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Just wanted to pop in and say hi as the season winds down and we get closer to the 15th. I'm so thankful for the support of this community when I was stressing hard in February! I've officially accepted my offer from Brown I'll be back checking in next year for sure to see how people from this cycle who chose to reapply are doing, to try to pay the support forward! If anyone wants feedback on their personal statement or sample this summer (poetry) I would be more than happy to correspond, just message me! Love y'all!

Just got an email!!! I got CGS-D. Crying crying crying. Last name A. Committee 4. It's been a ride y'all.

I've officially accepted my offer from the University of Minnesota (and declined my Ohio State offer, so I hope someone on the waitlist receives good news soon)! That finishes this cycle at 6a/1w/4r. Wishing you all the best in the coming days, thank you for all the support ❤️

Just wanted to let people know that I declined my offers from Ohio State and Iowa NWP. I truly hope some very good news be headed your way! Oh and I accepted the offer from Pitt 🥳 It's been a privilege 🫡 and thank you to all those who lent help and advice in my dms. Also, I'd totally pay it forward—if anyone needs an extra set of eyes on your CNF packet next year, or have questions, hit me up! I'll try pay back the good karma. Edited to add final stats: 8A/4W/3R/0P

I remember last year the goalpost just kept moving... They would give us a date and then that date would pass. I wish we were seeing more understanding of how vulnerable a position we're in as students waiting this out. 20k a year (never mind the new 40k!!) can make an immediate, tangible difference in our financial wellbeing. Feeling a lot of anxiety and pressure around these results makes sense, and I think clear communication and transparency around timeline is a fair ask. But it really feels that the urgency... is not matched on their end.

@lychees I guess after you declined, they moved on to me because I JUST GOT AN OFFER FROM OHIO STATE 😭😭😭 OH MY FREAKING GOD I CANT BELIEVE I FINALLY GOT OFF A WAITLIST IM SO EXCITED 😀😭😀😭😀😭 Ask them for an extension!!! Ohio State emailed me this morning and I have until Wednesday at 11:59pm to make my decision. Definitely get all your questions answered first.

The spirit hit and I just started writing a new SOP for the next app season. In the dead quiet of the night, it feels clearer and more sure of itself than the one before. More able to dally and parry. I went into the 2024 app season with a lot of heart, honesty, and good intentions, but it was not enough. Honesty and raging desire aren't all it takes, I fear. I'm going to try to use the months between now and December to develop and polish new pieces, engage with other writers and the writing world, and find security in my own (he)art. I have my eyes on a few programs and will try to prepare better for them. I also plan to make some changes in my personal life - move to a different place, start a small thing, and save some money. Big, big plans, but wish me luck, y'all. Congratulations to everyone going this year. Save some seats for those of us coming later. Anyone who wants to workshop writing or talk general MFA tips and strategy, hit me up.

I accepted ND today. I feel confident in making this decision despite pending waitlists at some great schools. Ultimately, the day after I visited, I realized that I wanted to be admitted there more than I've wanted pretty much anything in a while (my decision to attend my MA program was comparatively quite cavalier), and was ecstatic to be accepted. Having had a chance to meet key people in the department was crucial, and proximity to family, low cost of living, and what seems to be a great professional development funding situation just made the deal sweeter. I've found my fit and I'm happy to be done with the process! Thanks to all in the thread for being so supportive.

Hello all! I just got off the NYU fiction waitlist and officially accepted a spot in their 2024 cohort!!!! This is my 4th year applying I literally feel like I'm going to vomit I'm so excited! ❤️

Just got my first acceptance! ... From the very first school I heard from back in January 😂 my fellow waitlist warriors, now is our time 😄

Congrats everyone who received offers and waitlists! If the website would let me I would heart everyone's responses. I got acceptances from Western, UofT, and Mac. It's a huge decision and for anyone with any advice, I would love to chat! Good luck to everyone as they wrap up any undergrad degrees/coursework, and/or prepare to make decisions and plans for their graduate studies!

Good luck to everyone who is anticipating a response from McGill today! 🫶🏼

Still nothing from me... I think we might be waiting another day. I amused myself by going back and reading last year's thread from about April 26th onwards. It was utter chaos but what really stuck out was how much solidarity people on the thread were showing each other! I know the wait is excruciating but you're all amazing and I so hope things pan out for you. ❤️💪🏽

One of my apps turned into an acceptance with funding! but after trying to do the math, I decided to turn it down. the stipend did not cover the cost of living in the area. Kind of surreal to turn down a funded opportunity, but i told myself i'd only do this if it meant no debt. Going into debt for rent is worse than going into debt for tuition considering interest rates. I'm looking forward to applying next year. I'll only be submitting apps for very well funded schools, and if i don't get in, that's life. I hope to see some of ya'll next year here. And grats to ya'll who wont be here! This has been a fun experience of communal dread and excitement.

