Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Are WE there yet?

As of March 14, this blog will no longer be updated. Visit seth abramson's data bank of application response times. The comments will remain open for the exchange of information and encouragement.

In 2007, the 2007 MFA Acceptances blog (thanks Lindsey!) was a great resource for nervous MFA hopefuls. So I've decided to start a similar site for (no less nervous!) 2008 applicants. If you've heard news from any of these schools (or heard from a school not on this list), comment below to let us know and I'll update this master list. Please let us know WHAT you heard (accepted, rejected, waitlisted), WHEN you heard (the date-- be as exact as possible), and HOW you heard (phone, email, post), and to which genre you applied (Fiction, poetry, screenwriting, etc). If you'd prefer not to comment, feel free to email me. Congrats and good luck to everyone!

2008 MFA/MA Creative Writing Programs

Adelphi-
Alabama- 2/17 accepted poetry via phone; 2/25 rejected fiction via snail mail
Alaska (Anchorage)-
Alaska (Fairbanks)-
American University- 2/15 accepted poetry via phone; 3/6 accepted creative nonfiction via snail mail
Antioch-
Arkansas -2/27 accepted poetry via phone
Arizona-
Arizona State- 2/15 accepted poetry via phone
Baltimore- 3/3 accepted fiction/nonfiction via email
Bard-
Bennington College-
Boise State- 1/25 accepted poetry via phone
Boston U-
Bowling Green (OH)-
Brooklyn College- accepted fiction via phone
Brown-
Cal Arts- 3/8 accepted (genre?) via phone
California College of the Arts- 2/29 accepted via phone (genre?)
Cal State (Fresno)-
Cal State (Long Beach)-
Central Florida - 2/15 accepted fiction via email
Chapman-
Chatham College- 1/24 acceptance creative nonfiction snailmail; 1/28/08 accepted - creative writing - via snail mail; 2/15 fiction acceptance via snail mail
City College of NY-
CUNY-Brooklyn-
CUNY/Hunter- 2/22 CUNY Hunter rejected via snail mail (Fiction)
CUNY/Queens-
Cleveland State-
Colorado- 2/19 accepted fiction via phone
Colorado State-
Columbia - 3/3 accepted fiction via phone; 3/6 accepted nonfiction via phone; 3/8 accepted poetry via phone
Columbia College (Chicago)-
Cornell- 2/8 accepted poetry via phone; 2/8 accepted fiction via phone; 2/14 rejected fiction via snail mail
Depaul- 3/1 denial letter via snail mail
Eastern Michigan-
Eastern Washington- 2/10 accepted creative nonfiction via phone; 3/3 accepted poetry via phone
Emerson- 2/9 accepted poetry via mail
Farleigh Dickinson-
Florida- 2/24 accepted poetry via email; 2/29 accepted fiction via email; waitlist fiction via email
Florida International-
Florida State- 3/3 accepted poetry via phone
George Mason- 1/26 accepted fiction via email
Georgia- 3/1, rejected, PhD fiction, snail mail, letter postmarked 2/27
Georgia State-2/23 accepted poetry via mail
Goddard College-
Goucher College-
Guelph University-
Hamline-
Hollins- 3/3/08 accepted poetry via email; 3/3 accepted nonfiction via email
Houston-
Idaho- 3/1 accepted poetry via phone
Illinois (Chicago) -
Illinois (UIUC)- 2/20 accepted fiction via email
Indiana- 1/25 accepted fiction via phone; 3/1 waitlist fiction via phone
Iowa- 2/15 accepted nonfiction via email; 2/18 accepted fiction via phone
Iowa State-
Johns Hopkins- 3/3 accepted poetry via email
Kansas-
Lesley- 2/15/08 accepted (low-res) writing for children by phone; 3/3 accepted fiction via phone; 3/5 accepted poetry via phone
Louisiana State-
Mankato-
Maryland- postmarked 2/28 accepted fiction via snail mail; 3/1 accepted fiction via snail mail; 3/3 accepted poetry via snail mail
McNeese State- 1/17 accepted fiction via email; waitlist fiction via email; rejected fiction via email
Memphis-2/8/08 accepted creative nonfiction via phone & email
Michigan- 2/19 accepted poetry via email; 2/19 accepted fiction via email
Miami (University of, FL)-
Mills College- 3/8 accepted fiction via snail mail
Minnesota- 3/3 accepted poetry via email
Minnesota State (Moorehead)- 2/18 accepted poetry via email
