2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[snottlebie]

1 hour ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Wow - so much collective knowledge about Syracuse! I guess I wouldn't mind not being able to leave Syracuse itself, but I'd want to be able to get around the city itself without a car.

According to my partner who lived in upstate NY for many years - upstate NY is not super doable without a car. University shuttle buses would be your best bet, but anything off that track would be hard. Syracuse is easier to get to and to leave from without a car (Amtrak, Greyhound, airport) than say Ithaca, but it's hard to travel within Syracuse itself without a car (same goes for Ithaca, though Ithaca is smaller so it might technically be easier to travel within, but for all intents and purposes upstate NY is not wildly public transit friendly). 

[Elphaba MissieMissie]

Question about Indiana Bloomington (fiction) : Does anyone know if they offer decent opportunities to connect with agents? I'm also curious what the program's general reputation is among literary agents/editors. 

[Magnolia Electric Co]

14 minutes ago, snottlebie said:

According to my partner who lived in upstate NY for many years - upstate NY is not super doable without a car. University shuttle buses would be your best bet, but anything off that track would be hard. Syracuse is easier to get to and to leave from without a car (Amtrak, Greyhound, airport) than say Ithaca, but it's hard to travel within Syracuse itself without a car (same goes for Ithaca, though Ithaca is smaller so it might technically be easier to travel within, but for all intents and purposes upstate NY is not wildly public transit friendly). 

This is good to know! I'd been feeling some major regret for not applying to Syracuse but a walkable city is nonnegotiable for me. I probably should have thought to check this for my other schools 🤔

[gradschoolpspspsps]

2 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Is Syracuse a hard place to live without a car?

Idk how helpful this is but my little brother just graduated from undergrad there and none of his friends had a car, they all were fine with the campus community even in their off campus apartments. It's it's own little area. And they're all bougie business majors lol. 

[everything bagel lover]

58 minutes ago, pananoprodigy said:

I'm committing to NAU @everything bagel lover can't wait to get bagels with you in flag!

Oh my god that’s so exciting!!! Yay I’d love to connect and chat! Congrats on committing!!!   

[penitentwanderer]

11 minutes ago, gradschoolpspspsps said:

Idk how helpful this is but my little brother just graduated from undergrad there and none of his friends had a car, they all were fine with the campus community even in their off campus apartments. It's it's own little area. And they're all bougie business majors lol. 

Yeah, I think it depends on what your needs are. The campus of my undergrad was very walkable, but outside of that, it would have been impossible to navigate without a car (for groceries, trips to doctor or dentist, etc.). If you're mostly staying close to campus, you'll be fine at Syracuse (my roommate went there), but if you wanted to go outside of the university shuttle system, things will be harder unlike bigger cities like NYC, boston, chicago, etc. 

Edited April 1 by penitentwanderer

[gradschoolpspspsps]

5 minutes ago, gradschoolpspspsps said:

Idk how helpful this is but my little brother just graduated from undergrad there and none of his friends had a car, they all were fine with the campus community even in their off campus apartments. It's it's own little area. And they're all bougie business majors lol. 

Oops replied to this before seeing that literally everyone else already had answered lol, they all probably know more than my brother, he doesn't know what's going on half the time!

[pananoprodigy]

Kinda bewildered rn -- I just got a copy of Passages North, Northern Michigan's lit mag, in the mail. No note or anything, just this big fat book in a box. Surely they don't send it out to all their applicants, do they? And if not, why did I get it lol. I had been assuming they were a rejection but I haven't heard anything since I applied. 

And as if that's not odd enough I went to the grocery store right after getting it and saw a guy in a Northern Michigan sweatshirt -- I live in Los Angeles. 

edit: Assuming this is just the universe's way of making me second guess myself the minute I've actually, finally, made a decision LOL

Edited April 1 by pananoprodigy

[Lady Gladys]

33 minutes ago, gradschoolpspspsps said:

Oops replied to this before seeing that literally everyone else already had answered lol, they all probably know more than my brother, he doesn't know what's going on half the time!

I am actually loving our collective wisdom on transportation in Syracuse! I hope next year's applicants find this thread, because this is the kind of info that is NEVER on websites.