Dear all, I'm thrilled to share with you that I've been accepted to CU Boulder! Thank you all immensely for your unwavering support throughout this time. I wish you the best, and perhaps our paths will cross someday. Take care. GO BUFFS! 🖤

I just checked GradCafe and was about to congratulate you on making a final decision — and then boom, email from Ohio State that I'm off the waitlist. So congratulations and also thanks (even if I suspect you just made my decision ten times harder!). Pitt is lucky to have a writer like you.

ADVICE FOR NEXT YEAR'S APPLICANTS This is just some of what I learned this year. Every word is true. Please pass this on to whomever may need it and add your own knowledge. And know this is just what one single (although brilliant) applicant has learned. Spread yourself around a bit. I got 15 rejections (so far). What if they were the only places I applied? Go where you WANT. I also believed “I only need one A” and that’s true, but I didn’t apply only to places I thought I might get into. I was rejected from those too and got admitted to a school I thought was a real long shot. Research Research Research. Before you commit to an application, find out as much as you can. You have as many options as almost all of these schools have applicants. This is not the time to shoot from the hip. Think that every school to which you apply is one you can’t. choose wisely. Consider funding, cost of living in the school’s location, distance from home, employment and educational prospects you and for family if they’re coming with you, … There are things to research you might not think about and may not be able to find out but it’s worth knowing. Your sample is your sample and, I believe, should not be geared to where you apply. You don’t want to be in a program that doesn’t have full support of your work. However, it may well be different for SOP’s and other essays. (That’s another place you don’t want to be surprised. ) Some schools will ask for more than an SOP. They may ask for an SOP, Teaching Statement, Personal Statement, Autobiographical Statement, Diversity Statement, or anything else. One school asked for an SOP, Personal and Autobiographical. More importantly, they weighed them more heavily than expected. If you can find these things out about your school, it can go a long way to not crafting something quickly for which you are unprepared. Just as important as research is knowing what you do not know. I believed even had I gotten into my longshot, I couldn’t afford to go. Not only was the stipend 50% higher than the last available numbers, the housing situation there had wildly changed. Until you know hard numbers, rule nothing out. In fact, remember how fast things can change year to year. Make no assumptions. Start your applications early. You don’t have to finish them… ever, but certainly not the day or week or maybe month you start. But open them all as soon as possible. Finding out what’s required may actually free up time if you realize the school isn’t for you. Another benefit is that some schools offer multiple rounds of assessment, the first of which might be free. These applications can get expensive. Which brings us to another advantage of starting early – you can spread out submissions and spread out fees. Wait until the deadlines for final submission. As you craft your statements for each school, you will think of things you left out of other statements, better things to say, or better ways to say them. Maybe some things not to say? You can then go back to those essays and rework them with the process gains. Once you submit them, they’re out there. It’s not typical to allow editing after submission. Play to the buzzer. Do not start thinking it’s over because of the first notices you received. I've so far received received 14 rejections, not including waitlists. What if they happened to be the first notices? Ultimately I was accepted at 4 places (so far) and am waitlisted at four more. Notices are not handed out in order of the programs you were most likely to be accepted by. It isn’t over until it’s over. With that in mind, don’t give up on waitlists and especially don’t abandon possible acceptances because you’re on a waitlist. Even when you have real options in which you’re confident, do not decline offers or take yourself off of a waitlist just because you have a good option. If you have multiple offers and waitlists, you can start thinking about the ones you want to drop and give other applicants a shot at having a little less anxiety. Learn as much as you can about how a school gets its funding. It may determine the cohort make up. This may be truer for public institutions. In the case of international students, no funding may be available. Check though. Sometimes there are scholarships and fellowships available only to certain groups. The possibility and amount of funding should absolutely be a factor in whether or not you apply. I don’t believe, at least as much as others, in a “fit” for a program - I’m speaking about genre. Personality, what you wish to do with your work, these things might matter more than genre. If your magical realism writing is good, I don’t think a professor who specializes in science fiction or graphic novels is going to reject you outright. You should consider where you want to go for yourself more than them. You may be able to use your essays to contextualize your writing (I would NOT suggest your writing sample specifically) in general. A personal statement or SOP can be used to reveal your social or political goals, if they apply. Yeah, you might want to be careful here but my experience says go for it. Where I think fit does matter? The culture of the program. Some schools, for example, have graduated and/or contingent funding. Not everybody gets the same broccoli and who gets what can change year to year. this may foster a type of competition within the cohort. Other schools may foster competition by way of attention from a mentor. I would not do well in such an environment. Some people ( I have a brother who comes to mind) absolutely thrive in that situation. Be a little introspective here. And don't think competition is the only variable. My school bans agents on campus, other schools invite them. Some schools focus on art, others on product. Many lean into the business end, others avoid it. Judge them only in terms of what you need, not they way you think "things oughta be". Finally (until I remember something I've forgotten), do not think of any of this as a litmus for the quality of your work or your worth as a writer. That isn't a cuddly, feel-good sentiment. A look at the schools and their acceptances in both pattern and review reveals just how much of a subjective and even incidental, almost random, process this is. Let's take the 800 lb gorilla as an example. The Writer's Workshop accepts a dozen or so per genre per year. They have a very large applicant pool, most of whom applied to all of the other big gorillas. You can divide the cohort in three not necessarily equal parts. The first is people like me who applied all over the place and hit with some and missed with others. The second are those evil fucks who got into almost if not everywhere they fucking applied. The last group are people who may have applied all over the place and were rejected everywhere EXCEPT the workshop! All of these people are not at all unusual, how is that possible? Before we guess let me give you another scenario from my own experience. I applied to two programs at the same university. Each program is funded differently and each takes three people. Those six people take the same classes, with the same teachers, at the same time. They workshop together. They all filled out two different applications but paid ONE application fee. They are however selected by different screeners before going on to the juries who decide the final cohort by rounds. Some people are accepted at both programs, some are waitlisted at both, some are accepted at one and waitlisted at the other or accepted at one and told to kick rocks by the other. I was accepted by one and didn't even make it past the first screeners at the other. What gives? Simple. Different people are looking for different things at different times. In at least one of her hand written notes to a rejectee L S C told her "Sorry it didn't happen this year." (Italics mine). Do not give up. Ever. Sick of reading about mfa’s? maybe this will help. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mfa-writers/id1514694295

