as someone on the P&W Speakeasy just told me, Welcome to Limbo!
I received an email this afternoon telling me I’m on a short waitlist for the MFA poetry program at University of Arkansas! They are accepting only 5 people this year.
woooweeewooowweee….!
initial thoughts:
- I’d put Arkansas on par with UNC Greensboro for great faculty, alumni, and overall reputation.
- Getting a very nice, personal email from their director is much appreciated. (And I have yet to hear from the director or any faculty at Texas State. More on that later…)
- Hmm…funding? (always a question)
- Do I want to be in school for 3-4 years? Arkansas is known for keeping their writers in Fayetteville for a long time.
- Where the heck is Fayetteville?
- Should I visit?
Ok, the rest of my afternoon will be spent on Craigslist and Google Maps…
Congrats, Em! Good to see all this news rolling in for you!
Your blog came up on my Google alert for Fayetteville, AR. I work for the Visitors Bureau. Congratulations on making the wait list for Creative Writing. It is an amazing program and we are really proud of that department. We just had a book signing for Celia Anderson out of that program a few weeks ago.
We would be happy to send you a visitor/relocation packet for free if you call us at 800 766 4626. Thanks!!
This is one of those situations where I would try to get ahold of a couple of alumni or current students by phone and asking them questions about how they like living in Arkansas…
Stumbled across your website while searching for info on UNCG… my very good friend lived in Fayetteville for years and loved it. There are indie shops and coffee shops.
NYTimes article: 36hrs in Fayetteville
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/travel/escapes/21hours.html?scp=1&sq=fayetteville&st=cse
Here’s a nytimes article on nature around that area (if that’s your thing): http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E4DD1530F933A05757C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
As for Greensboro, still digging for info on life there. Let me know if you find anything!
Any new news?
thanks, Jeannine! just updated per your request.
also, I’ve asked Arkansas for current student contacts, but they haven’t given me any yet. I’m guessing they reserve that for people who are actually accepted, and not for waitlisters.
Hello,
I found your blog by googling the University of Arkansas MFA. I was accepted there (Poetry) and am currently completing all the paperwork to be formally admitted.
As far as student contacts go, one of my best friends is in the Poetry program there (3rd year) and loves Fayetteville. It is a lovely little town with a friendly atmosphere and THE BEST bookstore in America. Feel free to shoot me an email and I’ll send you his contact info.
Texas State sounds like a nightmare, the way they’ve responded to your emails–and it sounds like your heart is at UNC anyway. If UNC doesn’t work out for you, I hope to see you at UArk next Fall,
RW