2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[glowingbrightly]

3 minutes ago, NicoleNW said:

Sorry I’ve already asked about this, but was curious if anyone else was still waiting on Iowa? (I applied nonfiction)

post on draft fb says not yet but very soon for nf

[nikolairostov]

19 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

For me it was overall reputation + funding. I applied to six fully funded programs (Iowa, Brown, Cornell, Helen Zell, and Michener) plus NYU and Columbia, in the hopes that they’d give me funding and I could live in NYC and see as many plays and exhibits as I liked.

I considered applying to Syracuse but I’m not a big Saunders fan so decided it wasn’t worth the mediocre stipend. I also considered BU but felt that only one year in residence was a bit quick. Vanderbilt and UVA weren’t on my radar, but then I don’t want to move to the south.

[zaira]

28 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

I feel like the unspoken knowledge part is true, at least in my case. I settled on my list after chatting with people heavily involved in MFA-related stuff (professors, current students, alums). I assumed they'd know best so I didn't look closely into as many other programs. Knowing what I know now, I should have applied to a wider range of programs. There are so many incredible ones out there that don't get as much love as some of the traditionally top-ranked programs. So I'd recommend doing research, looking at places that feel like they'd be a good fit for the type of work you like to do and that make sense for your lifestyle (think funding, location, culture). The top programs are fantastic, but they're far from the only ones worth applying to! 

Edited March 18 by zaira

[Hjanep]

19 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

Ok well my personal list contains most but not all of these 10. I based my list off a combination of Alma maters of authors I admire, funding (full), location, and interviews from the MFA writers podcast. I’m older, married, and not planning on relying on the stipend to exist 100% but am using it more as a vetting mechanism for stronger programs. So, Syracuse is appealing because of faculty, location (I used to live in Ithaca), length of program (3 years is preferable for me). 

[glowingbrightly]

33 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

My answer may not apply to everyone, but after going through this process and receiving great feedback from UCI and Columbia—while being rejected from Syracuse, Amherst, UVA, Michigan, and Northwestern—I’ve realized that my poetry fits best in niche yet elite programs, which is a strange combination. Brown, for example, is a perfect fit for my poetics, regardless of its prestige.

Most of the programs I was rejected from lean more traditional, and there aren’t many that prioritize the kind of urgent, experimental practice I bring to the table. I took chances on other top programs, hoping my work might connect, but this process has also taught me a lot about myself and my writing. I understand now why fit matters so much—why people advise reading faculty work before applying.

Honestly, I think a lot of people pick the same schools because of rankings and name recognition, with location also a huge factor. Personally, I was working up to the deadline, since this is my first cycle, and had to limit how many Dec 15 deadlines I applied to. If I reapplied, I’d probably add WashU, Minnesota, Cornell, and Notre Dame while skipping Syracuse, Amherst, Northwestern, Michigan, and UVA.

[exvat]

32 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to?

1. Location

2. "Prestige" (shorthand for many factors)

3. Affordability (highly subjective, variable)

Drake equation worked out in my favor here ✨🙏

[NicoleNW]

5 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

I applied for poetry and have not heard anything yet, even though rejection letters were supposedly postmarked 3/7.

Thank you! (I was like am i the only one lol) maybe i live further away from others. I also know most people you posted about it had like a top tier rejection. So maybe it has to do with that?

[rapunzel]

56 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

i think funding is huge for a lot of people, and funding can compensate for a lack of well-known faculty / well-known alumni when it comes to reputation. i think uva and jhu are the best examples of this -- not to say that they aren't fantastic programs on their own, or that their faculty/students aren't spectacular, but more so that people are willing to apply to these even if they haven't really heard much about their faculty/alumni, because their great funding allows them to be super selective

some others, like syracuse, are fully a faculty thing. people love saunders enough to overlook the funding i guess? but in general, for programs in boston or new york, unless they're exceptionally well funded, the stipend is usually only enough to barely get you buy, and sometimes not even that (depending on your offer)

others are well-reputed because they're old. so if you take a program like iowa that's been around for a hundred years (and that too, was around before any other programs were around), it makes sense that tons of good writers emerge from that program because 1) for a while it was the only one, and afterwards its reputation drew well-known writers back as faculty, and 2) the fact that it's been around for so long and that its cohorts are relatively large means it's churned out a LOT of students, so naturally we would hear some percentage of them even if the majority aren't major literary superstars

Edited March 18 by rapunzel

[_redrabbit7]

1 hour ago, squid05 said:

I keep saying one MFA director's name in my head (hoping for a response to an email) in the same way Kendrick Lamar says MUSTAAARRRRRDDDDDDD!

