Fall 2017 MFA

[cccmmm]

It's hard to stack up all "presumed" rejections... like please send me an email, in my dreams you just forgot to call and tell me i've been accepted. Arizona was my first real rejection, and for that I'm pretty grateful actually 

 

If this was a bar, shots would be on me. 

[badeyebrows]

1 hour ago, cccmmm said:

It's hard to stack up all "presumed" rejections... like please send me an email, in my dreams you just forgot to call and tell me i've been accepted.

Yes! The MFA stress dreams! I don't know if you meant actual dreams, I've been having them almost nightly. I know for 99.9999% certain that I didn't get into one of my two schools, and if they could just put me out of my misery with a formal rejection, I would appreciate it.

And now, time for the weekend--which means lots of pointless refreshing of emails and application portals because even though absolutely nothing happens over the weekend, I'm persistent in my foolishness. 

[badeyebrows]

On 2/3/2017 at 4:04 PM, Hortense said:

Sorry to hear this!  At least it's one less school to worry about.  Where else did you apply that you think might make decisions soon?

I don't think I ever responded to you, I'm sorry! I applied to Iowa (nonfiction) and based on notifications in past years, I'm thinking they will notify around early March. How many places are you still waiting on?

[pdh12]

Has draft reported any more notifications after the wustl? if anyone feels like double posting, that'd be cooool

I can join the notification cherry-breaking team---just rejected from Syracuse. Glum, but the blow was softened by already knowing it would come. 

Seriously, twenty rejections would make me pretty sad. 

[Hortense]

24 minutes ago, badeyebrows said:

I don't think I ever responded to you, I'm sorry! I applied to Iowa (nonfiction) and based on notifications in past years, I'm thinking they will notify around early March. How many places are you still waiting on?

No worries. Nine more to go. I'm looking forward to early March, too. Should know by then whether I got in at the two schools where I think I have the best chance. But honestly I've already started thinking about next year's apps--so many things I'd like to do over.

 

[pdh12]

oh gawd a fiction acceptance was posted for UMass Amherst noooooooooo

[Hortense]

35 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

Has draft reported any more notifications after the wustl? if anyone feels like double posting, that'd be cooool

I can join the notification cherry-breaking team---just rejected from Syracuse. Glum, but the blow was softened by already knowing it would come. 

Seriously, twenty rejections would make me pretty sad. 

One poetry acceptance from UMass yesterday. Sorry to break news that is going to worry you. But it's only one, so it's possible they're not done.

Rejections from Arizona (all genres), Pittsburgh (one for fiction) and Syracuse (several for poetry).

Did you leave Draft?

[pdh12]

I got kicked off of FB because my account was fake (I swear I had legit reasons for not wanting my info on social media)--but it kinda feels like a blessing. Thanks for the report! It feels like cushioning the blow, in a way ;p

Dang, bummer about Amherst though--my absolute fave school....

[nooncity]

Hey, I've been following these forums for ages and finally caved, made this account. I've requested but not been let into Draft (yet?) but dying to see what's over there, too. 

I'm a fiction applicant waiting to hear from eleven schools still (rejected by Ohio and Arizona already). Got outside today. Will try not to check email over the weekend because I know it's useless. Godspeed, everyone. 

[slouching]

5 hours ago, cccmmm said:

It's hard to stack up all "presumed" rejections... like please send me an email, in my dreams you just forgot to call and tell me i've been accepted. Arizona was my first real rejection, and for that I'm pretty grateful actually 

 

If this was a bar, shots would be on me. 

I know, right? I'm still waiting on official rejections from Minnesota and WUSTL. I got my rejection email from Syracuse today, and while I'm obviously bummed, there's definitely something I can appreciate about actually being told what the decision is. 

Welcome, @nooncity!

[Scheherazade]

On 2/9/2017 at 7:07 PM, slouching said:

Just received a rejection from Arizona via email. Really felt like it was a good fit. Ugh. It's still early, but feeling like this application season isn't going to end well for me...

Same. Of all the programs to which I applied, I thought Arizona was the best fit. I've now been rejected four times from places affiliated with Arizona's creative writing department: twice for editor positions at their literary magazines (though I got to the second round for one), once for a piece I submitted to The Fairy Tale Review, and finally for a spot at the MFA program. I feel like it's the final chapter in a saga of unrequited love.

This video helped lift my spirits today:

 

[pdh12]

The unrequited love is reeeeeeeeeal!!!!!

 

 

 

[aheather]

Hey everyone!

I don't think I've posted on here yet, though I'm on Draft a lot. I'm popping by to stress about UMass Amherst. That poetry acceptance (though no other poets seem to have been notified????) is haunting me. Stress!!!!! 

[pdh12]

But think of all the folks that don't obsessively post their news on these websites....I mean, they only accept 10 poets, doesn't it seem likely that 9 of them are ''opposed to the aesthetic'' of sharing such news.... o.o   a little pessimistic, but

[aheather]

37 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

But think of all the folks that don't obsessively post their news on these websites....I mean, they only accept 10 poets, doesn't it seem likely that 9 of them are ''opposed to the aesthetic'' of sharing such news.... o.o   a little pessimistic, but

I feel like I could see 6-7 out of 9 doing that, but 100% of the remaining slots being filled without a peep seems unlikely, especially because that'd have to be true for all of the fiction people except for the one who posted their results on here and on Draft. 18/20 people not saying they've been accepted seems improbable to me. So, like, maybe not everyone's been notified?

