2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Hjanep]

Just got my NYU rejection which officially ends my season barring people pulling from reserves. F ‘em 

[Chex]

1 hour ago, Hjanep said:

Just got my NYU rejection which officially ends my season barring people pulling from reserves. F ‘em 

Big F 'em! 

[muffincreature]

7 hours ago, DanielNiver said:

Can't speak to UNM but Wyoming MFA is awesome. Definitely close knit (the state helps with that lol) and the faculty is crazy supportive and talented. It's a great place to write as well, with all the openess and wildlife, an underrated aspect of the program.

That’s exciting, thanks for sharing! Have you been a student there? Curious how you learned about their community and faculty. 

[DanielNiver]

2 minutes ago, muffincreature said:

That’s exciting, thanks for sharing! Have you been a student there? Curious how you learned about their community and faculty. 

Yeah, I received my MA in English at Wyoming in '24 and was close with the MFA students and faculty as I was working on a memoir-ish thesis. Even though I was technically not in the program, everyone was so helpful and offered really brilliant advice. Cannot say enough. Definitely DM if you have any questions, happy to help!

[muffincreature]

3 hours ago, DanielNiver said:

Yeah, I received my MA in English at Wyoming in '24 and was close with the MFA students and faculty as I was working on a memoir-ish thesis. Even though I was technically not in the program, everyone was so helpful and offered really brilliant advice. Cannot say enough. Definitely DM if you have any questions, happy to help!

That’s awesome! Thanks! 

[wizardcukfish]

Please who else got admitted to Old Dominion University? 

[OctopusCactus]

On 3/28/2025 at 12:22 PM, saintjdog said:

Is anyone else considering The New School? I would love to discuss what your thoughts are!!

I got in last round but ended up choosing a different program.  I know a couple of people who have done MFAs there.  One (recent grad) liked the fiction program a lot.  Found the community supportive and encouraging and liked that the program had a lot of diversity in terms of what people worked on, everything from kids books to literary fiction to YA to speculative fiction.  Another was there about ten years ago for nonfiction and didn't have such a positive experience.  She struggled to find a faculty mentor who connected with the work she wanted to do and she didn't have a high opinion of the caliber of her classmates' work overall.  

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Out of curiosity, I am trying to compile a list of all fully-funded schools whose funding has a fighting chance of covering cost of living for the area. It's been a little tough because some schools don't list stipends on their website (?) and other websites list incorrect stipends (??). (As a side note, I was thinking it would be so helpful to have a spreadsheet in draft where recent students could list accurate stipends and teaching responsibilities...)

Anyway, here's my attempt. I tried to compare post-taxes stipend to average 1BR rent, but I am basing everything on data that may or may not be up to date. Since I'm a poet, it doesn't include schools like Wyoming that don't have poetry. If you know a school that should be in this list, or have more accurate data, please let me know!

• High funding-to-COL ratio: Michener, Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UVA, Irvine (with grad housing), Wash U, Illinois, Rutgers-Camden
• Medium funding-to-COL ratio: Iowa, Michigan, Syracuse, Indiana, LSU, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, UC Riverside
• Low funding-to-COL ratio (but still livable, especially with roommates): Brown, Minnesota, U of Oregon, UMass Amherst, U of Florida, Ohio State, Maryland, UNLV, Ole Miss, U of Washington, U of Arizona, Pittsburgh, UT Austin NWP, UC San Diego

 

Edited March 29 by Magnolia Electric Co

[Southron]

On 3/27/2025 at 12:12 PM, Nauna said:

I saw that pop up on the spreadsheet! I'm waaaaay overthinking it! As someone who was shortlisted, I can at least share that I haven't heard any new news today. 

Seeing those notification on the spread sheet made me way more excited than it should have. I really hope this is a sign that they're progressing with admissions, instead of clearing out the applicants before they announce that they are pausing the program for the year. Fingers crossed!

[Slothy711]

Hey guys, has anyone here ever gotten off the waitlist at Columbia? Also, what are the general thoughts on their program?

[glowingbrightly]

6 hours ago, Slothy711 said:

Hey guys, has anyone here ever gotten off the waitlist at Columbia? Also, what are the general thoughts on their program?

im about to decline my spot. i bet there is a lot of movement. its a good program, but gets a bad rep for being unfunded. still i bet waitlist means you dont get much funding which makes it mighty expensive. its not big on mentorship, and tends to pick favorites and engender competition. but that works for some people. its more focused on in department coursework than most other programs. depends on genre but poetry isn’t as massive as fiction cohorts and has dorothea lasky and timothy donnelly 

[OctopusCactus]

13 hours ago, Slothy711 said:

Hey guys, has anyone here ever gotten off the waitlist at Columbia? Also, what are the general thoughts on their program?

Faculty are amazing.  Has outstanding pre-professional resources and is great for networking.  Students have to complete more credits than in most MFA programs so you have to be willing and able to balance seminars on craft study with workshop. It is a large program especially in fiction.  If you come in ready to take advantage of all the resources it can be a great experience and launchpad from what I hear.  But they also seem to admit a good number of enthusiastic but underprepared people some of whom kind of end up flailing.  The quality of student work is not as high across the board as in smaller programs but there are some strong students.