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Yeah this is truly incredible! Maybe there should be a second forum just for transportation in Syracuse. I didn't apply there myself, but this is encouraging me to make sure that any schools I do consider have walkable cities.

[Magnolia Electric Co]

Actually (sorry to reply to myself lol) if anyone has the inside scoop on the walkability of Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington, South Bend, or St. Louis, I would be all ears! I assume St. Louis is at least somewhat walkable because it's a proper city, but I'm not sure about the other three.

[Mystic_Sunshine]

I'm officially jumping ship from the forums since there is no reason for me to check in anymore! 

Congrats to all of those of you have received/accepted offers. I hope you have the very best time in your programs. ❤️

Thank you for all your support. And for those of you who didn't receive offers. It sucks and I feel it. And I hope you're okay and things work out in time. 

[snottlebie]

26 minutes ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Actually (sorry to reply to myself lol) if anyone has the inside scoop on the walkability of Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington, South Bend, or St. Louis, I would be all ears! I assume St. Louis is at least somewhat walkable because it's a proper city, but I'm not sure about the other three.

Take this with a grain of salt, as I’ve never lived in any of these places. However, I have done a lot of walkability research/visited some of these places. 
 

UIUC - smallish city so if you live close to campus it’s very easy to be in the center of things. The students all rave about the bus line - it’s free with a student ID (I believe… or you pay a mandatory fee you’d have to pay anyway) or $1 per ride without. Lots of buses, with lots of options - many students use the bus line and say it’s great. Good for biking. Have personally walked from campus to the bus station and from there you can Amtrak to Chicago. If you want to go elsewhere, outside of the city, you’d need a car. 
 

St Louis - certain neighborhoods are highly walkable and if you live near a Metrolink station your life will be easier. There’s also a bus system. This is probably the best purely walkable city on the list, but it’s also an actual city vs a city that’s grown around a university. Good bike community, though people apparently drive quite fast and the roads aren’t made with bikers in mind. Not as walkable as transit friendly places (as someone mentioned, Chicago, Nyc). It was at one point rated the 3rd most walkable city in the US and its own residents were in disbelief, so take that as you will. 
 

Bloomington - definitely hard to get here without a car. You can take a bus from the airport but the frequency is not always good. It’s small, so in that sense, it’s walkable and also bike friendly, but if you want to venture off campus, a car would be quite helpful. If you live downtown or near campus, it’s definitely easier to walk around than in other locations. There is a bus system but I don’t know how good it is. A car would be a good convenience here but people have managed without, though things like groceries can be difficult. [also not an expert on this one!]
 

South bend - I don’t have the data on this one

 

If you’re considering walkable places next year, Northwestern is pretty solid, as is JHU, depending where you live. Any NYC or Boston school, obviously (maybe this is all self evident). Hope this second hand account helps somewhat! 

[Magnolia Electric Co]

38 minutes ago, snottlebie said:

Take this with a grain of salt, as I’ve never lived in any of these places. However, I have done a lot of walkability research/visited some of these places. 

This is all so helpful - thank you so much!! I am not too concerned about leaving the cities themselves, but would definitely want to live somewhere with walkable access to green space and grocery stores, if possible. I might just be spoiled by living in Providence with grocery stores, several parks, and all of downtown within 2 miles...but as much as I appreciate buses, I would like to at least be able to walk to at least a fair number of things if I can. Maybe I'll try to Google maps some places.

[twelveyearoldrat]

is it a red flag if the current cohort member of the mfa (potentially fully funded, definitely my only option) is basically telling me to take any other funded offer i may have because they have loans out and have already heard the funding for my potential cohort is scarce? like damn i know it’s bad financially everywhere right now but is it so wrong that i just want to go to a school that someone doesn’t have to try and talk me out of going to? lmao just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it okay thanks 🙂

[zaira]

2 hours ago, twelveyearoldrat said:

is it a red flag if the current cohort member of the mfa (potentially fully funded, definitely my only option) is basically telling me to take any other funded offer i may have because they have loans out and have already heard the funding for my potential cohort is scarce? like damn i know it’s bad financially everywhere right now but is it so wrong that i just want to go to a school that someone doesn’t have to try and talk me out of going to? lmao just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it okay thanks 🙂

Which program? (If you don't mind saying, no pressure)

My view is you should never go into significant debt for an MFA. It's just not the type of degree that typically has financial payoff.