Minnesota State (Mankato) - 3/1/08 Accepted for CNF via Snail Mail
Mississippi (Ole Miss)-
Missouri (Columbia)- 2/13 accepted poetry by phone; 2/13 accepted fiction by phone
Missouri (St. Louis)-
Montana- 3/7 accepted poetry via phone; 3/7 accepted creative non fiction via phone
Murray State-
Naropa-
Nebraska-
Nevada (LV)-
New England College- accepted poetry via phone
New Hampshire- 3/5 accepted fiction via phone; 3/5 accepted nonfiction via phone
New Mexico State- 2/14 accepted poetry via phone
New School- 2/15 accepted fiction phone
New York University-
North Carolina State-
Northern Michigan-
North Texas-
Northwestern-
Notre Dame- 2/20 accepted prose via phone
Ohio State- 1/25/08 accepted fiction via phone; 2/7/08 waitlisted poetry via email
Old Dominion-
Oregon-
Oregon State- 3/6 accepted fiction via email
Pacific Lutheran-
Pacific University- 3/3 accepted poetry via snail mail
Penn State- 2/8/08 accepted - Penn State Creative Nonfiction - via email
Pine Manor- 12/24/07 accepted- low res. mfa creative writing / writing for children and young adults - via snail mail
Pittsburgh- 2/26 accepted non fiction via email; 2/29 accepted fiction via snail mail
Portland State-
Purdue- 1/31/08 accepted - poetry - via email;2/14 fiction rejection via snail mail
2/7/08 accepted- fiction via phone; accepted creative nonfiction via snail mail
Queens University- 2/10 accepted - fiction - via phone
Roosevelt-
Rutgers- 2/19 accepted fiction via phone
San Diego State-
San Francisco State-
San Jose State-
Sarah Lawrence-
School of the Art Institute School (Chicago)-
Seattle Pacific-
Seton Hill-
Sewanee-
Sonoma State-
South Carolina-
South Florida- 2/12 accepted via email; 2/14 & 2/28 rejected via snail mail and email
Southern Illinois (Carbondale)- 2/27 accepted via snail mail
Southern Maine-
Southwest Texas State-
Spalding- 1/6/08 accepted - low res mfa writing for children and young adults -via telephone
St. Mary's-
Stanford (Stegner Fellowship)-
Stonecoast - 2/12 accepted via phone
Syracuse- 2/8/08 accepted - poetry - by phone; 3/4 accepted fiction by phone
Temple-
Tennessee (Knoxville) -
Texas-Austin Michener Center- 3/5 accepted poetry via email
Texas (El Paso)- 3/4 accepted fiction and nonfiction via email
Texas State (San Marcos)-3/4 accepted poetry and fiction via email
Texas Tech- 2/16 rejected PhD Fiction by postal mail
UBC-
UC-Davis- 3/2 accepted fiction via phone; 3/3 accepted poetry via phone
UC Irvine-
UC Riverside-
U of Hawaii-
UCSD (playwriting)-
UGA-
UMass (Amherst)- 2/18 accepted for poetry via phone; 2/20 accepted fiction via phone
UMass (Boston)- 3/4 accepted poetry via emali; 3/5 accepted fiction via email
University of Memphis-
University of New Mexico-
University of New Orleans-
UNC Greensboro-
UNC Wilmington- 2/13 accepted for Poetry via email; 2/13 accepted for fiction via email
University of San Francisco-
USC- 2/25 rejection playwriting via snail mail; 2/21 accepted for poetry PHD; 3/3 accepted fiction via snail mail
University of Southern Miss.-
Utah- 2/8/08 poetry acceptance via phone
Vanderbilt- 2/29 accepted poetry via email
Vermont College- 2/5/08 accepted Vermont College writing for children (lo-res) via phone; 2/18 accepted poetry via phone
Virginia-
Virginia Commonwealth University - 3/5 accepted poetry via email
Virginia Tech- 2/29 accepted poetry via email
Warren Wilson College-
Washington (Seattle)-
Washington U (St. Louis)- 2/13 rejected - poetry - via snail mail; 2/15 accepted - fiction - via snail mail
Western Connecticut State-
Western Michigan- 2/21 accepted fiction via post; 2/25 rejected via snail mail
West Virginia- 2/13 accepted poetry
Whidbey-
Wichita State- 2/20 accepted fiction via snail mail
Wilkes University
Wisconsin- Madison- FICTION- 2/25 rejection via website; 2/29 accepted via email; 3/1 waitlist via email
Wyoming- 2/27 accepted poetry via email
Yale (playwriting)-

1,273 comments:

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Desislava Parashkevova said...

