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The Waiting Game...Have you heard yet???

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kiiro

Mar 25, 2007, 3:01 PM

Post #3051 of 6267 (9866 views)
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Re: [little A] [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Thanks Kiiro. I'm in for poetry, though. I've no idea how competitive that is, and at this point it doesn't really matter. I'm stoked to be going. And congrats on Fresno, they have a great faculty. I live a couple hours away from Fresno and have spent a bit of time on their campus, and I must warn you that if you haven't been to CA before, Fresno is not what you expect. It's definitely no LA or San Francisco. The central valley is major farm country, and Fresno was built on that. That said, the campus has a good community, the program is supposed to be very supportive, and the weather is great.

They only accept 5 people for poetry each year. The reason fiction only had 2 was because of deferments last year.

Oh, that's actually something of a relief. I sort of come from farm country. Maybe it'll be somewhat familiar.

I've heard rumors that most rivers in CA are lined with concrete. Is it the same near Fresno, or will I have a natural river to enjoy?

little A

Mar 25, 2007, 8:27 PM

Post #3052 of 6267 (9760 views)
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Re: [kiiro] [In reply to]	Can't Post

The resevoirs are lined with concrete, but you can't get near those anyway. Fresno doesn't have a lot of rivers, but there should be little creeks for you. Most of the central valley has "delta" waterways, but I think that stops a bit north of Fresno. While it is a farm-based city, it is a city. Like 300,00 people. How rural you get depends on which neighborhood/suburb you live in. And if you're not bringing a car, you'll wish you had one. The city is very spread out.

amday8

Mar 25, 2007, 8:37 PM

Post #3053 of 6267 (9754 views)
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Re: [taizhu] West Virginia [In reply to]	Can't Post

It's really good to know that Samantha Chang actually does review all the applications. And I get what you're saying about second year helpers being like lit mag editorial assistants, but I feel like for an academic program it should be the professors that are in the driver's seat when it comes to selection. I also appreciate your encouragement in reapplying next year if Iowa's my heart's desire; but the truth is that I largely applied because of a recommender's encouragement to add it to my group of schools. I thought, "What the hell. It is the most prestigious program in the country. Couldn't hurt." But after reading so many posts here in the past 2 months, I feel like there's a much broader field of schools that would be a better match for me than Iowa...and bumping my chances of getting in up from 3% isn't a bad strategy either.

In Reply To

For me, there's no way Iowa is making it on my application list next year. I couldn't believe that I was competing with 746 (?) other people for 25 fiction spots. I got some faulty info and thought they took about 5%. Also, I was a little disillusioned to find out that selected current MFA students help the IWW weed out the mountain of applicants.

amday, just a few thoughts...if you are interested in going to Iowa, then you should reapply--regardless of the acceptance rate. Not everyone gets in the first time--Adam Haslett applied twice, got in the second time and then ended up leaving Iowa with a debut collection that was shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. I'm just saying, you never know...

also, in defense of the program and the way they review apps--while second years help narrow down the pile--how is this any different than what happens at lit mags, where editorial assistants review submissions and forward the best ones to the editors?

At any rate, I know for a fact that Samantha Chang, director of the program, reads every single application (all 750+) herself. So you need not fear that you are not getting a fair read by someone on the faculty.

The only reason I would NOT apply to an MFA program is if I absolutely would NOT want to attend the school if I were accepted.

koleski

Mar 25, 2007, 9:08 PM

Post #3054 of 6267 (9732 views)
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Re: [papichulo] greensboro and GRE scores [In reply to]	Can't Post

Papichulo,

Were you at American on Friday? Just curious if we were in the same room hearing about the program. If not, I'm happy to tell you what I learned. If so, let's swap impressions! Anyone else...I'm happy to talk to you about American's program if you're interested!!

SalPane

Mar 26, 2007, 12:48 AM

Post #3055 of 6267 (9624 views)
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Re: [koleski] greensboro and GRE scores [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Koleski, I'm waitlisted at American. And although I think I'm going to go to Pitt even if I get into American I would be interested to hear the basics of what they had to say about the program and what you thought about it.

alishein

Mar 26, 2007, 8:59 AM

Post #3056 of 6267 (9555 views)
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Re: [SalPane] greensboro and GRE scores [In reply to]	Can't Post

I still haven't heard anything from American. Were you there for a specific open house for accepted students? Or was it that general grad school open house (I did get an email about that). IF it was MFA specific -- did they happen to mention if they're finished notifying? I'm wondering if I should call/email.
thanks!

Ali

SalPane

Mar 26, 2007, 11:30 AM

Post #3057 of 6267 (9484 views)
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Re: [alishein] greensboro and GRE scores [In reply to]	Can't Post

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I don't think decisions have been finalized yet. But I know people have been accepted/waitlisted. They e-mailed me about being waitlisted about a week ago.

piratelizzy

Mar 26, 2007, 11:42 AM

Post #3058 of 6267 (9472 views)
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Re: [SalPane] greensboro and GRE scores [In reply to]	Can't Post

Has anyone been accepted off the wailist anywhere yet? It would seem that a lot of people will start hearing they´re in off the wailist after the April 15th deadline for decisions.

