2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Tinky C. Clown]

6 hours ago, pananoprodigy said:

GUYS I GOT WAITLISTED AT OSU! 😭🥹

me too!!!

[Jitterbug98]

The waiting is brutal!! So far I have 3 rejections (Cornell, Northwestern Litowitz, Michener), 1 soft rejection (UMass Amherst) and 1 acceptance (Emerson). I was excited when I heard from Emerson but I'm wondering if they just accept everybody. Kinda relieved to know that I won't be moving across the country to Chicago or Austin though. The schools I've received rejections from so far are all obviously extremely competitive so I'm trying not to take it too personally, but I wish I knew what the admissions committees' overall responses to my manuscript were... whether I was a solid applicant that just didn't make the cut because there were so many stellar applicants, or if my manuscript really isn't resonating at all. 

I know some people were saying that their writing has been flourishing during this waiting period, but personally I can barely write a thing. I think that the self-doubt stemming from rejections is making it difficult to feel inspired. I hope that if I don't get in anywhere else this self-doubt-induced writer's block isn't permanent. And that I can find it in myself to keep writing regardless of whether or not I am a "good" writer. 

[Mystic_Sunshine]

15 minutes ago, Jitterbug98 said:

The waiting is brutal!! So far I have 3 rejections (Cornell, Northwestern Litowitz, Michener), 1 soft rejection (UMass Amherst) and 1 acceptance (Emerson). I was excited when I heard from Emerson but I'm wondering if they just accept everybody. Kinda relieved to know that I won't be moving across the country to Chicago or Austin though. The schools I've received rejections from so far are all obviously extremely competitive so I'm trying not to take it too personally, but I wish I knew what the admissions committees' overall responses to my manuscript were... whether I was a solid applicant that just didn't make the cut because there were so many stellar applicants, or if my manuscript really isn't resonating at all. 

I know some people were saying that their writing has been flourishing during this waiting period, but personally I can barely write a thing. I think that the self-doubt stemming from rejections is making it difficult to feel inspired. I hope that if I don't get in anywhere else this self-doubt-induced writer's block isn't permanent. And that I can find it in myself to keep writing regardless of whether or not I am a "good" writer. 

Yeah don't feel bad. Flourishing would not be the word I'd use to describe my writing or even productivity in general

[nauseated]

Just now, beefy5layerburrito said:

I know not getting in on my first try isn't the end of the world, but I am freaking out regardless. I feel like I'm gonna be stuck in my current field (that is terrible for my mental health and causes my chronic pain) for another year minimum even though I'm graduating with my second bachelor's in May. I have two rejections and two soft rejections, which leaves me with two viable options since I was worried about bothering my letter writers with more schools. Now I'm wondering if I should've just been annoying with the applications and if I even have what it takes at all. I was really confident about my writing samples, so imposter syndrome is hitting really hard rn 😔

Anyways, sorry to come out of the shadows for a lil vent, just needed to say something to people who understand™️ before fully losing my mind.

Also congrats to everyone who's gotten positive news!

hi friend. I get you. I'm in the middle of a really complicated life/overbearing family situation and a possible acceptance at one of these programs was meant to be my way out (though I fumbled it by applying to the selective ones. but the less selective ones have less funding, which might have been worse - knowing I got in, but couldn't go). but please remember there was SOMETHING that compelled you to apply, and if that subconscious part of your brain believed in you, your conscious emotionally-charged-by-rejection brain has to simply follow suit I'm afraid!! Just never stop writing

[nauseated]

biiiiig big congrats to everyone getting good news! got my first rejection (Michener) and I have to say knowing that feels marginally better than the JHU soft rejection - I suppose clarity is always welcome. good luck to everyone else, hope you all stay sufficiently afloat, cows included

[beefy5layerburrito]

Thank you so much! This genuinely made me feel so much better and I appreciate you! I did the same because if I'm doing an MFA I want to focus on it. I hope that you get into one of your dream programs and do amazing! I wish you the best in your life/family troubles as well.

