Playwriting MFAs

[lavendercloud]

Okay! Starsandsound - yes, I read teethwax's recommendations about the program so that gave me something to go off. I responded and asked a few questions, and Kathleen just got back to me.

 

She said that the funding covers half of tuition, which is $26,000 a year, so it ends up costing $13k/year just for tuition. Even if there's enough time to hold a job to cover living expenses, that's still a LOT of potential loans, and I've always been pretty determined not to take out exorbitant loans to pay for an MFA. The program sounds lovely, and I know there are people who would be willing to make that kind of investment, but having come so close to UCSD this year I feel it's worth it to hold out for a program with better funding, even if Rutgers were a great fit in every other way.

 

But I'm still flustered and flattered that I got the email at all, and glad to know more about the program!

[Starsandsound]

That's a solid plan. You'll most likely get into ucla next year and it's better to hold out and pay for a program you love.

[JoeThomasNYC]

Any more news, anyone?

[CardinalBiggles]

Hello all,

I've been reading this forum for awhile but this is my first post. I've been rejected from all my programs except Indiana. On April 15th, I sent an email to the Head of Indiana's Playwriting Department and politely asked where they were in their decision making. He wrote back to say they were behind but hoped to be in touch with candidates in two weeks. Two weeks later, I sent a follow up email. Haven't gotten a reply yet. No call for interviews. These can't be good signs.

[genericincognito]

I was officially rejected from Northwestern. Wah wah.

[Starsandsound]

Oh well

[JoeThomasNYC]

StarsandSound, it worked.

I'm officially accepted to Arizona State!

BUT, I'm still waiting on Indiana and will absolutely go there if it's offered.

Thanks very much for turning them down!

Anyone here know anyone at Arizona State? Any insight beyond what they have on their website?

This forum is a godsend. Thanks to everyone!

[Starsandsound]

Congrats joe!!!

[Starsandsound]

I don't know how you stayed sane waiting so long so super congrats

[cobbler]

Hey, just wanted to tell folks that I know Fordham in New York is still looking to fill one more slot.  It is a newer program, and there is not much financial aid (which is true for pretty much all the New York schools accept Juilliard).  However, you get two full productions and a conservatory relationship with Primary Stages.  Also, you're in New York, which I know is really important for some people.  If you're interested let me know, and I can put you in touch with some folks.  

[JoeThomasNYC]

Cobbler,

 

I sent Matthew an email today. Anything I should know? I also private messaged you.

[CardinalBiggles]

I called Indiana today. Rejections go out in the mail tomorrow. If you haven't heard from them yet, then it's bad news.

[JoeThomasNYC]

It got quiet around here...any news or exciting developments, anyone?

[Starsandsound]

Finally got a form letter rejection via snail mail from cmu. Very unimpressed with them, for what it's worth. Rejection is fine, but if Yale and brown can tell me in February, perhaps cmu can do a bit more than notify my via post at the end of may. /rant. Still just further evidence that I'm going to the best possible school for me.

[lavendercloud]

Alright...who else is gearing up for the next round? Has everyone had a good summer? I have a revamped, expanded list for this year's applications. Applying again to the same programs, plus, uh...six more. My main application play is the same one but much expanded and revised, and will continue to change through the fall in preparation for a reading in November. I'm also writing a new play as my secondary submission rather than submitting my thesis play from college. That one's in its infancy so it's going to be quite a project to finish it this fall! However, I have lots of time on my hands as I'm essentially being paid to write this year - all I have to do is get really efficient with my time

 

So, the list:

UCSD

Brown

Yale

UT Austin-Michener

UT Austin-Theatre

Iowa

Indiana

Cal Arts

UCLA

USC

Stony Brook

 

Recap from last year: applied to the first 5 and was rejected, though I was a finalist at UCSD (and still have very high hopes for that school this year). Adding in two Midwest schools, three LA schools, and Stony Brook, which now has one generous fellowship per year and seems like a worthwhile program. Some of the other schools I'd considered aren't making the cut; Boston, for instance, isn't accepting applications this year, and some others don't have sufficient financial aid, like Catholic University and Rutgers. Plus, eleven seems like plenty. Everyone tells me I'm crazy for applying to that many, but I'm pretty stoked!

