2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[bucket]

13 hours ago, strawberrymatcha said:

I’ve also been wondering, seems kinda late for them?

right!! i keep foolishly picking up spam calls because they have the Davis area code (but so do i so it’s an easy spam target)😭

[junebugboy]

21 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

I really don’t understand the purpose of sending out acceptances, waitlists, and rejections on different days. Does anyone know why schools do this?

I don't know, and I think it is literally going to drive me insane. Especially if they're going to just send emails to everyone like it seems University of Alabama does, why isn't it automated and sent at once? I felt really hopeful about applications in December, but now that decisions are rolling out I'm realizing just how slim the odds are. 

[vilum]

18 minutes ago, commandercowboy said:

Vanderbilt is my top choice as a poetry applicant... I'm living in delusion that it takes them over an hour to notify three people... hahaha. 

same here for fiction... i was waitlisted last year and have been dreaming about it since. my phone is currently in a cupboard to keep myself from staring at it lol

[molemola]

59 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

I really don’t understand the purpose of sending out acceptances, waitlists, and rejections on different days. Does anyone know why schools do this?

For a lot of schools, the graduate departments may make their decisions about who they'd like to accept, then send their lists to "the graduate school" (which just means the bigger dept in charge of all graduate, not undergrad, education) for final approval. They may want to reach out to accepted people or waitlisted people ahead of the graduate school's processing time, because they're hoping to schedule accepted students days, or because they're enthusiastic. Or maybe they need approval from the graduate school before they make different tiers of calls or offers. Another potential reason is they're trying to make sure they fill their cohorts each year, so they may accept people, wait a bit and see if anyone responds, then send out waitlists, then wait a a bit until some people make decisions, and then send rejections. Or the software they use to send out decisions is fiddly and they need to do things in a certain order or it won't work in their system. Personally, during my first round of graduate school, I worked in the dept office during admissions season, and there was a mistake because of someone on the adcom being inattentive. Since then I've had a different perspective on this kind of thing.

edit: I think certain schools do notify all at once - Michigan, I think, does.

Edited February 5 by molemola

[junebugboy]

17 minutes ago, molemola said:

For a lot of schools, the graduate departments may make their decisions about who they'd like to accept, then send their lists to "the graduate school" (which just means the bigger dept in charge of all graduate, not undergrad, education) for final approval. They may want to reach out to accepted people or waitlisted people ahead of the graduate school's processing time, because they're hoping to schedule accepted students days, or because they're enthusiastic. Or maybe they need approval from the graduate school before they make different tiers of calls or offers. Another potential reason is they're trying to make sure they fill their cohorts each year, so they may accept people, wait a bit and see if anyone responds, then send out waitlists, then wait a a bit until some people make decisions, and then send rejections. Or the software they use to send out decisions is fiddly and they need to do things in a certain order or it won't work in their system. Personally, during my first round of graduate school, I worked in the dept office during admissions season, and there was a mistake because of someone on the adcom being inattentive. Since then I've had a different perspective on this kind of thing.

edit: I think certain schools do notify all at once - Michigan, I think, does.

That makes a lot of sense, actually. Still exhausting to be on our side of it, but better to know the reason to it. Thanks for your insight

[BowelMovement]

besides the point but seeing everyone's little circles on the top right corner of the spreadsheet while i lose my shit over the newly logged data feels so intimate and reassuring lol

[XXY]

37 minutes ago, BowelMovement said:

besides the point but seeing everyone's little circles on the top right corner of the spreadsheet while i lose my shit over the newly logged data feels so intimate and reassuring lol

LOL yes. A whole ecosystem of anonymous lil animals huddling at the watering hole

[impatientjoy]

2 hours ago, commandercowboy said:

Vanderbilt is my top choice as a poetry applicant... I'm living in delusion that it takes them over an hour to notify three people... hahaha. 

feel like at this point we can assume all calls have been made 

[HalBear]

2 hours ago, junebugboy said:

I don't know, and I think it is literally going to drive me insane. Especially if they're going to just send emails to everyone like it seems University of Alabama does, why isn't it automated and sent at once? I felt really hopeful about applications in December, but now that decisions are rolling out I'm realizing just how slim the odds are. 

