2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[glowingbrightly]

3 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

What genre are you? Fiction and poetry notifications have gone out. I'd maybe check your spam or the portal directly. If there's nothing, you should reach out to the director. Or if you're CNF, idk what the call is because there's no data in the draft about CNF at Boulder.

Thanks, I’m poetry. I checked portal before posting and nothing. Idrc enough to contact them but it’s weird they haven’t sent anything. Are you sure rejections went out? It’s largely irrelevant to me now but think it’s possible they are holding back in case they have more openings than expected. 

[everything bagel lover]

1 minute ago, glowingbrightly said:

Thanks, I’m poetry. I checked portal before posting and nothing. Idrc enough to contact them but it’s weird they haven’t sent anything. Are you sure rejections went out? It’s largely irrelevant to me now but think it’s possible they are holding back in case they have more openings than expected. 

I'm fiction and I got a rejection, but now that I'm looking through the spreadsheet, it doesn't look like there's any poetry rejections so maybe you're on to something. Congratulations on Irvine btw!! 

[twelveyearoldrat]

1 hour ago, Lady Gladys said:

I'm pretty sure Notre Dame notified, so that is probably an r. Still waiting to hear from Boise here, too. I haven't seen anything.

ND is the only one i’m waiting on too (for fiction) and i was just curious if you saw that on draft (i’m not on draft) and haven’t seen anything on the results page that isn’t from last szn 

[Hjanep]

Anyone else daydreaming that there’s too much overlap on these “short” waitlists and these schools end up dipping into the R pile? No? Just me? Ok cool

[Lady Gladys]

20 minutes ago, twelveyearoldrat said:

ND is the only one i’m waiting on too (for fiction) and i was just curious if you saw that on draft (i’m not on draft) and haven’t seen anything on the results page that isn’t from last szn 

They did their interviews a few weeks ago. From what I understand, interviewees were finalists. I can't say for sure if I saw any acceptances on Draft after that.

[smallchange]

3 hours ago, Hjanep said:

Ok yes agree but I do just want to say. MBA is so helpful for understanding a lot of very applicable things regarding how the world works and it’s pretty broad in application. Definitely follow your dreams follow your passion etc. But if you’re thinking of maybe doing a different grad program, it’s one that is way less narrow than say law school or med school. And there is something deeply satisfying about going into an app cycle with a little more transparency around your odds based on GMAT. That being said, I’ll be seeing you all back here in the fall for round 3 of MFA apps but if I didn’t already have an MBA the NYU program would be interesting to me. 🤗

Looked into this and definitely sounded interesting but it seems to be for people who want to go into film producing. Sounds cool tho! USC has a similar program (business of cinematic arts) and I believe a new masters in the English department which is kind of the equivalent for publishing. 

this is real - have several friends going through the law school app process right now and it seems extremely stressful but there is something about knowing where you stand based on your numbers that sounds kind of nice after this experience. Definitely considering something a bit more career-oriented next time around (possibly journalism school) but I will also probably also see you here next fall …. the mfa dream is a hard one to crush. 

[pananoprodigy]

I see that Boise did poetry interviews in early Feb, but there are no reports for fiction. Last year's spreadsheet only shows interviews for poetry as well. Do we think they only interview poetry for some reason? i.e. as a fiction writer who didn't get an interview, should I count them as a soft r?

[writeordie]

Story time! In 2014, coming off my first nonfiction book, which was a labor of necessity (a topic I felt needed to be discussed, though I took limited joy in it), and feeling the urgent need to pursue fiction (My True Love^TM), I applied to 9 programs and a fellowship.

0a. 

For ten years thereafter, I studied craft on my own time, wrote stories, then a novella, then a novel, and then sections of two more--none of which I attempted to publish. I was learning and honing my practice. I knew I wasn't ready. I took workshops, and joined a writers group, and then a second; meanwhile, I worked in publishing to support my writing habit (lol), and of course, I continued to learn a great deal from editing and from reading voraciously. I did hella community work related to the stories I want to tell and the folks whose voices I want to champion, and I put out another nonfiction project.

The whole time, I knew I wanted to try again, but it was never the RIGHT time. Plus, my work is genre fiction, and niche, and tricky to pitch to literary fiction programs, so I knew the material had to be EPIC to land me a spot.

This season, I applied to 9 schools, and got One. Beautiful. Shining. Fully-funded. Offer. 

It wasn't the school I had initially expected to wind up at. But a funny thing happened that changed my feeling on that, and I am so INCREDIBLY grateful it did. 

One night, I was sweating the rejections and whether this school was right for me, and totally having an conniption over it, let's be real, and then I went to sleep and had a dream about [author who is head of a major department]. In it, we had lunch, and he extended his considerable wisdom and advice, and when I woke up, I felt weirdly peaceful. I remembered that this was about MENTORSHIP for me, and time to write, and I decided that if this school extended those things, then I was going to accept.

LO AND BEHOLD: That morning, I shit you not, the director of the program began to text me. They invited me to lunch. They, in fact, offered me a place to live near their own home, and the possibility of carpooling and gardening together. We talked about common interests and politics--of which we shared many--and in the end, I felt a sense of built-in community. I visited the school shortly thereafter, and let me tell you, that vibe was EVERYWHERE. The faculty spoke of my protagonist by name. They were excited to show me around, to work with me, to answer any question I had, to handle any administrative hurdle that might come my way. The first-years took me to lunch, told me where to hang out, texted me literary jokes, shared my aesthetic. 