 

How does everyone approach the essays and statements when reapplying? Any insights for revamping them in a meaningful way?

[siroisplaywright]

Been looking recently at which places I want to re-apply and newly apply to. This is the first I heard Boston U. isn't accepting any apps this year. I'm looking at mostly all Northeastern schools... New York, CT, Mass, Rhode Island area.

 

Does anyone know the schools that have the best financial package? I believe Yale and Brown do, but not sure of many of the others.

 

Anyone with any insight on Columbia, New School, Tisch, Brooklyn, Hunter, Pace and Rutgers?

 

Break a leg to everyone this go around

[lavendercloud]

Hey, Sirois!

 

Most of the NYC schools you mention have low-to-middling financial aid. Rutgers does half tuition reimbursement, so it's still $13k a year plus living expenses etc. Columbia is more of a money-making mill than a real MFA, The New School is excellent but I don't think the finaid is great, Brooklyn and Hunter have lower tuition...Stony Brook seems to be the only NY school that could actually pay for living expenses as well, if you get the $17k fellowship. (Not that that's enough to live on in the city, but it's way more than most.)

 

My friend who got into Yale and Brown said that Brown offered him slightly more money, but he went with Yale because it was a better fit. Both are similar. Oh, and Boston just takes people every other year, I believe. Same with Cal Arts - last year was an off year for them, though, and this year they're taking people. Why are you focusing on the Northeast in particular?

 

I have a reading next month, and my draft is apparently in really good shape! I'm closing in on a third draft and what I submitted to schools last year was basically a first (I know, not a great idea, but I was having a rough year). So I'm feeling 100x more confident - yay! It's only about 60 pages, up from 50 or so last year, and I don't think it'll grow that much more. I may hit 75 though, which would be great. I still have another play to write for the four that require a second play (UCSD, Michener, Indiana, Iowa). I only applied to the first two of those last year, and submitted my unedited undergrad thesis - yikes. I'm hoping to get to a second draft by the time deadlines come around, and given that my main play is in a good place, I think I'll be able to get there. I'm planning to do a big push next week to get the first draft heavily underway.

 

The first deadlines are coming up at the end of November - less than two months away!

[Singsalot]

Hi All. Hoping this forum gets rolling soon. Getting ready to apply to schools again and would love to hear from anyone currently enrolled in NYU or The New School's program about what their thoughts are.

 

Also, Lavendercloud, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but I don't think it's fair to say Columbia is more of a money-making mill than an MFA program. There are lots of expensive programs out there and yes, Columbia is one of them--but this year they appointed David Henry Hwang and Lynn Nottage to the faculty, which is pretty impressive. And they do offer some scholarships, though probably not enough to cover the entire tuition.

 

Just sayin'.

[lavendercloud]

UCLA has the first deadline so I'm starting my application....it sounds like their funding isn't great, does anyone know more details?

 

Hey Singsalot I think the combination of Columbia's program being so big and the funding being so minimal is why it gets referred to as a degree mill. I've heard that from playwrights and literary managers, including someone whose wife went there, so he should know. It's great if the program is changing and bringing in better faculty and doing more to prepare their students - however, I wouldn't count on a couple of big names to carry a program. Lynn Nottage is also teaching at Yale next semester so she's probably not just tied to one school.

 

Went out to New York over the weekend and visited my friend at Yale, now in his second year of the MFA Playwriting program. Got to sit in on a production meeting for his studio project, see the campus and theater facilities, and meet lots of students! Had a great time and I know I'd love the program. Still not sure if it could edge out UCSD (which, ironically, is the program my friend really wanted and didn't even get an interview for), but it's a very, very close second.

[PrincessIsInAnotherCastle]

Hey, Sirois!

 

Most of the NYC schools you mention have low-to-middling financial aid. Rutgers does half tuition reimbursement, so it's still $13k a year plus living expenses etc. Columbia is more of a money-making mill than a real MFA, The New School is excellent but I don't think the finaid is great, Brooklyn and Hunter have lower tuition...Stony Brook seems to be the only NY school that could actually pay for living expenses as well, if you get the $17k fellowship. (Not that that's enough to live on in the city, but it's way more than most.)

