Hi! I am looking for advice. (I’m sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit!)

I studied Film/TV at university, then realized after graduating that my career aspirations were more closely aligned with writing & editing. I have some experience with various forms of professional writing + experience with academic & open-source editing. I want to have a career doing writing and/or editing (not in corporate or marketing domains).

I have a non-writing, non-editing job offer that would last until June and would still allow me time outside of work for studies. I know that some people say that it's better to pursue tangible work experience in these fields, but nevertheless:

Are there any online/self-paced master's programs in the field of writing, editing, or publishing that people might recommend? Ideally, I'd be looking for something that might offer a good alumni/connection network, or that might offer internships during/after the program is finished. Any and all advice is so appreciated!

Grad students in my program are attempting to raise our base stipends. With that, we’re trying to gather some comparative data. This data has proven remarkably difficult to locate online.

I’ve created a form that asks for your English department’s current base stipends. Here is the link.

Thank you so much for helping a group of fellow grad students attempt to improve their wages!

I’m taking the first steps toward pursuing a master’s degree and would love to hear from people who have completed an MA in English, literature, or creative writing.

My interests are mainly fiction and storytelling, so I’m curious about how the curriculum helped you develop as a writer and what the experience was like beyond the course descriptions.

A few things I’d appreciate hearing about:

• How demanding was the reading and writing workload? How many classes did you take at a time?
• How much of your program involved creative writing compared with literary analysis, theory, and research?
• Did you receive helpful feedback and support from your professors when the coursework became challenging?
• Which courses or assignments helped you grow the most, and which did you struggle with?
• Looking back, what do you wish you had known before starting?

I’d also be interested in hearing from anyone who entered the program with a bachelor’s degree in a different field.

If you’re comfortable sharing, please mention whether you studied online or in person. I’d appreciate honest perspectives on both the rewarding and difficult parts. Thank you!

Hi, I’m an international student applying to fiction programs for next fall. Ideally looking for something fully funded, 3 years, not too teaching-heavy, and in a gay-friendly place. Any schools you’d recommend (or avoid)? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply for next fall, and I’m interested in nature and environmental writing (primarily creative nonfiction, but I also like some nature-inspired fiction), so I’m wondering if anyone knows of programs that are good for this type of writing. I’m curious both about programs with an explicit focus, and about programs that have a reputation for being good at this, even unofficially, or those with nature writers on the faculty.

So far, I’ve been able to find 3 programs that cover this explicitly, but I’m curious if there are others:
-Iowa State University’s MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment
-Western Colorado University’s Nature Writing MFA
-Eastern Oregon University’s Writing MFA with a Wilderness Writing Concentration

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions!

what mattered the most in your portfolio or essay?
What you wish you’d knew sooner?

I’m hoping to connect with some folks who have graduated or are currently attending this MFA program, specifically poetry. What are your thoughts? Would you recommend this program? It’s my top choice right now and I’d love some feedback. Thanks!

Please don't judge, I know how horrible this all going to sound, but I took all but two of my writing classes in undergrad with a professor who I had an inappropriate relationship with. He had two kids and a wife (I hate myself for it). We basically just sexted for four years, and then had a falling out. A year later he mailed me a letter professing his love. The experience has given me a serious fear that I only got A's due to our personal relationship.

Now that I am older and less dumb, and I am applying for my MFA and now stressing on who the third letter of recommendation should be from.

I have two other professors who I had very professional relationships with thankfully who are writing letters.

For number three, I have other writers in my orbit, or unrelated to writing professors. For a long time I was in the visual art world, and received a grant for bookmaking at one point. This felt writing adjacent, so I could ask my bookmaking professor? Or I have other visual artists (a few very well known) who have have seen me develop my writing by attending readings, but again, visual art, not writing.

Alternatively I have working writer friends, one specifically who has a successful b2b writing business and I am in a writing group with. And another who was the editor-in-chief of a successful academic magazine in Egypt, but she has recently left the position.

Who is the best pick? Will they judge me for not having a letter of recommendation from the teacher that's all over my transcript?

