Fall 2017 MFA

[romola]

Thanks, all! I'm getting to the point where I have more rejections than toes, so I'm concerned. BUT I'm focusing on ways to enrich my life and my writing regardless of what happens, so I suppose that's good. 

Thanks again

Edited March 10, 2017 by romola

[Sleam]

@manandcamel, thanks. I have an interview for a job I'd really like next week so at this point, either way is fine by me. Kind of! It's a seasonal job, pays well, and i could take winters off to write. I'm also thinking of taking online classes just to keep learning. 

And you? What's your plan? 

[manandcamel]

1 hour ago, Sleam said:

And you? What's your plan? 

Sending good vibes your way!

Well, I have one funded acceptance, one unfunded acceptance, and two wait lists. I'm much more excited about the wait list programs than I am about the funded program, so I'm waiting as long as possible to see if I have a chance at either. If April 14th comes and I hear nothing, I'm accepting my funded offer. I don't want to apply again - it's a long, expensive, stressful process, and I need a reason to move away from Indiana.

[outflare]

Just found this place after Googling to inquire about application results. I live in NYC and applied to the following:

Brooklyn College
Columbia University
Hunter Collage
The New School
NYU

So far, I've been rejected by Hunter and NYU.  This is my first go-round with applications, and truth be told I've only been writing for a couple of years. I think I was over-ambitious in thinking that I could write a handful of short stories then apply to some of the top writing schools. If nothing else it got me focused, and in the process I learned that I want to really pursue this.

Still, those rejection emails hurt! Anyone waiting on Columbia, BC, or the New School? I'm emotionally prepared for rejections from all of them, but still it'd be nice to have one yes. I will say that I've learned a lot just skimming these forums for the past hour or so. I need to be more strategic in my applications, and think seriously about funding.

Best of luck to those of you still waiting. It's trouble on the mind, it is.

[samosasandsobaos]

@outflare We're in the same boat, I think, haha.

I was a little over-ambitious wrt applying to schools as well (esp. considering the fact that I applied to these six top-tier schools with a writing sample that even I knew wasn't stellar). I'm determined to do much better this year -- or 2018 or whenever I apply again -- though. Here's to hoping that the second time's the charm, lol -- for both of us!

I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple of places (incl. Brooklyn!), but it isn't looking too good, as most of these have contacted applicants for interviews, etc.

Good luck with everything!

Edited March 11, 2017 by nat.

[Sleam]

Aren't the colleges meant to notify everyone by March 15th? 

[aridari]

1 hour ago, Sleam said:

Aren't the colleges meant to notify everyone by March 15th? 

I don't think that's necessarily the case; I know the April 15th decision deadline is more strictly followed but schools tend to take their time in terms of notifications. Some even note around when they notify, which can be as late as the end of March or early April. It'd be nice if they followed that deadline tho...

[Sleam]

Well, I just heard that my travelogue Van Life was awarded top honors in the Northwest Book Awards Festival! Grand winner! So happy...

[leogursk]

@Sleam Congratulations!!

[tonydoesmovie]

Quick shout-out to everyone in the northeast, who is about to be clobbered by snow, waiting for program letters via snail mail that may possibly be delayed in an already drawn out notification process #thoughtsandprayers

[Sleam]

31 minutes ago, tonydoesmovie said:

Quick shout-out to everyone in the northeast, who is about to be clobbered by snow, waiting for program letters via snail mail that may possibly be delayed in an already drawn out notification process #thoughtsandprayers

What's Portland's excuse? Rain? 

 

[tonydoesmovie]

40 minutes ago, Sleam said:

What's Portland's excuse? Rain? 

 

That, or a laid-back demeanor relative to that of the empirical hustle-and-bustle that the northeast exhibits.

