2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[Dingdong99]

48 minutes ago, Eloise2897 said:

Waitlisted at WVU, which is another school I'd LOVE to go to! So happy, so grateful and honestly in shock after receiving rejections across the board last time I applied! Only thing that's rough is knowing this might drag out the waiting period a little longer. The uncertainty is really killing me, I'm having so much trouble focusing at work--wish I could have all my options on the table now and just make the decision.

I got waitlisted at WVU too but it looks like I'm going to be attending ASU, so gonna withdraw from WVU soon. Hopefully this bumps you up!

[Princess Bubblegum]

Got into Guelph for the Creative Writing MFA! My first result. For anyone else waiting to hear back from either the in-person or online UBC programs, I emailed them yesterday and was told they plan to notify all applicants within the next week.

[Hank Moody]

Anyone here apply to LSU? My portal has went from showing application status as "graduate school evaluation" to nothing. I can't tell if that's business as usual or if my application is stuck in some sort of limbo.

[luckylike56]

Any NC State poetry applicants here?

[Eloise2897]

33 minutes ago, Dingdong99 said:

I got waitlisted at WVU too but it looks like I'm going to be attending ASU, so gonna withdraw from WVU soon. Hopefully this bumps you up!

Thank you for letting me know! Any information feels so vital at this point, I'm sure you can relate haha. I wish you the very best at ASU, I hope you have an incredible time!

[Mystic_Sunshine]

36 minutes ago, Hank Moody said:

Anyone here apply to LSU? My portal has went from showing application status as "graduate school evaluation" to nothing. I can't tell if that's business as usual or if my application is stuck in some sort of limbo.

LSU routinely is one of the last to notify. 

Edit: Just checked and mine doesn't say anything but I had never checked it before

Edited February 27 by Mystic_Sunshine
more info

[Hank Moody]

7 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

LSU routinely is one of the last to notify

Oh I figured that. I was just worried about the portal not saying "departmental review" or something, and instead just being empty.

[Mystic_Sunshine]

Just a distraction post because I'm clawing at the walls with no news and an uncertain future. 

Have any of you decided where you will be attending? Would love to hear what those of you who have had good news are excited about. 

[everything bagel lover]

6 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Just a distraction post because I'm clawing at the walls with no news and an uncertain future. 

Have any of you decided where you will be attending? Would love to hear what those of you who have had good news are excited about. 

I’m sorry you’re feeling so stressed and uncertain  I hope that good news is coming down the pipe for you!

If I get funding at CSU, which I’ll know in a few weeks, that’s where I’m going! It’s my favorite program that I’ve applied to and a location my partner likes. I’ve read the MFA handbook for CSU at least 4 times throughout this application process lol

I’m still on edge because funding is TBD and I think I’d be kind of crushed to not be able to go to CSU but I’m holding out hope and am happy with other choices I have! NAU is my second choice and we’ll see how CU boulder shakes out, that might replace NAU as my #2 spot once I learn more (if I’m even accepted)

Edited February 27 by everything bagel lover
Typos!

[seah0rse]

@spewilicious & @Tuxedocat re: UNH / congrats! - I'm super familiar with the area because lots of friends/family attended, Durham *is* a cute New England college town but there are also lots of nearby towns (Portsmouth, Dover, Kittery) with artsy communities & the ppl I know who went for MFA were very happy with the program. lmk if you have any questions!

[Princess Bubblegum]

Just got waitlisted at UBC for the in-person and online programs. I already got into my top choice, but still a slight disappointment.

[pananoprodigy]

14 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Just a distraction post because I'm clawing at the walls with no news and an uncertain future. 

Have any of you decided where you will be attending? Would love to hear what those of you who have had good news are excited about. 

Tbh I really thought that if/when I got a funded acceptance the entire rest of app season would be easy breezy beautiful but that hasn't really been the case. I've been anxiety spiraling a little bit if I'm honest. The idea of moving/being in grad school again is just feeling really overwhelming (financially, emotionally, logistically) and I'm struggling to feel excited about my one acceptance. Sorry - realizing that is the OPPOSITE of what you asked haha, but I am also clawing at the walls. I hope you get amazing news soon!!!

