r/MFAInCreativeWriting

I want to apply to fiction MFAs in the US. I am an international student and my writing sample, which consists of short stories, contains some names, areas and details that may be obvious to people from my cultural background but not so much to an admissions committee in the US. How much should I consider this while putting together my sample? Or should I simply submit my best work, even if the context may be tricky to understand for an American?

Secondly, there are around 20 programmes on my shortlist right now. Is it better to narrow down and focus on 7-10 that might suit me and my writing best or should I just shoot my shot everywhere I can? Appreciate any and all advice; thank you.

I thought it was pretty normal to start a two-year program without a set-in-stone idea for my final manuscript/thesis, but some people in my cohort seemed surprised and concerned by my lack of a first draft, much less my lack of an outline. I am transitioning out of bartending and into academia, and have mostly written flash fiction/short stories throughout my time behind the bar. I was awarded a fellowship, which is super flattering and helps a lot financially, but classes start next week and I'm starting to freak out because I'm still unsure what I want to write. Am I being an idiot? Please be brutally honest -- and if you started your MFA without a clue about what you were going to write, how did you fare? Thanks in advance!

What does a writing portfolio entail really? I've been working on a longer project + maybe some shorter excerpts from stories I've written, I realize there's no right combination really but what makes a portfolio tick aka what mix of completed/excerpted work, does it help at all to be consistent stylistically? This matters less to me since most of my work has a pretty uniform throughline but still interested in hearing other perspectives.

Also, do prior publications matter as far as the overall strength of your application (I realize the process can be quite arbitrary but I'm looking for some thoughts from people who have gotten into selective or not-so-selective writing programs). I'm based outside the US to clarify, don't have much experience with the US admissions pipeline. Any thoughts appreciated.

I'm looking into masters opportunities and I was wondering whether it was possible to teach creative writing with either an MA or MFA in creative writing (specifically in Europe in my case, but also broadly for the rest of the world). A lot of previous threads I've seen discuss this in an American context, but I was wondering what it was like for those of us who don't live in/don't want to live in the USA. Any information related to teaching creative writing (and even experiences with MAs/MFAs) would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I’m looking to get my MA or MFA in poetry. I’ve been looking into low-residency programs here in the states that are mostly online, but with in-person visits every semester.

I’m curious if there are equivalents in the UK at all!

I’m a flight attendant so traveling for semester or summer stays is entirely doable.

Any recommendations?

I was thinking about the Common Wealth short story prize controversy this year over Ai usage. While they ultimately stood behind the authors work as original, it was still flagged as Ai by many checkers (apparently).

it just has me wondering how academia deals with this in the application process. I decided to run one of my stories through an AI checker (although it's not even remotely Ai), and it was flagged as Ai. it even listed the exact reasoning (apparently the relationship between two characters raised the flag). Then I ran it through another checker that said it was fully human written. I have many fears of the reasons I may not be accepted to grad school, and the latest one is being disqualified due to Ai flagging my work as Ai when it isn't Ai.

also I know even posting this makes it appear as if I am someone who uaes Ai, but I'm not. I would equate this fear to something like the common fear of being sure that the stolen merchandise detectors are going to go off when you walk out of a store even though you didn't steal anything. I truly I believe in "what would the point of creative writing be if you're using Ai" and yadda yadda.