OMGGGG I just got my offer email from McGill :,))) as a re-applicant I feel such a sense of relief I can't believe this!

Just got an offer from McGill by email!

I received my results about an hour ago, and I was offered CGS-D! I'm still in disbelief and don't even have the words right now to articulate how I'm feeling!!! I was in committee 4, last name starts with C. Good luck everyone!! Regardless of the outcome, it is SO amazing to be considered for the national competition and make it this far!!

Gah! Got the email just a few minutes ago but was not awarded SSHRC. Best of luck to all of you! 💚

also, anyone in Toronto tired of being a nervous wreck, you're welcome to join the TMU students who have setup an encampment at the main campus. As someone said, more important things going on!

not sure but I do remember receiving my results at 23:59 last year, so could be a long night! Try to distract yourself Occupy a university building or 2

Does anyone else feel their grad school fate entirely tied to SSHRC? Like, if they don't get this, they might drop out of their program? Go ahead, SSHRC, take your time--just my whole future in purgatory right now. 😂

I tried to post an email update I received but it got held back by moderation. Sorry if it ends up double posting! It's not the update we were hoping for. :// They said "The results of the doctoral awards competition will be sent electronically via the SSHRC extranet next week." So we should all try to turn off our brains this weekend. We're not getting anything till Monday at the earliest.

Finally accepted!! Eeek! Didn't receive CGSM in either years of my masters or PGSD going into my PhD, but this year was the year!! if you're feeling hopeless like I was, hold out!!

Dear all, I trust you're having a good and productive week. Since the deadline is here, I want to gently remind you to formally decline any offers from schools you won't be attending (if you are reading this before April 15th at 11:59 pm). Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for success to each of you, no matter where your journey takes you. Personally, I'm hopeful that this will be my last admission cycle. Regardless of the outcome, sharing this experience with you all has been a pleasure. G-d bless. 💚

Declined my offers from NYU, Brown, and UMichigan. Congrats to the new admits!!!!! Much love ❤️

Today has been absolutely dizzying. This morning I was putting together a list of the differences between my two offers; this night I have two new offers to consider! I'm off the waitlist at Iowa State now — and there's still five more days before the 15th (which is beginning to feel impossibly far and also so close at the same time).