[everything bagel lover]

Just now, pananoprodigy said:

Tbh I really thought that if/when I got a funded acceptance the entire rest of app season would be easy breezy beautiful but that hasn't really been the case. I've been anxiety spiraling a little bit if I'm honest. The idea of moving/being in grad school again is just feeling really overwhelming (financially, emotionally, logistically) and I'm struggling to feel excited about my one acceptance. Sorry - realizing that is the OPPOSITE of what you asked haha, but I am also clawing at the walls. I hope you get amazing news soon!!!

I feel the same way! I’ve been in such a state of stress and anxiety for months at this point that even though I have a funded offer (that I’m so grateful for) I’m still overwhelmed and stressed. I’m still biting my nails and on the draft all the time and idk when the stress will subside. Maybe when I commit? Maybe first day of classes? Maybe when I get my literal degree? Who knows

[Mystic_Sunshine]

15 minutes ago, everything bagel lover said:

I’m sorry you’re feeling so stressed and uncertain  I hope that good news is coming down the pipe for you!

If I get funding at CSU, which I’ll know in a few weeks, that’s where I’m going! It’s my favorite program that I’ve applied to and a location my partner likes. I’ve read the MFA handbook for CSU at least 4 times throughout this application process lol

I’m still on edge because funding is TBD and I think I’d be kind of crushed to not be able to go to CSU but I’m holding out hope and am happy with other choices I have! NAU is my second choice and we’ll see how CU boulder shakes out, that might replace NAU as my #2 spot once I learn more (if I’m even accepted)

Thanks. I'm really hoping that I get an acceptance from Ole Miss since it is my top choice. 

I really hope you get that funding soon! Colorado is lovely. 

[everything bagel lover]

16 minutes ago, Mystic_Sunshine said:

Thanks. I'm really hoping that I get an acceptance from Ole Miss since it is my top choice. 

I really hope you get that funding soon! Colorado is lovely. 

I’ve got my fingers crossed for the both of us!! I think since you’ve made it to round two, it seems like your chances could be good!

[janetdamnit]

1 hour ago, pom3granate said:

Any NC State poetry applicants here?

Yes! I haven't heard anything yet, how about you?

[Tuxedocat]

3 hours ago, Chex said:

Congrats!! What a stellar run!

What would you say made the difference in your applications this year as opposed to last year? Did you take a radically different approach? Sample? SOP? Recs? I'd love to know, if you don't mind sharing. 

I am finally getting back to this, my apologies for the delay! And take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am also a poetry applicant, so my advice about the sample is probably not useful. Current status: 6a/3r/0w/8p

Schools:

I applied to almost double the amount as last year. I went overboard because I became so worried I would not get accepted that I just kept applying. Last year, I applied to 9 fully funded programs that were all highly competitive. This time, I ignored dubious MFA program rankings and applied to schools I felt strongly about for specific program reasons. Because of that, I could write concisely about why I was applying to each school in each SOP. I also applied to a range of fully funded programs and programs with only the possibility of funding to increase my odds of getting accepted. Of the 17 places I applied, I applied to 5 of the same programs as last year. I've only heard back from 2 of the 5: 1 acceptance and 1 rejection. 

Recommenders:

Same ones as last year, but I pared back. I had 5 last year and simplified this year down to 3. I purchased Interfolio which was easier for everyone and enabled me to apply to more schools in Jan/Feb without asking recommenders to upload again. Not all schools accept Interfolio, so do your research. Not sure it made a difference, but fewer recommenders and getting Interfolio made life easier.

SOP:

Rewrote it. Barely anything carried over. This time, I focussed more on my current writing projects than my past ones. See advice below.

