Playwriting MFAs

[Agez]

Hey y'all!

In my last year at UCSD. We're accepting applications this year so let me know if you have any questions on the program.

All the best!

[jck349]

On 11/28/2023 at 12:59 AM, Agez said:

Hey y'all!

In my last year at UCSD. We're accepting applications this year so let me know if you have any questions on the program.

All the best!

Awesome! Just sent you a DM!

[Raja012]

Just wanted to wish people here a happy holidays and new year. I know we are just starting the app season as I know I have a few deadlines coming up.
 

Just wanted to say wishing everyone in this community the best going into the new year! 

[jck349]

Is anybody else applying to Brown? I submitted the application and the application status says "awaiting materials." Does anyone else have the same status? Just want to make sure they got everything!

[Raja012]

On 12/27/2023 at 6:27 PM, jck349 said:

Is anybody else applying to Brown? I submitted the application and the application status says "awaiting materials." Does anyone else have the same status? Just want to make sure they got everything!

I also applied to Brown but did not run into that issue upon submitting. 

[iknowiknow]

Hi playwright pals! Happy New Year! 

I officially have all of my apps in! What a wild and emotionally draining process! Now for the excruciating waiting. 

Sending you all the best vibes as we get these apps in! 

 

[Raja012]

1 hour ago, iknowiknow said:

Hi playwright pals! Happy New Year! 

I officially have all of my apps in! What a wild and emotionally draining process! Now for the excruciating waiting. 

Sending you all the best vibes as we get these apps in! 

 

Happy New Year!!! Congrats on getting it all done. This process can absolutely be draining. I also finished my apps over the holidays and felt so excited and simultaneously an anxious wreck.

Sending out the best for this community as it really has helped me to connect with others going through the same process. 

Wether you have posted on here before, or if you are silently lurking, thanks for being you and telling the stories you do. Regardless of outcomes.

[mranderson97]

It's my third year applying so I'm trying to stay optimistic. I've submitted apps to NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Boston, Hunter, and finishing up Northwestern now. Also considering applying for the Dramatic Writing MFA program at the Royal Central School in London.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have experience applying or going to graduate school abroad? I think it would be a fun oppurtunity but also not sure if getting a degree in London will give me the connections and such I need to make things happen in the US.

Good luck everyone

[seizing]

On 1/12/2024 at 4:27 AM, mranderson97 said:

It's my third year applying so I'm trying to stay optimistic. I've submitted apps to NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Boston, Hunter, and finishing up Northwestern now. Also considering applying for the Dramatic Writing MFA program at the Royal Central School in London.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have experience applying or going to graduate school abroad? I think it would be a fun oppurtunity but also not sure if getting a degree in London will give me the connections and such I need to make things happen in the US.

Good luck everyone

I'm applying to a Canadian school this year and the unique things by far are- proving English proficiency (was able to get a letter from my alma mater stating that my language of instruction was English) and the GPA scale (Canada goes up to a 4.33?). It's worth mentioning that while a majority of writers rooms for English TV and film are in Hollywood, the next best city to be in is London. Just make sure if you decide to go you are up to date on your student visa application.

[jck349]

All finished with my apps! Submitted to Brown, Hunter, Iowa, Northwestern, and UCSD. It's my third time applying, so hopefully third time's the charm... Best of luck to everyone!!

[Raja012]

Wishing you the best. I also applied to brown, Iowa , and Ucsd who knows maybe we’ll both get in to the same school  

[jck349]

14 hours ago, Raja012 said:

Wishing you the best. I also applied to brown, Iowa , and Ucsd who knows maybe we’ll both get in to the same school  

That would be exciting! I'll definitely post as soon as I hear anything!

[MChammerstein]

On 1/12/2024 at 5:27 PM, mranderson97 said:

It's my third year applying so I'm trying to stay optimistic. I've submitted apps to NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Boston, Hunter, and finishing up Northwestern now. Also considering applying for the Dramatic Writing MFA program at the Royal Central School in London.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have experience applying or going to graduate school abroad? I think it would be a fun oppurtunity but also not sure if getting a degree in London will give me the connections and such I need to make things happen in the US.

Good luck everyone

Hiya fabulous writers,

Longtime shadow reader, first time posting in the sun. Applied to Yale, UCSD, Brown, Iowa, UT Austin (T&D), BU, Columbia, Hunter, and Juilliard. Looks like I'm in awesome company! Sending well wishes to everyone this season. Way to go us for handing shit in and exhausting ourselves fully and opening veins for those personal statements (and statements of purpose, how the heck is that different from the former?!).