[Scheherazade]

I got four rejections in the span of a few days last week, and you know what? I'm in a pretty good place about it. In part, I've steeled myself against these rejections, but I've been engaging in positive thinking as well. It also didn't hurt that I was on a business trip, and the company put me up in a wellness-oriented hotel with an ample gym and spa. I sometimes underestimate the power of self-care. Anyway, I'm sending good vibes to everyone else. 

I did, however, make the mistake of going on Draft today after a long absence. Facebook creates the perception that others' lives are orders of magnitude better than yours — people tend not to advertise their rejections on social media — and Draft is no exception. And although the atmosphere is generally welcoming, there's one member who, from what I gather, earned an MFA program years ago yet continues to return to Draft like the swallows to Capistrano for the sole purpose of posting hostile replies. But what I find more baffling than her dismissive attitude is the fact that almost everyone on Draft seems to agree with her (or at least doesn't call her out on her negativity and with black-and-white thinking). I think Draft suffers from a hive mind, which results in a lot of unproductive arguments (i.e., ganging up on those who express contrarian views). Not what I was hoping to gain out of the group.

I feel much more comfortable in this forum!

[aridari]

3 hours ago, Scheherazade said:

Facebook creates the perception that others' lives are orders of magnitude better than yours — people tend not to advertise their rejections on social media — and Draft is no exception. And although the atmosphere is generally welcoming, there's one member who, from what I gather, earned an MFA program years ago yet continues to return to Draft like the swallows to Capistrano for the sole purpose of posting hostile replies. But what I find more baffling than her dismissive attitude is the fact that almost everyone on Draft seems to agree with her (or at least doesn't call her out on her negativity and with black-and-white thinking). I think Draft suffers from a hive mind, which results in a lot of unproductive arguments (i.e., ganging up on those who express contrarian views). Not what I was hoping to gain out of the group.

I feel much more comfortable in this forum!

You're totes right about Facebook. Def makes me feel terrible about myself sometimes, I won't lie. People will only advertise what is going well and not what is not working. It's definitely good to remember that the mfa process is intensely competitive and hard.

And @Scheherazade I think I know who you're talking about, and I can't help but think the same thing. At times she has sound advice, but almost everything she writes comes off as condescending. I think the fact that she's a draft veteran, and that we've got our names and faces plastered on everything we write, are both at work here. Which is why another vet made that tumblr for mfa info, which is great but yeah. Draft is I think a better resource for info on specific programs, and for finding out admission related news. This forum has been pretty great. Y'all are cool.

Sorry about the rejections, but also hooray for the positive mentality and pamper session! Gonna take some of your positive vibes and try to apply it to my frazzled brain ha.

[manandcamel]

1 hour ago, bradley610 said:

Oh, this happens here too... A lot of self-designated authorities. 

Well, I'm happy this thread is free of that type.

[tonydoesmovie]

7 hours ago, aridari said:

You're totes right about Facebook. Def makes me feel terrible about myself sometimes, I won't lie. People will only advertise what is going well and not what is not working. It's definitely good to remember that the mfa process is intensely competitive and hard.

And @Scheherazade I think I know who you're talking about, and I can't help but think the same thing. At times she has sound advice, but almost everything she writes comes off as condescending. I think the fact that she's a draft veteran, and that we've got our names and faces plastered on everything we write, are both at work here. Which is why another vet made that tumblr for mfa info, which is great but yeah. Draft is I think a better resource for info on specific programs, and for finding out admission related news. This forum has been pretty great. Y'all are cool.

Sorry about the rejections, but also hooray for the positive mentality and pamper session! Gonna take some of your positive vibes and try to apply it to my frazzled brain ha.

I woke up to a rejection from the University of Victoria - not totally unexpected as they admit one student (as far as my understanding went) per discipline AND, even though my state is in a state of emergency, a call reminding me I had to be at work. So let's take @Scheherazade's positivity and keep moving forward. As @aridari stated, Draft is a bit too "perfect" so to disrupt that, I'll be posting my rejections from Oregon State and UVic in a few short moments, not for sympathy, to remind people they aren't the only ones met with adversity.