SHENODAAAAAAAA!

CHANNNERRRRRRRR!

CAYLEEEYYYYYYYY!

🥱

[_redrabbit7]

20 hours ago, thelovelyunkown said:

May tomorrow be the day Brown puts us out of our misery. 

🕯️

I’ve begun to pick Scam Likely calls. You never know. 🙂

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Wow - thank you to everyone for those incredibly thoughtful and helpful responses (too many to tag)!! That's a great point that funding can both lead to prestige, and be a proxy for prestige, since great funding can draw great applicant pools. I have definitely noticed a correlation between having a prestigious reputation and a large stipend + light teaching load (though I don't know which came first, the reputation or the benefits!).

And of course, I don't want to pretend that reputation/prestige is irrelevant - just like for undergrad, I'm sure there are a lot of inherent benefits to going to a prestigious MFA, whether it's faculty or agent connections or something more nebulous. I think I am just trying to wrap my head around what I should be prioritizing in a school. Especially because, when people refer to rankings, as far as I know the most recent ranking was in 2012! So I imagine a lot of programs have changed since that ranking was published.

This cycle, I did not think I would have a shot anywhere, but I have been shocked to find myself accepted or shortlisted at several schools in locations I would live in, with a livable stipend, a manageable teaching load, and faculty who seem great. From what I can tell, they are not top ten schools, but are considered fairly "reputable" by the mysterious MFA lore. So I am both thrilled and trying to understand if I should be jumping at these opportunities, or hoping to reapply and get into an even more prestigious program. It seems like the former - I just wondered if there was something important I was missing!

Edited March 18 by Magnolia Electric Co

[poet-hopeful]

On 3/17/2025 at 2:16 PM, backtooskewl said:

I was just looking at Bluestoop the other day after thinking about workshops. Are they good?

I've actually already applied to one creative residency for this summer, so it's possible I'll have a good recc letter or two lined up. I had the hardest time figuring out whether to work on a grad school relevant material or not when submitting the app tomorrow, but I decided I might be sick of my grad sample by the summer, and treating it as a creative vacation to work on something new.

I haven't worked with Bluestoop before, but imo whether a workshop is good or not really depends on your preferences and each individual instructor! Other great venues that offer online classes include Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Sackett Street, Hugo House, and Grub Street. Brooklyn Poets and The Poetry Project are great poetry-specific spaces. Fingers crossed for you re: the residency!

[Dingdong99]

There hasn't been any Brown acceptances has there?

[rapunzel]

4 minutes ago, Dingdong99 said:

There hasn't been any Brown acceptances has there?

it's weird -- someone on here said they got the call, but a day or two later someone else got insider info saying no acceptances had gone out yet, so i have no idea lol

[Dingdong99]

1 minute ago, rapunzel said:

it's weird -- someone on here said they got the call, but a day or two later someone else got insider info saying no acceptances had gone out yet, so i have no idea lol

wtf hahahaha. I'm literally waiting on them before accepting an offer from asu.

[penitentwanderer]

On 3/7/2025 at 5:54 PM, lizziebennett said:

I just got the call from Brown- for fiction! 

can you confirm if you got the call (sorry to put you on the spot)? we've been hearing lots of contradictory things! 

[decayingballads21]

perhaps a silly question but, alas…

for waitlisted folks, will we be notified when current offers are accepted? is it safe to assume if we haven’t heard anything yet, that spots are still pending?

[penitentwanderer]

3 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

Reputation is a component, but it's one of those components that starts to break down (a little) once you speak to accepted students/get insider intel. There are things we can't know/that have a high amount of flux--for example faculty/mentor availability, program culture, etc-that are only apparent later on. For example, I got to speak with alums from 2 "Top 10" programs. One said, there was absolutely no mentorship available. At another, one alum said there was a generous amount of faculty involvement, but a slightly more recent grad said that was the disappointing factor. Some alums revealed they had no access to agents. Others said the atmosphere within the program was toxic. These are things that can't be known until you get accepted and speak to current students.

