An interesting article about the rising number of MFA programs, the students that enroll and the instructors that teach them. Ryan Boudinot and MFA Programs: What No One’s Saying – Flavorwire
I participated in a writing group once. I noticed it attracted (among others) two personality types: 1. "I'm here so you can tell me how good my work is." 2. "I'm here to tell you how bad your work is and how I could do it better." It wouldn't be fair to say that this is indicative of the overall writing community. But, the writing community is one that has a special kind of snobbery. Don't get me wrong, you can find a similar snobbery in the broader art community. But I think the fact that literally anyone can write a book makes the community impact all that much more pronounced (i.e., without a significant amount of training I can't really just declare myself to be a fine artist. I can "become" a writer on a whim, however). A lot of people seem to want validation. They don't want to be challenged to do something better. I suppose that the same can be said for many people pursuing all sorts of degrees. The big three base their business model on people getting credit for what they "already know." That's what makes them famous in the educational world. They aren't as well known for actually teaching people stuff. I think it puts schools in an awkward position. The MFA student's work is going to be much more subjectively evaluated than a variety of other disciplines. So if you get a whole bunch of students whining to the Provost about how their professor didn't recognize their brilliance or *gasp* made them feel bad about themselves the program is going to be faced with two mutually exclusive options: 1. Ease off the critique and just focus on pushing graduates or 2. Keep up the criticism and stay true to your program Number two sounds like the noble route. However, it would only succeed if your program gains a reputation for being top notch. That's pretty unlikely for a new program (at least in the short-term). Much more likely is that your former students will take to Yelp, Google Reviews and forums like this and whine and complain about how the program is taught by pompous and unqualified faculty who have the audacity to not just hand you a degree for what you think you already know. The MFA is also in a unique place because you don't actually need the degree for anything. If you want to write, go write. The MFA's only real utility is if you want to try to land one of the coveted few teaching jobs. But with so many MFAs in the field right now even that seems like a long shot. If someone said "Hey, Neuhaus, I will pay your tuition for an MFA" I'd probably give it a go. I like to write. I don't have nearly as much time to do it. I would enjoy a program where I was challenged to write and to improve my writing ability. Otherwise my reaction to the MFA is basically "meh."
Let me also add that this article and my rant seem focused on the MFA in Creative Writing. I have an acquaintance with an MFA, who is a very gifted metalsmith and jeweler, who has really seen a positive ROI on his degree because of his particular skillset. So maybe we should just not let would-be writers overtake the MFA and let the artists and craftsmen have it back.
Some people do not only focus on ROI. I like learning and writing. Also, teaching. One of my children is a gifted artist. He words in several media. He wants to obtain his MBA. Why so much vitriol against those of us who write?
