Playwriting MFAs

[machinations]

Just heard back, like, ten minutes ago. Waitlisted at BU, my top choice!

[Dro.]

33 minutes ago, machinations said:

Just heard back, like, ten minutes ago. Waitlisted at BU, my top choice!

same!

[machinations]

1 hour ago, Dro. said:

same!

Here's to us getting in! ?

[seasickmermaid]

Alright ya'll, got rejected from BU today so I've finally heard from all the schools I applied to! I am waitlisted at NYU, so if anyone is in there and decides not to go, I would suuuuuper appreciate you letting me know! Good vibes to all!

[thefates]

@machinations @Dro. @seasickmermaid  Fingers crossed!! Sending good vibes for those waiting and/or mulling a decision.

[machinations]

Just received a notification that I've been accepted to the University of Edinburgh's MSc in Playwriting Programme! Hoping I'll get a scholarship so I can go.

[jnp809]

Hey all I just wanted to chime in and say I was a finalist at Juilliard the last two years and they did not do interviews. Not sure if that was a pandemic choice or if it’s a permanent decision. So I wouldn’t necessarily expect that they’ll do interviews this year. I’ll let you know if I hear more. 

[jnp809]

Never mind! I just was contacted to do a zoom interview with Juilliard. Sending positive vibes to everyone here who applied.  

[machinations]

Didn't get into BU after all, womp womp! Life goes on. Still figuring things out with Edinburgh, so hopefully I'll be accepting that offer soon. Best of luck to everyone who's still mulling over decisions or waiting to hear back.

[sarahendipity]

Hello! A very long-time lurker here who would love some advice. I find myself at a crossroads! I'm a Canadian applicant; applied for some schools in Canada and some in the States. I have an offer from the University of Guelph Humber creative writing program with a speciality in playwriting. I thought that would be an easy yes since it's located in Toronto--which is a pretty big theatre hub, and tuition is low (with the scholarship I'd be paying around $1,500 per semester).

Just  a couple of days ago, I received an email out of the blue from Temple University in Philadelphia and spoke to the interim program director today. They offer full-tuition remission and a $19,000 per year stipend. It'd been so long I just assumed I'd been rejected so completely  floored to get the email. It also seems like a great program--very hands on, three years (instead of the 2-years in Toronto), chance to delve into some musical theatre writing, and a production opportunity in the final year.

Does anyone know anything about Temple's program, or what Philadelphia is like to live in as a city? Is Philly a big theatre city? Close to New York which is exciting. I'm really trying to consider what opportunities are like for emerging artists. It seems like such a cool program (and the money doesn't hurt) but I worry about going from being a small fish in a big pond (Toronto) to a small fish in an even bigger pond (Philadelphia/USA).

I'd love to hear from anyone, and if there are any other international/Canadian folks on the forum your thoughts would be hugely appreciated! Thanks folks.

[seasickmermaid]

On 4/15/2022 at 3:15 PM, sarahendipity said:

Hello! A very long-time lurker here who would love some advice. I find myself at a crossroads! I'm a Canadian applicant; applied for some schools in Canada and some in the States. I have an offer from the University of Guelph Humber creative writing program with a speciality in playwriting. I thought that would be an easy yes since it's located in Toronto--which is a pretty big theatre hub, and tuition is low (with the scholarship I'd be paying around $1,500 per semester).

Just  a couple of days ago, I received an email out of the blue from Temple University in Philadelphia and spoke to the interim program director today. They offer full-tuition remission and a $19,000 per year stipend. It'd been so long I just assumed I'd been rejected so completely  floored to get the email. It also seems like a great program--very hands on, three years (instead of the 2-years in Toronto), chance to delve into some musical theatre writing, and a production opportunity in the final year.

Does anyone know anything about Temple's program, or what Philadelphia is like to live in as a city? Is Philly a big theatre city? Close to New York which is exciting. I'm really trying to consider what opportunities are like for emerging artists. It seems like such a cool program (and the money doesn't hurt) but I worry about going from being a small fish in a big pond (Toronto) to a small fish in an even bigger pond (Philadelphia/USA).

