Fall 2017 MFA

[Sleam]

Well, I'm not going to grad school. Oh well. Good luck everyone. It's been a learning experience! 

[Beta Mike]

On 3/2/2017 at 5:35 PM, aridari said:

@Beta Mike sorry to hear that. Hoping for the best for the rest of your schools

Thanks @aridari after another brutal slew of rejections, I got a fully funded offer from Iowa State!!  Still waiting to hear back from a handful of schools, but I'm pretty sure most of them have sent out notifications already...

[Beta Mike]

On 3/15/2017 at 1:15 PM, romola said:

Thank you, @Three21. Even as I've applied to fully funded programs, I have wondered about how many hours would be spent teaching and what type of hourly rate that becomes.

I make a decent hourly wage right now as a freelance editor, so it would be hard (from a practical standpoint) to give that up for a teaching position that took up a great deal of writing/learning time and paid little, much as I'd love the experience.  

@romola I have a fully-funded and a probably-not-at-all funded offer, so I did a bit of research.  The TA I've been offered essentially amounts to about $25 an hour in wages and another $10 an hour in tuition remission.  It also includes health insurance.  I compared the cost of monthly student loan debt payments to the value of investing the same amount of money per month for the 10-year duration of a standard loan repayment.  The math was grim.  Funding makes an astronomical difference in your long-term finances because instead of having compound interest working against you (debt), you could instead have it working for you (investment).  I think it's worth it to regroup, maybe take an online workshop from UCLA ( @Sleam check out UCLA's online workshop for sure if you end up not getting in this year - I'd be super hesitant about paying $32k for the low-res.) , and then reapply to try to get full funding—that was my plan until I just got the funded offer after I'd given up hope (I thought notifications had to be out by the 15th for some reason and I got mine on the 17th).  Years ago, I got shutout in my PhD attempt and I decided to cast a much wider net this time around.  I got rejected by the so-called 'top tier' schools, but I'm glad that I expanded my search.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Beta Mike

[romola]

On 3/17/2017 at 2:46 PM, Scheherazade said:

I'm late to this discussion, but one thing I would recommend is putting together a sort of simplified cost-benefit analysis. Essentially, you're weighing the pros and cons for each option:

Such a helpful way of looking at this. Thanks, @Scheherazade.

 

And thanks, @Beta Mike, although fortunately I wouldn't need to take out loans. And congrats on the offer from Iowa State.

[Beta Mike]

3 minutes ago, romola said:

Such a helpful way of looking at this. Thanks, @Scheherazade.

 

And thanks, @Beta Mike, although fortunately I wouldn't need to take out loans. And congrats on the offer from Iowa State.

Thanks!  I'm not thrilled about moving to Ames but I had that big-boy moment with myself before I sent out my apps and asked "If you ONLY got into (XXXX) would you really move there?"

If you don't need loans that makes an enormous difference.  Everyone's financial motivation is different, so I understand that the debt-free MFA isn't a rule for everyone.

[outflare]

@Sleam, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope this doesn't discourage you in the long-term. Speaking for myself, I was hit harder than I expected and stopped writing for a couple of weeks when I got my first round of rejections. I've heard this can be a many-round process, though.

@Beta Mike, congrats! Fully funded! And Iowa isn't that bad.  I lived in Chicago for a long time, and Iowa was a frequent visit locale.

Gah. Still waiting to hear back from two schools before deciding what to do next. Hopefully I get my official offer (versus the phone conversation I had last week) from Columbia by the end of the week. I'd love to be going to school in the fall, but I'm not sure i'm willing to go into a mountain of debt for it. As I said earlier, seeing all the discussion about fully funded schools has turned my thought process around.

Edited March 20, 2017 by outflare

[manandcamel]

Any other UVA poetry applicants???

[badeyebrows]

On 3/19/2017 at 8:28 PM, Sleam said:

Well, I'm not going to grad school. Oh well. Good luck everyone. It's been a learning experience! 

sorry to hear it. best of luck to you with everything moving forward--maybe we'll cross paths some day in a low-res program

[Chickenrun]

On 3/17/2017 at 11:36 AM, tallenarts said:

Has anyone heard from Old Dominion?  or know anything about the program?

@tallenarts I saw an acceptance on Draft last week so I suppose notifications already went out. A good friend of mine went to Old Dominion. He liked it, though he wasn't crazy about the location or division between funded/unnfunded students (he was fully funded). 

To people in despair over all this rejection, don't give up. Two of my most talented friends (the one who went to OD included) got rejected everywhere their first time around but got fully funded offers their second year applying.

So glad this season is coming to an end. I'm emotionally drained.

My tally: 2a/1w/1r... and it looks like I'm headed to UNLV with full funding and fellowship!

[slouching]

13 hours ago, manandcamel said:

Any other UVA poetry applicants???

Me! Haven't heard from them yet, but god, I'd love to go there. 

[manandcamel]

8 hours ago, slouching said:

Me! Haven't heard from them yet, but god, I'd love to go there. 

P sure they notified all acceptances and wait lists early this morning. It seems like a dream program... I wish we'd heard good news. 

[aridari]

 Update about Boston U for fiction. Called yesterday and Catherine answered (she's super nice, so I wouldn't be too scared to call her with questions); she said that the initial 10 offers have already been made, but that there is a possibility of movement and further acceptances depending on who declines from those first ten, and that they're hoping to finalize everything by the end of the month. Not sure if there's an official waitlist or if it's a secret one. She said not to "lose hope," so I'm assuming it's the latter? Either way, not feeling great.

[Everyday Inn]

7 hours ago, aridari said:

she said that the initial 10 offers have already been made, but that there is a possibility of movement 

Hmmm...I haven't heard from them, am expecting a rejection...