I'm at AWP and I'll hunt down their booth tomorrow and ask, if possible, just because the wait is killing me

[pdh12]

@aheather OMG DO IT!!!  Then dutifully report back to us xD

(and i'm unreasonably clinging to the hope that you're right)

Edited February 11, 2017 by pdh12

[Tif]

2 hours ago, aheather said:

I feel like I could see 6-7 out of 9 doing that, but 100% of the remaining slots being filled without a peep seems unlikely, especially because that'd have to be true for all of the fiction people except for the one who posted their results on here and on Draft. 18/20 people not saying they've been accepted seems improbable to me. So, like, maybe not everyone's been notified?

I'm at AWP and I'll hunt down their booth tomorrow and ask, if possible, just because the wait is killing me

Yesss! Thank you! Turning my hair grey over this!

[MissAtomicBomb]

Hi everyone, I've totally been creeping on this page for a few days, but haven't really posted anything yet. I'm the asshole who only applied to one school, because my money situation is pretty tight (paying for the GRE was a bit of a struggle), so the anxiety of hearing back is so ridiculously real. I applied to Western Michigan's program for playwriting. I toured the school and absolutely loved it, and I love the playwriting professor.

I'm really hoping I hear something back soon. Anyone else apply to Western Michigan? 

[manandcamel]

3 hours ago, MissAtomicBomb said:

I'm really hoping I hear something back soon. Anyone else apply to Western Michigan? 

I did! Poetry. One of my letter writers recommended it. I have had a hard time getting to know the program (little info online / on Draft) so it's good to hear you liked the campus. What did you think about Kalamazoo? 

[aheather]

17 hours ago, pdh12 said:

@aheather OMG DO IT!!!  Then dutifully report back to us xD

(and i'm unreasonably clinging to the hope that you're right)

So I talked to them! There was no one at the booth who really knew (three students and an alum volunteer), but they did say that 1) acceptances with fellowships take longer because fellowships take longer, so not hearing first is not a bad thing 2) Amherst has a hidden waitlist, so if you haven't been accepted or rejected in March, you still may get in 3) that they wish me luck (which was really nice, they eyebrows all super sweet)

[pdh12]

That's amazing! we're taking this game to a whole new level. 

amherrrrrrrsssstttttttt love meeeee

[MissAtomicBomb]

22 hours ago, manandcamel said:

I did! Poetry. One of my letter writers recommended it. I have had a hard time getting to know the program (little info online / on Draft) so it's good to hear you liked the campus. What did you think about Kalamazoo? 

Yeah the website really doesn't have much information, but my advisor highly recommended the program and I lived close enough that touring was a possibility, so I visited. The campus is really beautiful, and it seems like all of the English/Arts buildings are really close together, which is good because it gets really cold up there. 

Kalamazoo is actually a pretty awesome city. It's not huge, but there seems to be a lot of local businesses. I was able to find a bunch of little coffee shops and places to eat while I was there. The library is kind of incredible and huge. Parking was free and easy to find also. I was there on a sunday, so not a lot of places were open, but it seemed like there were quite a few bars and places to go on the weekend. Bells Brewery is also from around there, so craft beer is a big thing in the area. There's a bar down there that apparently a lot of the jazz students play at on certain nights, so I thought that was kind of cool. I also heard that in the summer there are a lot of festivals going on.

I walked around one night and never felt unsafe, so that was a major plus. It's very well lit, and there are enough people around that it doesn't feel ominous (even on a Sunday night). There were some places, like up near the bus station, that I was told to avoid at night, but it'll be like that in most cities.

Overall, I really liked the atmosphere of the town. It seemed pretty arts focused and very small business focused. It also seemed like there was enough to do to not get bored, but also not an overwhelming amount of possibilities. 

[applecakes]

On 2/10/2017 at 11:21 PM, aheather said:

I feel like I could see 6-7 out of 9 doing that, but 100% of the remaining slots being filled without a peep seems unlikely, especially because that'd have to be true for all of the fiction people except for the one who posted their results on here and on Draft. 18/20 people not saying they've been accepted seems improbable to me. So, like, maybe not everyone's been notified?

I'm at AWP and I'll hunt down their booth tomorrow and ask, if possible, just because the wait is killing me

Hey,

I'm currently at UMass for fiction. The professors divvy up the accepted students and give them a call. So it is quite possible that some profs. have started calling but others haven't. Also, this weekend was AWP and a lot of our professors were either at the conference and super busy or on sabbatical and equally busy. For additional perspective I got my call on the 10th of Feb but another person go theirs on the 14th.

Hope this helps in some way!

 

[ficpic89]

Looking at previous years' results, seems like Iowa will start calling for fiction this week. Eep. Not a chance but still want to be able to cross it off my list!

[Hortense]

10 minutes ago, ficpic89 said:

Looking at previous years' results, seems like Iowa will start calling for fiction this week. Eep. Not a chance but still want to be able to cross it off my list!

There is an acceptance from Iowa today (2/12)--search results under "fiction."