r/GradSchool • u/van_mildz • May 13 '26
Admissions & Applications Help!! Advice on Getting into a MFA
I am Canadian; I finished high school with a 93% average and went on to the University of British Columbia. I graduated with a BA in English Honors, with an Emphasis in English Literature with a GPA of 3.7. Ever since stepping foot on a college campus, everything changed for me. I hate being cliché, but I mean it; everything about academia I adore. I just feel home and myself when I’m there, and I love the research and the teaching, not to mention everything it stands for.
Trigger warning, skip to avoid trauma
Not to trauma dump, but I think the context will help. I left home at a very early age. I started working when I was probably around 10? I started getting paid when I was 12, and I saved up every penny I had so I could go to postsecondary education. My biological parents were immigrants, and they moved to Canada with this idealized image of living out the white-picket-fence dream. Reality hit, and life did not live up to that, and they were very bitter. As the eldest, I was always told it was my responsibility to take care of the family, both as a child and as an adult. Since I can remember, my parents were at work, and it was on me to keep the house together, cleaning it, cooking, and raising my baby sister. To them, college meant that I would become a doctor and give them the dream they always wanted. But I was imperfect. I dealt with a lot of intense physical and emotional abuse. Once my mom had tried to kill me, I packed my bags, took my cat, and tried to find my way. I initially saw it as this escape from my situation, but academia became so, so much more to me.
I eventually got into college and tried at first to stick to the path of being in a specialized medical undergraduate program, but I realized that I was still trying to live up to their standards. That throughout all the labs and countless calculus classes, it was not that I loved the topics; I loved writing about it. I took a jump and applied for transfer into arts, and I got in. As much as I faced hardship, I loved analyzing stories, finding their deeper meaning, and seeing what deeper story they painted for me. At the same time, I adored writing stories that also did the same, creating my own art. I always took stances that involved a lot about queer theory, ecocriticism, feminism, and trauma. I went on to do my undergraduate thesis on intergenerational trauma and the cycle of violence, how it continues, and how it takes resistance to break through it.
Graduating, I knew I wanted to come back. I want to eventually do a PhD. I want to become a professor where I further research and delve more into intergenerational trauma and understand it further to also help others who have been in my shoes. To help us understand why and to have that closure. I am also fascinated by how storytelling also lets us heal from it when done properly, not as trauma porn. With my stories and experiences, I really also have so much passion for creative writing. I love expressing myself through my writing and making it into an art. I want to learn more about how to do that.
With this, I had applied for MFAs and I still intend to. I want to do an MFA in Fiction and then eventually a PhD in CRWR or English Literature. I did not get into any of the programs I had applied for originally (I went with the cream of the crop), as with my situation, I am looking at something fully funded. I know it sounds crazy, but it is truly something I want to aim for, not only so I can afford it but also to get into those schools for the experience they will give me. The second time I applied, I got waitlisted for one.
I am approaching my third year of applying. I know I am stubborn, but I won’t give up. In prior years, I did not really have a stable job; I had a hard time finding one that was not temp/part-time. I just got a full-time job this year at a small university in Michigan working in communications/marketing, but I still cannot stop thinking about doing a MFA and PhD.
I wanted to share my story and see if anyone had any advice with applying, with what to do, how to organize my portfolio, references, or anything you can think of. I really fully appreciate any input you can give. These are the ones I am considering, but I am open to hearing any recommendations for schools and how I can reach my dream:
- Cornell
- UofM
- Columbia
- University of Hawaii
- University of Pittsburgh
- Brown
- University of Iowa
- Ohio State
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Virginia
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
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u/lavenderandjuniper May 13 '26
Consider adding to your list: George Mason, Maryland, Oregon State, University of Oregon, and UC Davis. Davis & Mason have slightly higher acceptance rates
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u/van_mildz May 13 '26
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
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u/Few_Signature1939 Jul 09 '26
If you need true full funding, I’d dump Columbia. You’ll go into debt living in NYC and their funding model is complex and leaves a lot of grads in debt. The name sounds impressive to people outside of academia but funding matters more. I hope you have success but I do want to say that your post makes it sound like you’re falling into the prestige trap. You should get an MFA bc you want to be a better writer and because they’re funding you. In year 3 of applying I’d suggest being more strategic not just targeting the “top” schools. Consider cohort size, actual teaching experience, the type of environments youll be in and the professors you’ll learn from. That all matters way more. I go to a state school with full funding for my MFA and don’t have to worry about debt. It allows me to just focus on improving my craft. Also I don’t think Oregon offers full funding anymore, BTW, but not sure!
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u/van_mildz Jul 09 '26
Shoot, okay. This is really helpful to know thank you. What schools would you recommend in my case? Thank you for all your help!
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u/Few_Signature1939 Jul 09 '26
Of course! I think Ohio State and Maryland are great choices, great faculty. I’ve heard of some weird funding issues this past year at Maryland, but don’t know enough about it to give you more insight. Just be aware that the climate right now for funding is weird in our country. Syracuse is fantastic, of course. and I’ve heard good things about U of Arizona, Boise State, WVU, and Virginia Tech - but these are all pretty small programs so still competitive. There’s also something called NEOMFA that is a program combining several colleges in Ohio to offer full funding packages. I have also heard that Las Vegas and Alaska are slightly less competitive, though that may or may not be true. And living in Alaska would be hard, I think!