'sup?!

EastCoastPoet

Mar 26, 2007, 1:29 PM

Post #3059 of 6267 (9402 views)
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Re: [jargreen] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

I already posted this in the I'm IN! board, but I got a voicemail from Dr. Muir yesterday saying I'm in for poetry...full scholarship, whatever that means. Now the dilemma...BGSU with money or Emerson with no money...

kiiro

Mar 26, 2007, 2:23 PM

Post #3060 of 6267 (9360 views)
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Re: [EastCoastPoet] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Honestly, I would go with BGSU. They have an awesome program, and the money makes a huge difference!

Congrats!

blueragtop

Mar 26, 2007, 2:28 PM

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xavier47

Mar 26, 2007, 2:57 PM

Post #3062 of 6267 (9315 views)
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Re: [melos] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

You can live in Boston for the rest of your natural days, but when someone comes up with the money on the barrelhead, they are making a commitment to the quality and the potential that they see in your work. That is something you can't buy. Only someone else can. Boston isn't going any where soon.

kiiro

Mar 26, 2007, 3:08 PM

Post #3063 of 6267 (9295 views)
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Re: [little A] [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Thanks for the info. I lived on a farm for a while as a kid, so I love nature. On hot summer days, my brothers and I would walk a mile down the road and go swimming in one.

My car won't make it from Lafayette, Indiana to Fresno, California, and it'd cost about $2000 to smog-proof it (which is apparently a necessity if I'm going to establish residency). I'll probably sell it and look into getting a used, smog-proof one when I get there.

Tapeworm

Mar 26, 2007, 3:34 PM

Post #3064 of 6267 (9262 views)
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Re: [xavier47] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Boston isn't going any where soon.

Unless there is another mass Mooninite threat.

strangelet

Mar 26, 2007, 4:03 PM

Post #3065 of 6267 (9223 views)
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Re: [jargreen] Why leave? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Ditto that!
I just got into South Carolina w/funding. But if I go, I won't be leaving the forum!!! Everyone here has been so awesome, why would I want to?

In Reply To

I should add, it's kind of sad that so many people have left the boards. Even if I pull through at UMass, I have no intentions of taking my winning ticket and leaving this fabulous community. Perhaps one day I'll also join the other Speakeasy communities that focus on publishing, agents, etc. Speakeasy is one of the greatest things that's ever happened on my journey as a writer. I do hope that folks who continue to lurk for a time do not deprive us of the occasional witty post.

Your friend,
Ryan

Hallelu you're the girl who whispers through the wall
I'd build you a hammer with a thick head and long claws
-- Grant-Lee Phillips

stephkarto1
Stephanie Kartalopoulos

Mar 26, 2007, 4:18 PM

Post #3066 of 6267 (9203 views)
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Re: [EastCoastPoet] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

BGSU, I think, unless there is a REALLY strong pull for you at Emerson (in which case you need to trust whatever it is that is pulling you).

But here's the thing--Boston is wonderful (I live here) but extremely stressful to live in if money is tight. And Emerson, though a great program on paper (and though host to a great literary journal), is quite fickle about funding in general. I hear a lot of mixed things about the school with regards to administration. And with a program as big as Emerson's, it's not as likely that you and your writing will get the attention, nurturing, and challenges that it deserves to get, especially whilst in an MFA program.

BGSU is a great school, especially for MFA, and has a program that I think is often overlooked. Mid AMerican Review is a great journal, and Karen Craigo is a great poetry editor (and I imagine she is also a good teacher). BGSU, since it has a smaller program and since the students there will likely be more localized, probably does more to promote some sense of community than you will find at Emerson. I am sure that with money you will have more of a chance of living without loans than you ever would in Boston. And I think there's a lot to be said for living in a geographic area that may be less appealing to you--if, for two years, you can write, work, study, teach there, then you should be fine moving anywhere, any time, for teaching jobs, fellowships, or other opportunities that come up. I think that's one of the biggest life lessons I got from my time in my MFA program--that if I could move from Boston to Gainesville and wind up quite enjoying that sleepy southern town and finding my bearings and doing quite well, that I could move virtually anywhere and make the place work for me.

umass76

Mar 26, 2007, 5:51 PM

Post #3067 of 6267 (9126 views)
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Re: [stephkarto1] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm with the others, I say go to BGSU unless there are other factors you haven't mentioned. At this point the two schools have roughly equivalent reputations, and the small size of BGSU--not to mention the funding--is a huge plus, whereas Emerson is large and has no funding. I'm a Bostonian by birth (metro area), and yes it's a great city, but a) not if you're destitute, and b) as someone said, it ain't going anywhere. A couple years in a bucolic setting with ample funding, as opposed to the dreariness of being in a city but with insufficient funds, is a no-brainer I think. Most importantly: you cannot possibly realize (no one can) the effect massive debt will have on you until many years from now. Don't even go down that road if you don't have to. I really think Emerson's reputation is eroding; it's not what it was in the 1990s, even if it's still a top fifty school (but so is BGSU).
S.