SOP Advice #1: Be specific about goals. Since writing my first SOP, I also understood myself and my goals more, so I could be more specific when writing out my goals. Instead of more lofty generic ones like I want to pursue my MFA to become a better writer, I would say something like I want to improve these specific elements or I hope to use XYZ experience I already have + XYZ experience I would get from an MFA to do XYZ. It shows why you need the MFA while establishing your credentials as a candidate and showing you are working towards long-term goals. In writing my SOP, I wanted it to be so specific nobody else could have written it and anyone reading it would understand why I needed an MFA now.

SOP Advice #2: Be concise. I love yammering on as you can see. Last year, all my SOPs maxed out the page limit. The blessing of 17 apps is that some required me to cut it to 500 words, and editing the same document on repeat highlighted what mattered and what didn't. It was so neat and concise by the end. Readers will appreciate it. 

Writing Sample (advice is for poets!!):

Sample Advice #1: Short and sweet. Last year, I maxed out the page limits on the sample. This year, I went with the minimum and sent the best of the best. It meant cutting great poems I loved, but every poem was my best. 

Sample Advice #2: Diversity of material. Last year, all my poems were super similar, following the same project. Similar characters, themes, etc. because most came from this one big project. But it meant that readers, even if they liked my work, might have been unsure if I could write about anything else. This year, I pushed myself to write about more varied topics and write in different ways. Because of that, I was able to include some poems that used craft elements and tackled themes differently than my other pieces. The sample was still very cohesive and I was worried it was still too similar, but it showed I could write about more than one theme. That being said, always submit your best work. Don't throw in a different piece just because it is different. But if you can include some variety at the same level as your other work, that is ideal.

Sample Advice #3: If you are reapplying, you must rework everything. Only a few of my poems carried over. If they did, they were rewritten or heavily edited. Only 1 was not massively changed but it still had many rounds of edits. The majority of my work was written after I last applied. 

--

If anyone reading this has to reapply next year, keep your chin up. Believe in yourself. Prove everyone wrong and show them the writer you know you are. After all, we are all doing MFAs to become better writers. So improve your writing outside of an MFA, and reapply even stronger next year. If I hadn't gotten in anywhere this year, it would have hurt. However, I would still be a better writer than last year. That matters.

I hope this has been helpful!

--

Also, I am once again out of reactions for now (I am so confused about when they reset each day), so I wanted to take a minute to congratulate @Eloise2897 and @Dingdong99 on the WVU waitlists!

Congrats also to @Princess Bubblegum on the Guelph acceptance + UBC waitlist!! I got into UBC this evening but I think I will have to turn them down shortly because not enough funding and the cost of living in Vancouver is so high. I didn't apply to Guelph but I have heard great things!! Feel free to reach out if accepting Guelph means moving and you want some advice on living in TO (because I think it operates out of the city).

[Mystic_Sunshine]

1 hour ago, pananoprodigy said:

Tbh I really thought that if/when I got a funded acceptance the entire rest of app season would be easy breezy beautiful but that hasn't really been the case. I've been anxiety spiraling a little bit if I'm honest. The idea of moving/being in grad school again is just feeling really overwhelming (financially, emotionally, logistically) and I'm struggling to feel excited about my one acceptance. Sorry - realizing that is the OPPOSITE of what you asked haha, but I am also clawing at the walls. I hope you get amazing news soon!!!

It's okay  It's helpful to know that honestly this process is really tough for most of us. Even if the overall experience is different. 

 

[pananoprodigy]

21 minutes ago, Tuxedocat said:

I am finally getting back to this, my apologies for the delay! And take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am also a poetry applicant, so my advice about the sample is probably not useful. Current status: 6a/3r/0w/8p

Schools:

I applied to almost double the amount as last year. I went overboard because I became so worried I would not get accepted that I just kept applying. Last year, I applied to 9 fully funded programs that were all highly competitive. This time, I ignored dubious MFA program rankings and applied to schools I felt strongly about for specific program reasons. Because of that, I could write concisely about why I was applying to each school in each SOP. I also applied to a range of fully funded programs and programs with only the possibility of funding to increase my odds of getting accepted. Of the 17 places I applied, I applied to 5 of the same programs as last year. I've only heard back from 2 of the 5: 1 acceptance and 1 rejection. 

