small success/big failure

[rm]

1. I got invited to be on a panel at San Diego Comic Con. In the world of what I do, I think this is a big deal, but logistically it may not be feasible.

2. I was rejected from graduate school. Perhaps my senteces were too long, my life too ridiculous, my elitism too distasteful or perhaps the fact that I am good at and successful at several things made them decide I am a dilletante. Although I am supposed to consider the possibility that my work just sucks, I'm actually rather certain it doesn't.


Good things about not getting into grad school:
- my fencing training faces no interruption (this is actually really important and serious, and may now be how I can broach aspects of this topic with the Maestri).
- I do not need to make yet more money appear out of nowhere
- no further opportunity to be embittered by beaurocracy
- more Patty time
- can still hold teas as demure faculty wife



Bad things about not getting into grad school:
- Severus Snape hates me (oh god, it took that bit of black humour to make me cry? for real?)
- I can't teach
- Confirmation that my friends are smarter than me
- Confirmation that my go go party life-style when I was 17 WILL HAUNT ME FOREVER
- Confirmation that all the horrible things people say about me are true (well, not really, but that's part of the grieving process)
- The letter really could have waited until Patty got home


Also the letter reminding me that admissions are extremely copetitive, as if that's supposed to make me feel better or remind me that I may have perhaps shot too high? Sorry, no. I get my name in the credits of a feature film this year. My second book will be published this year. I know extremely competitive, and no matter how competitive Hunter is, puh-lease.

But! I have stuff to do, literally, no time to react to this now, which is good, as there will be no repeat of the Great Fashion Show breakdown.

Comments

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

I know you're probably sick of well-meaning advice, but hey -- here's some more. I imagine that the Hunter MFA program is significantly harder to get into than the Hunter MA program in British and American Literature, but the way it shook out for me was like this: I went and talked to the admissions people, and they told me I didn't have enough literature classes on my transcript. Which was kind of funny, considering that my college is basically "Here's 100 books. Read 'em, talk about 'em, and write papers on 'em. Have a diploma. Bye!" But I was like, okay, whatever. So I took the highest level undergraduate literature class they offered -- a 400 level honors class. I whupped it, became friends with the professor, and asked him to write my recommendation to the graduate program. He was happy to, and I'm pretty sure that was the deciding factor in my getting in. (I wound up deciding not to go because I needed to get a full time job, wasn't sure I had the discipline to keep up a graduate school schedule, and knew I didn't want to teach, which would have made getting the MA pretty much a waste of time and money.) You might want to see if Hunter offers any undergrad nonfiction memoir creative writing classes. It will probably be frustrating to sit in a room with a bunch of mewling college kids, but it's a pretty good way to see for yourself whether you actually want to head back into academia, and there's a good chance that the professor teaching the higher level undergrads is also scouting for (and teaching in) the grad program. A three credit class is something like $600 a semester, which isn't bad at all, considering. Dunno.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Something similar has also been suggested to me. The thought of having to do undergraduate work at this point is ridiculous, especially when this is all a matter of getting a degree increative writing -- I mean, I didn't even have to the GRE's for this program. Quite simply, I or my samples were not to their liking, and considering I am used to provoking strong reactions, I am not, really, terrible surprised.

Of course, in a week when I am over the "no, nothing is to be done about this" lots of advice will seem perfectly erasonable, interesting and helpful and I will say thank you and be gracious and so forth. Unfortunately, I'm not quite there yet, but I do thank you for trying.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

Were you a Johhny too?

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

Yup. A '98-'00, SF '00-'02. You?

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

SF '97, I was a JF. Never went to Annapolis. I just found a photo of Monte Sol covered in snow taken from the balcony in Urania. It made me so homesick for Santa Fe.

this makes me think of some

[newwaytowrite.livejournal.com]

advise I heard during my undergrad. When applying to graduate school you get that prof that will write you a letter of recommendation. But what many students don't bother to find out is if the prof is writing a letter of praise or something less helpful.


Believe me. I have heard instructors talking and that this is a huge mistake many students make...students also tend to think they will get a glowing letter based on good grades. A person could posses good grades up the wazoo but if the students had blown off class regularly, asked for extensions or appeared not invested in the sense of learning community in relation to the other students in the class...those good grades meant NOTHING and the letter would be written but it wouldn't be a letter that the student would want going to the MA selection committee.

So if you haven't when you ask for a letter ask if the letter coming to school of choice is something you would want submitted.