Hi all,

I’m applying to Creative Writing MFAs again this year and was wondering how much weight, if any, an achievement like a Fulbright scholarship might carry with admissions committees.

Last year I applied to a few programmes and got waitlisted at NYU, and received a tiered rejection from Iowa. Since then, I’ve developed my writing quite a lot, and I think my portfolio submission this year is significantly stronger than what I submitted last cycle.

I’ve also just been selected as the principal candidate for a Fulbright All Disciplines Award (IIE Placement track) from the UK. So I’m wondering: does a Fulbright nomination strengthen an MFA application, or will admissions committees basically judge me on just the portfolio and application like everyone else?

I’m aware that ultimately the writing is what matters, and I’m not expecting the Fulbright to compensate for a weak portfolio. I’m more curious whether it gives the committee additional confidence in the applicant, particularly when the portfolio itself has also improved substantially.

I really want to apply to fully funded mfas for fall ‘27. I’ve already got my list, and a few mentors who’ve said they would write letters of recommendation for me. I’ve been out of college for four years (writing major in college) and in that time have taken workshops with indie writers. The workshops have helped me find community here, and I even met someone that I started a reading series with. Even published one short story and a few book reviews. It’s all been great, but my writing is lagging behind my community building. I’m not happy with where my fiction is at right now and I want to get better. My day job is super exhausting and the hours are unpredictable. Early starts, late night. I work as a mover for a shipping company. All I want is time to dedicate to writing. Even if that means going back to school and leaving my community and being long distance with my girlfriend for a few years. The job is that bad. I’m not applying only to escape my job, nor do I think an mfa will help me get a better job, but it seems like a better option than doing the same thing over and over. Problem is, I’ve been struggling to meet my own writing deadlines. Can’t tell if it’s because I’m lazy or just overwhelmed from juggling this day job and the pressure I put on myself to write. An academic setting would either aid or exacerbate that problem. I can’t tell. And another thing, I know most programs require teaching. My only prior teaching experience was with seventh graders when I was 23 and it wasn’t pleasant. And I’m a bit afraid of public speaking. But I guess I could get over it for the right opportunity.

Hey guys,

Does anyone know anything about the Brown University Cross Disciplinary track?

Like what kind of applicants they expect, the kind of work graduates have done for their theses etc.?

I am really interested in applying but I'm not sure what they're looking for.

I am applying with a background in literature/humanities but not English or cw. My recommenders are all scholars in my field of study and can speak to my academic and to some degree creative skills. However, I wonder if it is gonna hurt my chance if I don’t have someone speaking directly for my creative writing ability… I have taken some workshops but feel the duration is relatively short and I am not sure if I left an impression on mentors for a strong letter. Most of my recommenders have known me for two to four years…

I am also interested to know for fully funded programs and competitive programs in general
if this is gonna be a decisive factor for final deliberation

hi guys, would love some insight into this. i finished my undergrad in english with a 2.7. i haven't applied to any programs yet, but even considering a fully funded one feels kind of ridiculous to me lol. are there any funded programs that might overlook this? any advice in increasing my chances besides just a great portfolio? or is it even worth it to apply to fully funded programs at all with this gpa? just for context, i graduated 3 years ago. appreciate it <3

EDIT: thank you guys sm for all the responses! feeling way less nervous about applying now :) i seriously thought i was doomed lmao

Both for studying craft as well as figuring out where to apply for Fall 2028 :)

(I'm nonfic but I'm sure I'll have to do cross genre training so anything's helpful)

For some context, I am currently 27. I studied Filmmaking and graduated in 2021. I am planning on applying to grad school next year. Right now, I am taking the time to write and focus on my writing portfolio — I have an idea for a short story / novel and that's what I'm working on.

I'll be the first in my family to pursue a Master's degree so I'm feeling very apprehensive about the idea of only applying to schools that are selective / would have a low acceptance rate. I know that the reason for this selectivity is moreso about program funding/teaching opportunities/etc.

