In my pursuit of an MFA program, I have often seeked out information on the Web to see what advice or applicant experiences are out there. Every program is different, particularly with their admission procedures. This is now my third attempt at applying to MFA programs, so I thought I'd track this journey for those of you who might find my experience helpful.
Let me give you some background info. on myself. I've been writing fiction and poetry for over fifteen years. I wrote my first novel in 2004, which was read and rejected by agents due to its unmarketability. I'm now working on my second novel, which is much more mainstream. I expect that when it's done it will be accepted by an agent, at the very least.
I have a BA in literature from SUNY Purchase and an MA in writing from Manhattanville College. During my time at Manhattanville, I worked as Managing Editor, then Chief Editor of Inkwell, a nationally recognized literary journal. If you don't know of this mag, check it out: www.inkwelljournal.org.
I've known for quite some time that I wanted to be a professor of creative writing, but only after I received my MA did I discover that it's very difficult to do that without an MFA and publishing credentials. So in 2004 I applied to UNC Greensboro, Iowa U (I was dreaming), and George Mason U. I completed my apps by January '04. I received rejection letters by May 1st. I then emailed the heads of all those programs to ask for advice on future applications. Only the George Mason head was helpful. He was the first person who made it crystal clear to me just how competitive the MFA programs are. He suggested applying to at least five schools and using my absolute best writing sample. He also said to work voraciously (good GRE word) to get stuff published, as every little notch helps your chances. I was going to apply to more schools for 2005, but then I moved to NC from NY and my hubby and I conceived our daughter (why do people say, "we became pregnant?" The day my husband takes on 50% of the carrying and delivery of a baby, I'll use the plural pronoun). Needless to say, I got sidetracked for about eighteen months after that. During that time and since then, I have freelanced as an editor and evaluator for iUniverse.
Anyhoo, now I'm refocused on my career and I'm applying to three MFA programs in NC: UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, and NCSU. I'm getting my apps. together for the fall '08 term. Wilmington admits on a rolling basis, and the other two don't really commit to admitting on a rolling basis on their Web sites, but I have a feeling they do use a rolling method. I am retaking the GRE in July, as my original score on verbal (in 2004) was 450. Eeeek! But I'm older and wiser now, and
I'm going to post periodically with updates on the application process. Any comments are welcome! Here's a great resource for anyone who's a serious writer: www.newpages.com. They have good databases of writing programs and literary magazines to submit to.
Please throw in your two cents!
DSJ