Let's keep on keeping on, ya'll.

[outflare]

Oy! I hadn't heard of Draft. I'm tempted to seek it out.

Sorrows to everyone that got rejection letters, though I fully agree that self-care trumps (uh, not that one) acceptance letters any day.

Also, congrats @Sleam!

 

EDIT: Couldn't find that forum (but found a lot of fantasy football ones). Anyone have a link?

Edited March 14, 2017 by outflare

[manandcamel]

@outflare Draft is a group on Facebook, not here. Search "MFA Draft '17" and ask to join.

[outflare]

31 minutes ago, manandcamel said:

@outflare Draft is a group on Facebook, not here. Search "MFA Draft '17" and ask to join.

Ah. I see. I'll avoid it then. I've found Facebook groups to be rather toxic. Thanks for the reply though!

[tonydoesmovie]

@outflare The basic FB group mindset:

 

Edited March 14, 2017 by tonydoesmovie
can't spell good

[outflare]

Ha! Yeah, pretty much. Just add in some finger-pointing and it's accurate.

[aridari]

3 hours ago, tonydoesmovie said:

I woke up to a rejection from the University of Victoria - not totally unexpected as they admit one student (as far as my understanding went) per discipline AND, even though my state is in a state of emergency, a call reminding me I had to be at work. So let's take @Scheherazade's positivity and keep moving forward. As @aridari stated, Draft is a bit too "perfect" so to disrupt that, I'll be posting my rejections from Oregon State and UVic in a few short moments, not for sympathy, to remind people they aren't the only ones met with adversity.

Let's keep on keeping on, ya'll.

I saw your post; thanks for keeping it real over there!

@tonydoesmovie lol too true, too true

And heads up for Brown; poetry interviews and acceptances have gone out, but more hidden was a Brown fiction waitlist today via email (it's a bit hearsay, but I'm assuming it's probably true). Drat, there goes my 0.000000001% chance!

Edited March 14, 2017 by aridari

[Sleam]

Love this team we have here. I got trashed briefly on Draft and cut back, just enough to post the rejections (2), and to occasionally ask a question. I prefer this, good folks here. And thanks for the support. I'm still waiting on Portland's inevitable rejection but feeling pretty good about my writing. I've also been talking to Vermont College of Fine Art, good program for me, the writing and publishing one. Like Pdx, it has offers of fellowships and scholarships etc but no guarantees. I think I'll look into it though. I'd prefer a small college and town to a big city. Anyway, keep up the good works! I'm rooting for you all, 

s

 

[oc.bmjc]

To be honest, I thought Draft would be a good resource for me when I first heard about it, however I found myself pretty turned off by it only one week after joining .It was not healthy for me.  I am definitely still soured and confused by it.  (Though let me be clear: my waiting on school decisions likely has a lot to do with how I'm coloring this group and how much of a jerk I am when it comes to the idea of having to interact with other people in a cliche multimedia space to feel 'apart' of an artistic or expressive community.) At first I was excited and interested in many group members, their writing, their processes, their histories, but I soon realized there wasn't a lot of space for that...

Instead, there was a lot of space for the following topics:
-  Agonizing over impending decisions, something, something pizza
- Announcements about acceptances and rejections. 
- Vacant replies to posts about acceptances and rejections.
- A lot of shit talking on non-funded programs,
- But then a seriously large number of people discussing applying to upwards of 12+ schools, which most aren't fully funded ?