 

My friend who got into Yale and Brown said that Brown offered him slightly more money, but he went with Yale because it was a better fit. Both are similar. Oh, and Boston just takes people every other year, I believe. Same with Cal Arts - last year was an off year for them, though, and this year they're taking people. Why are you focusing on the Northeast in particular?

 

I have a reading next month, and my draft is apparently in really good shape! I'm closing in on a third draft and what I submitted to schools last year was basically a first (I know, not a great idea, but I was having a rough year). So I'm feeling 100x more confident - yay! It's only about 60 pages, up from 50 or so last year, and I don't think it'll grow that much more. I may hit 75 though, which would be great. I still have another play to write for the four that require a second play (UCSD, Michener, Indiana, Iowa). I only applied to the first two of those last year, and submitted my unedited undergrad thesis - yikes. I'm hoping to get to a second draft by the time deadlines come around, and given that my main play is in a good place, I think I'll be able to get there. I'm planning to do a big push next week to get the first draft heavily underway.

 

The first deadlines are coming up at the end of November - less than two months away!

 

LavenderCloud -- Congrats on your previous wait list at UCSD, and I wish you the best of luck in your re-application process THIS year.  It is a great program, and I agree that Columbia is an M.F.A. mill. (I base it on first-hand evidence, stuff I've seen there, readings I've attended around the city by some of their playwrights, etc).  That might be a controversial statement... and, look, I AM SURE some people in the program are doing great, are very happy, and are going to win Pulitzers.  All that is entirely possible, and I hope it for them.  But I also hold that it is an MFA mill...  (Apologies if I have offended ANYONE, but we are pouring energy into trying to go to (and to then HOPEFULLY going to) very expensive schools for 1-3 years of our lives.  It's better to be honest and indiscreet in this forum about it... without being hurtful or mean, of course).  

 

QUESTION:  What does your friend who got into Yale think might have set him apart, leading to him actually getting accepted?  If anything...?  Also -- How many students do they accept at old YSOD?  Do you know?  (I realize that once you get to the end of a process like the one we're all undertaking, it's a pretty random thing, who gets chosen, who doesn't...  But just curious.)

All --   I spent all of this cold Saturday evening reading through this entire thread, from the beginning, like it was a "children's" tome written by J.K. Rowling or 48 minutes of TV written and produced by Vince Gilligan.  (It got a little long in the middle, there, but ultimately -- a real page turner with such compelling characters)!  The woman who had the visit at Yale and ended up at Rutgers?  Teeth, something was her name...?  I feel like she is my friend, now...   The gal who plugged USC via a great, lengthy post...?   Love her!  The dude who had his GRE test screwed up -- man, WHAT A RACKET!  

 

About Me:   I decided to apply to grad school about three months ago.  I have nearly completed applications for Yale and Juilliard and will be starting an application for UCSD and USC soon.  (I am sort of bummed that I missed the deadline for the UCLA Screenwriting program, but... c'est la vie.)

 

I am considering applying to the UCLA Playwriting program, but...  Not sure. 

 

I was ALSO considering Brown, but frankly, the rejection letter that was posted from last year was soooo efing touchy-feely that I don't think I would be a good fit.  PLUS, the thought of living in Rhode Island... well, I would rather be pressed to death beneath a mound of rocks, old school-style, like a (presumably) wrongly-accused witch in and around Salem, MA circa sixteen-seventy...whenever).  

 

(But if someone on here applies and actually gets in to Brown...?  ROCK ON!  I will share a cyber drink with you!)

 

But RI for me just wouldn't work.  I am in my late-30s, married, and have what from the outside probably seems like a semi-successful screenwriting/playwriting career (with several readings of two plays and a musical at some major NYC Off-Bway not-for-profit theaters (but, alas, never an actual production);  a full length screenplay actually produced, with a recognizable cast... and currently languishing in post-production; another screenplay purchased, (and one "ordered" and due in March.))  

 

(A.D.D. Digression:  Can you use double parentheses with language, or is that just a math thing?  (I hereby claim it for language, too!))

