Playwriting MFAs

[Mel Rose]

Just got an email from Ohio saying that they are not taking a class this year...And that "The program is on pause until we have a clearer understanding of the path forward."

Strange. I wonder if we can ask for our application fees back? I plan to try...

[seasickmermaid]

Did anyone else get this email from Iowa? I'm just trying to figure out if everybody got one or if they genuinely mean it and I should apply again next year. 

 

"You have no doubt by now received word from the University of Iowa that we were unable to admit you to the Iowa Playwrights Workshop this next year, but we wanted you to know that we are deeply grateful to you for applying and we wanted to be certain that you knew of our respect and admiration for your commitment to this important art form that we all love.  May you and your writing prosper in the years to come! "

 

I'm trying to figure out where and how I should apply to schools next year, and would love any advice from any of you who have applied multiple times! I'm specifically wondering how much you changed your application each year. I received really positive feedback about my personal essay from the schools I interviewed at, and it was a very emotional experience writing it, so I'm wondering if I have to go through that all again to come up with something different or if I can just spice up the original. 

Thanks everyone and congrats to those of you who are off to grad school this fall!

[Mel Rose]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:47 PM, seasickmermaid said:

Did anyone else get this email from Iowa? I'm just trying to figure out if everybody got one or if they genuinely mean it and I should apply again next year. 

 

"You have no doubt by now received word from the University of Iowa that we were unable to admit you to the Iowa Playwrights Workshop this next year, but we wanted you to know that we are deeply grateful to you for applying and we wanted to be certain that you knew of our respect and admiration for your commitment to this important art form that we all love.  May you and your writing prosper in the years to come! "

 

I'm trying to figure out where and how I should apply to schools next year, and would love any advice from any of you who have applied multiple times! I'm specifically wondering how much you changed your application each year. I received really positive feedback about my personal essay from the schools I interviewed at, and it was a very emotional experience writing it, so I'm wondering if I have to go through that all again to come up with something different or if I can just spice up the original. 

Thanks everyone and congrats to those of you who are off to grad school this fall!

A friend shared on the socials that they got the same general response  so I think it’s a form letter, but no less kind to hear! 
I’m also following your questions about revising the application for the second year. I’ll be rewriting my statement, but keeping a lot of the same content/sentiment as I also felt it came from the heart, but would like to shorten mine. And I’m hoping to get two new plays polished to send to my revised list...I think that will be the most important part to focus on! Would love to hear from others who were more successful on their second round.

[broccolini]

the NYU email today...interesting ?

[Mel Rose]

Hi playwrights, 

I think I might be the first to post for this cycle. Starting this process again (this is my second time applying)!

Question perhaps for others who have gone through this process...who do you ask to write your letters of rec? How do you decide who to ask? Just wondering what others have done. I know this is not the most important part of the app, but hoping to strengthen things this year from every angle. I have been out of school for a while, and went to school for acting, so for me, having a professor write one is not the strongest choice. 

I have one from an artistic director, one from a teacher, already. Trying to decide what would be a strong choice for a third...

Any advice appreciated ! Thank you!

Edited October 6, 2021 by Mel Rose

[Strelka]

Hey folks!

I also would love some rec letter advice, specifically in regards to submitting for my second year of applications. I think the three people who I had write my letters last fall are still my best options. Would I have to ask them each to write completely new letters?

I asked one of my letter writers/former professors about this and they said they felt like it'd be fine if they just changed the date in the letterhead and resubmitted the same letter, but I was worried that this would come across as low-effort on my part.

Thanks, guys!

[seasickmermaid]

I am also applying again for the second year, and I was planning on telling my rec writers that they can submit the same letter. I feel it would be an unnecessary inconvenience for them to ask them to write new letters, especially considering that I highly doubt they were the reason I didn't get into many schools. 

 

I don't know whether this is useful information for newcomers but I'll throw it out there, I was interviewed and waitlisted at Pace university in April. They told me I was off the waitlist 2 months later in June and gave me only a week to decide whether to accept or not. I ended up deciding not to accept based on the interview I had where it felt like I was being talked over as well as some interviews I read with graduates-- it seemed like they left grad school without a clear place to go forward, and that's not where I want to be after paying a bunch of money for a degree. 

Anyway, all that to say -- sometimes you really think it's over and then all of a sudden you get in somewhere and have to make a choice. I think it's all just about what feels right for you. 

[ZoraNeale2021]

Hey! 

Virtually high-fiving all who got there Yale apps in this week. It felt like such an accomplishment to just get mine done and submitted!!! 

[seasickmermaid]

Anyone else have a crazy week this week submitting UCLA, NYU Tisch, and The New School? 