I can speak on UK schools. I got a degree in Playwriting and Dramaturgy from Glasgow Uni years back. Pros and cons to UK schools for playwriting:

Pros:
-Lots of time and motivation to write (yay classes with deadlines and the pressure of other people reading and hearing your work).
-Production opportunities (depending on the school ASK THIS QUESTION BEFORE YOU PAY THEM THE MONEYZ) where the work of casting and finding a director is handed to you.
-You get a feel for writing styles outside your comfort zone, such as the emphasis on physical theatre (Lecoq and Frantic Assembly) is really eye opening in the UK. Scotland is quite experimental especially (in my opinion). Sometimes you’ll also be able to find and work with companies that produce work outside of the U.S. and western canon. For example, I was able to work with a South Asian theatre company and another collaborating with Syrian refugees.
-Meeting and making art with like minded theatre artists from all over the globe.
-Like a year long writers’ retreat (that you pay for)
-Cheaper than US schools
-Living abroad
-Ability to travel (if you have money, I did not, ha)

Cons:
-Depending on the program, there might be little or no production opportunities and if you ask for school support (or even to attend your own shows), profs are all so busy they’ll say no.
-Profs are hit or miss and some really just care about publishing their next essay, but sometimes some of the guest profs who are working playwrights are epic. Also sometimes the UK grading scale is wAcKo if you’re used to the US ABCD shebang.
-No one in the US really gives a crap you went there and your degree will probably never be recognized by another job or school ever. At most you might get out of a class or two (like research methods, ugh, which is actually great to get out of tbh) if you get another degree someday.
-Odds of you getting any financial aid money from the school are 0%
-It’s not an MFA, it’s a year outside of time to grow as an artist and person that you funded yourself.
-Brits and Scots take care of their own first. You’ll have to fight really hard to get your work stage while you’re there and/or afterwards.

Take this with a grain of salt as this was in Glasgow, not London. I chose Scotland over London in the end because of the experimental nature and the emphasis on blending movement with theatre there. I wanted to put a show on at the Ed Fringe as well (which I did without the school's help, hehe). Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED my time there and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but for me personally, I’m glad I did it straight out of undergrad, not later on. It is more of a fellowship and play incubator situation, rather than a degree that is going to help you advance in the US. If you want to teach at the university level in the US, then avoid going to school in the UK. 

Hopefully that helps! Feel free to ask follow ups if you’d like clarification!

P.S. Pre-apologies to the team if I go silent on this thread. Majorly anxious human over here who might need to lock themselves in a box in an old forgotten props closet and just meditate for three months until the results are out. I’ll phone in any interviews from my box.
 

Edited January 22 by MChammerstein

[iknowiknow]

I know we will likely not hear anything for another 3-4 weeks minimum - but is anyone else obsessively checking their email/unable to think about anything else? I thought once I submitted the apps I'd be able to chill out since it was out of my hands but the anxiety is next level! 

I'm going to start a new play to try and distract myself a bit - but I think I'm just looking for some folks to commiserate with. The wait is unbearable! This sucks so bad! One moment I feel hopeful the next I think I'm kidding myself. Anyway - just blasting this message off into the universe to folks who also get it. I know I'm still a a real writer with exciting and worthwhile stories regardless of the results of MFA apps - but boy oh boy do I wish I just knew what was going to happen! Wishing you all the best. Thanks for listening to me whine lol

[Raja012]

4 hours ago, iknowiknow said:

I know we will likely not hear anything for another 3-4 weeks minimum - but is anyone else obsessively checking their email/unable to think about anything else? I thought once I submitted the apps I'd be able to chill out since it was out of my hands but the anxiety is next level! 

I'm going to start a new play to try and distract myself a bit - but I think I'm just looking for some folks to commiserate with. The wait is unbearable! This sucks so bad! One moment I feel hopeful the next I think I'm kidding myself. Anyway - just blasting this message off into the universe to folks who also get it. I know I'm still a a real writer with exciting and worthwhile stories regardless of the results of MFA apps - but boy oh boy do I wish I just knew what was going to happen! Wishing you all the best. Thanks for listening to me whine lol

Oh absolutely. I check portals, I check here, read grad posts on reddit. Like it really is just unbearable lol. But I also know if I did check my email and saw a status update I’d still just be anxious to open it. 
 

You are not alone fellow playwright. Not in the slightest. 
 

only consolation is that it’s already end of January? 

