Playwriting MFAs

[tjack]

So sorry to hear that, teethwax. Keep your head up! Better news is coming.

 

remains, I feel you on CMU -- love Rob and the program, but it's so much more debt than any other program I applied to that I can't justify jumping in without hearing back from other places.

 

I just got an email informing me that I'm the first alternate for Iowa. On the one hand OMG YAY. On the other hand, has anyone ever gotten in off the wait list? I'm scared that this will end up being a protracted no. But I'm crossing all fingers that someone declines.

 

Still waiting to hear from Indiana, visiting Ohio this weekend. No word from Brooklyn either. 

[Misssharai]

Congrats to everyone acceted! I hope everyone still waiting has good news coming sooner rather than later.

 

Tjack: Is that University of Iowa? Because I still haven't heard back from them and I don't even know when to actually expect to hear anything. I guesstimated from the survey that was posted on our thread weeks ago.

[failsafe]

tjack, that's awesome!!  i imagine there is a fair chance of the first alternate being accepted off the waitlist...for instance, if one of the accepted students got into yale as well, or into a New York school and decides they would rather be in NYC than spend 3 years in the midwest...

 

as for me, i am dying...i only applied to 3 schools and they happen to be one of the earliest notifiers (yale, which btw i still have not received a rejection from!) and the latest, nyu and brooklyn college.  i have not heard ANYTHING in an entire month!!!  hopefully this week, and hopefully some good news for a change...

 

good luck to everyone still waiting and congrats on all the acceptances! 

[Reds]

Sorry to hear about yale, teethwax But perhaps you'll get better news soon! Keep those spirits up!

 

tjack that is absolutely excellent news, to not only be an alternate but also a first alternate! Congrats! And it's as failsafe says in that some candidates may in fact be accepted to other programs and might not want to spend 3 years out in the midwest so you never know!

 

Also congrats to plumsandpears, remains, k-hotspur on your acceptances! 

 

All this suspense is killing me! I wish news would come out sooner. 

[Misssharai]

Southern Illinois just sent me an email to schedule a phone interview if anyone else applied there.

[Buckminster]

Hi All,

 

Just had my phone interview with Tanya from Juilliard, who as mentioned before, is extremely nice. It was mostly informational, probably more her telling me about the program than her asking questions about me.

For those still waiting to her -don't give up hope. She said there were almost 100 plays that hadn't been read at all yet (they had the most submissions ever this year). She also said that finalists wouldn't be chosen until May and offers probably not make till June, so it's quite a wait for us...

[remains]

For those of you waiting to hear back from NYU -- the admissions office told me today that they still have not received decisions from the DW department. They are hoping to hear today or tomorrow. And then decisions will "hopefully" be out next Monday.

[EccentricDreamer]

Hello everyone!! 

 

Wow ~ what a week/weekend it has been for many of us! Hang in there everybody! And congratulations to all who have acceptances and interviews! 

 

teethwax - You're still an awesome writer and don't you forget it. Things will happen the way they are meant to. 

 

buckminster - You made it to the semi-finalist round and that's a feat in itself. Thanks immensely for all the Juilliard updates! This puts a lot of things into perspective.

 

remains - Congratulations on CMU and the scholarship!. As far as NYU, they are known for not being incredibly generous with funding in the DW department. So, the question for you becomes, if accepted to NYU, will you still attend (even if it is your dream school)? Consider the pros and cons of each program. And look at it this way, you've been accepted to a place you love while many of us are still waiting to hear back. The view from where you're standing is not bad at all.

 

failsafe - I'm in the same boat. Hang in there. Keep writing and creating great theatre.