I just got a phone call from GW's admissions counselor welcoming me into the DrPH program!! I'm shaking, I was expecting to get rejected. Thank you to everyone on this sub for being so wonderful and supportive throughout this entire process. This is a fantastic community, and I wish you all the best!

final countdown guys!! goodluck everyone🤞

I just got an email!

Finally got into the extranet and I'm funded! I'm starting my program in the fall and got 36 months of funding. Edited to add: letter C, committee 1.

I just received an email from my institution that I was awarded SSHRC! Good luck to all of you!

I emailed again to confirm that results would be out today! Here was the response: "Good morning, The results will be downloaded in 2 batches. Some will be downloaded on the Extranet tonight and the rest tomorrow night. You will receive an email probably this afternoon with information on how to see your results." So... some of us will be out of our misery today, but not all of us. 🙃🙃

for those of you refusing to go into debt, I turned down both the offers i wound up getting. one was for 50% tuition remission and no living stipend. super expensive area, super expensive tuition, and mandatory summers that i would have to pay for as well. the other was 100% tuition remission with a competitive teaching assistantship in a medium-priced area; however, that one also came with no stipend and i am unwilling to sacrifice the time i would be spending with my stepchildren to work 32-hour weekends and return to my program stressed and unfocused. i decided to defer my 100% offer in case my circumstances change for next year. but i will also be working this year as i apply for the 2025 cycle and i already have a first-choice school in mind. good luck, everyone! i hope we all make it.

Dal has around 35 seats for both programs...that's a 7% acceptance rate 🥲 Someone could've legit been top 10% of applicants but still not have gotten in So another reminder that an acceptance does not define your worth! Doesnt matter if, next year, you're attending an SLP/Audio program, improving your application or discovering a new path, either way, you'll continue to grow and learn as a person! It's all part of the process, its never the end, just one path of many ❤️

Hi everyone, I hope you all heard good news or will hear soon. I just wanted to update you that I got an offer from Princeton and will be attending in September. It was a lovely ride here and thank you all for your support and solidarity throughout the process. I hope to see you all as wonderful future scholars! I'll make sure to write a long and detailed Lessons Learnt when the post is up. À la prochaine!

new to this forum but i also just got off the waitlist for ohio state w/ t/a fellowship! so excited. I'm still waiting on some other waitlists, does anyone have information on Columbia's? Or know when they usually come out? edit: in fiction to specify

Hi all!! It's been a while since I've been in here, I've spent the past month agonizing about decisions haha. I visited both Manhattanville and Stony Brook (I rejected The New School pretty quick because I realized it didn't offer what I wanted for teaching opportunities and it would be too expensive anyway). I was really hesitant about attending either school and was considering just reapplying next year, but after visiting SBU, I've decided that it's the right program for me! I do want to give a shoutout to Manhattanville as a program that seems to be on the rise, the whole process was very personal and inviting and the director is doing a lot of work to make it a really good place to be, but I felt that its current state didn't fit my needs and SBU was much better for me location-wise. The teaching fellowship pathway they offer is a really great opportunity though, it makes the program almost fully funded. I'd recommend looking into it for anyone applying next year, especially in NY. This forum has been a great help, and I've really loved seeing everyone's news and talking with you all! Thanks for helping me get through the season! ❤️

I was thinking the same thing! I just made one. “University of Alberta - SLP Class of 2026” on Facebook

I also got an acceptance email!!

I am dying, I am so scared!!! Good luck everyone! We all deserve to get into this amazing career, and if we do not we can apply again next year! Do not give up haha☮️😄

yus! Good luck everyone! Do we have any ballpark idea of what time responses will come??

GAHHH I can't wait any longer. Thinking about April 3 is killing me! Is anyone else going to check tomorrow at midnight??

I was also funded! CGS-D, Committee 4, last name D. @worldlyreader I would let your supervisor know! Mine had no idea until I called them.

I'm alternating between refreshing email and refreshing this thread... 😅

I'm now officially committed to Minnesota! I'm happy with this outcome: there are some amazing faculty in my area, the teaching load is perfect, and their program seems to be going in good directions in the face of the near-nonexistent job market. I can't believe I'm finished with the months of waiting. Good luck to those of you still in suspense for the next handful of days, and the best of luck to those who will be going through this hell again next round. Thank you all for your camaraderie!! ... including the ghosts of threads from years past, which I heavily relied on for insight and moral support!

Firmly accepted my offer to UofT - this will open a spot up to someone on the waitlists for Mac and Western if/when a UofT group gets made, I would love to join!

goodluck everyone! lets all hope for the best