So prestige is easy to identify, but perhaps not something to rely on. Location, teaching duties, and stipend were most important to me. But mostly it matters what's important to you!

[glowingbrightly]

23 minutes ago, penitentwanderer said:

can you confirm if you got the call (sorry to put you on the spot)? we've been hearing lots of contradictory things! 

one of the draft fb admins said they thought fiction may have gone out around the 10th but I doubt that and at min, it seems extremely unlikely poetry has gone out given that multiple acceptances were recorded on last year’s draft spreadsheet

I know we are all grasping for straws but let’s remember the simplest explanation is usually the right one

 

 

[analog_e]

all anyone on Draft is going off is that post here, and given the record of Brown clustering everything together it seems pr damn unlikely that one random person got an acceptance over a week ago and it's been silence since

[strawberrymatcha]

true ^ although maybe they pulled an OSU and just notified a couple of people early for additional funding? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were struggling to figure that out right now.

[rapunzel]

5 minutes ago, strawberrymatcha said:

true ^ although maybe they pulled an OSU and just notified a couple of people early for additional funding? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were struggling to figure that out right now.

except, everyone at brown is fully funded + stipend :/// it's not like nyu or something

[analog_e]

Yeah, Brown funds all their candidates equally

[everything bagel lover]

6 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

This might be an odd time to ask this question, but maybe it will serve as a distraction from Brown (where I live, by the way, so maybe I can exercise some cosmic power over results). But I've been wondering: how did people choose which schools to apply to? From what I can tell, it seems like many people apply to the same 10 or so schools (Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, Michener, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Syracuse), and potentially others as well. What makes these schools so universally appealing? What factors do folks consider when deciding?

I'm curious because I came into this not knowing much about reputation, so I mainly looked at funding/teaching package and faculty (which do often align with reputation). But I was surprised to find such a consensus about where to apply, especially when it doesn't align with funding - for example, I would have thought Illinois would be even more popular given its funding and faculty, and until recently Syracuse's funding/teaching package was not very good. So I'm wondering what compels people to make their school lists, in case I end up doing this again next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing all this unspoken MFA knowledge!

I’m maybe a little late on this but as someone who applied to Top 10 programs my first round and none this time, I wanted to weigh in! It’s also been really insightful reading other peoples responses ❤️

My first cycle I applied to top 10 type programs + Hollins (my only waitlist)

This time, my partner wanted to live in a specific part of the country and them wanting to move is actually what spurred me to apply again. I did a mix of just Googling “MFA Colorado” and then reading work from faculty. I read one novel from each school’s fiction department. This was when I was applying only in Colorado and I only threw on the other ones last minute (thank god I did!)

I found NAU, Wyoming, and UNLV through Jess’s list in the draft and I’m ngl I did apply to non fully funded ones because I knew they’d be less competitive than somewhere like Michener. I’m so grateful for my acceptances and I think they’re genuinely great programs, I just don’t think my writing is competitive enough to make it through a sea of hundreds of super strong apps. I focused first on program vibes based on handbooks and faculty writing and balanced that with where I could see myself having a chance, whether it’s because they have a larger cohort, aren’t as talked about in online spaces like the draft, and only fund some of the cohort. 
 

To future applicants reading this: this isn’t to say you shouldn’t shoot for the stars! But also there are a lot of great programs with less prestige that I feel give you better odds of finding somewhere your work will fit well  I submitted one of my weird newer stories to NAU and they really liked it which makes me feels super good about the prospect of going there! 
 

edit to clarify: all programs with funded positions are prestigious to a degree and especially ones that do fund ALL accepted people (Wyoming and UNLV) are still mad competitive, as are all funded positions in any MFA program. I just meant that they’re not receiving the amount of apps that Michener or Iowa do. 

Edited March 19 by everything bagel lover
Clarify

[gradschoolpspspsps]

I actually don't want Brown to come out tomorrow because I'm chaperoning a field trip with 30 high school kids all day, so good news guys, it'll probably happen tomorrow.