 

CB812 - Welcome!! Let's see, your situation is kind of similar to mine (although I don't have any children). I'm in my early 40s and decided it was time to give myself permission to fly. Applying/attending grad school is a personal decision and is based on so many factors. If anything, going for your MFA will give you even more momentum as a writer. You're in a focused and structured environment that is forcing you to stretch your limits and write in ways that you may not have otherwise. Plus, your motivation to do well is going to be partly based on the high-ticket price. You're not going to waste time with so much money at stake. Not only that, the majority of the programs expect at least one final play out of you as part of your Master Thesis, and depending on how fast you write (which I take is pretty fast as a TV writer), you'll certainly write more than one play. Moreover, as you know, college is what you make it. You'll want to take advantage of every opportunity that is out there from internships, to residencies, to submitting to festivals, to forging amazing creative relationships. And being in TV, you're probably aware that the industry loves playwrights not only because of their "training" but because of their dramaturgical discipline (you know how to edit and cut without being told ~smile~)

 

I've never attended grad school, but I've spoken to plenty of friends who have. Do you have friends who have attended an MFA program? I would definitely turn to them for insight as well. Of course, no matter how much advice you receive, your experience will be uniquely yours. Having said that, I would definitely start forging relationships with the schools you're looking to apply to and reach out to current students and alum. 

 

Another caveat, if obtaining an MFA is truly your goal, really assess the realities. Only 10% of playwrights make a hard-core living at it. As a TV writer, you probably make in one month what an average playwright makes all year! So, theatre has got to be your passion if you're to survive and stay on track. You have to love the process as well as the outcomes. Ironically, when you graduate with an MFA, you'll still end up taking television jobs to pay your debt down. (Please read "Outrageous Fortune" by Todd London, the artistic director of New Dramatists, and three other authors. This book will really give you the skinny on the realities facing playwrights now. It caused quite a stir in the theatre community when it came out back in 2009. Let me know what you think about it.)

 

When you study the background of "successful" playwrights -- those who have regional productions, prize money and the like -- they've come out of NYU, Columbia, Yale, Iowa, USC and the like - which suggests that "success" is concentrated. So, on that level, you're on the right track.

 

Take care everyone!! We rock!!

Edited March 18, 2013 by EccentricDreamer

[failsafe]

just an update on remains' nyu update--i had e-mailed the (extremely nice) director of grad admissions right before that and he just now got back to me with this:

 

"We are close.  I anticipate getting the decisions from the Department in the next day or so which means they will probably go out (in accordance with our queue system) by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.... but don't hold me to that!

Our policy is as follows:  Notifications of admission to the 3000 plus applicants to the 15 Tisch programs may go out ANY time between February 15 and April 15.  We are still well within those parameters.  each letter (accept, waitlist, denial is carefully customized).

Hang in there."

[EccentricDreamer]

Thanks for the update, failsafe!!

[Trilogyfan]

USC rejection received today via email. Nice letter, very kind. Three down, three to go! Come on, Tisch!

[twlk417]

Hi guys! This is my first post. Apparently I made te waitlist at USC, and I'm BEYOND psyched. I was expecting zero good news since I'm applying right out of undergrad. Apparently they only accepted three students...so do you guys think there's a realistic chance of me getting off that waitlist? I have no knowledge of how many they waitlist or what the enrollment rates are. Apparently I'll know by 4/1, but I can't stand the waiting...

[teethwax]

Thanks for your kind words, everybody.  They mean a lot.

 

I'm having some trouble figuring out what to do now -- I got into Northwestern, but as somebody noted a few pages back, the funding isn't good, and I don't have much money.  I'm waitlisted at Iowa, but I don't even know how many people they take, much less what my chances are.  Still haven't heard from NYU, Columbia, or Juilliard, but I'm not holding my breath.  And I agree with you, k-hotspur -- it's so hard not to take it personally.  
 
Maybe it's Groucho Marx syndrome, but I don't feel that excited about Northwestern right now.  But I'm also really sick of holding two to three shitty jobs and writing at night, and it's been a hard couple of years.  I don't know whether I have the stomach to wait another year and try again.  

 

I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in excellent programs, and I don't think my work is markedly inferior to theirs.  I'm just at a loss.  

[failsafe]

teethwax (and everyone), i completely know how you feel.  i would even go one more, i know people who have been through top programs who i feel like my writing is markedly better than!  hang in there.  i actually didn't even have the guts to submit my writing anywhere until i was nearly 31 (i was too busy dealing with other kinds of rejection) and now i worry that i'm too old, too white, too this, too that to get in anywhere (plus i am geographically bound to only NYC programs b/c my fiance has kids here) and aside from a very nice reading at a semi-prominent theatre company (via a personal contact, at that), i have achieved really nothing yet.  my first play was just a semifinalist for the o'neill and my second play is by many accounts better--and i have zero doubt that it and i am as good or better and had an as good or better personal statement and as good or better recommendations than anyone else getting accepted into the top programs (except you know, people who know famous people). all of which led to me accidentally breaking down and sobbing in front of 10 near strangers in my writing class (even though 2/3 schools i applied to have still not made their decisions! i was feeling that defeatist).