I'd love to hear from anyone, and if there are any other international/Canadian folks on the forum your thoughts would be hugely appreciated! Thanks folks.

Well, I don't know how helpful this is because I've only been to Philadelphia a couple of times, but it's a really cool city and seems to have a lot of art in general as well as a decent theatre scene. I would dampen your expectations a little in terms of proximity to New York just because the people I know who live there don't make the trip to the city very often. Then again, that is just my experience and yours could be totally different! 

Anyway, congrats on getting into both schools and good luck with your decision!

[Strelka]

In at Columbia off the waitlist!!! I was totally floored since I'd already let go of any expectations for this cycle. It was my top choice program so I'm freakin' stoked!

I'm really grateful to have had this community to keep me sane over these last two years. Thanks for everything, folks. ❤️ 

[thefates]

12 hours ago, Strelka said:

In at Columbia off the waitlist!!! I was totally floored since I'd already let go of any expectations for this cycle. It was my top choice program so I'm freakin' stoked!

I'm really grateful to have had this community to keep me sane over these last two years. Thanks for everything, folks. ❤️ 

Nice!! Congrats @Strelka

[Mel Rose]

Did anyone end up hearing from the NYU waitlist? I've accepted my offer to CMU at this point as it is past the deadline, but my mentor is really encouraging me to remain on the list, as NYU is kinda the best fit for my interests for personal life reasons. I will cross that bridge if I come to it, but I'm curious if there has been any movement on that list yet? No one I know has heard anything and it seems super odd. 

[seasickmermaid]

22 hours ago, Mel Rose said:

Did anyone end up hearing from the NYU waitlist? I've accepted my offer to CMU at this point as it is past the deadline, but my mentor is really encouraging me to remain on the list, as NYU is kinda the best fit for my interests for personal life reasons. I will cross that bridge if I come to it, but I'm curious if there has been any movement on that list yet? No one I know has heard anything and it seems super odd. 

So I have a similar issue. I was waitlisted at NYU and accepted at The New School and my deadline to accept my place at The New School was May 3rd. Since NYU was my top choice, I emailed with an admissions officer to find out whether I would hear back about the waitlist before May 3rd and he said the deadline for the original admitted people to get back to them was April 15th, so I should hear back between then and May 3rd. About a week before the deadline I emailed again to check in and he said that they had given an extension and the initial accepted students were now getting back to them on May 1st so hopefully they would have more info on May 2nd. May 2nd rolled around and still nada. I even tried calling and they didn't have any info for me. I just sent another follow-up email so I'll let you know if I get any more info from that. I ended up accepting my place at the New School but I still think I would forgo my deposit and switch to NYU if I got in. 

[Mel Rose]

16 hours ago, seasickmermaid said:

So I have a similar issue. I was waitlisted at NYU and accepted at The New School and my deadline to accept my place at The New School was May 3rd. Since NYU was my top choice, I emailed with an admissions officer to find out whether I would hear back about the waitlist before May 3rd and he said the deadline for the original admitted people to get back to them was April 15th, so I should hear back between then and May 3rd. About a week before the deadline I emailed again to check in and he said that they had given an extension and the initial accepted students were now getting back to them on May 1st so hopefully they would have more info on May 2nd. May 2nd rolled around and still nada. I even tried calling and they didn't have any info for me. I just sent another follow-up email so I'll let you know if I get any more info from that. I ended up accepting my place at the New School but I still think I would forgo my deposit and switch to NYU if I got in. 

I just got a very kind email back from a faculty member at NYU—who my mentor connected me with…he said that as of Monday, they’ve received commitments from the full class, so unless someone drops at the last minute, it is unlikely there will be movement on the waiting list. It is of course impossible to predict if there are extenuating circumstances, but I hope this helps! I’m grateful he was transparent, honest and straightforward about it!

