The MFA -- What is it good for?

Poking around the Poets & Writers Speakeasy Forums, I found an interesting active thread here (you'll have to register on the forum to read the thread) discussing the "value" of an MFA in Creative Writing. Actually, it originally started out as a thread on how editors and committees select pieces for their magazines, but then sort of morphed (as all threads invariably do) into something entirely different. The discussion on the value of writing programs was very interesting, in my opinion. As one poster notes: "...I've always been a Cassandra, but here goes. The housing boom and bust. The mortgage boom and bust. The investment banking boom and bust. The MFA in Creative Writing boom and bust. The line cannot hold. In a lot of ways, I believe the MFA in CW to be a rather decadent pursuit. It is born of a society that is willing and able to pay out thousands for the time off and writing community... that can be gotten for far less."

Good points, I think. I've harbored these same thoughts for some time. And the word "decadent" especially hits the nail on the head for me. What substantiave gain will an MFA in Creative Writing get you, at the end of the day? A teaching position at a University? No, especially since most positions require one or two book publications in order to be seriously considered. Publication? Hardly. Potential and two quarters is still just fifty cents. While a program may invest in your potential, may give you the tools, the resources, the environment to succeed, publication is still an area in which all writers will have incredible odds stacked against them -- all this, assuming you even put in the time and effort to sell yourself. At most, an MFA in Creative Writing will get you a teaching gig at the high school or community college. Which is fine, but not the same kind of mileage you'd get out of a Masters degree in most any other area -- I mean, look at what an MBA from Harvard will get you, for crying out loud. Which brings me back to the original word: "decadent." An MFA in Creative Writing is a luxury. Who has the time or the energy to transplant their entire life, move to an entirely different city for two, three years? Nevermind the fact if you have a significant other or a family or without the means to pay for school or to move. Not many people can do the things that MFA students can do -- write, read, and teach all day, seven days a week -- even the willing.

F is for Funding

I'll have a writeup on the subject of funding one of these days, but here's some required reading, provided by Seth Abramson on the Poets & Writers website. A great article that touches on a lot of the salient points for the discerning MFA applicant -- how one type of funding differs from another, what's important in funding dollars, etc. -- as well as an in-depth look at the top funded programs in the country. An excellent place to get started for your own research on the behemoth that is MFA program funding. And trust me, research is a necessity.