2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[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...

[gradschoolpspspsps]

7 minutes ago, zaira said:

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. 

Thank you, that helps!

[everything bagel lover]

27 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?

In my experience, they do tend to do this! You should notified when the cohort is finalized or if you’re accepted off the waitlist. It can take some time after the deadline as well so you’re not out until you’re out!

[vilum]

5 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

In my experience, they do tend to do this! You should notified when the cohort is finalized or if you’re accepted off the waitlist. It can take some time after the deadline as well so you’re not out until you’re out!

thank you bagel, you bring me hope (of peace of mind, at least)! vanderbilt is a long shot - literally who are those three people who would turn it down? - and I couldn't attend nyu anyway without funding. so yeah, really upset about how it went down this year. but congrats to all of you that made it! super enthusiastic for you!

 

[essentialflowers]

Hey everyone!! Random question: Does this mean the department review committee accepted me?

 

Your application has been reviewed by your academic department and a recommendation has been made to the Graduate Admissions Office. The Graduate Admissions Office will complete the final review of your application and will post a final decision letter on this Status Page. Please continue monitoring your Application Status Page for updates. You will be notified by email when an update has been made to your application. 

 

[curfew]

11 hours ago, Tuxedocat said:

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 ❤️ 

CONGRATS TUXEDO!!!! Wow you're the belle of the ball!!! So so excited to see you in Iowa City this fall:))

[Hjanep]

19 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

Hey everyone!! Random question: Does this mean the department review committee accepted me?

 

Your application has been reviewed by your academic department and a recommendation has been made to the Graduate Admissions Office. The Graduate Admissions Office will complete the final review of your application and will post a final decision letter on this Status Page. Please continue monitoring your Application Status Page for updates. You will be notified by email when an update has been made to your application. 

 

Not necessarily. I asked Montana about my app and they sent me that and the decision was rejected 

[everything bagel lover]

19 minutes ago, essentialflowers said:

Hey everyone!! Random question: Does this mean the department review committee accepted me?

 

Your application has been reviewed by your academic department and a recommendation has been made to the Graduate Admissions Office. The Graduate Admissions Office will complete the final review of your application and will post a final decision letter on this Status Page. Please continue monitoring your Application Status Page for updates. You will be notified by email when an update has been made to your application. 

 

Not to be a downer or pessimist, but it seems like a decision has been made, but no indication what decision. On the bright side, it means you should get clarity soon!

[essentialflowers]

13 minutes ago, Hjanep said:

Not necessarily. I asked Montana about my app and they sent me that and the decision was rejected 

 

11 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

Not to be a downer or pessimist, but it seems like a decision has been made, but no indication what decision. On the bright side, it means you should get clarity soon!

Thank you both for the clarification!!! I looked it up, and FSU has a two-part admissions process. My academic board will say yes or no, and if they say yes, the application moves up and is background-checked by the overall admissions board. So, I'm keeping my hopes in check, but others who received this notification from FSU have gotten accepted!!! I'm going crazy right now but thank you both for responding and giving input. 

[Tuxedocat]

12 minutes ago, curfew said:

CONGRATS TUXEDO!!!! Wow you're the belle of the ball!!! So so excited to see you in Iowa City this fall:))

Yay!! Thank you ❤️ I am still in disbelief. Iowa has been my dream for years and I can’t believe I actually did it! Went from no acceptances last year to 9 this year! Goes to show what persevering and reapplying can do. Wishing great news for those on waitlists today, and an amazing season next year to those reapplying🍀 

[vilum]

the email from vanderbilt's program director finally came, it was so sweet and personal. i had a little cry about it because i was so, so close. but really grateful at the same time. 

 

 

[carrruly]

Hi! Has anyone that applied to NC State been rejected yet? I did not get in anywhere and am clinging to the hope that the weird "second waitlist email" they sent out actually wasn't sent to everyone (even though at this point it looks like it was). 

[Nauna]

1 hour ago, carrruly said:

Hi! Has anyone that applied to NC State been rejected yet? I did not get in anywhere and am clinging to the hope that the weird "second waitlist email" they sent out actually wasn't sent to everyone (even though at this point it looks like it was). 

I can't speak to the rejection part, but I'll add that I am on the first waitlist for poetry & they emailed last week to see who was still interested. They said that the poetry cohort is not yet full, so I speculate that they're trying to see how many from the second waitlist may or may not be needed. I'll also add that I don't see any actual rejections on the spreadsheet so who knows. 

[carrruly]

4 minutes ago, Nauna said:

I can't speak to the rejection part, but I'll add that I am on the first waitlist for poetry & they emailed last week to see who was still interested. They said that the poetry cohort is not yet full, so I speculate that they're trying to see how many from the second waitlist may or may not be needed. I'll also add that I don't see any actual rejections on the spreadsheet so who knows. 

thanks for the insight! I agree, I see no rejections so far.

best of luck on getting off the waitlist!

[Nauna]

7 minutes ago, carrruly said:

thanks for the insight! I agree, I see no rejections so far.

best of luck on getting off the waitlist!

Thank you! ❤️ 

[LichLover]

Hi everyone. Decision day, how are we all feeling?

Saw someone fill on the Draft "decision" sheet that they committed to UTK. Would really, really love to connect with you, if you're here.

Signed, a fellow UTK committeeeeeeeee. 

Edited April 15 by LichLover

[pananoprodigy]

I just got an email that I got accepted off the waitlist at Arkansas 😵‍💫 I already accepted NAU and I'm feeling a little frazzled/overwhelmed. The stipend they offered is about the same or a wee bit more than what I got at NAU, but COL in Fayetteville is soooo much lower than Flagstaff. It's also a 4 year program vs NAU's 2. Idk just feeling major decision fatigue and needed to vent

Edited April 15 by pananoprodigy

[Mystic_Sunshine]

Does anyone know if you don't hear back from a waitlist today if that means that likely you didn't make it off?

I think for Ole Miss there was 2 spots left (and one of them has filled) and they both were given a deadline of today. So I know I wasn't super likely to get off the waitlist but I'm ready to just accept whatever outcome and prepare for another application cycle.