[MChammerstein]

Don’t worry friends, you’re not alone with the obsessive thinking, checking, doubting, hoping, and then some. We are all frantically paddling our rowboats in this hurricane with no horizon to follow.

For Columbia applicants, don’t forget about your FAFSA and financial aid app due Feb. 1. That’s always a nice, mindless distraction, HA. 😂

[Raja012]

Posting this here because I thought it was really awesome.

I received an email from Columbia University to share information about a funding opportunity for playwrights applying to a select few universities by the Dramatists Guild Foundation — the Hansberry-Lilly Fellowship. The funding is 25,000 dollars and the requirements are as follows:

Persons Wishing to Apply Must:
- Be a person of color  
- Be a woman or non-binary 
- Be a first-year/newly accepted into one of these graduate dramatic writing programs:  Brooklyn College, Brown, Columbia University, Julliard, NYU-Tisch School of the Arts, Northwestern, Yale, University of California at San Diego

I don't qualify but thought to share this to the rest of the community
More information on the fellowship can be found here

Hope this helps someone out. 

(Also this is awesome to see from a university you are applying too. Makes me glad I put in my app too that they are sending this information out to people who it could potentially help ) 

[toreckonwithhenry]

hello all! this is my second year applying -- last year went okay, but funding was an issue. i guess we'll see how things go this time around! this year, i only applied to hunter, brooklyn, and juilliard. fingers crossed, hoping for good news for everybody here!

also -- i am always so curious on this forum what people's script submissions are about, if anybody feels like sharing to entertain ourselves while waiting i would love to hear about your work

[nomad609]

Hi all! Wondering if anyone has heard from Carnegie yet? 

[MChammerstein]

I didn’t apply to Carnegie Mellon, so no helpful news from me, sorry!

 

As for what types of plays I submitted, I grew up as a dancer, so I tend to blend realism with movement and a bit of poetry in my work.

Sending patience everyone’s way as we anxiously click refresh on our inboxes every day…moment…millisecond. Or maybe it’s just me and everyone else is as chill as a carrot on Frosty’s face. I think my Frosty’s face is melting off from anxiety, so my carrot is slightly less chill.

[jck349]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:18 AM, nomad609 said:

Hi all! Wondering if anyone has heard from Carnegie yet? 

Hello! I didn't apply to Carnegie this year, but last year I got my interview invitation email on February 15.

I'm pretty chill at the moment, but once we get past Valentine's Day and the decisions are imminent, I think my face will begin to melt as well.

[flipperdoodlegumgum]

Hi team,

Been a lurker on this site for a couple years now before finally applying this season. I have apps in for Brown, Columbia, Pace, and Yale. Brown has reached out to me because I apparently submitted my samples incorrectly, so I know they're in progress. Pace also asked for my second sample a few weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything since. 

For my writing sample I used an absurdist comedy about suicidal ideation I've been tinkering with for the last year or two. For the ones that wanted two different samples, I threw in a one-act political comedy I wrote and produced for Fringe last year.

This waiting is driving me nuts- a feeling I'm sure no one can relate to (he said, sarcastically). I keep checking the online portals and finding nothing. I'm debating whether or not to change my day-job lately and it's made all the more complicated by the potential of me moving for school in 6 months. A big looming time bomb of possibility just ticking away in the distance and I have no idea if it'll go off, and even if it does how will I pay for it 🥴

Anyone who's been through this before- do you know anything about when interview offers/decisions start to come in? I've always assumed mid-February through March, and then if I haven't heard anything by April I'm probably toast, but that's all circumspect. 

What other sites do you all check for the hot goss? I've mostly been poking around this forum, but I wonder if there are others?

Stay strong team! We're nearly there!

[jck349]

1 hour ago, flipperdoodlegumgum said:

Hi team,

Been a lurker on this site for a couple years now before finally applying this season. I have apps in for Brown, Columbia, Pace, and Yale. Brown has reached out to me because I apparently submitted my samples incorrectly, so I know they're in progress. Pace also asked for my second sample a few weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything since. 

For my writing sample I used an absurdist comedy about suicidal ideation I've been tinkering with for the last year or two. For the ones that wanted two different samples, I threw in a one-act political comedy I wrote and produced for Fringe last year.

This waiting is driving me nuts- a feeling I'm sure no one can relate to (he said, sarcastically). I keep checking the online portals and finding nothing. I'm debating whether or not to change my day-job lately and it's made all the more complicated by the potential of me moving for school in 6 months. A big looming time bomb of possibility just ticking away in the distance and I have no idea if it'll go off, and even if it does how will I pay for it 🥴

Anyone who's been through this before- do you know anything about when interview offers/decisions start to come in? I've always assumed mid-February through March, and then if I haven't heard anything by April I'm probably toast, but that's all circumspect. 