Recommenders:

Same ones as last year, but I pared back. I had 5 last year and simplified this year down to 3. I purchased Interfolio which was easier for everyone and enabled me to apply to more schools in Jan/Feb without asking recommenders to upload again. Not all schools accept Interfolio, so do your research. Not sure it made a difference, but fewer recommenders and getting Interfolio made life easier.

SOP:

Rewrote it. Barely anything carried over. This time, I focussed more on my current writing projects than my past ones. See advice below.

SOP Advice #1: Be specific about goals. Since writing my first SOP, I also understood myself and my goals more, so I could be more specific when writing out my goals. Instead of more lofty generic ones like I want to pursue my MFA to become a better writer, I would say something like I want to improve these specific elements or I hope to use XYZ experience I already have + XYZ experience I would get from an MFA to do XYZ. It shows why you need the MFA while establishing your credentials as a candidate and showing you are working towards long-term goals. In writing my SOP, I wanted it to be so specific nobody else could have written it and anyone reading it would understand why I needed an MFA now.

SOP Advice #2: Be concise. I love yammering on as you can see. Last year, all my SOPs maxed out the page limit. The blessing of 17 apps is that some required me to cut it to 500 words, and editing the same document on repeat highlighted what mattered and what didn't. It was so neat and concise by the end. Readers will appreciate it. 

Writing Sample (advice is for poets!!):

Sample Advice #1: Short and sweet. Last year, I maxed out the page limits on the sample. This year, I went with the minimum and sent the best of the best. It meant cutting great poems I loved, but every poem was my best. 

Sample Advice #2: Diversity of material. Last year, all my poems were super similar, following the same project. Similar characters, themes, etc. because most came from this one big project. But it meant that readers, even if they liked my work, might have been unsure if I could write about anything else. This year, I pushed myself to write about more varied topics and write in different ways. Because of that, I was able to include some poems that used craft elements and tackled themes differently than my other pieces. The sample was still very cohesive and I was worried it was still too similar, but it showed I could write about more than one theme. That being said, always submit your best work. Don't throw in a different piece just because it is different. But if you can include some variety at the same level as your other work, that is ideal.

Sample Advice #3: If you are reapplying, you must rework everything. Only a few of my poems carried over. If they did, they were rewritten or heavily edited. Only 1 was not massively changed but it still had many rounds of edits. The majority of my work was written after I last applied. 

--

If anyone reading this has to reapply next year, keep your chin up. Believe in yourself. Prove everyone wrong and show them the writer you know you are. After all, we are all doing MFAs to become better writers. So improve your writing outside of an MFA, and reapply even stronger next year. If I hadn't gotten in anywhere this year, it would have hurt. However, I would still be a better writer than last year. That matters.

I hope this has been helpful!

--

Also, I am once again out of reactions for now (I am so confused about when they reset each day), so I wanted to take a minute to congratulate @Eloise2897 and @Dingdong99 on the WVU waitlists!

Congrats also to @Princess Bubblegum on the Guelph acceptance + UBC waitlist!! I got into UBC this evening but I think I will have to turn them down shortly because not enough funding and the cost of living in Vancouver is so high. I didn't apply to Guelph but I have heard great things!! Feel free to reach out if accepting Guelph means moving and you want some advice on living in TO (because I think it operates out of the city).

This is SUCHHHH good advice!!!!

[inthesameboat]

First Syracuse fiction acceptance out on Draft...

[exvat]

1 hour ago, Tuxedocat said:

I am finally getting back to this, my apologies for the delay! And take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am also a poetry applicant, so my advice about the sample is probably not useful. Current status: 6a/3r/0w/8p

Schools:

I applied to almost double the amount as last year. I went overboard because I became so worried I would not get accepted that I just kept applying. Last year, I applied to 9 fully funded programs that were all highly competitive. This time, I ignored dubious MFA program rankings and applied to schools I felt strongly about for specific program reasons. Because of that, I could write concisely about why I was applying to each school in each SOP. I also applied to a range of fully funded programs and programs with only the possibility of funding to increase my odds of getting accepted. Of the 17 places I applied, I applied to 5 of the same programs as last year. I've only heard back from 2 of the 5: 1 acceptance and 1 rejection. 