[seasickmermaid]

8 hours ago, Mel Rose said:

I just got a very kind email back from a faculty member at NYU—who my mentor connected me with…he said that as of Monday, they’ve received commitments from the full class, so unless someone drops at the last minute, it is unlikely there will be movement on the waiting list. It is of course impossible to predict if there are extenuating circumstances, but I hope this helps! I’m grateful he was transparent, honest and straightforward about it!

Hey, thanks for letting me know! I have gotten zero transparency throughout this process so I appreciate you passing the info you got along!

[sarahendipity]

On 4/19/2022 at 11:23 AM, seasickmermaid said:

Well, I don't know how helpful this is because I've only been to Philadelphia a couple of times, but it's a really cool city and seems to have a lot of art in general as well as a decent theatre scene. I would dampen your expectations a little in terms of proximity to New York just because the people I know who live there don't make the trip to the city very often. Then again, that is just my experience and yours could be totally different! 

Anyway, congrats on getting into both schools and good luck with your decision!

Thank you! The move felt a bit big for me, so I've opted to stay in Canada. But for anyone applying in another year, Temple offered  me tuition remission and a $19,000 stipend, so could be worth adding to your list!

[jck349]

Howdy all! Never too early to start prepping for Fall. Used to frequent this endless thread and definitely read through all 100+ pages a few times over the years when I should have been focusing on my office job.

I last applied in Fall 2019 (rejected from UCSD, Iowa, UT Austin, and Yale; wait listed at CMU). Was planning on applying again in Fall 2020...but Covid, financials, life events, etc etc. But now I'm finally back in a place where I'm confident about applying!

My list is UCSD, Iowa, CMU, and maybe Austin. Things have most certainly changed since pre-Covid, and these schools' websites don't always seem up to date, so if anyone here is currently in any of those programs and wouldn't mind giving a report from the ground, that'd be greatly appreciated!

Excited to be back!

[anonybus]

If anyone out there is thinking about applying to UCLA -- don't do it. It is a shit University. No amount of We Did It Joe-ing is going to save you from the debt you'll go in trying to stay afloat at an institution that cares so little for its students. 

But maybe, you might think, a little debt is worth it if the program is good. It's not. Most of the faculty don't want to be there. They aren't going to support you. If you're coming to Los Angeles with film/TV aspirations, just move to the city and find your own way. UCLA playwriting will not offer any guidance or assistance in helping you make any transition to digital media. 

Save yourself the application fee and apply elsewhere. Don't waste your time. 

[jck349]

So is anybody else planning on applying this year? Slowly but surely putting together my applications and would love to ask some questions to anybody at UCSD, Iowa, Carnegie Mellon, or UT Austin if they're willing to answer them!

[seizing]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:54 PM, jck349 said:

So is anybody else planning on applying this year? Slowly but surely putting together my applications and would love to ask some questions to anybody at UCSD, Iowa, Carnegie Mellon, or UT Austin if they're willing to answer them!

I'm planning on applying! 

[greereyeforthegoneawry]

Also planning on applying and slowly putting together my applications. Also am interested in Iowa and UT Austin if you find out anything!

[eleanorv]

What do you all think about recycling statements of purpose if you're applying to a school for the second year in a row? I feel like it might be prudent to change it up if you made it to the interview process but otherwise I've heard at certain programs the admissions committee doesn't even read them if they didn't care for the play. Thoughts?

[jck349]

17 hours ago, eleanorv said:

What do you all think about recycling statements of purpose if you're applying to a school for the second year in a row? I feel like it might be prudent to change it up if you made it to the interview process but otherwise I've heard at certain programs the admissions committee doesn't even read them if they didn't care for the play. Thoughts?

I've been thinking the same(ish) thing, but the last time I applied was pre-Covid, so some of my thoughts about theatre etc have changed. There was also a lot of cringe-worthy stuff I wanted to delete, haha. All that to say that there's some passages I was able to reuse from last time and a good chunk of new stuff.

But since you just applied last year, you should probably update it? Have you had any experiences in the past year that have changed your goals or your process? (Regardless, double-check the requirements for each school! One place I'm applying changed the rubric to 1-page maximum, and last time I applied it was 2+ pages). But hey, I'm no expert.

Where are you applying?