2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[everything bagel lover]

12 hours ago, Tuxedocat said:

Accepted to Iowa for poetry!!!!!! Just turned down NYU + fellowship so that money should move to other people soon. Deciding between Iowa and Michigan now...but leaning towards Iowa

 Congratulations!!!

[barnaclesandbees]

I am a little confused about UT. There's the Michener Center, which everyone knows, and then there's the NWP (New Writer's Project). Is the latter not as good as Michener? Just different? How well-regarded is the NWP?

Edited April 14 by barnaclesandbees

[prufrock_]

3 minutes ago, barnaclesandbees said:

I am a little confused about UT. There's the Michener Center, which everyone knows, and then there's the NWP (New Writer's Project). Is the latter not as good as Michener? Just different? How well-regarded is the NWP?

i think michener is a bit more 'prestigious' than NWP for two reasons:

1) you don't teach when doing michener - you get paid/tution covered just to write and go to class, no other obligations.

2) michener pays a tad more than NWP. (but not much)

Otherwise, i'm pretty sure they all share faculty, so the level of education is the same.

fun fact: you do need to submit two separate apps to be considered, but they share an app fee. so if you apply to one, make sure to apply to both!

[barnaclesandbees]

Thank you, Prufrock! I knew Michener was SUPER prestigious, but am wondering if NWP is also well-regarded? A google search on UT's MFAs almost entirely pulls up the Michener, with almost no info on the NWP. So I wasn't' sure if NWP is even particularly well-known and considered a good MFA?

Edited April 14 by barnaclesandbees

[Nnenna14]

Does anyone know anything about UMiami, FL? Currently waitlisted there (fiction) and so far I know of only one person that has accepted their spot. 

[barnaclesandbees]

14 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

i think michener is a bit more 'prestigious' than NWP for two reasons:

1) you don't teach when doing michener - you get paid/tution covered just to write and go to class, no other obligations.

2) michener pays a tad more than NWP. (but not much)

Otherwise, i'm pretty sure they all share faculty, so the level of education is the same.

fun fact: you do need to submit two separate apps to be considered, but they share an app fee. so if you apply to one, make sure to apply to both!

Thank you, Prufrock! I knew Michener was SUPER prestigious, but am wondering if NWP is also well-regarded? A google search on UT's MFAs almost entirely pulls up the Michener, with almost no info on the NWP. So I wasn't' sure if NWP is even particularly well-known and considered a good MFA?

[daisytheduck]

37 minutes ago, barnaclesandbees said:

Thank you, Prufrock! I knew Michener was SUPER prestigious, but am wondering if NWP is also well-regarded? A google search on UT's MFAs almost entirely pulls up the Michener, with almost no info on the NWP. So I wasn't' sure if NWP is even particularly well-known and considered a good MFA?

Hopping on here because I’ve had similar thoughts on this! I think in general ‘prestige’ is a bit subjective especially since they stopped officially ranking MFA programs in 2012(? I think?), so I find that different people find different programs prestigious for different reasons.
 

Michener does seem universally prestigious in the same way Iowa is - a very ‘elite’ tier reserved for the well funded, historically significant, with famous alumni and faculty. NWP seems to be very highly regarded though not quite in that ‘elite’ tier, and maybe that’s just due to it being a newer program than Michener? Not as many star author alumni? The smaller stipend? Maybe a combination of these factors.  
 

I personally see NWP among the Syracuses, UVAs, Vanderbilts of the world which are excellent and well regarded programs in their own right. What do I know though, all of these schools rejected me 😂 I will say Michener is my dream program not just because of the lack of teaching requirements (which sounds amazing to me tbh) but also the secondary genre focus requirement which I don’t believe is present for NWP students. They seem to want their students to just write, create, and learn without any other commitments. Given all this, I’m still planning to reapply for both programs next year, as they share faculty and resources, as far as I can tell. 

[Penguintariffs]

Got accepted to UNLV off the waitlist for fiction. 

[prufrock_]

rutgers-camden lost all funding for (at least) the incoming cohort. we mourn. we cry. we mourn. we cry. we ball.

 

looks like this year will be a bust for me, but still i feel good. i'm really proud of the writing for my portfolio, and over the next year i can do better. Next year i wont apply to many schools. maybe just three. iowa, uc irvine. But i wont build my life around getting in or not any longer. 

 

anyway, I'm so happy for everyone here; it's been a wonderful ride. i'll be day dreaming of yall in all your schools, hoping your having a wonderful time. i'm also wishing everyone some good waitlist luck in the next few weeks!!!

[everything bagel lover]

18 minutes ago, prufrock_ said:

rutgers-camden lost all funding for (at least) the incoming cohort. we mourn. we cry. we mourn. we cry. we ball.

 

looks like this year will be a bust for me, but still i feel good. i'm really proud of the writing for my portfolio, and over the next year i can do better. Next year i wont apply to many schools. maybe just three. iowa, uc irvine. But i wont build my life around getting in or not any longer. 

