Fall 2017 MFA

[Scheherazade]

11 minutes ago, leogursk said:

SAME. It's making me crazy.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure these solicitors are trying to drive me insane so that I'll break down and sign up for the credit card I've been pre-approved for or book the free cruise I won.

By the way, is your username a reference to The History of Love? It's one of my favorites!

[slouching]

9 hours ago, manandcamel said:

I've been waitlisted at Michigan! There's a post on Draft atm that's curbing some of my enthusiasm BUT I'm so hopeful.

I'm a bit late on this, but congrats! Hope it works out for you!

[Ree4]

I've been avoiding a large portion of the internet as much as possible because it's been a rollercoaster ride with waves of anxiety since I started applying in October :/ But with all the notifications streaming in I thought it was time to sign up. Congrats to everyone who's been accepted and good luck to everyone still waiting! I've been obsessively refreshing my inbox every night but apart from Sarah Lawrence (a) and Cornell (r) I'm still waiting.

If NYU finishes off international fiction applications first, the radio silence there is probably bad news for me...  

 

[leogursk]

12 hours ago, Scheherazade said:

By the way, is your username a reference to The History of Love? It's one of my favorites!

Yes, it is!  Makes me so happy that someone saw that! It's one of my favorites too.

[manandcamel]

@badeyebrows @pdh12 @MFA17OrBust @Hortense @BLeonard @Scheherazade @slouching Grad cafe limited the likes I could give. Thanks to each of you for your well wishes. I'm hopeful, but wary. 

[MFA17OrBust]

48 minutes ago, manandcamel said:

@badeyebrows @pdh12 @MFA17OrBust @Hortense @BLeonard @Scheherazade @slouching Grad cafe limited the likes I could give. Thanks to each of you for your well wishes. I'm hopeful, but wary. 

You're quite welcome, and I'm crossing fingers and toes for you. But I do agree with @badeyebrows : "...X yourself out of the negative..." I'm adopting that as my mantra for this whole venture. 

[Hortense]

@manandcamel It's refreshing to see one of the regular commenters here have such a promising result. I'm basically living vicariously through you and @pdh12 at this point.

Also, wondering if you've had any other good results yet, and do you have more schools you're waiting to hear from? You'd think a Michigan waitlist would be a good omen whether or not you get in there.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Hortense

[BananaPancakes]

Morning everyone! This wait is interminable. Hang in there those still sitting on nothing but rejections and waitlists, and congrats to those accepted! I'm a 0a/0w/2r with 5 more to go, but I'm not keeping hope burning too brightly for those.

A couple more NYU acceptances on Draft... I wonder if those are also international?? And also, does Canada count as international, or is it being lumped in with U.S. as it often does? Trying to divine tea leaves over here. 

[BLeonard]

@BananaPancakes  There was at least one thing on Draft where a poster said that they got into Iowa AND NYU, got a ton of comments asking to see their SOP, and then changed their post to say that they hadn't gotten in at all and that it was mean people were asking for an SOP. Then that post was deleted, so keep that in mind when calculating. I also think Canada, b/c of visas and what not, counts as International. 

[Hortense]

40 minutes ago, BLeonard said:

@BananaPancakes  There was at least one thing on Draft where a poster said that they got into Iowa AND NYU, got a ton of comments asking to see their SOP, and then changed their post to say that they hadn't gotten in at all and that it was mean people were asking for an SOP. Then that post was deleted, so keep that in mind when calculating. I also think Canada, b/c of visas and what not, counts as International. 

Oh, I saw that post. It looked fake and I was surprised people were liking it. Maybe they were all drunk-clicking the like button.

[pdh12]

@BLeonard dang that's a whole new level of wtf. 

it's still early, y'all! I'm banking on all of us getting some good news to share--mfa or not. 

although i feel like we should pre-plan a Brown mourning vigil; they tend to announce eveything all on one, fateful day.

[BLeonard]

6 minutes ago, Hortense said:

Oh, I saw that post. It looked fake and I was surprised people were liking it. Maybe they were all drunk-clicking the like button.

I was sleep-drunk liking while walking my dog! 

Meanwhile, more NYUs are showing up on Grad Cafe. Looks like they're doing fully funded first. 

Edited February 24, 2017 by BLeonard

[BananaPancakes]

53 minutes ago, BLeonard said:

@BananaPancakes  There was at least one thing on Draft where a poster said that they got into Iowa AND NYU, got a ton of comments asking to see their SOP, and then changed their post to say that they hadn't gotten in at all and that it was mean people were asking for an SOP. Then that post was deleted, so keep that in mind when calculating. I also think Canada, b/c of visas and what not, counts as International. 

I saw that post, but I saw it before the poster replied! I didn't see that the poster said is was fake, though I felt it was pretty suspect initially. 

And, it seemed like they were contacting international first, so ugh, I'm now afraid that means I'm out for NYU. I wish they'd just do it all at once!

[BananaPancakes]

14 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

although i feel like we should pre-plan a Brown mourning vigil; they tend to announce eveything all on one, fateful day.

HAH, that's probably a good idea. I think last year in draft they called it "Brown Monday" when everyone got rejections letters in one massive wave.

[manandcamel]

4 hours ago, Hortense said:

Also, wondering if you've had any other good results yet, and do you have more schools you're waiting to hear from? You'd think a Michigan waitlist would be a good omen whether or not you get in there.

I applied to 13 programs. Accepted at George Mason, waitlisted at Michigan and UMass, and rejected from Syracuse, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Haven't yet heard from UIUC, LSU, Western Michigan, Montana, UVA, Oregon, and Washington. 

