2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[clowniebrownie]

anyone know much about Brooklyn college's program? Reputation/ other factors. Possibility of scholarship/ funding. Thank you!

[lurkingwriter3]

Did Columbia notify everyone by email this year? I thought they did it by phone call, but it seems like it was an auto generated email. Considering that to be a soft rejection too

 

I'm an ivy league grad and I've gotten all rejections. Shocked.

[Tinky C. Clown]

6 minutes ago, lurkingwriter3 said:

Did Columbia notify everyone by email this year? I thought they did it by phone call, but it seems like it was an auto generated email. Considering that to be a soft rejection too

 

I'm an ivy league grad and I've gotten all rejections. Shocked.

not to be rude, but being an ivy league grad has little bearing on decisions. 

[exvat]

Been emailing with NYU about the possibility of my funding (standard package, half-tuition scholarship) increasing before enrollment. They confirmed that there's a real chance additional funding will be reallocated [to moi] by the April 15 deadline. This is in line with what I've heard from years past, with some accepted folks suddenly getting upgraded to full-tuition scholarships in April.

Bday is mid-April sooo... 👀

Edited Monday at 11:27 PM by exvat
Accidentally included SSN and mother's maiden name

[_redrabbit7]

Hello, all. Has anyone heard anything else from Brown since that one call reported on Friday?

Edited Monday at 11:56 PM by _redrabbit7

[Hjanep]

44 minutes ago, _redrabbit7 said:

Hello, all. Has anyone heard anything else from Brown since that one call reported on Friday?

Nothing from them or UVA who both were pretty swift with rejections last year. Not sure what the deal is

[marcelswann]

Got into Columbia with a 20k scholarship! Only acceptance so far so i'll take the W

but still very pricey

1a/6r/2w

 

[exvat]

19 minutes ago, marcelswann said:

Got into Columbia with a 20k scholarship! Only acceptance so far so i'll take the W

but still very pricey

1a/6r/2w

 

Congrats, that's a huge W for sure!!

[Tinky C. Clown]

holy shit waitlisted at brooklyn college, really shocked. they never interviewed me.

[nikolairostov]

5 hours ago, baguettemagique said:

Congrats! And yeah, it'd be hard to turn down a fully funded spot at Iowa... I'm on the WL and am not holding my breath.

Congrats and good luck - you never know! Someone could easily prefer another program's location, faculty, cohort size, etc.

[SheBop]

7 hours ago, exvat said:

Assuming same money, it would depend on goals and vibes, esp after visits. I'm 40 and have a strong work history, an MS, and a desire to focus on craft (rather than pedagogy, say). So for me and what I'm looking for, I'd probably choose NYU. If I were younger and looking to build a strong CV ASAP in a program, I'd probably choose Columbia.

I'm in the same boat re: NYU v. Columbia. Can you say a bit more about the differences? How does Columbia help you build a strong CV faster, etc.? 

[exvat]

2 minutes ago, SheBop said:

I'm in the same boat re: NYU v. Columbia. Can you say a bit more about the differences? How does Columbia help you build a strong CV faster, etc.? 

The course credit requirements at Columbia are like double NYU's, iirc. Plus their history of hiring alumni for their small army of adjunct and full professor jobs, as well as developing tenure track candidates in the MFA program. I think they also beat out NYU in total Stegners? My understanding is that Columbia also has the best job placement prospects of all the programs, or something like that?

My draws to NYU are the faculty (poetry), the lower course credit requirements (more time for poet vibes/a job), and the fact that I can actually afford it 🤷‍♂️

[nauseated]

Once again congrats to everyone!

Something that's been on my mind these last few days, ever since the Columbia incident, is that I'm not sure if I have a lot of respect for these universities anymore. It had been dwindling since the crackdown on pro-Palestine protests anyway, but the silence about Sunday has really cemented it. Wondering now if it's for the better that I might not get in anywhere this cycle, considering my country might come under Mr. Orange's travel ban, too 

[SheBop]

4 minutes ago, exvat said:

The course credit requirements at Columbia are like double NYU's, iirc. Plus their history of hiring alumni for their small army of adjunct and full professor jobs, as well as developing tenure track candidates in the MFA program. I think they also beat out NYU in total Stegners? My understanding is that Columbia also has the best job placement prospects of all the programs, or something like that?

My draws to NYU are the faculty (poetry), the lower course credit requirements (more time for poet vibes/a job), and the fact that I can actually afford it 🤷‍♂️

Thank you! That's helpful 😃

[exvat]

2 minutes ago, SheBop said:

Thank you! That's helpful 😃

Welcome! Happy deciding ✨

[szymborskasy]

46 minutes ago, nauseated said:

Once again congrats to everyone!

Something that's been on my mind these last few days, ever since the Columbia incident, is that I'm not sure if I have a lot of respect for these universities anymore. It had been dwindling since the crackdown on pro-Palestine protests anyway, but the silence about Sunday has really cemented it. Wondering now if it's for the better that I might not get in anywhere this cycle, considering my country might come under Mr. Orange's travel ban, too 

i graduated undergrad at columbia in december, and i have to say––campus atmosphere, if that's something that's important to you, is incredibly changed in recent years, from how it was my first year. Police everywhere, closed gates, general fear/tension/uncertainty, and a student body deeply angry with the administration. It's hard to picture it unless you're there. I mention this because my college experience (and honestly, my perspective) was deeply changed by the events on campus last year (not that my experience is nearly as crazy or upsetting as the experiences of others), and perhaps i had a more extreme experience as an undergrad, but i can imagine that graduate students were also deeply affected. not a warning against columbia, but i'd definitely take this into account for people considering the program there. (FYI i got accepted today, and will be taking another offer one hundred percent, not just because of the funding, but because of my disillusionment with admin and the exhaustion of living in that tense atmosphere for the last few semesters). 