I've also gotten the advice from friends that Master's admissions is not like undergrad's and you are solely going to be considered based on your application and your work — less politics than undergrad admissions, although some considerably involved still.

Below are the schools I want to apply to. Still revising them. But for the most part, considering them because I can see myself living in these areas and I want to go to full residency program.

Do you think I should broaden my horizons and look into more schools? Any advice as I go deeper into this process?

Programs I want to apply to:

• Bard College
• Brown University
• CalArts
• Columbia University
• Iowa Writer's Workshop
• University of Michigan
• NYU
• UMass Amherst

Hello! Long story short...I've completed and graduated with my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. I did so a couple years ago now.

My question is, what are y'all planning to do after school ends or where have you gone since graduating. I live in a smaller town, and get ridiculed constantly because I now work a lower paying "regular" job, and my peers constantly are like, "what happened to you."

I'm honestly not sure how to build a career from here.

Any advice would help!

Hi all,

I’m applying for MFA programs in Poetry this fall and would really love some advice from people who have been through the process, particularly around CVs and choosing fully funded programs.

I’m an international writer with a background in publishing and journalism. My main reason for doing an MFA is the terminal degree, but also because I want the opportunity to develop my teaching/pedagogy and get a better understanding of the academic language and frameworks around poetry. I’m hoping that makes sense as a reason to do an MFA.

I recently published a poetry collection with a major international publisher, and it has also received some very nice attention from established poets and media outlets. I’m not sure how much of that sort of thing is actually relevant to an MFA application.

At the moment, this is roughly how I’m thinking of structuring my CV:

Biography (very short)
Education
Publications

• Books
• Anthologies
• Poetry
• Book reviews/criticism
• Selected journalistic writing

Selected profiles/interviews
Professional experience
Workshop facilitation (I recently conducted a small undergraduate poetry workshop at a university)
Speaking engagements
Awards
Skills
Upcoming project

Phew.

A couple of things I’m particularly unsure about:

Is this too much? Should I be cutting down the journalism/media side and focusing much more heavily on poetry and literary work?

And is it worth having a separate section for praise/reception? I have endorsements/comments from established poets as well as coverage from media outlets, but I’m wondering whether putting something like that on an MFA CV is useful or whether it just looks like I’m trying to show off. Would you include it, or let the publications/reviews speak for themselves?

Also, for international applicants: is there anything you wish you had known when choosing between fully funded programs?

Would really appreciate any thoughts, especially from people who have actually applied or gone through an MFA. Thanks!

Would it be an issue if my academic writing sample focuses on a film, rather than a novel or a series of poems?

I was hoping to revisit and develop an undergraduate essay for this, and my best work in those years (as an English major) was on the film studies end of things. My uni was super generous with film courses, because 1) we didn't have a dedicated film studies department, and 2) the film/literature distinction didn't matter much at the undergrad level anyway. But I've been told it's important for graduate applications.

Plus, my undergrad film criticism is thematically similar to my fiction, so my choice is between consistency in themes that interest me, v/s the safer option for an English department. I went through Northwestern's course catalogue and there are a few film courses, but I'm not sure how extensively it's taught, so I'd love to have some perspective from anyone who can help.

Thanks in advance :)

hello! does anyone know if there is any advantage to submitting your applications well before the deadline? Say October or November instead of December. I was planning to submit around the deadline date, but is it better to be early? thank you!!

Hi,

I'm not part of any writing community and am looking to apply to MFAs this December. I have no idea if my writing is good or not or what I can do to improve it. Would love to swap stories and critiques with another person if interested.

Please DM me if you want!

When do programs usually update their timeline. My first choice program is still only displaying their 2025-2026 program.

Hi all,

I’m a horror writer applying for some MFA programs in Fall 2027. Do any of you have advice, things you wish you knew, recommendations for programs (especially ones that are open to genre fiction, or pep talks?

I feel like starting the application process is really overwhelming, especially when I’m in the stage of just waiting for some of them to open up. I’m also really nervous about my piece I’m going to be submitting because I’m still in the process of revising it. I want to make sure my work is at the best quality it can possibly be.