[essentialflowers]

Hey everyone! I’m waiting to hear back from one school about movement on their waitlist. It is my last hope (aside from the realllllly unlikely chance of nc state pulling from their long list of applicants). I have spent the better part of two months since my wonderful (2 hour!!) call with the director of the MFA program daydreaming about going to school there. I’m a senior in undergrad right now with three internships & I can’t seem to focus on anything but the impending news that will either be the best or worst ever. I’m working on an eighty page final thesis of short stories and still can’t concentrate!! The funny thing is that I’m seeming to write better than I ever have— maybe the chance of working alongside Nicholas Goodly is motivating me hahaha. 

Is anyone else in the same boat? Also, has anyone had experience on the waitlist in the past? I was told I had a good chance of an offer, but also, he let me know they usually do not accept applicants under the age of 28. I’m 22 and freaking out LOLL. Thanks guys!!!! Wishing everyone well; it’s almost over. 
 

Edited March 30 by essentialflowers

[glowingbrightly]

51 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

Hey everyone! I’m waiting to hear back from FSU about movement on their waitlist. It is my last hope (aside from the realllllly unlikely chance of nc state pulling from their long list of applicants). I have spent the better part of two months since my wonderful (2 hour!!) call with the director of the MFA program daydreaming about going to school there. I’m a senior in undergrad right now with three internships & I can’t seem to focus on anything but the impending news that will either be the best or worst ever. I’m working on an eighty page final thesis of short stories and still can’t concentrate!! The funny thing is that I’m seeming to write better than I ever have— maybe the chance of working alongside Nicholas Goodly is motivating me hahaha. 

Is anyone else in the same boat? Also, has anyone had experience on the waitlist at FSU in the past? I was told I had a good chance of an offer, but also, he let me know they usually do not accept applicants under the age of 28. I’m 22 and freaking out LOLL. Thanks guys!!!! Wishing everyone well; it’s almost over. 
 

admitting to ageism on the phone is crazy but programs don’t usually say you have a good chance unless they mean it…

the writing may be coming from a combination of aspiration and uncertainty so make use of this fertile period while you can!

[essentialflowers]

2 minutes ago, glowingbrightly said:

admitting to ageism on the phone is crazy but programs don’t usually say you have a good chance unless they mean it…

the writing may be coming from a combination of aspiration and uncertainty so make use of this fertile period while you can!

I was warned time & time again by professors that most graduate programs try to refrain from admitting students fresh out of undergrad. While I don’t agree and feel really discouraged, I understand a bit of where they’re coming from— I guess they desire writers with life experience. As someone with a trunk full of baggage, it’s hard not to shout at them “I HAVE SO MUCH LIFE EXPERIENCE!! THE ONLY REASON I HAVENT TRAVELLED IS BECAUSE IM POOR!!!!!” But, alas,  I try not to feel too badly.

thank you for the kind words!! 

[glowingbrightly]

10 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

I was warned time & time again by professors that most graduate programs try to refrain from admitting students fresh out of undergrad. While I don’t agree and feel really discouraged, I understand a bit of where they’re coming from— I guess they desire writers with life experience. As someone with a trunk full of baggage, it’s hard not to shout at them “I HAVE SO MUCH LIFE EXPERIENCE!! THE ONLY REASON I HAVENT TRAVELLED IS BECAUSE IM POOR!!!!!” But, alas,  I try not to feel too badly.

thank you for the kind words!! 

yeah anyone who thinks life experience can be judged by age or “years out of undergrad” must not have been through much themselves or know many nontraditional students

im 32, just finishing undergrad, and im only a decent poet because i also have a trunk full of baggage that anyone could have at any age

[muffincreature]

I extremely appreciated the advice people gave on my MFA choices! Here’s another question I have. I’ve been torn between PhD and MFA. I applied to some fully funded MFAs. Among my acceptances I’m leaning toward Wyoming and hoping to get off the waitlists of 3 presumably better programs. I also got into the PhD in anthropology at a good UC school. As a CNF writer I’m interested in ethnographic writing and its intersection with literature.

I’d like to teach afterwards and I feel like the PhD at UC might lead to a better career outcome, but I’m kinda scared by a 7-8 year commitment (including fieldwork) and worry it won’t leave me time and energy for creative writing. The anthropology department seems very open to creative and interdisciplinary work (including taking classes in the MFA), but still, there’s a heavy emphasis on theory and research. A less important factor is that UC’s stipend is better than Wyoming’s, even considering the higher living cost in California. 

I’m not sure if anyone has debated between PhD and MFA and what you’ve decided considering your writing interests and career prospects. I feel like my heart is leaning toward the MFA but the PhD seems like such a good opportunity I shouldn’t miss. Would love to hear someone else’s thoughts on this. 