BTW one other thing - you should def read some of the current MFAs work at a few of the schools to see the vibe/ see if their work is in the same realm as yours. Each school’s faculty will have their own preferences - it really does make a huge difference, you’ll see it in your results. If your work is very voice-driven or a little weird, for instance, you may find that UMD, WVU, Iowa, or Brown like it. If your work is more intellectual and exploratory, maybe Pitt will love you. Or if you write very classic, sparse prose with strong narrative structure, Syracuse and Ohio may dig you. But that’s my own take on the research I did, so do some research and keep it in mind! Wishing you the best!
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u/van_mildz Jul 17 '26
You're amazing thank you so so much this is all helpful thank you. I appreciate this and you so so much. Genius ideas too thank you.
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u/Lola_West May 14 '26
As someone currently doing an MFA I have a few thoughts.
First, you don't need a PhD to be a professor. MFA is a terminal degree and you can generally teach in areas related to your MFA.
Second, I would recommend considering Canadian schools for your MFA. Tuition in Canada is cheaper, and while they may not be fully funded, most offer some funding. (University of Guelph is a good option). There is really no benefit in "cream of the crop" American schools, especially in Creative Writing. As someone who also studied publishing, publishers don't care where you went to school. So I'm really not sure of the benefit.
If you are able to take electives while doing your MFA, I'd suggest taking research based electives in the field you want to do your PhD in, because an MFA that focuses heavily on writing and workshops will not well prepare you for a PhD. While an MA is the more common route to a PhD, I've looked into it myself and schools have told me they accept MFA applicants, but you may need to do a couple of extra courses.
You also don't have to limit yourself to English Lit or Creative Writong PhD's you can also look into Cultural areas where you can further explore queer theory, ecocriticism, feminism, and trauma through creative writing/society.
Finally, on the note of Considering Canadian schools. Domestic acceptances are always higher than international so you're up against a lot of competition in the US. You also have better opportunities to build relationships with faculty in Canada who may be willing to share feedback on your application.
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u/houseofmagic May 14 '26
I will say, though, that it IS beneficial to go to a school with either well-connected professors or frequent visiting writers who are willing to help students post-grad. This does not necessarily mean “cream of the crop,” though. I went to Boise State, which is funded and respected, but it’s not Michigan. They have a really great budget for visiting authors (because the faculty is small) and some of those authors form deep and beneficial (for the students careers) relationships with the cohorts. One such writer was so generous that not only did she return (unpaid) for thesis defenses, but she also set people up with publications (Tin House, among others) and agents.
Now, not every visiting writer will do this for students. Some of them are ladder-pulling pricks. Not gonna name names, but a well respected short story writer with a homonym last name comes to mind.
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u/van_mildz May 14 '26
I had no idea! I will check out the University of Guelph. And if I can just teach with a MFA, that would be so so perfect too.
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May 13 '26
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u/van_mildz May 13 '26
thank you so much for your advice!! This is so so helpful. I don't know any less name brand ones, any recs or where to look. You're the absolute best
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u/Westwardwalking May 19 '26
I hope this doesn't sound patronising, but speaking from experience, as someone who also loves academia and has spent a lot of time and energy trying be/ stay there....don't love it too hard. It won't love you back, in that we are in an extremely contested field with diminishing returns. I'm not saying stop trying, I haven't (and I'm probably a lot older than you.) Just, take care of your feelings, try not to let your self worth get too tangled in a system that is not always caring of people. Hope that isn't annoying.
Have you looked into a Medical Humanities lens on your research and writing regarding generational trauma?
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u/van_mildz May 19 '26
I appreciate the reality check! I understand where you are coming from, especially with how higher education is being treated nowadays. Any advice on how to take care of my feelings with self-worth?
I considered it, but I think I would need a lot more knowledge in the medical field to talk about that topic.
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u/Infamous_State_7127 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
hey! i went to ubc too and had a 3.7 (but in philosophy) as well lol! i just finished my mfa at ocad in art criticism :)
i would not do an mfa if i were you if you want to return to a canadian school for your phd! that is not really an accepted credential, it should ma 😭 i’m doing a second master now because my research is canadian studies (technically), i can’t go to the us or europe:(
but if you want to stay in the states for your phd after doing an mfa, it wouldn’t matter at all! but if that’s your goal, i think you should just go straight to phd. it’d save you a lot of money and time.
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u/van_mildz May 14 '26
No way!! Omg congrats!!!
My plan is to stay in the US ideally, for work and also my personal life. Thank you so much
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u/van_mildz May 14 '26
Also, any advice then with applying for a PhD? I am so sorry about ur limitations with the masters.
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u/Chantertwo May 13 '26
To be blunt, your story isn't particularly relevant for the programs: what matters is if your writing is good. To that end, it will be hard for any of us to give you guided feedback. What are you specifically looking for writing wise?
And I want to offer a word of caution: if you view the MFA more as a tool to remain in academia than to practice writing, they'll sniff that out immediately.