 

anyway, it opened up a very good discussion for the entire class, and everyone was incredibly supportive. EVERYONE goes through this.  one story was was that david-lindsay abaire sent 30 letters to agents every six months for five years before finally getting an agent (an agent's assistant from the first year who had read his script by then had become an agent and took him on as one of his first clients).  he also got commissioned to write "rabbit hole" by a theater that then REFUSED TO PRODUCE IT!  and a woman in the class who went through tisch's MFA program pointed out something very, very important: once you get to a certain point in the admissions queue, EVERYONE is amazing and there just are not enough spots so it becomes totally arbitrary who they actually pick.  one big way many people have told me (we'll see, anyway?) to move up the queue is to re-apply the next year.  i know about 3/4 juilliard spots go to people who applied at least once before (several more than once).  a guy i know who went there didn't even get an interview the first time he applied, and his play had already won the NYC fringe festival the previous year!

 

so, it sounds to me from the responses you've gotten so far like you're an amazing writer who could get into one of the top programs (and not even unlikely for this year, still, it sounds like), and one with funding. even if you don't you have already done WAY better than most people ever do in the application process and it's just your first year applying. (and as it has been speculated, an mfa is not a cost-effective degree.)  and as someone who has held down shitty jobs for 10 years, let me reassure you that you can do it for one more! =)  (and all that angst in the meantime will help your next script be even better--alan ball wrote "american beauty" after he had left his playwriting career in NYC for a staff job on "grace under fire", which he talks about as the worst event of his life.) -- that said, the jury IS still strongly out for this year so chin up!

[remains]

Hello everyone!! 

 

remains - Congratulations on CMU and the scholarship!. As far as NYU, they are known for not being incredibly generous with funding in the DW department. So, the question for you becomes, if accepted to NYU, will you still attend (even if it is your dream school)? Consider the pros and cons of each program. And look at it this way, you've been accepted to a place you love while many of us are still waiting to hear back. The view from where you're standing is not bad at all.

 

Thanks for your response, EccentricDreamer. (And thanks everyone else too, for your kind responses!) I really appreciate it. Are you basing this info. for NYU DW dept. based off research or word of mouth? Just trying to get a better grasp. 

 

It's sinking in, finally, that I was accepted into Carnegie Mellon (have you all seen the short film about the history of 13p? Rob Handel, the head of CMU's program is featured -- and it might take your minds off the waiting!) I wish the same for all of you -- to get into your top schools. It makes sense that this is a breaking point for people, since we are nearing the end of March. It's not easy. And I agree that the decision factors for the top tier of applicants can be totally arbitrary. Personally, I wish NYU would make up their minds but I feel in my bones I'm going with CMU regardless. 

 

In reference to those not accepted into their top programs: 

I'm not in a position (mentally or otherwise) to keep kicking the can down the road. I'd rather dive in the ocean now and hope I remember how to swim…. For the most part, the programs mentioned on this thread are fantastic. 

 

The Rob Handel video:

 

 http://vimeo.com/50433749

Edited March 20, 2013 by remains

[Trilogyfan]

Failsafe, thanks for your amazing post. Great stuff.

[EccentricDreamer]

Failsafe, thanks for your amazing post. Great stuff.

Ditto!

[Misssharai]

University of Iowa just rejected me via Isis. If anyone else applied they're finally making decisions. Good luck!

[puttputt]

ah, Iowa has rejected me as well. good to log in and find that out. It's ohio and texas now.

 

Teethwax, ain't none of this easy. If you're already in Chicago, Northwestern is a plus in that you don't have to move. It's a good program according to everyone that's gone through it that I know. It prepares you to write for several different mediums. I know people that have gone on to write for TV, and get just as good internships during the summers than folks that got a MFA at USC in TV/Film (to the befuddlement of the USC person). There is very little funding, but it's also only two years, so you get out in the real world as well to start trying to make a living. My friend who went there got her play accepted in the O'Neill conference. These schools don't make or break you. They just open up opportunities sometimes.