 

anyway, I'm so happy for everyone here; it's been a wonderful ride. i'll be day dreaming of yall in all your schools, hoping your having a wonderful time. i'm also wishing everyone some good waitlist luck in the next few weeks!!!

I’m so sorry, Prufrock, that’s devastating :,( are you still on waitlists or did you pull off? 
 

You should be proud of the work you’ve put in and of your writing!! It’s been a delight to hang out in the forum with you! 

[decayingballads21]

folks waiting on those waitlists… what are the moves heading into tomorrow? waiting until the last possible minute for movement before making another choice? committing to another program in the meantime? when do we lose hope? what should one do? when does it end? 

[essentialflowers]

1 hour ago, decayingballads21 said:

folks waiting on those waitlists… what are the moves heading into tomorrow? waiting until the last possible minute for movement before making another choice? committing to another program in the meantime? when do we lose hope? what should one do? when does it end? 

I'm on some waitlists and I'm assuming the programs would have sent out notifications if the cohorts were closed/ applications have ended. I'm assuming that they truly just don't know until tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers we all get our answers tomorrow!!!!

[daisytheduck]

Anyone else surprised by the amount of movement happening at Michigan? Seems like I've seen a lot of people turning it down or getting off the waitlist on draft. Wondering if this is typical for them or maybe a reflection of the recent DEI cuts?

[VOID DARLING]

23 minutes ago, daisytheduck said:

Anyone else surprised by the amount of movement happening at Michigan? Seems like I've seen a lot of people turning it down or getting off the waitlist on draft. Wondering if this is typical for them or maybe a reflection of the recent DEI cuts?

seems like they’re all on the fiction side though - speaking as a poetry waitlistee desperate for some movement 🥹

[Tuxedocat]

13 minutes ago, daisytheduck said:

Anyone else surprised by the amount of movement happening at Michigan? Seems like I've seen a lot of people turning it down or getting off the waitlist on draft. Wondering if this is typical for them or maybe a reflection of the recent DEI cuts?

I have no idea why there is such a turnover. But it seems to mostly be in fiction, so I am unsure if it has to do with any university policies/cuts. I only know of one poet (aside from me) turning down their spot thus far, although there may have been others. That being said, I am a poet who just turned down my spot at Michigan moments ago. Wishing those on the waitlist good luck tomorrow! I will be accepting Iowa instead ❤️ 

[daisytheduck]

18 minutes ago, VOID DARLING said:

seems like they’re all on the fiction side though - speaking as a poetry waitlistee desperate for some movement 🥹

Rooting for you!!!

[VOID DARLING]

27 minutes ago, daisytheduck said:

Rooting for you!!!

thank you! :”)

[Nauna]

Happy D-Day, y'all! 🥂 Here's to good news and bright futures no matter the outcome! xo

[zaira]

What are we still waiting on and hoping for, folks? Would love to extend some positive energy your way and (hopefully) celebrate some long-awaited last-moment wins! 

[gradschoolpspspsps]

I told Ole Miss I was committing and they said they'd send me my contract yesterday, so I figured I'd take myself off my waitlists after. But I haven't gotten any contract or heard back yet 👀 so now I'm overthinking it. 

[hmm.]

Is there any Syracuse poetry waitlist news

[vilum]

do schools usually send out an official email along the lines of "sorry - you didn't make it off the waitlist" or are we supposed to assume we're out after tomorrow?

[zaira]

13 minutes ago, gradschoolpspspsps said:

I told Ole Miss I was committing and they said they'd send me my contract yesterday, so I figured I'd take myself off my waitlists after. But I haven't gotten any contract or heard back yet 👀 so now I'm overthinking it. 

If they know you're committing then everything is probably fine. The letter will come. Sometimes there's a delay between the program requesting the letter from the grad department and the letter showing up in the portal/inbox for you to formally sign. 

[P i e r r o t]

25 minutes ago, zaira said:

What are we still waiting on and hoping for, folks? Would love to extend some positive energy your way and (hopefully) celebrate some long-awaited last-moment wins! 

Still waiting on Davis, keep your candles lit! 

 

3 minutes ago, vilum said:

do schools usually send out an official email along the lines of "sorry - you didn't make it off the waitlist" or are we supposed to assume we're out after tomorrow?

They should be in touch, yes, and write them if they aren't. Also, this post-April 15th process can take more than few days, so don't count yourself out too soon.

[vilum]

3 minutes ago, P i e r r o t said:

Still waiting on Davis, keep your candles lit! 

 

They should be in touch, yes, and write them if they aren't. Also, this post-April 15th process can take more than few days, so don't count yourself out too soon.

thank you! i'm not too hopeful to be honest. i already reached out like three weeks ago to reaffirm my interest and didn't hear back from both nyu and vandy...