[MFA17OrBust]

On 3/19/2017 at 7:28 PM, Sleam said:

Well, I'm not going to grad school. Oh well. Good luck everyone. It's been a learning experience! 

I've been off the forum for a few days. Just catching up here. I'm sorry to hear this, @Sleam, but I agree with others who have said they hope this doesn't discourage you. You are a writer-- that is clear. And I wanted to thank you for the positivity and support you've brought to the forum. Wishing you the best.

[slouching]

On 3/21/2017 at 7:24 AM, manandcamel said:

P sure they notified all acceptances and wait lists early this morning. It seems like a dream program... I wish we'd heard good news. 

Yep, got my rejection yesterday. Definitely bummed, but also glad to see this application season coming to an end so I can move on and decide what to do next. Still waiting on a few more schools.

[manandcamel]

5 hours ago, slouching said:

Still waiting on a few more schools.

Sorry to hear. Me too. Who are you waiting on? 

[slouching]

@manandcamel I've yet to hear anything from Indiana, Alabama, Notre Dame, and UW-Seattle. Assuming most (if not all) of those are rejections--for maybe a month now, I've just been operating under the assumption that I've been shut out this year. I'm somewhat aware of the notifications that have gone out, but admittedly stopped my obsessive checking of the GC results page some time ago to preserve some of my sanity. I feel pretty okay about things at this point, and have other opportunities in my life to be excited about, so it's fine. How's your application season going? 

[manandcamel]

@slouching I'm sorry this year hasn't panned out so far. Glad you have things to look forward to, though! Things have gone better than expected for me, but I'm facing a lot of ambiguity from being wait listed. TBH I'm tired of refreshing my gmail and checking my phone all the time. I will be a happier person once April 15 comes and goes. 

[sayantika]

No reply from GMU yet. Any news of more acceptances in fiction from GMU, anyone?

 

 

[momorenae]

This late in the game, I don't expect acceptances. (UCR and UCI) I was accepted to CalArts with a $20k scholarship, so I was debating on going and dealing with the extra debt or decline and reapply for more funding. (Currently, have 50k in debt and basically homeless).

Now, I'm debating on CalArts or a possible 1-year contract as a game copywriter. Go down the path where I know what I'll be doing for at least two years, or pick the one pinned on a maybe? I feel like if I jump the gun or wait too long, I might lose a good opportunity. And all might be moot if the MRI comes back positive.

Gah! This is all so confusing. Have any vets advice? I want to aim for full-funding and I want that MFA, but eating and having a roof over my head would be nice.

[aridari]

@momorenae I saw your other posts, where you discussed your situation in more detail. I'm sorry you've had a lot going on, esp. regarding your health. I think that your health, combined with your undergrad debt, is a good reason to hold off for one more year and reapply in the fall. With your particular personal situation, I'd recommend trying for a fully funded program. A lot of them include health insurance in their packages, and you'd have a lot less to worry about without having to go into debt (or a lot more of it).

I know it sucks to be in an uncertain place, but going somewhere unfunded will probably cause more stress that you don't need. And even if the job offer isn't secured, I'd put more of my time and effort into getting it, or a temp job, if I were you. You can save and give yourself some more time to recover, and get your sample and app ready for another round. 

Hope this helps!

[manandcamel]

@momorenae I agree with @aridari in that waiting another year for the MFA seems to be your best option. I'm not a vet, but every vet post I've seen re: rounds 2, 3, etc. carries the general message that an extra year (or even a longer gap) will always improve your writing, and therefore your chances of securing a more supportive and financially secure offer. 

I looked at your post history and I am amazed at how you have persevered through some very serious medical issues. Whatever you decide to do, keep on taking care of yourself financially, emotionally, and physically. 

[MissAtomicBomb]

I haven't been on here in a while, but wanted to pop in and say that all my worrying paid off, and I got accepted into the program I wanted with the funding I needed to make it happen! Now I get to deal with the fun of trying to find a place to live halfway across the country and all of that good stuff, but it's not a bad problem to have :). I had actually almost completely given up on my dreams for this MFA season, and spent hours working on cover letters for jobs and updating my resume before I got the call from the program, so lots of excitement!!

Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back and everyone who has to make some tough choices!

[Scheherazade]

Although I'm still waiting on two notifications, all the programs to which I applied have finished notifying fiction acceptances. Both of these programs historically notify rejections in April, so it might be a few weeks before I get my official rejections. But for the sake of my sanity, I'm closing the book on this application season. I'm not going to lie: these rejections hurt. It took me years to muster the courage to pursue my dreams, and each rejection eroded my hope that I would ever realize these dreams. After putting hundreds of hours into work that seemed to amount to nothing, I felt like a failure.

But these rejections are only a comment on my application, not a referendum on my talent, worth, or dedication as a writer. Although some things were wasted, like the money I spent on application fees and the time I spent filling out application forms, these are minor expenditures in the long run. Working on my writing sample and personal statement, despite not getting me into graduate school, helped me hone my skills and define my goals.

It's also important to remember that the MFA is only one way, and not necessarily the best way, to achieve success as a writer. A few weeks ago, when I realized my slim chances of admission, I started pursuing other avenues. Earlier this week, after receiving my ninth rejection, I found out that I was a finalist for a life-changing journalism opportunity that I thought I had no chance at. So don't lose hope: you may not have gotten your break yet, but that doesn't mean you never will. Keep hoping. Keep trying. And keep writing.

[sonja johanson]

Anybody have thoughts about Warren Wilson vs VCFA? They both sound so great, and I think the low res model will be the best thing for me, given life/work/family. Advice most welcome.