[Chex]

4 hours ago, jinny-r said:

Thank you! Aside from Ole Miss, I'm still waiting for Boston U for Fiction and U of Arizona for both Fiction and Poetry. I was able to get a departmental fee waiver for BU by submitting my SOP and writing sample... I wonder if that's any positive indicator or if they waive the fee for all internationals who make the effort to ask.

Oh nice. Hoping you get better news from the remaining programs. How/when were you able to get BU to waive your fee? I asked in December and they said they couldn't. I guess I assumed it's just not something they do. 

 

@Nauna The fabled spreadsheet is housed in a Facebook group called MFA Draft '25. You'd have to join to access it. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:53 AM by Chex

[jinny-r]

4 minutes ago, Chex said:

Oh nice. Hoping you get better news from the remaining programs. How/when were you able to get BU to waive your fee? I asked in December and they said they couldn't. I guess I assumed it's just not something they do.  

Oh no, I think you may have missed the reading period. The deadline was 1st of November and then extended till the end of that month. The BU website got revamped so I can't find the page where I found the instructions but if I remember it correctly, only a few colleges/departments allow departmental fee waivers for international applicants.

The timeline for anyone interested in getting a fee waiver for BU in the future:

Sept. 24 - I submitted my short stories, personal statement, and applicant ID to the CW program email.

Dec. 5 - I was informed that the admissions comittee is requesting the graduate school to grant my fee waiver.

Dec. 17 - I was given the fee waiver code to use for my online submission.

[Chex]

46 minutes ago, jinny-r said:

Oh no, I think you may have missed the reading period. The deadline was 1st of November and then extended till the end of that month. The BU website got revamped so I can't find the page where I found the instructions but if I remember it correctly, only a few colleges/departments allow departmental fee waivers for international applicants.

The timeline for anyone interested in getting a fee waiver for BU in the future:

Sept. 24 - I submitted my short stories, personal statement, and applicant ID to the CW program email.

Dec. 5 - I was informed that the admissions comittee is requesting the graduate school to grant my fee waiver.

Dec. 17 - I was given the fee waiver code to use for my online submission.

Ah, I see. I wasn't aware of this, but good to know (in case future applicants are reading; I hope I personally don't have to apply again 😉).

Other MFA programs I know of that offer fee waivers to international applicants include Brown, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Wash U St Louis, UW-Madison, and University of Virginia. Some of these are automatic and general, some are limited and have additional conditions/steps.

[everything bagel lover]

Alright, everyone: deep breathe in, now scream

[Nauna]

6 hours ago, Chex said:

 

@Nauna The fabled spreadsheet is housed in a Facebook group called MFA Draft '25. You'd have to join to access it. 

Thanks! I was actually already in that group, but was able to find it. ❤️

[isabella swan]

now should we buckle up for iowa's horrors next?

[exvat]

I don't have Facebook, and the Results page here is pretty empty for UMass Amherst. What's the status/timeline of their Poetry announcements?

[vilum]

I have a question as a first-time international applicant with no idea how the application review process works. does each school have in mind the "type" of candidate they are looking for? is it about genre, style, or anything like that? does it depend on the school? genuinely wondering how much of my rejections is due to "not being a right fit" vs "my writing sucks"

[snottlebie]

33 minutes ago, exvat said:

I don't have Facebook, and the Results page here is pretty empty for UMass Amherst. What's the status/timeline of their Poetry announcements?

I believe there were already 2 poetry acceptances from around 2/11 in the draft spreadsheet, as well as some waitlists. Sorry 😔

[exvat]

28 minutes ago, vilum said:

I have a question as a first-time international applicant with no idea how the application review process works. does each school have in mind the "type" of candidate they are looking for? is it about genre, style, or anything like that? does it depend on the school? genuinely wondering how much of my rejections is due to "not being a right fit" vs "my writing sucks"

Not speaking with any real authority here, but I've heard of programs and committees that fall anywhere on the spectrum from "we know what we're looking for" to "let's just see what the pool brings this year". Also, the subjective nature of all this means that one committee could think an applicant is nothing special, while another committee could think they're the next generational talent and award them a prestigious fellowship. Those stories abound.

