Playwriting MFAs

[PlayWitch]

5 minutes ago, jck349 said:

Hahaha at least we're not alone! I emailed the general admissions email address. I'm sure it's gonna be a rejection, but at this point I'm just concerned that my application didn't even go through or something.

Aaaaaand rejected. I figured as much.

[Zadican]

Yale rejection here too

[shortymcshortz]

5 hours ago, Zadican said:

I also got a Brown interview request this morning, also individual

Congrats. I figure Brown’s a rejection for me since I didn’t receive an email requests for an interview. Ugh! 

[secretavatar]

Rejected from Yale as well. 

NYU is the only school left to hear back from. 

This is what Ms. Fields cookies were made for though... right? 

Edited February 24, 2020 by secretavatar
clarity.

[Dro.]

anyone heard back from BU?

[jck349]

Yup, the rejection just appeared on mine too. Fingers crossed they politely ignore the overeager email I sent them a few minutes before it popped up haha...

[shortymcshortz]

4 hours ago, nerv said:

Thank you, @tradagram!

I really wasn't expecting it, since it came after straight rejections from CMU and Yale so...who knows. Subjectivity is hard!
 

Did you receive an interview with Northwestern?

[space94]

Sorry to the Yale rejections--I was in the Friday batch. This week should prove to be emotionally draining for all of us, so I hope everyone's in a good state of mind. Mental health is first.  

[zayzay]

Mental health is definitely first and to be honest....mine has taken a hit from this process. I feel very low and very exhausted and am having a difficult time keeping it together right now. This process is one of the most taxing and emotionally draining I've ever been through and I'm sure all of us feel that way to an extent. Does anyone have tips on how to make it through? Even if you don't get into any of your programs, how do you move forward?

[Dongato]

1 minute ago, zayzay said:

Mental health is definitely first and to be honest....mine has taken a hit from this process. I feel very low and very exhausted and am having a difficult time keeping it together right now. This process is one of the most taxing and emotionally draining I've ever been through and I'm sure all of us feel that way to an extent. Does anyone have tips on how to make it through? Even if you don't get into any of your programs, how do you move forward?

So....maybe this helps and maybe it doesn't but here's a story:

I've been clean and sober for over twelve years. When I first got sober, I was in the middle of a fancy acting gig. Lots of parties and what not to attend. And I was freaking out about what to do now that I was sober. I didn't know how to leave a party. I was very fortunate bc my SM on the show was fourteen years sober. So I asked him, "How do I leave a party? I'm scared I'll miss out on everything." He smiled gently and said something that changed my life. He said, "You're not missing out on anything. You're doing something else."  That bit of advice has been my guiding principle on acting and writing things. If I get the gig, the school, the opportunity, great. But if not, I just do something else. And what I'm doing is just as important. I try not to live in the what if because that life is fiction. The life I've got is what matters. Doing something with this day I've got matters. Now, I'm no saying don't be sad or disappointed. I have been rejected now from three schools, and it hurts. In addition, I found out a contest I was in the finals for was a dead end. And that hurt. But I've also had a few auditions that have gone well. I've shown up for my husband. I've shown up for my family. I've been a good friend. And I've written over the last few weeks. Anyhow...I try to keep that perspective. Whatever it is that I'm doing is the most important thing.  I hope this doesn't come off as an ooky-spooky, power of now, I hope you dance sort of thing. No matter what,  I hope that your bad feelings pass soon. Keep making things. 

[shortymcshortz]

Also has anyone heard back from NYU or Columbia?

[Coffee&Flowers]

2 hours ago, Zadican said:

Yale rejection here too

Same. Got mine today too. ☹️

[space94]

25 minutes ago, shortymcshortz said:

Also has anyone heard back from NYU or Columbia?

NYU should be later this week if tradition holds up--but early next week at the latest, probably. Columbia last year didn't notify about interviews until I think the second week of March. 

