Playwriting MFAs

[las242]

Thanks for all of the information, @SeaLou!

Congratulations, @andrea907! That's so exciting - you will have to let us know how it goes, with both Michener and Sarah Lawrence.

@jnp809, so for Hunter for me, I uploaded the writing sample under the Supplemental Sections part of the application. The Playwriting upload button is all the way at the bottom of the page. If you're still having trouble, you might want to reach out to the Graduate College and see if you could email it in or something instead - don't want you to miss the application just because your sample won't upload. 

[andrea907]

Got a phone call from SCAD yesterday: I'm in! Not sure if that's where I'll end up, but it's exciting to know that I for sure got in somewhere! 

To clarify, I applied to the Department of Theatre and Dance at UT, not Michener. I didn't understand there were two application processes when I applied. 

[nerve]

does anybody have even the faintest guess as to what the number of applicants for Yale could be?

[SeaLou]

@andrea907

That's fantastic! Congratulations! I met with some people from SCAD years ago and they seemed lovely. Do you know the funding is like? I can't seem to find it on their website. 

 

@nerve

i do not. I believe it was last year that some people on this board interviewed there and I feel like a number was discussed. I can assume it's quite a few. They don't release that information from what I can tell. 

[andrea907]

@SeaLou

They offered me a $15,000 scholarship package, which isn't even half of tuition. Not enough, in other words. Those were just merit scholarships though, so maybe now that I've completed my FAFSA, they'll offer me some need-based scholarships? I'm not sure. We'll see when the formal offer comes in.

[greenchile]

@andrea907, yay!!! So happy for you!

Updates on my end--I'm also flying to UT/Michener at the end of the month, after an interview last week. Super excited!

Crickets from everywhere else: UCSD, Brown, Brooklyn, Juilliard (well, but we know they don't even interview until April, so no worries), UNM. Mostly I'm a bit freaked out about UCSD, since I got asked to interview there in early Feb last year and haven't heard a thing yet this round...anyone heard anything from UCSD or Brown yet? Or have a sense of Brooklyn's timing? Not that I'm obsessing or anything. Who, me? Obsessing? Psh. 

In related news, how are y'all taking care of yourselves in this anxiety fest? 

[esfg1]

@greenchile Radio silence from everywhere for me, too (Yale, UCSD, Northwestern, Columbia). At this point I just obsessively check this forum and my submission pages.... which probably isn't good for the anxiety...

Yale did mention in their recent financial aid email that they'd contact everyone by next Friday. I haven't heard anything on here about Yale this year but I'm beginning to assume that if I don't hear until that Friday deadline, it means no interview.

[nelletankus]

On 2/16/2017 at 7:17 AM, greenchile said:

Okay good I'm waiting for UCSD and Brown and Iowa and haven't heard anything. Wasn't going to apply to UNM yet but since their app isn't due till 4/15 I'm going to do it now. 

1

 

[nelletankus]

Applied to UCSD, Brown, Iowa, and just now starting my app for UNM. Does anybody know what UNM means when they say "10-20 page unbound academic writing sample"? Do they mean a play? Or something more academic like what I did in undergrad? I went to art school and don't have any academic writing from undergrad haha. 

[greenchile]

@nelletankus I hear you with the confusion about writing sample! UNM's application seemed to be boiler-plate for all their grad programs, and their specific program guidelines are pretty generic also. I talked to Greg Moss (who runs the program) last year, and it seemed like he was working on growing the program from a dryer academic sort of thing into a practical MFA that resembles some of these others more closely, so maybe that's in process. I basically just sent in the same writing samples I did for all the other programs--full length plays. Hopefully they'll cycle back around and let me know if they want more analytical writing, though not sure why they would...

[nelletankus]

Thank you @greenchile

[SeaLou]

Got my Michener rejection - didn't get an email, just checked the portal. 

[las242]

Same here @SeaLou, just checked mine. 

Sad I didn't get the email to notify me either, but I kind of expected it from what people have said from past years.

[jnp809]

I got an e-mail to check the website for my Michener rejection.

I also got a mystery missed call from Ohio this morning.  I'm pretty sure it must have been a telemarketer because I think someone from the school would have left a message.

[esfg1]

5 hours ago, nerve said:

Anybody hear back anything? This seems to be a slower February compared to last few years' February posts...

@nerve Glad I'm not the only one noticing a much quieter February than past years! Still haven't heard anything from any of the places I applied. I know Yale said they would announce the finalists tomorrow...

[andrea907]

Rejected from Yale this morning. ?

[jnp809]

Also rejected from Yale via e-mail to check the portal.  Good luck everyone still in the running!

[las242]

Also got a Yale rejection this morning through email to check the portal.

Best of luck to everyone else! 

[SeaLou]

For those who got a Yale rejection, did you see the decision on the Apply Drama page where you can see application materials? I was rejected last year and didn't get an email and I can't remember where the decision went because my Apply Drama page doesn't show the decision from last year. 

[jnp809]

@SeaLou when you first log in, it says "status update" and there is a link to click that says "view update".  It's the page where you can see your application checklist.

[SeaLou]

@jnp809

thank you! I'll check there. Glad the news is starting to trickle out finally. 

[nerve]

On February 8, 2017 at 3:38 AM, jnp809 said:

This is my third try at Michener (a little embarrassing to admit) and I was rejected on 2/16 last year and 2/19 the year before that.  So yeah, I guess I better brace myself for another rejection.  Thanks for the heads up.

It's not embarrassing to have the courage each year to try again! It's really commendable, and now that I'm rejected, I'm trying to pump myself up to try again for the next round. 

On that note, does anybody know what to do about telling Yale to keep my account on file so I don't have to go through the fiasco of having to ask for whole new set of recs for next year? 

Edited February 24, 2017 by nerve

[jnp809]

Yale keeps your recs on file from year to year automatically. You'll have the option to reuse them when you fill out your app next year. They're actually one of the best schools for reapplying for that reason. 

[Boseph16]

Has anyone heard from Iowa, Carnegie Mellon or Northwestern? 

[jnp809]

@Boseph16I haven't but last year I was rejected from Iowa on 4/1 so it may be a little while yet before we hear from them.