[Izulde]

That's where it gets interesting, actually.

Columbia has traditionally been considered one of the elite programs in Creative Writing, but they've experienced a prodigal drop in recent years compared to their prior standing, which has a number of factors related to it, not least of which is their lack of funding compared to other top programs. They're still considered a great program, but not on the level they used to be.

I also suspect that with the current economy, applications are up even higher than they were, say, five years ago. I know that was the case when I was applying to MA programs; application rates were almost double what they'd been.

Then there's the fact that MFA applications are the biggest roll of the dice in the graduate world. It all comes down to if the committee member or members like your writing, art, etc. Say for example you write a vampire story. There's some people reading that who will immediately toss you in the reject pile, so if the wrong person gets your application, you're done even before you start.