[littlered11]

1 hour ago, zayzay said:

Mental health is definitely first and to be honest....mine has taken a hit from this process. I feel very low and very exhausted and am having a difficult time keeping it together right now. This process is one of the most taxing and emotionally draining I've ever been through and I'm sure all of us feel that way to an extent. Does anyone have tips on how to make it through? Even if you don't get into any of your programs, how do you move forward?

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but I had a mini therapy session with myself the other day where I pictured not getting in anywhere and tried to isolate what I found most upsetting about it. I realized it was actually the idea of another year of living at home and feeling like I'm just waiting for my life to start--which is super fixable and completely in my control. So I made a pact with my best friend that we'll move in together if that happens, and I've been feeling pretty zen about the nonsense that is this process ever since. I think it's key to have a back-up plan that can be exciting in its own way and helps you to feel like you're moving forward no matter what. 

[littlered11]

Also has anyone heard anything from UCLA? 

Edited February 25, 2020 by littlered11

[space94]

1 hour ago, zayzay said:

Mental health is definitely first and to be honest....mine has taken a hit from this process. I feel very low and very exhausted and am having a difficult time keeping it together right now. This process is one of the most taxing and emotionally draining I've ever been through and I'm sure all of us feel that way to an extent. Does anyone have tips on how to make it through? Even if you don't get into any of your programs, how do you move forward?

I think I've mentioned this is my second go at this. Last year after everything fell through for me, it sucked, but by early May I actually started to feel a little relieved. I think it was because I was no longer in that space where I didn't know what my next year was going to look like--I wasn't just waiting anymore. My ego was a little bruised, but honestly that needed to happen for me to realize how hard I would need to work. So I read a lot, wrote a lot(it was hard for me to write while I was waiting, and it has been this year, also), and workshopped so that by the time the applications opened again I would feel a little more confident. I'm honestly not sure how that process has impacted this year yet: I'm only officially out of the running for Yale. But I can say that I actually did feel good going into the applications, and regardless what happens I know I represented my work better in 2020 than I did in 2019. If I end up without an offer this year, I'll just do it all over again. I know I'm on the right path, so for me it's not an "if I ever get into a program" it's "when I do get into a program" because I'm still young and figuring these things out. I guess basically I'm saying that if you don't get an offer, the best thing to do is dust yourself off and try again until you do. In the end, if you start fall 2021 or whatever you're really only one extra year older, and that year might be necessary for your personal and artistic growth. 

[sns1106]

3 hours ago, jck349 said:

Yup, the rejection just appeared on mine too. Fingers crossed they politely ignore the overeager email I sent them a few minutes before it popped up haha...

Same for me...I followed with a quick “please disregard my previous email” ? currently out of the running at Yale and Texas, waitlisted at CMU. Best of luck to everyone still waiting! If anything, this has been a good exercise in how to approach this processes again next year. Relentless optimism is all I’m allowing for myself rn ?

[tradagram]

thank you guys for the emotional support ? I'm also working on my projects while waiting for the schools (so far interviewed with CMU but not hearing anything back yet, and radio silent from Brown, UCSD, Columbia and Iowa). I gradually come to agree with myself that I'd make the best out of whatever results from this draining process. Cheers to all ?

[SeaLou]

Wanted to offer my two cents on the mental health/application cycle/rejection conversation. I haven’t posted here regularly in years but maybe I can give some comfort or clarity or companionship to some people. 

This is my sixth year applying. My first year: nothing. My second year: alternate at Indiana. My third year: interview at Ohio and shortlisted at UCSD, Yale told me to apply with a fuller resume and held my application open for a year. My fourth year: shortlisted at UCSD and accepted at a Texas institution.  Also a Jerome finalist. 
 

I went to the aforementioned program in Texas for one year but left after they refused to stage my plays: too violent, too queer, too whatever, too offensive to donors. Okay.
 