 

this is not to talk down to anyone/necessarily discourage anyone applying or planning to accept - it is truly a wonderful program, and some of the mfa students ive met there are absolutely fabulous talented people. but campus atmosphere (and the national attention it gets) really has the ability to shape any students' experiences there, and so definitely keep that in mind folks <33

Edited 20 hours ago by szymborskasy

[nauseated]

5 minutes ago, szymborskasy said:

i graduated undergrad at columbia in december, and i have to say––campus atmosphere, if that's something that's important to you, is incredibly changed in recent years, from how it was my first year. Police everywhere, closed gates, general fear/tension/uncertainty, and a student body deeply angry with the administration. It's hard to picture it unless you're there. I mention this because my college experience was deeply changed by the events on campus last year (not that my experience is nearly as crazy or upsetting as the experiences of others), and perhaps i had a more extreme experience as an undergrad, but i can imagine that graduate students were also deeply affected. not a warning against columbia, but i'd definitely take this into account for people considering the program there. (FYI i got accepted today, and will be taking another offer one hundred percent, not just because of the funding, but because of my disillusionment with admin and the exhaustion of living in that tense atmosphere for the last few semesters)

Thank you for sharing - that's really helpful and I'm sure it must have been so stifling. Congrats on your other offer, too! I hope you find a wonderful cohort and lots of success and peace. And yeah - that is what I was thinking of, too. Everything I've seen online has been so... repulsive that for the past couple of years I have seriously been reconsidering if I ever want to pursue grad school in the States, especially under this admin. Not like I can do so anyway with no acceptances yet, but would be a much more heavier decision if the time ever comes 

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

When, do you think, would it be appropriate to email the department about the decision? 

[everything bagel lover]

Big day for news yesterday, congrats to those that got acceptances and waitlists!!! ❤️❤️ 

Today I'm manifesting the GTA position at CSU 🕯️ I submitted my application on December 1st and now that I'm so close to the finish line but it's not yet in reach, the wait feels intolerable. I've become insufferable to those around me because I keep endlessly speculating about the circumstances around the waitlist. 

Soon, I imagine we'll be entering waitlist purgatory for a lot of folks and I wish you peace and good news ❤️❤️❤️ 

Edit to add: I took some deep breaths and I'm feeling more normal again lol I just keep bouncing between heart wrenching desire for this program and knowing that things will be okay regardless and nothing meant for me will pass me by

Edited 12 hours ago by everything bagel lover
sanity

[everything bagel lover]

I'm seeing stuff on the draft about people accepting an offer with a deadline before the April 15th date from schools that didn't sign the resolution (CSU didn't) and people talking about accepting and then pulling out later which I think if that works for you that works, but it makes me even more stressed about funding at CSU because their deadline is around this week and if people are accepting the position with the intention of pulling out for a better offer that comes along (which do the best for yourself) it makes me think I shouldn't decline the CSU offer until it's closer to when decisions have been reached? But then I'd be taking up a spot for someone else to potentially fill? Idk, what's the call on that? Am I overthinking? (yes)

Like I think it's really uncool of CSU and other schools to set a deadline so much earlier because it creates more tension and uncertainty for all parties. I don't want anyone to pass up a funded offer because they have to bank on an uncertain future. I also want to know that if the GTA is accepted, that I can move on and not linger excessively just in case. This is literally why they made the April 15th resolution

Rant over, thank you, sorry

Edited 9 hours ago by everything bagel lover
clarity

[exvat]

16 hours ago, lurkingwriter3 said:

I'm an ivy league grad and I've gotten all rejections. Shocked.

To summarize what I've learned (from program professors, department FAQs, and here), 80% of admission to an MFA is work sample quality, 10% is SOP to provide context on your potential fit for the specific cohort/program, and 10% everything else—a small percentage of which MAY include alma mater.

Anecdote: this cycle, with basically 3 identical applications, I got into NYU and Columbia, but was rejected outright from UMass—my own alma mater.

Edited 9 hours ago by exvat
Anecdote

[zaira]

8 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

Idk, what's the call on that? Am I overthinking? (yes)

This is such a tough situation to be in. I don't know if there's a perfect answer tbh. In situations like this you need to do what's right for you, put your own mask on before assisting others, etc. 

If you're waiting on GTA funding for CSU, I'd say continue holding out as long as you can, and if need be, yeah, accept the offer by the deadline with the knowledge you might have to pull out of the offer later should the GTA funding fall short. At least I think that's the scenario you're working with here? I might have missed something. 

Ultimately it's not your fault that their system is set up this way. I wouldn't feel guilty if you need to sit on your other offers until you know for sure what the CSU situation is. People on waitlists are aware that it can take a while to move. You don't have to feel guilty! 

[tomat0tomat0]

maybe we should start placing bets on what schools we think'll say something today. any guesses?

i've assumed rejections but technically still haven't heard back from: JHU (still!), WashUstLouis, notre dame, iowa, NYU, UTexas NWP, rutgers-N, and last but not least UVA-- anybody else in a similar spot? still waiting on Brown, rutgers-C, UofMiami, and UofFlorida too. manifesting those 🙏 

edit:typo

Edited 9 hours ago by tomat0tomat0

[VOID DARLING]

wondering why the brown poetry notifs still haven't dropped!!!!!!!!

[crossingmyfingers1212]

any fiction news from UVA, Brown, or UT Knoxville? Losing hope