 

So why the hell am I applying to grad school?  Many reasons, best summed up in two short parts.  1.   I haven't loved most of what I've seen on the stage for the last 5 years (Although,  DISGRACED...?  HOLY CRAP!  I am still bothered by that penultimate scene... don't know what to make of it...)  2.  I want to make as large a contribution to the theater in this city, country, and world as I possibly can before I die.  Because I believe plays matter.  (And those screenplays I've written...?  While they sound amazing at first glance... Meh).  

 

And... as much as I poo-pooed the "touchy-feely thing" before, applying just feels right.  And so... I am...

Anyway, guys and gals, I don't know any of you, obviously.  But I think you all are heroic.  As (most) all writers are.  Keep writing as if it matters, because it does.  And know that regardless of what the so-called decision makers decide, in the end, SO MUCH OF THE TIME, you have to make your own work, anyway.  It's hard.  But it is always the way it is...  Just Keep On Keeping On!

 

Onward, ALL!!!!

 

PRINCESSISINANOTHERCASTLE

Edited November 9, 2014 by PrincessIsInAnotherCastle

[PrincessIsInAnotherCastle]

Teethwax!  Her name was teethwax....

[CardinalBiggles]

Hello all! It's good to be reading this forum again.

 

I was hoping I could ask you all for advice. I plan on applying to a few full-time grad programs (UT Austin, Yale, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, etc.) but I was also thinking about applying to some low-residency programs as well. Do any of you happen to know which low-res programs are considered the best? I've heard good things about Spaulding, but they have their summer residency overseas & I can't afford the expense (spring is not an option for me, unfortunately). Any advice you could give would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!

[GlenwoodRed]

LavenderCloud -- Congrats on your previous wait list at UCSD, and I wish you the best of luck in your re-application process THIS year.  It is a great program, and I agree that Columbia is an M.F.A. mill. (I base it on first-hand evidence, stuff I've seen there, readings I've attended around the city by some of their playwrights, etc).  That might be a controversial statement... and, look, I AM SURE some people in the program are doing great, are very happy, and are going to win Pulitzers.  All that is entirely possible, and I hope it for them.  But I also hold that it is an MFA mill...  (Apologies if I have offended ANYONE, but we are pouring energy into trying to go to (and to then HOPEFULLY going to) very expensive schools for 1-3 years of our lives.  It's better to be honest and indiscreet in this forum about it... without being hurtful or mean, of course).  

 

QUESTION:  What does your friend who got into Yale think might have set him apart, leading to him actually getting accepted?  If anything...?  Also -- How many students do they accept at old YSOD?  Do you know?  (I realize that once you get to the end of a process like the one we're all undertaking, it's a pretty random thing, who gets chosen, who doesn't...  But just curious.)

All --   I spent all of this cold Saturday evening reading through this entire thread, from the beginning, like it was a "children's" tome written by J.K. Rowling or 48 minutes of TV written and produced by Vince Gilligan.  (It got a little long in the middle, there, but ultimately -- a real page turner with such compelling characters)!  The woman who had the visit at Yale and ended up at Rutgers?  Teeth, something was her name...?  I feel like she is my friend, now...   The gal who plugged USC via a great, lengthy post...?   Love her!  The dude who had his GRE test screwed up -- man, WHAT A RACKET!  

 

About Me:   I decided to apply to grad school about three months ago.  I have nearly completed applications for Yale and Juilliard and will be starting an application for UCSD and USC soon.  (I am sort of bummed that I missed the deadline for the UCLA Screenwriting program, but... c'est la vie.)

 

I am considering applying to the UCLA Playwriting program, but...  Not sure. 

 

I was ALSO considering Brown, but frankly, the rejection letter that was posted from last year was soooo efing touchy-feely that I don't think I would be a good fit.  PLUS, the thought of living in Rhode Island... well, I would rather be pressed to death beneath a mound of rocks, old school-style, like a (presumably) wrongly-accused witch in and around Salem, MA circa sixteen-seventy...whenever).  

 

(But if someone on here applies and actually gets in to Brown...?  ROCK ON!  I will share a cyber drink with you!)

 

But RI for me just wouldn't work.  I am in my late-30s, married, and have what from the outside probably seems like a semi-successful screenwriting/playwriting career (with several readings of two plays and a musical at some major NYC Off-Bway not-for-profit theaters (but, alas, never an actual production);  a full length screenplay actually produced, with a recognizable cast... and currently languishing in post-production; another screenplay purchased, (and one "ordered" and due in March.))  

