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

[Heisenberg91]

i STILL haven't received my rejection letter which is baffling to me! anyone hear anything?

Nothing yet.

 

[BuddernScotch]

i STILL haven't received my rejection letter which is baffling to me! anyone hear anything?

I think since acceptances are still dished out until the 14th, of we receive nothing by then, that would be our rejection letter.

 

[MFAman]

Hello all,

Just spoke to USC SCA admissions and have some more info. I asked if by this coming Sunday (since it is the last mid-March weekend) if everyone will have their decisions. I was told: "That is correct." So get ready for 6 more days until acceptance, rejection, or the dreaded waitlist notifications are emailed. At least we have a firm end date. Sorry I don't have more encouraging news.

 

[icygee]

Hello all,

Just spoke to USC SCA admissions and have some more info. I asked if by this coming Sunday (since it is the last mid-March weekend) if everyone will have their decisions. I was told: "That is correct." So get ready for 6 more days until acceptance, rejection, or the dreaded waitlist notifications are emailed. At least we have a firm end date. Sorry I don't have more encouraging news.

This is encouraging!! I would hope we found solace in decisions instead of hanging in limbo.

 

[BuddernScotch]

Hello all,

Just spoke to USC SCA admissions and have some more info. I asked if by this coming Sunday (since it is the last mid-March weekend) if everyone will have their decisions. I was told: "That is correct." So get ready for 6 more days until acceptance, rejection, or the dreaded waitlist notifications are emailed. At least we have a firm end date. Sorry I don't have more encouraging news.

Yes thank you for the infor, I think it's given me a few more days of blissful awful hope. However, does this mean theyve extended the period of acceptances? Why did you ask Sunday in particular, may I ask? I think someone on this thread said last time they asked the decisions would finish by the 14th

 

[Septopus7]

This is encouraging!! I would hope we found solace in decisions instead of hanging in limbo.

Exactly. At this point, acceptance or rejection (and likely the latter), I just want to know. This state of suspension, especially in the mix of people applying to other schools hearing back AND other applicants for the same program already knowing weeks ago, is extremely annoying. Just pull the band-aid off me, USC.

 

[Septopus7]

On a semi-related note, does anyone know how the waitlisting actually works for Screenwriting applicants? I know production students are told, since they get admitted into the Spring semester with it, but since we don't have the same luxury, do they just not send a rejection with all the rest? Do you have to just sit around waiting well the other students do or do not commit to attending the school and then, once all the spots fill up, THEN you get a rejection letter? Or do you just get a Waitlist letter and, if you don't end up hearing back around May, you just have to assume you didn't get in?

I ask because I have yet to find a previous forum post from ANYBODY who was waitlisted in the Screenwriting program. I see a couple listing it in the Spreadsheet, but they never updated again after, so I have no idea what the process would end up being. In any case, it seems like a rare thing to happen for Screenwriting students (or, at the very least, a rare thing to be notified about.)

 

[MFAman]

Yes thank you for the infor, I think it's given me a few more days of blissful awful hope. However, does this mean theyve extended the period of acceptances? Why did you ask Sunday in particular, may I ask? I think someone on this thread said last time they asked the decisions would finish by the 14th

I think someone interpreted "mid-March" as "exactly the 15th" so in their mind, if no response is given before the 15th, that's it. But to me "mid-March" is anytime between the 10th and 20th - it's purposefully vague. Knowing how schools work, they'll dump all the decisions on the weekend. This way they don't have to answer calls. It's also the reason the USC representative was so certain that we'd all know by Sunday. They are planning for a weekend release on the last weekend that qualifies as mid-March (March 18th). Does that make sense? I hope that clarifies.

 

[A]

Someone from the Production thread asked and got a "before April" response.. Idk how close to date decisions will be between Screenwriting and Production but I'm guessing not too far apart?

 

[WizardsBrew]

In my experience of having been waitlisted from a screenwriting MFA program before, I think you should regard it as a yellow light that is highly likely to result in an inevitable red light. In other words, don't stop any other plans you may want to put into motion if you're waitlisted. My waitlist experience went something like, I heard nothing as late as April 15th, I emailed in late April and was told I was on the waitlist. In mid-May I got a waitlist email from the dept that was very informal. Checking the admissions portal bore no fruit as "a decision had yet to be determined" until late July when I was informed to check my status and had been formally rejected. I received an official hard copy of the rejection letter the next day. I don't know how USC does it exactly, but ofttimes waitlist notification can be informal because they literally don't know what to do with you. I should also mention that I remained on the waitlist long after they had all of their confirmations from their accepted students. The silver lining in making the waitlist for these prestigious programs is that I take it to insinuate that although you may not have been the missing puzzle piece for that particular peer group or ready that particular year, that the quality of your writing was on the level of quality they are generally expecting. If waitlisted, just think of it as an honorable mention and keep it moving. Just my two cents.