M.Douglas,

I was stalking your blog and saw that you were waitlisted at Oregon. How did you find out? Did they call you or you called them? I am just thinking of calling both Oregon and Washington today but I am feeling nervous...

Anonymous said...

gotta remember that stegner fellows are more likely to have an mfa already (or maybe not want one), and therefore won't be checking out blogs like this.

of course, you'd think that if the news was out, someone on here would at least hear of it through some grapevine...

MC said...

Desislava,

Garrett Hongo called me yesterday afternoon. It was entirely unexpected because I thought that Oregon was finished, but I guess I learned we shouldn't trust these blogs entirely. I don't think you should have a problem calling Washington; Judy has been very nice. I haven't called Oregon before so I'm not sure how they would react, but I imagine they'd be accommodating. Let me know if you hear anything. Good luck!!

M.

Thomas Lee said...

Stanford's official position is that everyone will be notified "by post" before April 1. I think in past years they called in early March though. Is that right?

Desislava Parashkevova said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Desislava Parashkevova said...

M. Douglas,

I called U.Washington. They said that they have a list but refused to tell me anything over the phone. They said they would send emails by the end of the week. It's my top school, I'd be really sad not to get in but hey, let's wait and see. The person I got myself excited about is Heather McHugh but I just found out she is on a sabbatical leave... It seems to be a great program in a great university in a great city. Sigh...:)

Desi

Alex said...

waitlisted at the new school in fiction 3/18 by mail

Kelly Luce said...

got my stegner rejection in the mail today (fiction). it was postmarked 3/17. the wait is over!

Thomas Lee said...

Aarrraggghhh. I guess mine's waiting in my mailbox. Thanks, Kelly.

Anonymous said...

I emailed Penn State today, and they said they'd send out letters by the end of the month.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kelly Luce, that's very brave of you to have received it and soften the blow for the rest of us. Best.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, this "secrecy" with the Stegner is the height of pretension. Why not just be straightforward about it and let people know when acceptances have gone out, there are a few on the waiting list, etc.? And although I'd be thrilled to get accepted to the program, it would be for the time, etc., that it affords, not b/c the faculty, lecturers, fellows, etc., are the penultimate judges of writing. They're not. For the amount of prestige and pretentiousness the fellowship garners, there's been little quality writing published. Even that guy Tom Kealey, how long can he torture out the Jones Lectureship? That's supposed to be like 3 years or something, but he's dragged it out tooth and nail without having published any of his fiction. It's all fine, but at least stop the pretentious w/ this elaborately secretive acceptance process. Come on, get off yourselves. Or, actually, I guess they are getting off on themselves.

Anonymous said...

Dude. Penultimate means second to last.

Anonymous said...

so, if stegner rejection letters have gone out...can we assume that all those accepted have been notified? (not even really hoping..but...)

Anonymous said...

Hey dude, thanks for pointing that out. I meant "ultimate," as in quintessential, zenith, etc. ha ha. :-)

Anonymous said...

i'm getting tired by all the aggressive editing going on in this blog. loosen up. it's a blog! it's the equivalent to a bathroom stall.

Anonymous said...

Hm...just stumbled across this place. Very interesting comments. I wish I had seen this a month ago. Here's my scorecard so far, if anybody's interested. Money was really tight this fall, so I only applied to a handful of programs:

Cornell - Rejected (that stung)
Johns Hopkins - Waitlisted
Michener Center - Waistlisted
Iowa - Accepted w/Funding (my top choice! I almost drove off the road when I heard that voicemail.)

Still waiting to hear from Univ. of Virginia, but I figure they would have called by now if they wanted me. No problem, though. I'm Iowa bound. Good luck to everybody out there. It's a long time yet til April 15...keep the faith.

Anonymous said...

Sorry...I applied in fiction for all of those schools.

N. Cullen said...

Hey those of you waitlisted at the Michener Center for Writers - what genre and how many others are there? And those of you who've been accepted... Congrats! (Please make up your mind; you're killing me.)

Fiction:

UT-Austin Michener Center - Waitlisted via e-mail (3/6)
University of Arizona - Acceptance via phone (3/7)
Texas State - Acceptance via phone (3/6)
Boise State - Acceptance via phone
(2/20)

Anonymous said...

I'm waitlisted at the Michener Center for fiction. I think there are five people on the fiction waitlist- for four spots. I haven't noticed anyone posting about being in for fiction but I know the school has been in contact with all four people. There is no waitlist for screenwriting, so if there is not 100% yeild for screenwriting, another fiction spot should open up.

DSJ said...

