Just got an email from the director of School C. Said to call when I get the chance. I called, and there was good news, bad news, and advice.
The good news: he said my sample's been getting high marks and strong votes in the committee, and he wouldn't be surprised if I hear back from half the schools I applied to. I can't express how proud this makes me feel.
The bad news: many programs just don't have money this year, due to the flailing economy. Many schools are in tight spots as their endowments have shrunk drastically depending on how they were handled. On one side of the spectrum the school I work for invested very conservatively and saw its endowment take a hit that, compared to the average, is not too bad. Better still, we don't handle much of our operational budget from the endowment, so we're not feeling the pressure yet. Other schools survive by their endowment and have already seen huge chunks of it disappear. So it depends on the school.
The advice: don't go into debt for an MFA degree. If I get an offer with money, grab it and hold on. If I get an offer but there's no money, ask if I can defer for a year and hope things will look up by then. (They won't I'm pretty sure.)
Even so, I'm still reeling from the good news!
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2 comments:
Hey Funky Muffins,
I jumped over here the MFA Blog. Best of luck with Greensboro. It sounds like you're in good shape. Jim's cool, huh? The "take the money and run, and consider deferring if you have to"--was that from him? I only ask because he told me almost the same thing. Pulling hard for you out here.
All best,
Greg
Yes, it was. I appreciated how straightforward he was. He seemed like a real nice guy, and gave me a good feeling about the program.
Thanks for the well wishes!
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