 

(A.D.D. Digression:  Can you use double parentheses with language, or is that just a math thing?  (I hereby claim it for language, too!))

 

So why the hell am I applying to grad school?  Many reasons, best summed up in two short parts.  1.   I haven't loved most of what I've seen on the stage for the last 5 years (Although,  DISGRACED...?  HOLY CRAP!  I am still bothered by that penultimate scene... don't know what to make of it...)  2.  I want to make as large a contribution to the theater in this city, country, and world as I possibly can before I die.  Because I believe plays matter.  (And those screenplays I've written...?  While they sound amazing at first glance... Meh).  

 

And... as much as I poo-pooed the "touchy-feely thing" before, applying just feels right.  And so... I am...

Anyway, guys and gals, I don't know any of you, obviously.  But I think you all are heroic.  As (most) all writers are.  Keep writing as if it matters, because it does.  And know that regardless of what the so-called decision makers decide, in the end, SO MUCH OF THE TIME, you have to make your own work, anyway.  It's hard.  But it is always the way it is...  Just Keep On Keeping On!

 

Onward, ALL!!!!

 

PRINCESSISINANOTHERCASTLE

 

 

Three students get into Yale

[lavendercloud]

LavenderCloud -- Congrats on your previous wait list at UCSD, and I wish you the best of luck in your re-application process THIS year.  It is a great program, and I agree that Columbia is an M.F.A. mill. (I base it on first-hand evidence, stuff I've seen there, readings I've attended around the city by some of their playwrights, etc).  That might be a controversial statement... and, look, I AM SURE some people in the program are doing great, are very happy, and are going to win Pulitzers.  All that is entirely possible, and I hope it for them.  But I also hold that it is an MFA mill...  (Apologies if I have offended ANYONE, but we are pouring energy into trying to go to (and to then HOPEFULLY going to) very expensive schools for 1-3 years of our lives.  It's better to be honest and indiscreet in this forum about it... without being hurtful or mean, of course).  

 

QUESTION:  What does your friend who got into Yale think might have set him apart, leading to him actually getting accepted?  If anything...?  Also -- How many students do they accept at old YSOD?  Do you know?  (I realize that once you get to the end of a process like the one we're all undertaking, it's a pretty random thing, who gets chosen, who doesn't...  But just curious.)

 

Thanks! Fortunately, UCSD only requires one play this year instead of two, so I'm feeling a bit more confident about that.

 

As Glenwood said, 3 people get into Yale each year. They have 12 people come to their interview weekend.

 

I'm not really sure what set my friend apart, other than the fact that he's a great writer. He's young - he was only a year out of undergrad - but in addition to a really solid script that dealt with cutting contemporary issues, he had stellar recommendations (including a very well-known writer and a recent Yale grad). Those were people he'd worked with and gotten to know, so they were meaningful, not just fluff. He'd also had a professional reading as well as university productions and readings. We worked together at a professional theater and the connections he made there were great for his career. (He's more outgoing and networking-oriented than I am.)

 

I also had an in-depth conversation with a friend who's currently at Brown and chose it over the Michener program. She said it was really hard to walk away from the money but she knew Brown was a perfect fit for her - she'd applied 3 years in a row. Everything about Brown sounds great; I wish I'd gotten a chance to visit there as well.

 

Still working on my UCLA personal statement...why are these things so hard??

[PrincessIsInAnotherCastle]

Hello all! It's good to be reading this forum again.

 

I was hoping I could ask you all for advice. I plan on applying to a few full-time grad programs (UT Austin, Yale, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, etc.) but I was also thinking about applying to some low-residency programs as well. Do any of you happen to know which low-res programs are considered the best? I've heard good things about Spaulding, but they have their summer residency overseas & I can't afford the expense (spring is not an option for me, unfortunately). Any advice you could give would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!

Hey there, CardinalBiggles, I unfortunately don't know anything about low-res programs at all, but I reall yhope you find a place where you fit in and it works great for you!  (Please share, if you do!)  Good luck!!!