2 out of 3 verdicts in
Filed under AFK on March 6, 2006
Tagged: rejection letters
I got rejection letters from both Iowa and Montana, the former on Saturday and the latter today. While Iowa was my first choice, I knew it was the longest shot, cushioning the blow. Adding Montana to that beat the cushion to the pulp. Of late, my ego has been fragile where writing is concerned, and this rattles it some more.
I won’t hear from Western Washington until mid-April. That program is an MA with a Creative Writing focus, as opposed to an MFA. I applied there as an undergraduate and was accepted. It’s a beautiful campus in beautiful country. The change of scenery will be beneficial. Still, it was my third choice, and some part of me feels like going there will be settling.
The other part of me thinks I’ll get rejected again.
March 7th, 2006 at 7:01 am
“Still, it was my third choice.”
I hope they aren’t reading this blog, then.
Chin up, Kam. Knock your Scroll out of the park.
I’d recommend finishing it before you enter a writing program. Yes, I have a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to graduate programs… Mine was a push to “Think like us”, which I abhored.
And I haven’t come up with any title suggestions worth sharing.
March 7th, 2006 at 8:13 am
It’s a small consolation, but when I was accepted into a program it was during their second round of picks. The programs make offers, and when those are refused, they go to their next candidates.
Of course this isn’t likely with Iowa, but I’m not familiar with the Montana program.
Also, you can always apply again next year. This isn’t a dead end, just a frustration.
Again, small consolation.
Some thoughts on “settling” …
In my mind, it comes down to prioritizing my goals for graduate school. Are you looking to be “taught” how to write? Clearly Kam doesn’t need to be, and I’m not even sure this can be done. Being surrounded by a community of writers can be of value, but I’ve found that the commitment of student-writers varies widely.
One hundred years ago there weren’t Creative Writing programs. Has our craft undergone a renaissance with the proliferation of programs? If not, then I’d say it calls into question the value of such programs as means of teaching people to become writers.
However, if you _are_ already writer, then a program can buy you time to devote yourself to the craft. Four (or more) years dedicated to writing — that’s an opportunity I’d kill for right now.
For me, graduate school was about getting another 4 years to work only part-time and write, a window of opportunity. I’d do it again in a minute. In my mind, the quality of a program came second; I just wanted the time. (Strangely, because of this I got a lot more out of the program than many of my friends who felt their teachers had failed them. I spent all my time writing; they much of their time learning to write.)
Which is to say, don’t worry about “settling.” Regardless of the program, you can only learn and write as much as YOU are willing to learn and write.
March 7th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Gah. A graduate degree and I still can’t edit. Please excuse the typos and errrors.
March 7th, 2006 at 9:48 am
I’ve rarely seen an MFA really help anyone in our field — not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s not a job requirement, and can sometimes even hinder your ability to write well, so I’m not sure how much practical value it has, other than, as Grimmy says, buying you time. If teaching is your ultimate goal, then of course it’s important, but if writing is your ultimate goal, and the teaching job is just a good day job to have while you focus on your novels, then you might not even want a “top-notch” school because what they teach has, frankly, very little to do with writing that sells.
But none of that takes away the sting of rejection. ::HUGS::
March 7th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
I would say my goal is two-fold. First and foremost is to be able to teach and get a reasonable salary doing so. The second is a chance to have that “window” dedicated to writing. I thought it might also be an opportunity to improve my literary background, as I avoided most lit classes while an undergrad.
March 8th, 2006 at 10:34 am
You have my total sympathies.
One of my four has turned me down so far, and I haven’t got any acceptance letters either. Not really a surprise, but disheartening nonetheless.
Hang in there, Kam!
Cheers
March 8th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I remember you talking about your first round of rejections on your blog (or somewhere). There’s always some comfort in going through something alongside someone else.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Kameron,
I’m sorry to hear that. Try not to be too discouraged. You’ve already learned that persistence pays off so I know you’ll hang in.
I’ll tell you my story, which probably won’t be of much help, but here it is anyway.
When I was applying to law schools, my first choices were Michigan, Harvard, and Yale(that’s not as strange as it may sound to a non-lawyer; Michigan Law is like Iowa’s writing program — top five). I got waitlisted at all of them. Meanwhile, I got accepted to the other Big Ten law schools to which I applied but they did not excite me. Not long afterward, I received the rejection letters from Harvard, Yale and Michigan. So I struggled with what to do. Attend Minnesota or Illinois law, or wait another year, maybe retake the LSAT? I felt as you did — namely, that to attend Minn. or Ill. was to settle.
At that time, the right answer for me was to wait a year and reapply. Jen and I were married but did not yet have the boys. So I delayed enrollment a year. I spent the year working, writing, then reapplied the next year. The admissions officer from UofM called me on April 1 and I swear I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. It wasn’t, so Michigan it was. Not sure what factored into the decision the second time around that got me over the hump, but there it was.
There’s no lesson in this; I just thought I’d share. In truth, if the same thing happened to me today, I’d go to Ill. or Minn. in a hearbeat. We’ve got the boys and I’d want to get the career going and I now know that the relative prestige of the institution from which one graduates is important for about the first year after graduation. After that, it’s all you, baby.
Keep us posted and hang in there.
March 9th, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Wow, I really appreciate you sharing that Paul. I’m definitely not in a position to wait another year, so if I get accepted at WWU, that’s where I’ll be going. And you’re right, the prestige of the program will tarnish in a couple years. My education is already listed at the bottom of my current resume.