BlueVelveeta

Mar 26, 2007, 8:45 PM

Post #3068 of 6267 (9025 views)
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Re: [umass76] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

Not shockingly, I totally agree with Seth & co. on BGSU over Emerson. In fact, if you browse this forum a bit, you'll find several posts by BGSU students who have incredibly positive things to say about the program. Best of luck in whatever decision you make!

EastCoastPoet

Mar 27, 2007, 2:27 AM

Post #3069 of 6267 (8910 views)
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Re: [BlueVelveeta] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

I really appreciate everyone's advice a lot...and of course the practical no brainer move is BGSU. Dr. Muir was wonderful over the phone and what she's offering me is incredible...the only thing that is making question it all is homesickness...I've already been here in Ohio for going on 5 years now (Undergrad at Dayton, 1 year of MA at Dayton) and have been wanting to go home to my family and friends for some time. But the money is just too good...of course I'll still mull it over a bit until I get the pack age from BG, but the decision is pretty much made up. I'm 22, and for me to be 1 of 5 people in the country to get this offer must say something...thanks a lot guys.

Anyone else get the call?

userunknown

Mar 27, 2007, 11:13 AM

Post #3070 of 6267 (9928 views)
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Re: [EastCoastPoet] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

Yes, in terms of funding you’d obviously want to go where you can afford to go. If you think you’ll regret spending X amount of money towards an mfa degree, then go where you think is best.
I don’t know much about Bowling Green’s program, but I will say in Emerson’s defense, that a number of their students have had great publishing success. I have consistently seen students and faculty from the program published in journals. Two of their students recently co-founded Rose Metal Press and published an anthology of short shorts all from Emerson alumni (the stories in the anthology had all been published before in other journals). The anthology has already been adopted for course instruction at a couple of schools across the country. Also, Emerson is also one of the few, if not only, school to have classes specifically devoted to writing the short short story. There may be other schools that offer this now, but Emerson was the first to create a course for the genre.
The program is large, it also may seem even larger because the school also has the MA in Writing and Publishing and the students from both programs coexist together, which can be either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Obviously, if you don’t want to be apart of a big program, Emerson would not be a good choice.
Emerson’s reputation may be “eroding” as someone pointed out, but some of their students are doing quite well, and I believe that says a lot for the quality of the program.

Aubrie

Mar 27, 2007, 3:37 PM

Post #3071 of 6267 (9826 views)
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Still Waiting. . . [In reply to]	Can't Post

Has anyone here heard from Brooklyn College? I know some over at the MFA Blog have reported acceptances, but it wasn't a ton and I feel like we would have heard about more.

I'm antsy because it's the only other school I'm waiting on, and if it's a no, then I'll go ahead and notify The New School.

Think they're done making all their acceptances?

Cookies4brkfst

Mar 27, 2007, 5:40 PM

Post #3072 of 6267 (9742 views)
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Re: [EastCoastPoet] No more sunshine [In reply to]	Can't Post

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If you're 22 right now, you'll be out of Bowling Green by 25 and have 50+ years after that to live in Boston if you want to. And if you don't have a staggering debt hanging over your head, you'll be able to enjoy the city more. Boston is an expensive place to live, and it's hard to be an artist when you have high rent AND student loan payments hanging over your head. Think of it this way: BG is also giving you an extra $300/month in housing credit, just due to housing prices. And they're giving you $20 in beer money, 'cause every pint will be $1 less. If you like the faculty at BG and they like you back, go for it.

I live in Boston right now, and didn't apply to any of the Boston programs, as the cost of living and lack of funding implied more debt than I was comfortable with. My two cents--good luck w/ the decision.

yello

Mar 27, 2007, 5:54 PM

Post #3073 of 6267 (9724 views)
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Still Waiting. . . [In reply to]	Can't Post

Has anyone heard from Columbia College in Chicago?

thera

Mar 28, 2007, 12:58 PM

Post #3074 of 6267 (9557 views)
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Re: [yvgeny] The Waiting Game...Have you heard yet??? [In reply to]	Can't Post

i am considering CSU pretty seriously. Although it looks like i won't be getting any funding, which will make surving school pretty harsh. CSU and Montana are pretty even right now for me, with CSU in teh lead thanks to Dan Beachy-Quick.
Wish I would hear from UNC Greensboro soon.

got a big N.O. from Boise State this week while I was in Death Valley. whatever. can't even remember why i wanted to go there, frankly. although i do remember getting a "you're accepted into our grad school!" letter from Boise about a week after i sent in my application, which i thought was wierd.

ecphraticknolls

Mar 28, 2007, 2:18 PM

Post #3075 of 6267 (9492 views)
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Re: [thera] The Waiting Game...Have you heard yet??? [In reply to]	Can't Post

So, what did you hear about funding at Colorado State? I heard about not making the first cut... but they said they would be moving forward to the next set of people soon. I'm thinking that I may go there regardless... but it would be nice to have a GTA.

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