2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[MegHe]

Today's pretty rough, ngl. Got my Oxford, UVA, and Iowa rejection all within four hours of each other. 

[gordonandwafflesandmrblik]

I got a personalized rejection from Iowa🥹honestly the best I was realistically hoping for in this process. Says my manuscript was very well received by some readers and they hope I will apply again. Very encouraging to continue growing as a writer 

[writeordie]

7 minutes ago, gordonandwafflesandmrblik said:

I got a personalized rejection from Iowa🥹honestly the best I was realistically hoping for in this process. Says my manuscript was very well received by some readers and they hope I will apply again. Very encouraging to continue growing as a writer 

Would be super curious to know by what method this was received. Email/snail mail? Still waiting on my Doom Letter^TM, lol. 

[gordonandwafflesandmrblik]

1 minute ago, writeordie said:

Would be super curious to know by what method this was received. Email/snail mail? Still waiting on my Doom Letter^TM, lol. 

Snail mail! Post marked March 7th. No emails or portal updates for me yet 

[rapunzel]

i got my doom letter as well! it's really surprising to me that they do ranked rejections if so many people are receiving the "well-received by our readers, some of whom liked it very much" spiel

[Rachel M]

Hi all! was wondering if anyone can speak to the etiquette of trying to negotiate funding with programs? is it really a thing to leverage one school's funding against another (ie "this school gave me 50 % funding, you only gave me 25%, i really want to come to your school but i can't afford it plsss give me money" or no? lol any guidance is appreciated

[writeordie]

4 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

i got my doom letter as well! it's really surprising to me that they do ranked rejections if so many people are receiving the "well-received by our readers, some of whom liked it very much" spiel

Ohhhh, snap. Yours had that same phrasing? (And sorry for your news, and for @gordonandwafflesandmrblik as well. Mine is almost certainly fast on your heels.)

[rapunzel]

3 minutes ago, writeordie said:

Ohhhh, snap. Yours had that same phrasing? (And sorry for your news, and for @gordonandwafflesandmrblik as well. Mine is almost certainly fast on your heels.)

yep! and several people on draft as well

i'm more upset that they deadnamed me in my rejection letter--iowa might be "the best" but it kind of makes me wonder about how the environment there might be changing these days lol

Edited 11 hours ago by rapunzel

[gordonandwafflesandmrblik]

15 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

i got my doom letter as well! it's really surprising to me that they do ranked rejections if so many people are receiving the "well-received by our readers, some of whom liked it very much" spiel

Oh dang I didn’t know they all said that, I saw yesterday someone was bummed over how short their Iowa rejection was and maybe (embarrassingly) got overly excited haha

ETA I think it’s really cool of Sam to hand sign so many rejections, shows respect for applicants. But very disrespectful to deadname you, I’m sorry they did that. That’s disappointing of them for sure 

Edited 11 hours ago by gordonandwafflesandmrblik
Impressed with hand strength

[poet-hopeful]

Do we think Iowa's done calling for poetry? I'm at 0A/0W/0R/4SR/1P 🥺

[Lady Gladys]

2 hours ago, GhostOfHermann said:

Does it look like Notre Dame is done for Fiction? I only see two entries in the draft spreadsheet, but they are the same person (first and interview and later an acceptance). I am assuming they are done and it's a rejection for me but curious.

Yeah, I think Notre Dame is done.

[seah0rse]

7 minutes ago, gordonandwafflesandmrblik said:

Oh dang I didn’t know they all said that, I saw yesterday someone was bummed over how short their Iowa rejection was and maybe (embarrassingly) got overly excited haha

ETA I think it’s really cool of Sam to hand sign so many rejections, shows respect for applicants 

a handful of people on the forum & the draft doesn’t mean it was everyone! still something to feel good about i think!

[rapunzel]

9 minutes ago, gordonandwafflesandmrblik said:

Oh dang I didn’t know they all said that, I saw yesterday someone was bummed over how short their Iowa rejection was and maybe (embarrassingly) got overly excited haha

i mean yeah, apparently they are ranked according to someone on draft, but since more than half the people who reported are getting the kinder rejection, i don't know if i'm taking it too seriously

[FFFRANK]

3 hours ago, Tinky C. Clown said:

I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON OMG

Congrats!!!

Do you think they’ve sent out all acceptances?

[essentialflowers]

hey, does anyone have any updates on Wyoming? 

[pananoprodigy]

18 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

hey, does anyone have any updates on Wyoming? 

Still crickets for me as well 

[epr]

41 minutes ago, rapunzel said:

i mean yeah, apparently they are ranked according to someone on draft, but since more than half the people who reported are getting the kinder rejection, i don't know if i'm taking it too seriously

Folks that get the form version are less likely to post about their rejection. I definitely didn’t get thr tiered rejection my first two years so I’m hyped about it this time!

Edited 11 hours ago by epr
clarity

[Tinky C. Clown]

31 minutes ago, FFFRANK said:

Congrats!!!

Do you think they’ve sent out all acceptances?

i really can’t say but i know at least 2/5 are out

[hmm.]

58 minutes ago, poet-hopeful said:

Do we think Iowa's done calling for poetry? I'm at 0A/0W/0R/4SR/1P 🥺

I was wondering this tooo bc on draft there are no calls for the past two days, but also only like 4 or 5 people reported acceptances, which seems like a pretty small percentage considering their cohort size? especially because for much smaller cohorts, I think a bigger percentage of acceptances were posted?

[spewilicious]

Uh... my University of Maryland portal changed from "Under Program Review" to "Under Grad School Review." Should I be hopeful? Or am I deluding myself with clues that aren't there?

[everything bagel lover]

Streak over, CU Boulder rejection arrived via email

Not surprised, a little disappointed because I like the faculty and Boulder but I mean I’ve been yelling loudly about how desperate I am for CSU to please give me money so its all good

[saintjdog]

43 minutes ago, spewilicious said:

Uh... my University of Maryland portal changed from "Under Program Review" to "Under Grad School Review." Should I be hopeful? Or am I deluding myself with clues that aren't there?

Mine also changed, within the last 3 hours because it was still "under program review" when I checked this morning. I don't want to break my own heart by reading into things but I'm taking any sign I can get tbh

[smallchange]

On 3/4/2025 at 3:28 PM, smallchange said:

Thinking of making a t shirt that says “I got rejected from Iowa Writer’s Workshop and all I got was this dumb t shirt”

I got the “we didn’t like you that much” letter. It’s going on the back of the t shirt.

[rapunzel]

Just now, smallchange said:

I got the “we didn’t like you that much” letter. It’s going on the back of the t shirt.

what is the "we didn't like you that much" letter?? did they say that?? 😭

[Mia172]

 

8 minutes ago, saintjdog said:

Mine also changed, within the last 3 hours because it was still "under program review" when I checked this morning. I don't want to break my own heart by reading into things but I'm taking any sign I can get tbh

A quick Google search tells me it simply means the department has made their decision, now forwarding it to the grad school committee so you are about to hear it soon... It's a neutral process, doesn't really mean anything good or bad. Can be anything.

boy they are just slow boiling me to death

Edited 9 hours ago by Mia172
it's a reply