7 Tips For Your 2023 MFA Application
MFA application season is coming up! A Master’s in Fine Arts can provide time to write, feedback from professors and peers, teaching experience, and community. If you’re planning to apply, it can be a stressful and emotional process but also so exciting. Here are some tips to help the process.
Figure Out What You’re Looking For
Not every MFA program is right for every writer, so you have to decide what you want your MFA experience to look like. When compiling your list of schools, be realistic about your priorities. What is most important to you when it comes to things like funding, teaching opportunities, city of residence, faculty, cross-genre writing, community events, etc? If you can’t see yourself moving out of your current city, look for local and low-residency options. If you (understandably) don’t want to pay tuition or take out loans, there are a number of programs that fully fund some or all of their MFA students.
Resources:
Poets & Writers: 2019 MFA Index
The Workshop: Fully Funded MFAs
Get Organized
Every program has different deadlines, application fees, page limits, and other requirements. If you’re applying to a bunch of different programs, it can be challenging to keep track of everything. Start a spreadsheet of all your applications in progress with important dates and requirements. Also, be aware of tasks that need to be done in advance—things like ordering transcripts and requesting letters of recommendation. For me, it helped to make a timeline of tasks with realistic deadlines so I could avoid leaving anything to the last minute.
Locate Your Support System
Once you get into the process, it’s so important to have people in your corner who can listen to you dream and vent, comfort you through disappointments, and whole-heartedly celebrate your successes. If you don’t already have a writing group, I highly recommend joining or starting one to exchange work and share community. Online groups like Facebook MFA Draft can also be a great way to get in touch with other writers applying for MFA’s. (The Facebook group was where I first connected with someone who later went to the same program as me and became a very close friend.)
Compile a Writing Sample of Your Best Work
The writing sample is the most important part of your application. It is weighed the most heavily by application committees, by far. You should submit writing that best represents your aims and abilities, something you’ve revised multiple times and showed to a few trusted readers. This might be something you’ve been working on for the last six months or something you haven’t written yet. Either way, this should be the place you focus the majority of your application efforts.
Write Multiple Drafts of Your Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose is a form of its own, and it can be particularly tricky to write. Start by brainstorming what topics you write about and authors that inspire you. How would you describe your writing style? Why do you write what you write? All of these will help you write your first draft.
In the same way your writing sample will go through multiple drafts and versions, I’d recommend doing the same for your statement. Write, revise, ask a friend for feedback, and revise again.
Resource: The Workshop: “How I Wrote My Statement of Purpose”
Put Your Best Foot Forward, But Don’t Sweat the Small Things
Don’t worry if all your recommendations aren’t from tenured faculty or you don’t have any publications on your record. Showcase those things if you have them, but also know that they don’t matter very much. I asked a friends who hosted my writing group to write one of my recommendations, and plenty of writers get into excellent programs without any prior publications. Edit your application to the best of your ability, but if you find a typo after submitting your application, don’t panic. These will have no bearing on the final decision.
Remind Yourself Why You Love to Write
The application process can be a slog. It can feel draining, soulless, and take the magic out of writing. Take some active steps to remind yourself that you love to write. This could mean signing up for a writing class, brainstorming new project ideas, or reading for pleasure. No matter what happens with your applications, you’re still a writer. Always remember that.
