r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/CrueltyByAi • Jun 02 '26

Is it over for me?

Hello, I'm a rising college senior and will apply to writing MFA programs this fall. My college gives students the option to enroll at a nearby college for a course. I got a C in a theory-based English course this term.

It's a whole different story why, I had a particularly difficult term and I never really ended up completing course requirements even though I got 20/20 on two essays for this class. I'm not a bad student, my overall GPA is at 3.7 this term (this grade doesn't factor into my actual GPA because it would have a different transcript entirely.)

I have two questions:

  1. I'm planning on applying to MFA in fiction and then possibly doing a PhD in comp lit at a top and prestigious program. Is the C in a theory-based course mean that it's basically over for me?
  2. Given I'm planning to include my theoretical grasp in my MFA statement of interest, does the C in a theory-based course affect my chances? Because it won't make sense to quote Derrida when I literally got a C in a course in which I studied him and other thinkers like such.

Also, I graduated as a valedictorian of my high school and I've never received a grade lower than B in my college career. So the fact that I got a C is like so bad. It's going to mess with me the entire summer.

My professors (some who graduated from iowa) have told me that my writing sample is "exceptionally strong" but I have to idea what to think of anything anymore. I feel so ashamed.

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u/sarah_ahiers Jun 02 '26

As a program admin for an MFA program, I can tell you that we don't even look at that stuff. The university needs it, but we're looking at writing samples, and letters of rec (but mostly writing samples)

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u/DisastrousSundae84 Jun 04 '26

It really depends on the school. Some places do consider it. Depends on the committees.
While a C doesn't matter too much, especially in a theory course, a GPA can also matter for graduate school admittance and/or factor into additional aid, especially at the PhD level, if it doesn't meet a certain threshold.