 

[MFAman]

In my experience of having been waitlisted from a screenwriting MFA program before, I think you should regard it as a yellow light that is highly likely to result in an inevitable red light. In other words, don't stop any other plans you may want to put into motion if you're waitlisted. My waitlist experience went something like, I heard nothing as late as April 15th, I emailed in late April and was told I was on the waitlist. In mid-May I got a waitlist email from the dept that was very informal. Checking the admissions portal bore no fruit as "a decision had yet to be determined" until late July when I was informed to check my status and had been formally rejected. I received an official hard copy of the rejection letter the next day. I don't know how USC does it exactly, but ofttimes waitlist notification can be informal because they literally don't know what to do with you. I should also mention that I remained on the waitlist long after they had all of their confirmations from their accepted students. The silver lining in making the waitlist for these prestigious programs is that I take it to insinuate that although you may not have been the missing puzzle piece for that particular peer group or ready that particular year, that the quality of your writing was on the level of quality they are generally expecting. If waitlisted, just think of it as an honorable mention and keep it moving. Just my two cents.

This is why I hate waitlists... does this mean this is your second time applying to this program, and have not heard anything yet?

 

[WizardsBrew]

This is why I hate waitlists... does this mean this is your second time applying to this program, and have not heard anything yet?

No. This was my first time applying to USC. I was waitlisted from Northwestern last year and decided not to reapply this year because I didn't feel like my eligibility had changed enough to go through the process with them again. As I said, I think being waitlisted sucks only if you consider it to be some sort of postponed or potential acceptance when the reality is that institutions don't create false hope; we create that for ourselves. When I was waitlisted I just stored it in the same emotional compartment as if I had been rejected and that permitted me to accept the good feeling of someone at least respecting my work enough to not reject me during the first round. It's easier just to look at the mathematical probabilities, let go of the situation and filter the feelings back into our work because your writing was probably the least influential part of your application anyway and the writing is all that matters... in my opinion.

 

[Septopus7]

So quick late night fun fact: according to the spreadsheets (my new catchphrase), this is now the latest that USC has yet to send out a SINGLE denial letter. By this point in 2015 and 2016, most applicants were already aware of their fates. We were not given the same luxury. So, yeah...yay us.

 

[icygee]

So quick late night fun fact: according to the spreadsheets (my new catchphrase), this is now the latest that USC has yet to send out a SINGLE denial letter. By this point in 2015 and 2016, most applicants were already aware of their fates. We were not given the same luxury. So, yeah...yay us.

Right there with you.

I just.... don't know what they're waiting for? Like I'm running out of ideas here but they must be still deliberating acceptances because if not just hit us with the waitlists and dings.

 

[patchoooli]

I just.... don't know what they're waiting for? Like I'm running out of ideas here but they must be still deliberating acceptances because if not just hit us with the waitlists and dings.

 

[Septopus7]

Right there with you.

I just.... don't know what they're waiting for? Like I'm running out of ideas here but they must be still deliberating acceptances because if not just hit us with the waitlists and dings.

I just don't understand why they would send a bunch of acceptances so soon in the year (weeks earlier than last year), and then just wait nearly a month later to send out rejections. Like I could see wanting to make sure all the acceptees commit to attending but, honestly, isn't that what the waitlist is for?

They accept about 30 students, and I'm assuming the waitlist is about the same (that way their asses are completely covered in the EXTREMELY unlikely case that none of their acceptees commit.) Between the two groups (waitlist/acceptees) that leaves about 65 people, with assumingly hundreds more having absolutely no chance of getting accepted. So why the hell not tell those hundreds and get it over with. What game are they playing? What is their ANGLE?!

 

[lianlee]

I just don't understand why they would send a bunch of acceptances so soon in the year (weeks earlier than last year), and then just wait nearly a month later to send out rejections. Like I could see wanting to make sure all the acceptees commit to attending but, honestly, isn't that what the waitlist is for?

They accept about 30 students, and I'm assuming the waitlist is about the same (that way their asses are completely covered in the EXTREMELY unlikely case that none of their acceptees commit.) Between the two groups (waitlist/acceptees) that leaves about 65 people, with assumingly hundreds more having absolutely no chance of getting accepted. So why the hell not tell those hundreds and get it over with. What game are they playing? What is their ANGLE?!

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I can't agree more. I am a production applicant, but I have the same question as you, and I totally don't understand why they just don't send out the rejection letters as soon as possible after they send out acceptances, the whole waiting process is really torturing.

 

[BuddernScotch]

thats

Right there with you.

I just.... don't know what they're waiting for? Like I'm running out of ideas here but they must be still deliberating acceptances because if not just hit us with the waitlists and dings.

Thats what I thought - and theyre stretching it out because of that. I guess maybe this year there were a lot of good ones :S

 

[BuddernScotch]

Wait... I actually thought they accepted 16 mfa applicants? 30!?!?! A glimmer of hope I see... ugh how tantalizing

 

[Chris15789]

Wait... I actually thought they accepted 16 mfa applicants? 30!?!?! A glimmer of hope I see... ugh how tantalizing

32 I heard