[Mel Rose]

15 hours ago, seasickmermaid said:

Anyone else have a crazy week this week submitting UCLA, NYU Tisch, and The New School? 

Ah...I had been looking on a different page of the UCLA website, which had the deadline Jan 4, and somehow I missed it being changed to Dec 1! Super frustrating. Got NYU's in though.

[seasickmermaid]

5 hours ago, Mel Rose said:

Ah...I had been looking on a different page of the UCLA website, which had the deadline Jan 4, and somehow I missed it being changed to Dec 1! Super frustrating. Got NYU's in though.

Oh no, that totally sucks I'm so sorry! I'm not sure why they changed it so dramatically, maybe they felt like they didn't have enough time to decide last year. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by seasickmermaid

[FefuFornes]

Hi all,

Applying for the first time this cycle and wishing everyone luck on their apps!

Just curious, does anyone know how many students Juilliard takes each cycle? I know other fully funded programs like Brown/UCSD/Yale generally take 2-3 students per year but I wasn't sure about Juilliard. 

[seasickmermaid]

19 hours ago, FefuFornes said:

Hi all,

Applying for the first time this cycle and wishing everyone luck on their apps!

Just curious, does anyone know how many students Juilliard takes each cycle? I know other fully funded programs like Brown/UCSD/Yale generally take 2-3 students per year but I wasn't sure about Juilliard. 

I have from the research I did last year that they take 4-5, so unless they've changed it since then that should probably be accurate. 

[seasickmermaid]

Is anyone else applying to Carnegie Mellon? I noticed on their website it says their Statement of Intent should be 2-3 pages but on the Grad CAS application portal it says it has to fit on one page so I'm just a little confused about that.

[Mel Rose]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:57 PM, seasickmermaid said:

Is anyone else applying to Carnegie Mellon? I noticed on their website it says their Statement of Intent should be 2-3 pages but on the Grad CAS application portal it says it has to fit on one page so I'm just a little confused about that.

I just emailed them to confirm what length they want. Last year it was 2-3 pages, and they have added even more criteria questions to address, so I sure hope it can more than one page!

[Mel Rose]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:57 PM, seasickmermaid said:

Is anyone else applying to Carnegie Mellon? I noticed on their website it says their Statement of Intent should be 2-3 pages but on the Grad CAS application portal it says it has to fit on one page so I'm just a little confused about that.

Mica at CMU confirmed it is supposed to be one page. It is confusing for sure. 

[Nancy Drew]

Happy almost new year everyone! I have a question about the Northwestern application. 

Does anyone have any insight on what they are looking for in the one-page proposal? Like a beat sheet, a paragraph of exposition, script sample, etc? It seems so vague I'm unsure how to organize my ideas. Thank you!! 

 

[MischiefNotManaged]

Happy New Year everyone!

Anyone know anything about Yale's timeline or when they'll be reaching out to people for interviews?

 

[ZoraNeale2021]

18 hours ago, MischiefNotManaged said:

Happy New Year everyone!

Anyone know anything about Yale's timeline or when they'll be reaching out to people for interviews?

 

I don't but anxiously waiting as well. I think in the past they have done their interviews in early February. So I'm guessing we should at least expect notification of an interview by the end of this month if we make it on to the next round. 

[thefates]

Jumping in to say hi + good vibes to the fall 2022 playwriting folks. This is my first time around... 

[ZoraNeale2021]

Hey! 

Where is everyone applying? I kept my list small this year with Yale, USCD, and Brown. 

[thefates]

5 hours ago, ZoraNeale2021 said:

Hey! 

Where is everyone applying? I kept my list small this year with Yale, USCD, and Brown. 

Hi! I cast an even smaller net, Hunter and Brooklyn... NYC ya know...

[Mel Rose]

18 hours ago, ZoraNeale2021 said:

Hey! 

Where is everyone applying? I kept my list small this year with Yale, USCD, and Brown. 

Was original planning to keep it small this round ( my second time) but ended up adding programs. the list: Yale, UCSD, NYU, Hunter, Brooklyn College, CMU, Brown, Iowa, Northwestern, UT Austin...whew. glad to be done with apps. 

[MischiefNotManaged]

On 1/12/2022 at 5:48 PM, ZoraNeale2021 said:

Hey! 

Where is everyone applying? I kept my list small this year with Yale, USCD, and Brown. 

I applied to Brooklyn, Hunter, Columbia, Carnegie, Yale, Boston and Brown! I thought it would be best if I kept my net contained to the north with one program (Carnegie) outside of the area. 

[Agez]

Hey y'all! 2-year Gradcafé applicant and current UCSD student here! Let me know if you have any questions! And I just found out they're likely accepting 2 ppl this year, instead of the presumed 1, so better luck!