USC Screenwriting MFA Fall 2017 (Acceptance, Rejection, Etc.)

Does anyone know if the waitlist is ranked?
 
So if we get nothing by Sunday - when they said everyone would know - is that the rejection?

If I understand @MFAman correctly, rejections should be sent out by Sunday too so, if you haven't heard back by then, it's more likely you were waitlisted...Maybe? Then again, the fact that nobody has heard a damn thing from USC in weeks is a little mystifying. Like, are they really going to send the remaining (if any) acceptances and ALL the rejects out in one day? If so, that's annoying.

The more likely scenario is that they'll push back notifications AGAIN, and we'll all find out whether we have been denied or accepted on the day Avatar 2 comes out.
 
If I understand @MFAman correctly, rejections should be sent out by Sunday too so, if you haven't heard back by then, it's more likely you were waitlisted...Maybe? Then again, the fact that nobody has heard a damn thing from USC in weeks is a little mystifying. Like, are they really going to send the remaining (if any) acceptances and ALL the rejects out in one day? If so, that's annoying.

The more likely scenario is that they'll push back notifications AGAIN, and we'll all find out whether we have been denied or accepted on the day Avatar 2 comes out.

They did tell me by Sunday, but I wouldn't be surprised if they pushed it back again. There has been a Sunday morning pattern though. However, at this point, should we really be looking for patterns or for new ways they designed this year's Hunger Games? Perhaps we're part of the Quarter Quell? If so, the game makers are doing a wonderful job. This island is definitely not a clock. I can't predict anything.
 
Does anyone know if the waitlist is ranked?

I dont know about film school, but with drama schools, they mark up everyone identified as having both the talent and potential to benefit from the course (always way more people than they can possibly ever admit to the school), then they try to create a cohort that is balanced. They can't really 'rank' further than that because the great thing ( and the bad thing) about creative arts is it is all subjective. They might decide to mix it up in terms of diversity, taste in films, background, experience, anything really. So if for example, someone identified as having strong cinematography skills and a keen eye for horror but needing work in other areas turns down the place they were offered, they may well try to fill that spot with someone similar, so the group isn't filled with an entire class of experimental rom-com directors/writers who wont benefit from what they can offer each other. Does that make sense?

Honestly we should take encouragement from that. At a certain point, in creative arts, it becomes no longer about talent, (because there is so much talent out there!) it is about something none of us are in control of. So keep believing in your talent and pushing forward. If we don't get in this year, we should absolutely come back fighting next year, if that is what we want.
 
If I understand @MFAman correctly, rejections should be sent out by Sunday too so, if you haven't heard back by then, it's more likely you were waitlisted...Maybe? Then again, the fact that nobody has heard a damn thing from USC in weeks is a little mystifying. Like, are they really going to send the remaining (if any) acceptances and ALL the rejects out in one day? If so, that's annoying.

The more likely scenario is that they'll push back notifications AGAIN, and we'll all find out whether we have been denied or accepted on the day Avatar 2 comes out.

What Ive been thinking but too terrifying to express out
 
The day is young, but they usually send out emails around 3AM, so I imagine no additional emails are going out today. If I receive nothing today, I will call tomorrow morning and report back. They say millennials are entitled, and that must be the case, because I believe everyone is entitled to a timely rejection, especially when the "time" keeps changing.
 
The day is young, but they usually send out emails around 3AM, so I imagine no additional emails are going out today. If I receive nothing today, I will call tomorrow morning and report back. They say millennials are entitled, and that must be the case, because I believe everyone is entitled to a timely rejection, especially when the "time" keeps changing.

3am???!?! You sure it's not 3pm?
 
Tick tock.....

One has to honestly wonder why they're taking so long sending out waitlist/rejections when the last of the acceptances were released a looooong time ago.
 
Tick tock.....

One has to honestly wonder why they're taking so long sending out waitlist/rejections when the last of the acceptances were released a looooong time ago.

were they really? I guess it only makes sense... sigh. I thought there were still a few acceptances but this makes sense - theyre deliberating on the waitlist/rejections and thats a much bigger pool of people
 
It would probably be a huge, unnecessary stretch, but maybe they're waiting until they know how many of the acceptees are actually attending before issuing out anything else? Kinda depends on how long the acceptees have to submit their intent, I guess–if they have until mid April I seriously doubt it, but end of March...maybe?

Could someone who was accepted fill us in on when the last day to submit their intent to enroll is? @Kira? @Comedynerd? @byisis?
 
Tick tock.....

One has to honestly wonder why they're taking so long sending out waitlist/rejections when the last of the acceptances were released a looooong time ago.
Didn't you commit to UCLA? Feel like it probably doesn't matter what way they decide if you made your deposit already.
 