Today, I was waiting to hear from Brown, like fucking everyone here (hug), and I decided I no longer needed to know. Though it's a dream school to basically everyone, there was no way they could offer me what the other school had: A feeling that I was going home to write. 

May everyone here hold out for that. I really hope you get to go home. ❤️ 

 

[gradschoolpspspsps]

36 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

I see that Boise did poetry interviews in early Feb, but there are no reports for fiction. Last year's spreadsheet only shows interviews for poetry as well. Do we think they only interview poetry for some reason? i.e. as a fiction writer who didn't get an interview, should I count them as a soft r?

I have no clue. If there's nothing reported for fiction, I guess it'll leave it open on my insane spreadsheet tho!

[glowingbrightly]

3 hours ago, Hjanep said:

Anyone else daydreaming that there’s too much overlap on these “short” waitlists and these schools end up dipping into the R pile? No? Just me? Ok cool

Yes, I think it’s unlikely that schools dip into the R pile but I do think any schools that haven’t sent Rs yet are still up in the air, which is why I don’t believe in soft Rs

[beet_root]

screw brown, I just won a $1000 prize for my writing!!! freaking out rn

[exvat]

1 minute ago, beet_root said:

screw brown, I just won a $1000 prize for my writing!!! freaking out rn

Hell yeah you did, congrats!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

[Hjanep]

2 minutes ago, beet_root said:

screw brown, I just won a $1000 prize for my writing!!! freaking out rn

Omg congrats!! Will it be published somewhere we can check it out?

[KennyK]

Can anyone who has fb check draft to see if any sfsu fiction acceptances have been posted please? 👉🏾👈🏾

[beet_root]

8 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

Omg congrats!! Will it be published somewhere we can check it out?

Thank you so much! And yes, the story will appear in MNSU’s Blue Earth Review soon—I’ll post the link once it’s up.

In the meantime, please check out their website! It’s a great graduate lit journal.

Edited Saturday at 01:04 AM by beet_root
Removed link

[Hjanep]

5 minutes ago, KennyK said:

Can anyone who has fb check draft to see if any sfsu fiction acceptances have been posted please? 👉🏾👈🏾

Nothing yet 

[poet_c]

5 hours ago, everything bagel lover said:

I'm fiction and I got a rejection, but now that I'm looking through the spreadsheet, it doesn't look like there's any poetry rejections so maybe you're on to something. Congratulations on Irvine btw!! 

Can I ask where you guys are seeing the spreadsheet? Could someone send me the link? ty!!!

[beet_root]

23 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

Omg congrats!! Will it be published somewhere we can check it out?

Thank you so much! And yes, the story will appear in MNSU’s Blue Earth Review soon—I’ll post the link once it’s up.

In the meantime, please check out their website! It’s a rad graduate lit mag.

[everything bagel lover]

27 minutes ago, beet_root said:

screw brown, I just won a $1000 prize for my writing!!! freaking out rn

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Hype!!!

2 minutes ago, poet_c said:

Can I ask where you guys are seeing the spreadsheet? Could someone send me the link? ty!!!

It’s in the MFA 25 draft on Facebook, you have to join the group to see it and you can’t share it outside of the Facebook group cause it has peoples legal names and info and stuff

[beet_root]

25 minutes ago, exvat said:

Hell yeah you did, congrats!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

aw thank you 😊 

[pananoprodigy]

46 minutes ago, beet_root said:

Thank you so much! And yes, the story will appear in MNSU’s Blue Earth Review soon—I’ll post the link once it’s up.

In the meantime, please check out their website! It’s a rad graduate lit mag.

AMAZING!!! Congrats! I published a piece in BER last year (year before? idk) and the whole squad over there was so wonderful. I def didn't win the $1000 prize though - that's HUGE and I hope you're celebrating big tonight!

[Clacla]

Hi everybody, just wanted to ask about utility of following up on a waitlist. I am waitlisted at one of my top choices (Syracuse) and would definitely go there if I got in (I haven't been accepted elsewhere lol so I don't have that as leverage but I'm happy this is the school I got the best result from). I sent a brief one-sentence response the day I got the email (about a month ago) just saying I was honored and wanted to remain on the waitlist. I don't really have anything new to report, I would just be saying I still want to go there, so is it worth sending anything? Sorry if something similar has been answered already, very happy for those who have gotten in, and solidarity with those who have not 🫶

[beet_root]

53 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Hype!!!

Thank you! Y’all are too kind

[pananoprodigy]

9 minutes ago, Clacla said:

Hi everybody, just wanted to ask about utility of following up on a waitlist. I am waitlisted at one of my top choices (Syracuse) and would definitely go there if I got in (I haven't been accepted elsewhere lol so I don't have that as leverage but I'm happy this is the school I got the best result from). I sent a brief one-sentence response the day I got the email (about a month ago) just saying I was honored and wanted to remain on the waitlist. I don't really have anything new to report, I would just be saying I still want to go there, so is it worth sending anything? Sorry if something similar has been answered already, very happy for those who have gotten in, and solidarity with those who have not 🫶

I think it's definitely smart and totally appropriate to send an email letting them know what you said here (that they're your #1 and you would accept a place in the program immediately). A lot's been said here and on draft about how knowing that can realllyyy make a difference, given that these adcoms want the process to be finalized almost as bad as we do. If they're choosing between offering a spot to someone they know will accept it versus someone they're not sure will, oftentimes they'll go with the former. I hope you make it off the waitlist!!

Edited Saturday at 02:21 AM by pananoprodigy

[glowingbrightly]

syracuse had the nerve to reject me for the 2nd time today 😤