrote about UIUC on the Draft 2 years ago: 

"I was admitted by them in 2021. I truly believe, in terms of faculty mentorship, they are almost unparalleled. And if UIUC hasn’t be on your radar yet, check them out!
TL;DR: If your main reason for the MFA is mentorship, apply to UIUC!
I was accepted by a good number of fully funded programs, including UIUC, in 2021. UIUC was the hardest to turn down and the only program I cried for. There is a lot to love, but since I didn't attend their MFA, I want to share the part I did experience: the recruitment process.
When UIUC accepted me during the pandemic, ALL four poetry faculty members: Ángel García, Janice Harrington, Christopher Kempf, and Corey Van Landingham reached out to me with lengthy emails, specific praises for my poems, and enthusiastically chatted about our fit and welcomed questions. We scheduled for individual calls, class visits, and a staff meeting observation at their mag, Ninth Letter. They were the most organized and transparent program I experienced. Always kept in touch, never pushy.
When I began getting acceptances elsewhere, Corey offered to share her honest opinion on each programs. She wrote me LONG emails to help me strategize, based on my exact needs, where she'd recommend me to go, like a dedicated mentor, even though it was against her own interest. The kindness, attention, labor, and expertise I received from Corey and others were truly remarkable. And we’ve been corresponding since.
During recruitment, one of the profs said, "If you come, I'll bend over backwards to make sure you get everything you need in our program." The poetry faculty there are kind and generous people who genuinely root for you. Especially if you don't yet have mentors in your corner who will support your career for decades, this is a good place to be. I know a person, once a UIUC undergrad and now successful writer, who went to one of the top MFA programs and then THE most prestigious fellowship. And they said they never got elsewhere the attention, time, and quality of mentorship they got at UIUC. Having graduated from one of the 'bigger names' of MFAs, I totally concur. Mentorship can be a rare treasure to find."

I've also heard from current students who say similarly wonderful things about the program. They also say that it's a beautiful place to live, the university is rigorous and has great facilities (including one of the largest university libraries in the world), the stipend (over 26k per year) is very liveable in Urbana-Champaign, and the rent is reasonable. 

Of Indiana, Wash U, UIUC, and Notre Dame, I think Wash U might edge out the rest in prestige, but I don't think it's by much. Indiana has a great reputation but is not as well funded as the others and the teaching responsibilities are higher. Notre Dame also has a very good reputation and, like Wash U, is a private university. I truly believe these programs are all excellent options and am rooting for you, whichever way you go. 

 

Edited Thursday at 12:11 PM by Chex

[everything bagel lover]

Next week marks April 1st! That's the hard GTA decision deadline for CSU's stuff (they're not an April 15th signatory) and I'm hoping that whoever has it gets into their dream program or at least a program they like way more than CSU and that I'm next up on the waiting list. 🕯️ 

But that also means that we're in the home stretch with only 2 weeks until the national deadline! I see on the draft that there's already some waitlist movement happening as people are narrowing down their selections. I've already declined my 3rd choice, so I'm down to my final two and I'm hoping to commit to one or the other next week 👾 

For those of y'all with multiple acceptances: how are y'all whittling down your choices? Do you have a systematic process of elimination/choosing?

[Eloise2897]

43 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

Next week marks April 1st! That's the hard GTA decision deadline for CSU's stuff (they're not an April 15th signatory) and I'm hoping that whoever has it gets into their dream program or at least a program they like way more than CSU and that I'm next up on the waiting list. 🕯️ 

But that also means that we're in the home stretch with only 2 weeks until the national deadline! I see on the draft that there's already some waitlist movement happening as people are narrowing down their selections. I've already declined my 3rd choice, so I'm down to my final two and I'm hoping to commit to one or the other next week 👾 

For those of y'all with multiple acceptances: how are y'all whittling down your choices? Do you have a systematic process of elimination/choosing?

I made my decision between my two acceptances based entirely on funding, honestly.