I'd talk to your main contact at the program and try to nail down exactly what the funding situation is. Ask them what the total funding package is (they should be able to tell you before you accept their offer), whether there are grants/fellowships, and whether funding is the same across all years or if you have to compete for funding again in your second year. 

I also don't know your life situation, but I will say for most people it makes better sense to apply again next season, rather than accepting a program you aren't totally sure about, that may not offer funding, or that current students are warning you away from. I know that's tough to hear because we all want to get into programs ASAP, but a bad MFA is far worse than having no MFA or having to wait another year to attend. 

[gradschoolpspspsps]

I love the walkability convo, I don't drive so that was like a huge part of where I applied. That and if it was a free application through Americorps. 

[essentialflowers]

random question: does anyone know anything about movement on FSU’s waitlist? Thanks!!

[gradschoolpspspsps]

Boise and SIU every day I wait for you.

[prufrock_]

15 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

I'm committing to NAU @everything bagel lover can't wait to get bagels with you in flag!

grats to boith of you!!!! Flagstaff (and sedona) are such cool places, i'm excited for yall!

[Lady Gladys]

13 hours ago, Magnolia Electric Co said:

Actually (sorry to reply to myself lol) if anyone has the inside scoop on the walkability of Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington, South Bend, or St. Louis, I would be all ears! I assume St. Louis is at least somewhat walkable because it's a proper city, but I'm not sure about the other three.

I can absolutely help with South Bend! They have a strong bus system and pretty good walkability near campus, but South Bend is pretty big, so it depends on where you live. There are two grocery stores near campus (a Martin's and a Trader Joe's.) Easy easy bus transport around South Bend and Mishawaka - super easy to get to the mall and shopping. If you like biking, it is also very bike friendly (even in winter). Lots of students on bikes, and town has a decent trail network.

[twelveyearoldrat]

5 hours ago, zaira said:

Which program? (If you don't mind saying, no pressure)

My view is you should never go into significant debt for an MFA. It's just not the type of degree that typically has financial payoff.

I'd talk to your main contact at the program and try to nail down exactly what the funding situation is. Ask them what the total funding package is (they should be able to tell you before you accept their offer), whether there are grants/fellowships, and whether funding is the same across all years or if you have to compete for funding again in your second year. 

I also don't know your life situation, but I will say for most people it makes better sense to apply again next season, rather than accepting a program you aren't totally sure about, that may not offer funding, or that current students are warning you away from. I know that's tough to hear because we all want to get into programs ASAP, but a bad MFA is far worse than having no MFA or having to wait another year to attend. 

it’s eastern wash. and i completely agree with you re loans. still waiting to hear about funding from the director. he didn’t tell me it was hopeless but was p much like we’re not sure how much money we’ll have this year with everything going on. thank you though i really appreciate your reply. 

[inkidacat]

would also love any information regarding university of arizona as well! thank yall for the very important information regarding Syracuse waitlists and just information in general. 

[squid05]

I need some advice please! I was accepted into a low-res program, and waiting on a full-res decision (top choice). I already had an extension on accepting the low-res offer, the final hard deadline is this Thursday. 

My top choice/full-res said they expected "to have some good news" for me 2 weeks ago. Radio silence since. I emailed them this morning. If they dont get back to me should I call? Or do I accept that they might not finalize decisions by Thursday? 

[zaira]

5 minutes ago, squid05 said:

I need some advice please! I was accepted into a low-res program, and waiting on a full-res decision (top choice). I already had an extension on accepting the low-res offer, the final hard deadline is this Thursday. 

My top choice/full-res said they expected "to have some good news" for me 2 weeks ago. Radio silence since. I emailed them this morning. If they dont get back to me should I call? Or do I accept that they might not finalize decisions by Thursday? 

Oof, tough spot. I'm not sure calling will do much tbh. If they haven't finalized decisions, then whoever you get on the phone with won't be able to give you an answer anyway. I think just wait to see if they respond to your email. It's only been a day and a lot of places are getting back from spring break, AWP, etc. If you get down to the wire tomorrow you can always try calling as a last resort.