[KennyK]

Did anyone else get an email from ut austin last night saying a decision has been made to their application?

Edited Tuesday at 03:23 PM by KennyK
Wasn’t done typing

[ksiezniczka.monisia]

4 minutes ago, KennyK said:

Did anyone else get an email from ut austin last night saying a decision has been made to their application?

Yeah, it was like 1 am Eastern, I think. They had to make sure I saw the rejection. It was painfully short. Btw., I understand they get hundreds of applications, but honestly, they could at least try to be human. I mean, I paid like $90 for my application (international), I think the least they could do is to send a nice email back.

[theyearshallrunlikerabbits]

does anyone know when WUSTL typically sends out decisions?

[tomat0tomat0]

3 minutes ago, theyearshallrunlikerabbits said:

does anyone know when WUSTL typically sends out decisions?

according to the spreadsheet last year people started hearing back from the 9th of feb onwards. looks like they're behind schedule this year?

[everything bagel lover]

1 hour ago, vilum said:

I have a question as a first-time international applicant with no idea how the application review process works. does each school have in mind the "type" of candidate they are looking for? is it about genre, style, or anything like that? does it depend on the school? genuinely wondering how much of my rejections is due to "not being a right fit" vs "my writing sucks"

It's so dependent on the program and while there's definitely bad writing, good writing exists on such a weird spectrum that it's impossible to know. I'd err on the side of giving yourself grace, that your writing is good and that there are a bunch of factors at play like the cohort they're trying to create, whether or not the faculty feel they can mentor you as a writer, if they're looking for your type of style, and so much more.

I'll also say, sometimes our writing can be stronger. My writing sample last cycle was not my strongest and this cycle, while it's stronger, I still am not sure it's strong enough to get me into somewhere highly prestigious. And that's okay. We can all grow through this process ❤️ be kind to yourself 

Edited Tuesday at 03:52 PM by everything bagel lover
formatting

[DJ Lambchop]

Quick anecdote about this whole process and finding the right school:

I work at an indie bookstore. My coworkers found a book that's coming out later this year and decided to read it together as a gag because they saw that the writing was instantly horrible and the subject matter slightly concerning. This book has been hot gossip around my workplace, with everyone ragging on it and calling it "more piss than plot." 

I recently was rejected by a highly competitive program. I then came to learn that the author of the aforementioned book is a faculty member at this school! I suddenly felt relieved I didn't make it into this program... 

This is not to say that this author can't teach well, but I just wanted to illustrate that even faculty members of these esteemed programs can be considered shit writers (by an entire group of hardcore readers)!

[Tinky C. Clown]

really good day for me yesterday. round 2 at ole miss and waitlist at oregon state. i feel i have reason to hope for something else from my 8 pending schools – such a crazy different reality than last feb when i was getting all rejections

2A/1W/3 interviews or round 2/6R/8P

[exvat]

35 minutes ago, snottlebie said:

I believe there were already 2 poetry acceptances from around 2/11 in the draft spreadsheet, as well as some waitlists. Sorry 😔

Grateful for the info! Thanks. Though it does look like I'm down to only Columbia and NYU now, with no way to fund either myself. Ah well.

[nauseated]

35 minutes ago, ksiezniczka.monisia said:

Yeah, it was like 1 am Eastern, I think. They had to make sure I saw the rejection. It was painfully short. Btw., I understand they get hundreds of applications, but honestly, they could at least try to be human. I mean, I paid like $90 for my application (international), I think the least they could do is to send a nice email back.

bro I didn't have a full time job when I was doing the UT austin app and $90 in my currency felt like I was vomiting out money without eating any