*It seems everyone's been notified at UMass, but my status is still "applied" and I wasn't contacted. I called yesterday (@pdh12 I didn't last!) and had to leave a message. No response today. I'm not sure what's up. Edit: Barbara emailed me back. She says this is the first year they've had waitlists and she doesn't yet know how and what the faculty wants to communicate with me.

Hoping Michigan is a good litmus test, but who knows. It can be a crapshoot!

Edited February 24, 2017 by manandcamel

[badeyebrows]

well, my season is over. a few minutes ago i received my second and final rejection, from iowa (nonfiction).

feeling numb with some relief mixed in, because at least i can stop existing in this purgatory of wondering what the rest of the year might bring. now i have my answer: stay in my city, stay in my job. there are worse things, but i'm still feeling crushed by this feeling of a single email extinguishing all hope.

i'll probably look back on this post later and be like, "badeyebrows, you maudlin idiot." but it's been nice having some camaraderie here so i felt compelled to post.

wishing the best for the rest of you xx

[manandcamel]

@badeyebrows take care of yourself. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gives great advice that has always made me feel better when I'm down, not my best, or overwhelmed. 

[GlowStick]

So.. umm... apparently in my application frenzy I somehow applied to a school's MFA and MA program. I guess?

So while I have three rejections, one presumed rejection, and I am currently waiting on six more results. I also have an MA acceptance with funding. Maybe?? I'm too confused to call the guy who left me the voicemail back right now. He also seemed confused. It's just confusing all around. 

Edited February 24, 2017 by GlowStick

[Sleam]

Iowa Nonfiction rejection email. 

At least I didn't have to hope all weekend. One rejection. Waiting on two others but only one of them really appeals. Would you go to one even if you weren't too excited by the place? Oh well, I worked on a new photo essay book today and getting that out within a few weeks. 
Good luck, friends, s

[Sleam]

1 hour ago, badeyebrows said:

well, my season is over. a few minutes ago i received my second and final rejection, from iowa (nonfiction).

feeling numb with some relief mixed in, because at least i can stop existing in this purgatory of wondering what the rest of the year might bring. now i have my answer: stay in my city, stay in my job. there are worse things, but i'm still feeling crushed by this feeling of a single email extinguishing all hope.

i'll probably look back on this post later and be like, "badeyebrows, you maudlin idiot." but it's been nice having some camaraderie here so i felt compelled to post.

wishing the best for the rest of you xx

I feel for you. Similar boat. We can set up camp near by and have our own nonfiction program if you like? Good luck with whatever path you take next. I'm just glad they told us now instead of waiting til Monday. 
Mutual rejection beers anyone? 

 

[samosasandsobaos]

I feel weird signing up for an account on thegradcafe so late in the game, but I figure that -- as this app. season hasn't gone especially well for me (I was rejected by UMD and, as I haven't heard back from U-M yet, I've ... been rejected by U-M, as well. Only 3.5* programs to go!) -- I might as well start prepping for my inevitable participation in the Fall 2018 MFA thread, haha.

I spent the last hour going through all fifteen pages of this thread -- and I'm genuinely rooting for all of you lovely people! Fingers crossed that those of you who are still waiting on schools get what you're hoping for. Hope everyone else's OK, too.

_{* One of my letters of recommendation never made it to Hunter College, so they tossed my application, lmao.}

Edited February 24, 2017 by nat.

[badeyebrows]

54 minutes ago, manandcamel said:

@badeyebrows take care of yourself. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gives great advice that has always made me feel better when I'm down, not my best, or overwhelmed. 

great suggestion. i love her, and "eat real food" is a nice reminder right when i'm tempted to reach for a bag of sadness cheetos.

12 minutes ago, Sleam said:

I feel for you. Similar boat. We can set up camp near by and have our own nonfiction program if you like? Good luck with whatever path you take next. I'm just glad they told us now instead of waiting til Monday. 
Mutual rejection beers anyone? 

 

hey there, i recognize you from the draft group. sorry to hear we both got the same news today. i lived for several years in iowa city, moving away then always moving back, so i think this is the final break-up for me. if i weren't at work, i'd crack open a rejection beer right now!

[manandcamel]

47 minutes ago, Sleam said:

Waiting on two others but only one of them really appeals. Would you go to one even if you weren't too excited by the place?

Hey, I hope your family is doing alright. RE above quote, I would personally go unless there's something actively bothering you about the school. I applied for the people and the program, which, IMO, don't necessarily go hand in hand. I'm looking for a community of writers with whom I can give and take, and I think that reciprocation can thrive separately from the features of the program itself.

[Sleam]

28 minutes ago, manandcamel said:

Hey, I hope your family is doing alright. RE above quote, I would personally go unless there's something actively bothering you about the school. I applied for the people and the program, which, IMO, don't necessarily go hand in hand. I'm looking for a community of writers with whom I can give and take, and I think that reciprocation can thrive separately from the features of the program itself.

Thanks, cancer is a fight but Mary is a fighter. 

I think I'd go anyway too. Or kick myself in years to come! Good luck to you all.

[pdh12]

If this isn't too self-indulgent, I'd love to hear your perspectives on a decision quandary....

I've been granted a scholarship to study Urdu in India for a year. I could defer the MFA program (poetry) for one year to do this fellowship, or I could go straight into the MFA and forego the language study. 

But two years ago I picked a language program (translation) over the mfa, and told myself I would finally get to work on my own poetry this year. Waiting a whole other year makes me feel a little weary, but should I do it anyway? They'll even pay for the plane ticket + a living stipend.....gehhhhh

(sorry for the woe-is-me rantish thing)