Rejected from UNC Greensboro. For everyone who's waiting to hear from Greensboro: Though they encourage you to stay in touch with them and check in from time to time, don't take this too literally. When I was accepted to another program and informed Terry at Greensboro of this, Jim Clark wrote me an email, saying that they'd make their decision in "a week or two." Two weeks later, I emailed them and told them the other program was pressuring me for an answer. Next thing I know, I'm getting a rejection letter from them in the mail, which was surprisingly impersonal and somewhat harsh, if you ask me. Point is, don't let them convince you that you should be comfortable staying in touch with them because it's clearly BS (not a Bachelor in Science...).

realitywrites said...

I'm sorry to hear that DSJ!

I actually got an email in response to me today, for the same situation you spoke of (accepted at one place, and waiting answers), but now they want to set up a time to talk to me on the phone about it? don't know what to make of that!

Anonymous said...

I am starting to go nuts, I've been accepted to a program that wants answers in 2 weeks and before I made a decision I wanted to visit places. Has ANYONE heard about FICTION at these schools...

Arkansas (Saw a few posted acceptances-are they done?)

Houston (Ditto)

Louisiana State

UNLV

Arizona STATE

What should I do? It's March 20th, shouldn't I be hearing more?

DSJ said...

Realitywrites: That sounds like good news for you. Perhaps they don't want to lose you as a candidate...? Good luck!

Anonymous said...

rejected by Warren Wilson for poetry by mail.

man, one acceptance and those rejections come pourin' in...

MrKSB said...

i called LSU a few days ago and they said that they're still in the middle of the decision process (for fiction, at least), and that letters would probably go out next week.

Anonymous said...

Has anybody heard anything about funding at University of Maryland and American? Have they contacted anyone yet?

Anonymous said...

I called American yesterday about funding and they said they were going to notify everyone the first week of April, so sit tight!

me said...

anonymous (rejected via snail mail at Warren Wilson),
So sorry about your news. I, too, applied, but in fiction. Could you tell me when you sent your app. in?

Anonymous said...

rambler,

I sent my application in around December 21st. I tried to get all of my applications in at the same time. What bugs me most is all of the wasted time spent copying everything in triplicate and the oh so expensive processing fee.

Good luck to you!

me said...

anonymous--
thanks for letting me know. I hope you have good news already or on the way.
Good luck,
Rambler

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard about funding at Montana? Anyone off the waitlist at Michener yet?

Anonymous said...

Hell yeah! Got a call from Ole Miss today. In for fiction, w/funding.

Murphy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
spillingink said...

any word from SAIC?

Unknown said...

accepted Hollins University, March 28, snail mail, summer res. playwriting.

Charles said...

Rejected:

Rutgers
Iowa


Accepted:

Goucher
Bennington
New School

All in non-fiction.

Anonymous said...

anyone else waitlisted at BU for fiction? (just wondering if the email was a hoax)

Anonymous said...

oWaitlist at BU for fiction? I missed that. Did someone hear something?

Murphy said...

I received my second rejection letter today. This one came from Queens University of Charlotte and was dated 3-20.

Anonymous said...

hey anon. i received an email from Boston on friday that said i made the final list of 30 from which they will select their class of 10. so i'm guessing they haven't decided who's on a waitlist yet.

Anonymous said...

has anyone received waitlist notification or rejection from arkansas? or a rejection from houston? I know both of these programs have notified some people, but I haven't heard anything. Am I out?

Anonymous said...

what happened to arizona state?!

Anonymous said...

Accepted to Columbia U for Fiction on 3/12/08 via Phone! Happy!

Anonymous said...

Waitlisted by Univ. of Arkansas today, for fiction, via email.

Anonymous said...

just got a call from umass-amherst, offering me that much-wanted/needed TA position for next year! this means i'll definitely be attending for poetry in the fall. yessss.

Unknown said...

Anonymous is right. I just called BU to find out the status of their fiction applicants. The gentlemen said that the director did indeed send emails to those lucky 30 in the final running for the program.

If you didn't make the list, like me, you're out of luck.

Best of luck to you all!

Anonymous said...

Rejected from Penn State today for fiction. I emailed them and they said they'd be sending out all the rejection letters in the mail soon.

Anonymous said...

I just called Arizona State. Rejected for fiction. They said out of 120 applications, they took 6. They were very nice on the phone.

Anonymous said...

Help! Trying to decide between Columbia and the New School. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Just got the rejection email from Arkansas (I'm fiction, but it looks like it may have been a mass email to fiction and poetry applicants).

Anonymous said...