What other sites do you all check for the hot goss? I've mostly been poking around this forum, but I wonder if there are others?

Stay strong team! We're nearly there!

Welcome! The waiting is the hardest part, but it's fortunately almost over. It's my third time applying, and I think you're right about the general timeline. Most interview requests (at least for programs that had January deadlines) will be sent out in the back half of February. Nobody's posted *anything* yet on the results page for Playwriting MFAs, but I imagine they'll start rolling in after Presidents' Day... Then decisions usually come mid-March, then it's the Waitlist Shuffle.

I feel ya about planning for the future. I was in the same boat as you last year, considering changing my day job with the specter of grad school some months down the line... I changed my day job and didn't get into any MFA programs, the plus side being that I've been able to spend the last year at a MUCH better day job than if I had put all my eggs in the "moving off to school in the Fall" basket.

Best of luck to you and to everyone!!

[toreckonwithhenry]

On 2/13/2024 at 8:24 PM, flipperdoodlegumgum said:

Hi team,

Been a lurker on this site for a couple years now before finally applying this season. I have apps in for Brown, Columbia, Pace, and Yale. Brown has reached out to me because I apparently submitted my samples incorrectly, so I know they're in progress. Pace also asked for my second sample a few weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything since. 

For my writing sample I used an absurdist comedy about suicidal ideation I've been tinkering with for the last year or two. For the ones that wanted two different samples, I threw in a one-act political comedy I wrote and produced for Fringe last year.

This waiting is driving me nuts- a feeling I'm sure no one can relate to (he said, sarcastically). I keep checking the online portals and finding nothing. I'm debating whether or not to change my day-job lately and it's made all the more complicated by the potential of me moving for school in 6 months. A big looming time bomb of possibility just ticking away in the distance and I have no idea if it'll go off, and even if it does how will I pay for it 🥴

Anyone who's been through this before- do you know anything about when interview offers/decisions start to come in? I've always assumed mid-February through March, and then if I haven't heard anything by April I'm probably toast, but that's all circumspect. 

What other sites do you all check for the hot goss? I've mostly been poking around this forum, but I wonder if there are others?

Stay strong team! We're nearly there!

Congrats on applying for this round of applications! I agree with what others have said about timeline, as far as I can tell from past experience and spending a lot of time stalking this page. Last year, I got two interview requests and they came on February 20th and 24th. It was a pretty quick turnaround from the request to the actual interview, then back to the waiting game until mid-March. 

To your question about other websites, I checked out twitter a bit last year! Saw a small community of writers on there who were posting about acceptances, rejections, and interview requests, but it was definitely less centralized and harder to come across than this site. There is also a similar forum to this one for screenwriting, so if any of your applications are to programs crossed with screenwriting, check that out as well. 

Good luck! Hopefully we all hear good news soon.

[MChammerstein]

Who has started a new bizarre hobby in order to pass the time? I have been addicted to Street Easy and Zillow lately, just pretending to rent apartments I can't afford next to the programs I haven't gotten into yet, HA!

This list was created pretty haphazardly while combing through these 135 pages, but I'm offering it up to anyone who may find it useful. It seems like the general trend from last year is that schools took much longer to notify about interviews and acceptances. Things were towards the end of February and into March generally. Not all of this data has dates listed with it, so apologies on that front.

Timeline
Feb 1 - UCSD, UT Austin, and CMU interviews requested in the past
Feb 15 - Hunter, Northwestern, Brown, NYU, and UCLA Interviews requested and UCSD acceptances in the past
Feb 20-25 - Yale interview notification phone call, Brown, UT Texas, and Hunter interview notices and being conducted happening and UCLA too. UCLA also sends out invites now.
Feb 28 - March 14 - Brown notices came out this late in 2013.
March 2 - UT Austin acceptances and Columbia interview requests and Yale interviews (or interview invites in 2017). In 2022, this was when interviews went out for UCSD.
March 8 - Yale acceptances (note: in 2017, Yale interviews happened in mid March, March 18), or Columbia interview requests (2017), Iowa starts to send out interviews (2023)
March 11-12 - Yale interviews happened in 2013
March 26-April 8 - Iowa acceptances (April 8 in 2023)

 

Note: If you take a look at the results page from 2023 and search "playwriting" (or scroll backwards a few years), that has some fairly helpful timeline date.