Recommenders:

Same ones as last year, but I pared back. I had 5 last year and simplified this year down to 3. I purchased Interfolio which was easier for everyone and enabled me to apply to more schools in Jan/Feb without asking recommenders to upload again. Not all schools accept Interfolio, so do your research. Not sure it made a difference, but fewer recommenders and getting Interfolio made life easier.

SOP:

Rewrote it. Barely anything carried over. This time, I focussed more on my current writing projects than my past ones. See advice below.

SOP Advice #1: Be specific about goals. Since writing my first SOP, I also understood myself and my goals more, so I could be more specific when writing out my goals. Instead of more lofty generic ones like I want to pursue my MFA to become a better writer, I would say something like I want to improve these specific elements or I hope to use XYZ experience I already have + XYZ experience I would get from an MFA to do XYZ. It shows why you need the MFA while establishing your credentials as a candidate and showing you are working towards long-term goals. In writing my SOP, I wanted it to be so specific nobody else could have written it and anyone reading it would understand why I needed an MFA now.

SOP Advice #2: Be concise. I love yammering on as you can see. Last year, all my SOPs maxed out the page limit. The blessing of 17 apps is that some required me to cut it to 500 words, and editing the same document on repeat highlighted what mattered and what didn't. It was so neat and concise by the end. Readers will appreciate it. 

Writing Sample (advice is for poets!!):

Sample Advice #1: Short and sweet. Last year, I maxed out the page limits on the sample. This year, I went with the minimum and sent the best of the best. It meant cutting great poems I loved, but every poem was my best. 

Sample Advice #2: Diversity of material. Last year, all my poems were super similar, following the same project. Similar characters, themes, etc. because most came from this one big project. But it meant that readers, even if they liked my work, might have been unsure if I could write about anything else. This year, I pushed myself to write about more varied topics and write in different ways. Because of that, I was able to include some poems that used craft elements and tackled themes differently than my other pieces. The sample was still very cohesive and I was worried it was still too similar, but it showed I could write about more than one theme. That being said, always submit your best work. Don't throw in a different piece just because it is different. But if you can include some variety at the same level as your other work, that is ideal.

Sample Advice #3: If you are reapplying, you must rework everything. Only a few of my poems carried over. If they did, they were rewritten or heavily edited. Only 1 was not massively changed but it still had many rounds of edits. The majority of my work was written after I last applied.

This was so incredibly generous of you! Thank you for sharing with us!

[Nauna]

3 hours ago, pom3granate said:

Any NC State poetry applicants here?

2 hours ago, janetdamnit said:

Yes! I haven't heard anything yet, how about you?

Hiiiii! Let's just manifest that we'll be together in NC State's cohort! ❤️ I haven't heard anything yet either. I've heard that they've had some semi-recent faculty changes with Poetry, so perhaps that is part of the delay. 🙂🙃🙂

[next_semester]

For those of you who moved on to Phase II for Ole Miss - did anyone submit their official transcripts electronically? The services I used sent confirmation emails that they were received but on my application status it still says my transcript requirement is not met. I emailed the graduate dept. to confirm if they received my transcripts and haven't received a reply. . .debating if I should just email my unofficial ones too since that was an option in the meantime, but I don't want to seem annoying lol

[Prosaic Ioniser]

Well just woke up to a UBC rejection... One of the many fun things about being an international.

I'm starting to prepare for the worst for this year - in that spirit - anyone feel like sharing their day job which they feel gives them enough time/ mental clarity to write before or after work? 

If the MFA doesn't materialise, my instinct will be to wander around aimlessly, collecting adventures if nothing else - but of course, I need to finance my life, and I have already had a few jobs that killed my creativity, so just curious what you lovely writers are doing?

[Allrich90]

I work voluntarily for a nationwide student magazine in Germany)