Current MFA student in fiction at NC State, here to answer questions.

[writeordie]

Greetings and salutations.

Last year at this time, I was going out of my mind with application stress and confusion, so I want to pay it forward on behalf of the folks that gave me advice and helped me along my journey.

I am now at NC State, a first-year MFA student in Fiction, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY PROGRAM. To say it has exceeded my expectations doesn't begin to cover it. From the strength and diversity and noncompetitive camaraderie of my cohort (and their respective genres--GENRE FICTION AND YA ARE WELCOME HERE, BTW); to the endlessly supportive faculty (who I carpool with, who throw us parties at their houses, who will read your entire manuscript in their free time, these are the devoted faculty members of your freaking dreams); to the support for queer, trans, BIPOC, and neurodivergent folks; to the generally activist/SJ-forward vibe; to an academic program that only asks you to teach second year and lets you be the *INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD*---I am telling you, this program deserves hall of fame status, and every single one of you should apply, unless you really hate places that are gorgeous and friendly and spending your days debating Flannery O'Connor in a library that's larger than the NYPL. And oh yeah, NCSU's MFA is a two-year program, fully-funded, including free health insurance, and a $20K/yr stipend, gym membership, and more amenities than I can list, including everything from being able to borrow kayaks and VR equipment over the weekend to the ability to take classes for free at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. It's epic here. I am learning more than I would have thought possible from workshop and classes; only a couple months in, I already never want it to end.

Ok, that's my playful pitch. Ask me anything about NC State's program in thread!

(*EXCEPTION: Please do NOT ask me about application stuff/how I got in/what they're looking for. They're looking for brilliant writers of all stripes and styles, and no two people here are even remotely similar in their aesthetic, so I promise you, it's a meaningless question. I am here to talk about *this* program/MFA life/what to expect if you come here to join the WolfPack.)

Edited Friday at 03:22 AM by writeordie
Forgot to note the stipend.