 

It's no doubt hard to move on from a trip to Yale and that possibility. This business is full of near misses. You just have to keep plugging until the opportunity comes...if that's what you want and makes you happy.

[EccentricDreamer]

Thanks for your response, EccentricDreamer. (And thanks everyone else too, for your kind responses!) I really appreciate it. Are you basing this info. for NYU DW dept. based off research or word of mouth? Just trying to get a better grasp. 

 

It's sinking in, finally, that I was accepted into Carnegie Mellon (have you all seen the short film about the history of 13p? Rob Handel, the head of CMU's program is featured -- and it might take your minds off the waiting!) I wish the same for all of you -- to get into your top schools. It makes sense that this is a breaking point for people, since we are nearing the end of March. It's not easy. And I agree that the decision factors for the top tier of applicants can be totally arbitrary. Personally, I wish NYU would make up their minds but I feel in my bones I'm going with CMU regardless. 

 

In reference to those not accepted into their top programs: 

I'm not in a position (mentally or otherwise) to keep kicking the can down the road. I'd rather dive in the ocean now and hope I remember how to swim…. For the most part, the programs mentioned on this thread are fantastic. 

 

The Rob Handel video:

 

 http://vimeo.com/50433749

Thanks for this info, remains!

 

From my research from friends who have gone to NYU (and seeing the comments from folks who have gotten accepted) NYU's DW funding isn't always the best. But that doesn't mean they don't offer scholarships, internships and the like. It all depends on your need and the money that is available. 

[plumsandpears]

Eep! I just accepted the offer from UT-Austin! Thanks for letting me share in this rollercoaster ride with all of you. They were my top pick, and I'm pretty darn pumped.

[longwalktonever]

Congratulations, plumsandpears! When did you find out you got in to UT Austin? It seems like such an awesome program! Do they offer funding?

 

Such great, supportive posts lately-- so glad this forum exists!

[twlk417]

Thanks for your kind words, everybody.  They mean a lot.

 

I'm having some trouble figuring out what to do now -- I got into Northwestern, but as somebody noted a few pages back, the funding isn't good, and I don't have much money.  I'm waitlisted at Iowa, but I don't even know how many people they take, much less what my chances are.  Still haven't heard from NYU, Columbia, or Juilliard, but I'm not holding my breath.  And I agree with you, k-hotspur -- it's so hard not to take it personally.  

 

Maybe it's Groucho Marx syndrome, but I don't feel that excited about Northwestern right now.  But I'm also really sick of holding two to three shitty jobs and writing at night, and it's been a hard couple of years.  I don't know whether I have the stomach to wait another year and try again.  

 

I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in excellent programs, and I don't think my work is markedly inferior to theirs.  I'm just at a loss.  

 

Hey, I'm in undergrad at Iowa so I thought I'd fill you in. Our incoming class of MFA playwrights is usually around 3-4 people. The program is decent enough, but there aren't actually any active playwrights on the faculty anymore. The closest they had to one just left for a job at a nearby college, so the program is running on reputation alone at this point. If you get in, that's fantastic! Iowa City is fun and the theatre scene is really, really strong. If you don't, you don't. The program is good, but...nothing stellar. I truly believe you'd be just as happy at another program.

 

Best of luck!

[k-hotspur]

has anyone else heard from columbia? i got a phone call from kelly saying i had been accepted but nothing "official."

[plumsandpears]

Thanks for the note, longwalktonever! They gave me a sort of tentative heads up a few weeks ago actually, but then I got the official offer on Tuesday. I had gotten decent funding from University of New Orleans and moderate from UCLA (waitlisted at USC and Michener, rejected from Iowa and Yale), so I was waiting to see what the Texas package looked like. Sounds like it will be pretty good--should cover tuition plus include a TAship. I feel really fortunate given the amount of talented writers out there. I definitely went into the application process telling myself that I might not get accepted anywhere. I did focus most of my energy to Texas, though, so I think that paid off.