Here's some other topics occasionally discussed (ranked from most discussed to least discussed):
1. What people included in their statement of purpose, what their sample looked like, other materials about applying (so, basically a conglomeration of people asking one another about their submissions in an attempt to seek out validation for doing "the assignment right.")
2. Some weird surfacey dialogues around POC and marginalized groups feeling safe in program.I actually think this is really important and should be discussed proactively in a group like this, but I found that the advice coming from those in the group (collectively) was often rehearsed and basically impractical. So a lot of theses conversations started to sound like "oh hey, we (other writers and purveyors of progressive program politics) acknowledge your very important question (about how to tell if a program is racist or bigoted in some other maligned sense) but have no solutions for you ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )."  I couldn't honestly tell you why there is such little to offer during these discussions, but it's a total failing on the curators of the group given how important these topics are. The silver lining here is that there are, and god bless them, a few people in the group who have been advocates for these issues and offer to others to DM them for questions, guidance, solidarity. 

...alrighty moving on down the list... 

3. What to do about semi funded programs  
4. How to afford the applications
5. How many schools people applied to
6. discussions about being poor and broke from applications but also being able to afford AWP
7. And, very infrequently, actual stuff about writing. 

All in all, I didn't really understand the specific purpose of Draft as a group member, unless one goes into it specifically wanting to reach out to past or current students at said schools one's applied to or have been accepted to. The person who curates Draft group also runs the blog the MFA years. After discovering that as well as seeing how said curator posts MFA Years Articles in the group as a form of branded institutional guidance, the whole thing began to seem weirdly like a clever, cyclical marketing experiment.

IDK, maybe that's excessive but......the whole vibe I got from draft was just not good. I guess I was just unprepared to watch a bunch of applicants circling around each other, all in hopes of soon announcing some good news, or at the very least, observing others in order to benchmark the competition, and maybe even get information on how to be more like accepted drafters, to eventually conform, disconnect, commiserate, instruct, obsess, posture, resent, applaud.....  

So yeah, Draft is many things, but it is mostly not a creative place that really talks about writing not all that much.  I do, however, believe that most of the group members in draft are talented, great people. 

Oh shoot so hey lol, since its germane and I'm curious.... Did anyone else notice this in draft?
This year I felt the same 8 people got into everywhere, and frankly, the spread of that selection frightened me. Had some else thought this too? Maybe this explains my perception of group members on the whole, but the fact that I kept seeing the same individuals getting in, literally, everywhere, I started to think like, huh? It seemed to me there were definitely boxes that could be checked for those getting accepted into fiction programs (I wouldn't say the same for poetry necessarily.) Which is not to say, I think these writers didn't deserve to be in programs. I believe many of them absolutely do, but it was just odd that there wasn't more diversity in the selection process thus far from my observations, and that made me question whether or not MFA juries are actually looking for a certain type of writer/writing doing a certain type of thing and/or a writer that can appear a certain way. Thus, draft being a model for what that looks like? Thoughts? 

I'm waiting to hear back from all the schools i applied to (all NY schools), so I feel ya, pretty much willing to know anything at this point.

Good luck to you all, I hope you hear back soon.
 

Edited March 14, 2017 by oc.bmjc

[aridari]

@oc.bmjc and @Three21 you raise some legitimate concerns about Facebook draft that I can agree with, but I'm not so eager to criticize the entire group. It has its merits and downfalls, and I've voiced some of my own concerns about draft on here too. But I think it's important to remember that no forum or space that involves discussion about the mfa process is going to be perfect. Applications suck. The acceptance rates are slim. Lots of people and their pride are going to be hurt, and a few will be arrogant or callous or ignorant. There will be posts that rub people the wrong way.

Plus, Draft doesn't have one specific purpose; it's meant to be a general space for all sorts of questions about programs, so it gets messy for sure. I do think people try, for the most part, to be helpful.

Just remember that draft, and this forum, and gradcafe results, and mfa years, the tumblr, and etc. are all tools for us all to use for gathering information that is useful and pertains to our individual needs. Everything else is messy emotional excess that you can either be a part of or ignore. I'm sorry the both of you had terrible experiences on draft, and many of the points you raise are valid. Just don't let those things, and the posts of the most vocal, define an entire group with lots of different people in it. And I hope this forum provides you with what you need or are looking for.