Do we think Alabama has notified only Creative Nonfiction? I was surprised to see only one acceptance from them when they usually accept a large cohort. 

[pariva]

Looks like Litowitz rejections are going out now. Waiting for mine to hit my inbox. What a strange system! Do they email people one by one or something? I would think they just do a mass rejection email. 

Edited February 5 by pariva

[martysupreme]

38 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

feel like at this point we can assume all calls have been made 

as in for poetry? seems like they make fiction and poetry calls on different days. at least i hope!! 

[soupisgoodfood]

Just got my rejection email from Northwestern's fiction department 😕 

 

0a/0w/1r/11p (Third Application Season)

[womanonline]

I’m surprised we haven’t seen SAIC interviews this week on the spreadsheet. They’re normally around this time, and they said in an email that interviews would be sent out and done in the first half of February. Maybe it’s just no one on Draft, but I’m curious about that.

Got my Northwestern rejection 💔

[lisichka]

I also received my Northwestern rejection, at 12:51 PST :((( The email was worded kindly, at least.

[pariva]

4 minutes ago, womanonline said:

I’m surprised we haven’t seen SAIC interviews this week on the spreadsheet. They’re normally around this time, and they said in an email that interviews would be sent out and done in the first half of February. Maybe it’s just no one on Draft, but I’m curious about that.

Got my Northwestern rejection 💔

I saw your username on the spreadsheet and was sorry to see it I wish you luck with the rest of your decisions! Still waiting for my rejection. I wonder if they individually send them out by last name or something?

Edited February 5 by pariva

[strawberrymatcha]

17 minutes ago, pariva said:

Looks like Litowitz rejections are going out now. Waiting for mine to hit my inbox. What a strange system! Do they email people one by one or something? I would think they just do a mass rejection email. 

same here! I’m guessing they do batches or something, though it’d definitely be better for our collective stress levels if they could send them out en masse😅 (last year JHU took a month to send all their rejections which was fun)

[bucket]

does anyone know if historically vandy sends out fiction and poetry on the same day? 

[Ogwick]

I assume Northwestern’s emails went out at “normal time” this year?

So far it appears this is similar to past years even with the snow etc  

[BowelMovement]

hello homies just received my litowitz rejection. onto the next!!! see yall same time next week for cornell/jhu<3

[vilum]

1 hour ago, bucket said:

does anyone know if historically vandy sends out fiction and poetry on the same day? 

wondering this as well

[Walter Hartwell White]

1 hour ago, jka0124 said:

It depends, but they are usually only a day or two apart. I think Major still calls every acceptance and then emails every waitlist within the week. 

Well this gives me a little hope maybe poetry is coming tomorrow then. But for now I’ll just expect rejection so I can’t be disappointed either way. I figured Vandy is one of my biggest stretches anyway. 

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, Walter Hartwell White said:

Well this gives me a little hope maybe poetry is coming tomorrow then. But for now I’ll just expect rejection so I can’t be disappointed either way. I figured Vandy is one of my biggest stretches anyway. 

Good luck. I didn't apply to Vanderbilt but then I already have a BA in English/creative writing from Vandy. They probably don't want to see me again :D.

[Spicy Potato]

Just a note to my fellow holders of bated breath...

If you see acceptances and rejections rolling in on the spreadsheet, but it's crickets for you, that may be a good thing. It may mean that the program isn't willing to let go of your application just yet; they want to see how their initial offers shake out first. 

xo

[lizard in a blizzard]

When are we expecting JHU?

[TPike]

Soooooo, do you guys think Johns Hopkins already released their acceptances?

 

**Just saw lizard in a blizzard's comment**

Edited February 6 by TPike
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