My fifth year applying, while enrolled as an MFA student, I was invited out to UCLA to meet with the faculty and was ghosted shortly after. A program, which I won’t name, invited me to apply without me expressing interest but later rejected me because the content of my plays. I understand this much more than the program wherein I was previously enrolled  and hold no ill will. 

Last year between cycles, I met with higher ups at a prestigious institution and was told to apply and was told they’d come check out my work. They did not and then flatly rejected me this year.

This year, my sixth, I interviewed with CMU then rejected. Waiting to hear from UCSD and Brown but I have low hopes.

All this to say...
Things are complicated. If you’re wondering how can I do this again or struggling with the pain of rejection, know it’s okay and okay meaning a plurality of things: fucked up, normal, political, and not a blanket indicator of talent. 
 

I’ll apply again next year but until then I’ll continue producing my own work and doing what I want. This does not always make me feel better.
 

In the year since I’ve left that Texas institution, I’ve produced two plays, performed in two productions and am now gearing up to produce and direct a charity festival. This also does not always soothe the pain of rejection. 
 

I imagine others have similar stories. I hope I’ve refrained from badmouthing any programs as my experience is not anyone else’s. Just wanted to touch on the common pain of rejection. 

[Coffee&Flowers]

15 hours ago, Dro. said:

anyone heard back from BU?

Nope. Waiting as well. Since their deadline was February 15, I am guessing it’ll be a while.

[esbrain]

Also got that Yale rejection yesterday. Thanks to everyone in this chat for your incredible stories, wisdom, and advice. It was really helpful to log on this morning and read everything. 

 

Something that keeps me going is this interview I read with Greta Gerwig (who I absolutely adore) who talked about how she got rejected from every MFA in Dramatic Writing program she applied to. And then, after she got nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay, she went back and read the play that she had submitted, expecting to be embarrassed by it. But she still really liked it and still stood by the work and was like "yeah, I think they made a mistake." IDK why, but that interview gives me hope. Because the whole thing is subjective, right? Like, just because a few people don't respond to our work doesn't mean that our work isn't good or valid or polished or what have you. There's always the next one and it's a long career. IDK, I guess that's what's getting me through

[eurialo]

39 minutes ago, Coffee&Flowers said:

Nope. Waiting as well. Since their deadline was February 15, I am guessing it’ll be a while.

I wonder if their decision to open every other year + have a later deadline affects their applicant pool. For some reason, I don't see as many people mentioning BU as other programs. I applied, but I see many more for Hunter, Yale, Austin, CMU. Thoughts?

[kevinmalone]

@SeaLou thanks for sharing this story. I've also been around the block with this process a few times, and while I haven't experienced some of the (what sound like) deeply frustrating processes you have, I agree it feels like getting pulled through the wringer every time.

Not sure I have much advice, but I think it's important to keep in mind why you want to be in grad school, and even if it doesn't happen this year, keep working toward whatever that is. Whether it be that you want to make more of your own work, want to teach, or want to focus more on writing than a day job, there are little ways you can keep getting closer to that goal even without grad school. For me this process can take a huge toll on my self worth and mental health, but continuing to work toward my original goal does help a great deal, and helps me feel more in control of my work and career. 

I will say this forum feels very open and generous this year, and that is really wonderful! Keep it coming.

[PlayWitch]

Well, babes, last year I applied to 10 schools and got nothing. Not even an interview. I spent the year working on my application and submitted a new play with a totally reworked SOP. I just got an interview request from NYU! So... Anyone have any advice? What kinds of questions should I prepare to answer?

[jck349]

2 hours ago, PlayWitch said:

Well, babes, last year I applied to 10 schools and got nothing. Not even an interview. I spent the year working on my application and submitted a new play with a totally reworked SOP. I just got an interview request from NYU! So... Anyone have any advice? What kinds of questions should I prepare to answer?

Congrats!! I've only had one interview, but the general thing that programs seem to want to know is 1) why do you want an MFA? and 2) why at this school specifically? Other people will know better than me though!