Rejected at Arkansas via email. fiction. letter said they took 5 fiction writers and 5 poets.

Anonymous said...

So far i've been accepted at Baltimore with no indication of funding..(bleh..) and waitlisted at Rutgers and Oregon State.

Denied by Northern Michigan, American, and Colo State.

Still haven't heard from New Hampshire (though I'm doubtful by this point in the game...the score doesn't look good for the home team.) or Alaska and San Jose...

So...with Oregon State, I spoke to the director on the phone for quite some time (although I was furiously weaving through traffic to get to work on time)...They were able to take 3 people for poetry...the top 3 have been notified and have been given until April 10th to accept or deny...

here's where it gets interesting. I am on the waitlist, and I am number 5, total. So...1, 2, and 3 got def. spots, and then there is number 4 infront of me, and then lonely old me...number 5. The program is fully funded, tuition waiver, health insurance, and teaching position...

soooo.....any encouraging success stories with waitlists?? Do my chances look good??

I'm freaking out...the options of wearing thin.

Anonymous said...

How good is the BU program for fiction? It didn't make it to the P&W 2008 list, but considering it has luminaries like Ha Jin... And judging from this blog, doesn't seem like many people applied to it. Any thoughts?

Anonymous said...

On waitlist, by post, for poetry from Sarah Lawrence(3/20) and Columbia(2/26).

Anonymous said...

Correction, make that 3/26 for Columbia.

Anonymous said...

Accepted yesterday for Bowling Green poetry by phone

Anonymous said...

I've noticed that a lot of people ask questions on both this blog and Seth's that go unanswered. It makes the whole thing look masturbatory. Lots of people excited to share where they got in, but don't seem to care about sharing information. Just something to think about.

Anonymous said...

waitlisted via phone at antioch for fiction today. anyone know how well their waitlist fares?

Anonymous said...

Regarding the unanswered questions, maybe no one knows the answer...

Anonymous said...

Maybe some people have been asked by programs not to share certain information? I know I am keeping a few things to myself for that reason.

Anonymous said...

It should be recognized that the last anonymous poster is a giant jerk.

Anonymous said...

rejected to Columbia College Chicago for fiction. Received it in a letter on 3/27 and it was postmarked 3/25. They are on spring break so I found it odd that it was post marked so close to my receiving the letter. I live relatively close to chicago so I probably am one of the first to receive them.

Anonymous said...

Rejected at Houston Via snail mail for fiction.

Anonymous said...

Accepted at UNCG for poetry via snail mail 3/28/08.

Anonymous said...

Waitlisted at LSU for fiction via I called and asked.

DSJ said...

Accepted by phone to NCSU in fiction on 4/3.

I know nothing about wait lists, but I do know that I've been accepted to two programs, and since I can only go to one, I have to decline an offer from one of them, which means that the parallel wait-listed person will in all likelihood be offered enrollment.

Let's not fight amongst ourselves. It's bad enough there are SO many blogs that are critical of MFA programs, full stop.

Anonymous said...

On a somewhat related note, for those of you who are applying for your first, second, or even third time and are being rejected again, I've been there, and I know how heartbreaking it is. As the MFA directors will all tell you, it's all about your writing sample. Personally, I would suggest not submitting a piece of a novel (for fiction people) but rather a complete story or stories that you're utterly happy with. Having worked as an editor for several years now, I can tell you that the level of confidence in your writing is palpable and important to the reader's overall impression of you as a writer. The sometimes sad truth is that if you have what it takes to make it as a writer, someone will see it eventually and accept you into his/her MFA program. Having said that, if you weren't serious about writing, you wouldn't be spending the money, time, and energy to apply to MFA programs. So, as long as your ego can take it, keep trying!

Murphy said...

I got two thin letters in my mailbox yesterday and assumed they were both rejections, but to my surprise, one was a waitlist to Antioch.

The other was a rejection from Warren Wilson. Both were dated April 2.

My tally stands at three rejections (VT and Queens also turned me down) and one waitlist.

The other two schools where I applied had really late deadlines, so it may be a while before I hear from them.

I may be crazy, but I'm still hopeful. This is my first time going through this process, and I've learned a lot from this blog and others. In fact, I wish I had read a little more before I applied, but c'est la vie.

roderick mcclain said...

i just found all of the envelopes i meant to send in december. turns out i didn't apply anywhere.

Sinikal Saint said...

Rejected, 5/14, University of South Carolina, Fiction. Anyone else waiting on or heard from SC?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard from Boston College undergrad admitted from waitlist?

College Research Papers said...

Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.

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