Could someone who was accepted fill us in on when the last day to submit their intent to enroll is? @Kira? @Comedynerd? @byisis?

Pure speculation, but I think you've stumbled on the key bit of info here. No news is good news in this situation.

I don't presume to know how admissions works, but when I went through it in '15, random acceptances came later when the waitlist was reordered. Many applicants forget to factor in the accepted students shuffle that occurs when people have multiple acceptances.

Let's say they accept the average 32, and maybe put 16 on the waitlist. Then let's say 8 waitlisters submit intents to enroll to AFI, and UCLA instead. And 8 from the accepted list decide to go to Columbia and NYU instead. And they all formally decline their acceptances to USC... There's at least 16 new people back in the running. Essentially.

1/2 Speculation + 1/2 Inside Knowledge, a long list of acceptances, waitlisters, and close hopefuls has probably already been drafted by the faculty and sent to admissions. So, if you haven't seen a rejection letter yet, it's a good thing.

I just hate to see everyone stressing over the various schools and their processes, when there's equal consideration necessary for those making tough decisions between multiple acceptances (and commitment deposits). You're not out until you see a rejection, and the process is difficult to make fair without making waitlisters feel like they're second class acceptees. They're not. Competition is just fierce.

Hopefully this scenario puts some people at ease. It'll be the same with fellowships, competitions, and even general meetings with producers and showrunners. In no way does the wait reflect your worth as a writer.

**again, mostly speculation peppered with direct experience so as not to set up hopes to be dashed**
 
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And they all formally decline their acceptances to USC
This is a key point. I know it's a huge thing amongst the law school applicant community but if you know you're not going to a school you were accepted to it would be lovely courteous to let them know as soon as possible.
 
It would probably be a huge, unnecessary stretch, but maybe they're waiting until they know how many of the acceptees are actually attending before issuing out anything else? Kinda depends on how long the acceptees have to submit their intent, I guess–if they have until mid April I seriously doubt it, but end of March...maybe?

Could someone who was accepted fill us in on when the last day to submit their intent to enroll is? @Kira? @Comedynerd? @byisis?

Hey all!

Final decisions are by April 15th. I am 90 percent certain that I will be accepting my place at USC but I've heard a few people will be declining. There's still hope :) Hang in there you guys.
 
Pure speculation, but I think you've stumbled on the key bit of info here. No news is good news in this situation.

I don't presume to know how admissions works, but when I went through it in '15, random acceptances came later when the waitlist was reordered. Many applications forget to factor in the accepted students shuffle that occurs when people have multiple acceptances.

Let's say they accept the average 32, and maybe put 16 on the waitlist. Then let's say 8 on the submit intents to enroll in AFI, and UCLA instead. And 8 from the accepted list decide to go to Columbia and NYU instead. And they all formally decline their acceptances to USC... There's at least 16 more people back in the running. Essentially.

1/2 Speculation + 1/2 Inside Knowledge, a long list of acceptances, waitlisters, and close hopefuls has probably already been drafted by the faculty and sent to admissions. So, if you haven't seen a rejection letter yet, it's a good thing.

I just hate to see everyone stressing over the various schools and their processes, when there's equal consideration necessary for those making tough decisions between multiple acceptances (and commitment deposits). You're not out until you see a rejection, and the process is difficult to make fair without making waitlisters feel like they're second class acceptees. They're not. Competition is just fierce.

Hopefully this scenario puts some people at ease. It'll be the same with fellowships, competitions, and even general meetings with producers and showrunners. In no way does the wait reflect your worth as a writer.

**again, mostly speculation peppered with direct experience so as not to set up hopes to be dashed**

I agree with you for the most part, although I will add a slightly dickish response: I would feel this is a far more likely scenario if at least SOME of us reported rejections already. If I read a bunch of people getting rejections and I DIDN'T get one, then I would assume that I still had something of a chance.

Sure, it sounds super selfish to hope someone here is getting rejected (in a perfect world, it wouldn't happen to any of us!), but it would personally lift my own spirits to read about rejections, and not actively be a part of it. As it stands, I feel like we're all just whistling Dixie on death's row.
 
Didn't you commit to UCLA? Feel like it probably doesn't matter what way they decide if you made your deposit already.

Yes, I did. I'm still curious and was honestly just wondering out loud, especially because I haven't heard back from NYU or Chapman either. I wonder why there's been a delay in posting decisions this year.
 
It would probably be a huge, unnecessary stretch, but maybe they're waiting until they know how many of the acceptees are actually attending before issuing out anything else? Kinda depends on how long the acceptees have to submit their intent, I guess–if they have until mid April I seriously doubt it, but end of March...maybe?

Could someone who was accepted fill us in on when the last day to submit their intent to enroll is? @Kira? @Comedynerd? @byisis?
They said that we need to submit it by April 15th.
 
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