[Lady Gladys]

8 minutes ago, muffincreature said:

I extremely appreciated the advice people gave on my MFA choices! Here’s another question I have. I’ve been torn between PhD and MFA. I applied to some fully funded MFAs. Among my acceptances I’m leaning toward Wyoming and hoping to get off the waitlists of 3 presumably better programs. I also got into the PhD in anthropology at a good UC school. As a CNF writer I’m interested in ethnographic writing and its intersection with literature.

I’d like to teach afterwards and I feel like the PhD at UC might lead to a better career outcome, but I’m kinda scared by a 7-8 year commitment (including fieldwork) and worry it won’t leave me time and energy for creative writing. The anthropology department seems very open to creative and interdisciplinary work (including taking classes in the MFA), but still, there’s a heavy emphasis on theory and research. A less important factor is that UC’s stipend is better than Wyoming’s, even considering the higher living cost in California. 

I’m not sure if anyone has debated between PhD and MFA and what you’ve decided considering your writing interests and career prospects. I feel like my heart is leaning toward the MFA but the PhD seems like such a good opportunity I shouldn’t miss. Would love to hear someone else’s thoughts on this. 

What would you like to teach? Also, I would consider how much of your career is ahead of you. If you are 50, then 7-8 years in a PhD program doesn't seem like a good payoff for 15 years of teaching, but if you are 30, I can see how it would make more sense.

[Xaesla]

Finally got my iowa letter. Does anyone else find it a bit annoying and pretentious that they still insist on sending out letters?

[everything bagel lover]

Good morning, my little forum friends. I had several dreams about getting in off of waitlists for programs and then ended off with a dream about a zombie apocalypse so I think this week will be fruitful. Tomorrow is the decision deadline for who whoever has the gta at csu. I’m feeling optimistic because of what the professor said but they could also totally award it to someone else.

How are y’all on waitlists feeling going into this week? 
 

Also, since it’s two weeks before decision day, I feel like UNLV sent out acceptances and the people are just not on draft or here. 

[zaira]

5 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

Good morning, my little forum friends. I had several dreams about getting in off of waitlists for programs and then ended off with a dream about a zombie apocalypse so I think this week will be fruitful. Tomorrow is the decision deadline for who whoever has the gta at csu. I’m feeling optimistic because of what the professor said but they could also totally award it to someone else.

How are y’all on waitlists feeling going into this week? 
 

Also, since it’s two weeks before decision day, I feel like UNLV sent out acceptances and the people are just not on draft or here. 

Good morning, bagel friend! Really hope you get good news on the CSU front today or tomorrow. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about my waitlist because I saw someone say they turned down a fiction offer at UVA. There's a chance! I've decided I'm happy no matter the outcome though. I'd be completely thrilled to get off the waitlist, but I also know there are others on the waitlist with me so I'm not getting my hopes up too high. 

We might see quite a bit of waitlist movement this week from a number of schools! Seems like some folks are making decisions now. Fingers crossed. 

[everything bagel lover]

Just now, zaira said:

Good morning, bagel friend! Really hope you get good news on the CSU front today or tomorrow. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about my waitlist because I saw someone say they turned down a fiction offer at UVA. There's a chance! I've decided I'm happy no matter the outcome though. I'd be completely thrilled to get off the waitlist, but I also know there are others on the waitlist with me so I'm not getting my hopes up too high. 

We might see quite a bit of waitlist movement this week from a number of schools! Seems like some folks are making decisions now. Fingers crossed. 

I saw that too! I’ve got my fingers crossed for you!! ❤️ I imagine it’s not ranked/you don’t know where you’re at on it? That’s a really great attitude to have going into this! I feel like it’s so hard to balance your own peace with excitement/anxiety. 

Thank you, me too! ❤️ 

I also think we’ll be seeing a lot of movement as people begin committing and pulling out of queues. 

[gradschoolpspspsps]

I hope there's movement! I'm also feeling pretty good about my waitlists, I'm thinking maybe this week I should reach back out and reiterate my interest? Also really hoping to hear back from those last couple pending schools, it seems like it's cutting it really close! I have to plan a bridal shower this month too so it's feeling like a lot going on.

[Jane Wyman]

Re: waitlists, I did some astrology forecasting, tarot readings, and I Ching readings to (fruitlessly and unscientifically) try to figure out what would happen, and they were all along the lines of, "Be patient, things are moving around behind the scenes, but not in the manner in which you might think, so be prepared for change but also be not prepared for it, patience is a virtue, blah blee."

This is true of the waitlist process as well as millions of other processes, including photosynthesis. I'm trying to focus on writing and my daily grind, but I'm just not that virtuous.

[Hjanep]

33 minutes ago, zaira said:

Good morning, bagel friend! Really hope you get good news on the CSU front today or tomorrow. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about my waitlist because I saw someone say they turned down a fiction offer at UVA. There's a chance! I've decided I'm happy no matter the outcome though. I'd be completely thrilled to get off the waitlist, but I also know there are others on the waitlist with me so I'm not getting my hopes up too high. 

We might see quite a bit of waitlist movement this week from a number of schools! Seems like some folks are making decisions now. Fingers crossed. 

Fingers crossed for you! Are you on other waitlists / admitted elsewhere or are you UVA or bust for the season?