How to Apply to Master’s Programs

So you’ve done the research. Perhaps you have a good idea of at least half if not two-thirds of the programs you may want to apply to. So what next?

Part 2 of “How to Get Into a Writing MFA Program”

Etiquette, that’s what. First, read these:

• Intro to the Application:
  InsideHighered’s “A Guy Who May Have Read Your MFA Application Speaks”
• How to ask for a letter of recommendation:
  Cathy Day’s “MFA Letter of Recommendation FAQ”
• What you should supply your recommenders:
  Cathy Day’s “MFA Letter of Recommendation FAQ”
• The no-shit version of recommendation letter etiquette:
  “Advice on the Etiquette of Requesting Recommendation Letters from Your Teachers”

Now do this:

1. Statement of Purpose
2. Resume / C.V.
3. Create a deadlines spreadsheet — for your recommenders
4. Ask for recommendations
5. Do the work
6. Have a writing buddy
7. Review your materials
8. Thank everyone

Let’s start, shall we?

1. Statement of Purpose
   
   I claim that the first draft of a statement of purpose halved my search time. Why? Because it forced me to identify my focus, which forced me to pare down my search. Think of it as a tool for you before it becomes a tool for the admissions committee.
   
   The Statement of Purpose then does triple-time when it is time to ask for letters of recommendation. Why? Because you’re going to send a polished, though not necessarily final, draft to your recommenders. Not only does it show them you are serious, but it also serves a convenient “Hey! Remember me? By the way, this is where I am now in life and this is why I want to go to X, Y or Z programs.” This also helps them point out why you want to go to said program in their letters as well. Cha-ching!
2. Resume / C.V.
   
   It’s not fun. Suck it up. Writing one will force you to remember everything you’ve done so far, and is yet another artifact to send to someone you want to ask for a letter of recommendation: tactfully remind them who you were, catch them up to where you’re going.
3. Create a Deadlines Spreadsheet — For Your Recommenders
   
   Mine included the following columns:

• Type: Low res vs. online vs. regular, etc.
• Deadline: I suggest self-chosen deadlines so you can beat the mass rush and waive the application fee (Goddard College) and be eligible for more scholarships (Pacific University).
• Means of Submission: Believe it or not, some colleges still use snail mail! Make sure to send your professor a cover sheet and a pre-addressed envelope way ahead of time. The rest of the world sends an email directly to your professor or provides the link or the email address they should refer to.
• Why This Program: “See Statement of Purpose, attached in email.”
• Reminder Date: This isn’t a reminder for them. This is a reminder for you to remind them! Then you don’t feel bad about obsessively checking up on them when the time arrives.

Here’s my template: Mac (.numbers)/ Windows (.xlsx).

And just in case the link fails, a screenshot:

1. Ask for Recommendations
   
   Obviously, some of the above steps are overkill if your soon-to-be recommenders are in you cheerleading squad already. I felt the need to submit this packet because I was terrified of my English advisor, so all of the above revolved around this. She was brilliant, she was chic, and I was Left Shark going Notice Me Senpai! She had already advised me against applying to master’s programs straight out of college, and it was a good thing that I did. I started my “year off” living a good, social bachelorette lifestyle and ended it finding myself in cafes, writing 25 hours a week. I proved to myself my commitment, and then I got to tell her about it. So if you’re half as terrified of asking your recommenders as I was, I’ve put three tools in your pocket: your statement of purpose, the C.V., and the deadlines spreadsheet. Good luck, homies!
2. Do the work
   
   This is your time to shine, folks. Now you wrestle with the statements of purpose, the critical analyses, the writing samples, and (tearfully) the application fees. This is also the time to do those interviews. Gather the oomph! you need for your statement of purpose by letting faculty, alumni and current students infect you with their enthusiasm — or back off from a program entirely as soon as you realize it would make you uncomfortable. And as always, be timely and polite.
   
   But in all fairness, what you are doing is difficult. In a sense, I was lucky: I had an amazing human being who saw so many drafts of everything I submitted, I don’t know why he has not yet gouged his own eyes out. So I have to put it plainly:
3. Have a Writing Buddy
   
   I couldn’t have made it without him. We met weekly. I critiqued his poetry and defined the first structure of his work-in-progress chapbook, and he held me accountable for making progress — sometimes barely two paragraphs of progress — through what remains officially the most difficult, emotional pieces I have ever written. His support is a gigantic part of what made getting into these grad programs possible. Were it not for him, I would not even have imagined starting the process until I became some undefined amount of “better” — and he was there to believe in me the entire way.
   
   Find yourself a writing buddy. You will need a cheerleader. Good luck!
4. Review your materials
   
   Aside from my writing buddy and his invaluable advice, I also paid editors to look over almost all of my written works. Just make sure someone proofreads what you are sending to a writing program.
5. Thank everyone
   
   Since I did this as I went, I didn’t realize until now just how many people were involved in my process. Make sure to thank everyone involved in the process! Writing buddies, recommenders, editors, interviewees, spouses, mom and dad, admin folk, everyone!

And there we have it. I hope the spreadsheets I provided in this how-to and the previous article (on how to research) takes some of the overwhelming out of the process. For now, au revoir!

Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in my writings are completely my own, and not a reflection of anyone else.