Question: Should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

[Anonymous Questioner]

Hi! I'm new to this forum, so I wasn't sure where to post this question, but any advice anyone can give me, I very much appreciate!

 

I am 19 years old, I am a junior in college. I am a dual-major in English and Philosophy, with concentrations in Literature and Creative Writing. My GPA is a 3.8. I've taken many high level literature classes, am being inducted into Lamda Iota Tau (the literature honors society) and have taken many creative writing classes, including several independent studies. I write fiction constantly, and am completely self-motivated with it (I produce work even when I'm not required to for a class). I have won awards for my fiction and my work in literary studies, and have been published in a few smaller literary journals.

 

My reasons for wanting the MFA degree:

 

First and foremost, I want to improve my writing. Two years of focusing on the craft of writing and being able to read as much as possible sounds amazing. Also, I really want to work with talented writers. I could list fifty of my favorite living authors who teach at MFA programs, and if I am lucky enough to get into one of the programs where these people teach, I would be thrilled to be able to get their critical feedback on my writing (I have a thick skin, so it's okay if they're harsh) and learn from their talent. I also want to be able to start networking in the writing community, although this goal is secondary to the other goals. Finally, I want to teach at a university in the future, and hope to pursue a scholarly PHD in literature after I get my MFA. (If I am lucky enough to get into one of the joint programs, I will do that, but as this is not likely at all, I will probably get the MFA first and then attempt a PHD after).

 

So my questions are:

 

Does it sound like an MFA is the right choice for me? I know I am young, but I am advanced (junior in college at age 19)

Should I take time off between undergraduate and the MFA? (I really do not want to do this, but if you think I should, let me know why)

How can I improve my chances of getting into one of the better programs out there?

 

Thank you anyone who wants to offer advice!

[slouching]

If I were you, I'd take some time off from school before doing graduate work. Obviously, going to graduate school is a really big decision, especially if you're not able to get funding. I'm not applying to writing/lit programs, so I'm not exactly sure what the funding situation is like, but my guess is that it's not great. If you take financial matters out of the picture, then of course, the MFA sounds pretty good, and given your credentials, I'm sure it could be a positive experience for you. You just have to ask yourself what you're willing to sacrifice in order to have that experience, assuming you would have to pay for it (at least in part). If you decide you do want to pursue the MFA, then you might consider using time off from school to work and save some money to ease the eventual financial blow. Since you're relatively young, you could easily spend a couple years working without feeling like you're trying to catch up with everyone else. Plus, that gives you more time to prepare for the admissions process, which is never a bad thing. 

 

I don't know if my advice means much, given that we're in different fields, but I was just talking about this issue with my advisor today, so I thought I'd offer my two cents. I'm also a junior in college, and I'm planning on waiting at least a year before grad school for several reasons. My advisor actually did the same. It's really common, and the whole idea that "if you wait, then you'll never actually go" is totally ridiculous. If it's something that means a lot to you and is relevant to your career goals, you will do it. You're young, there's no rush.

Edited October 30, 2013 by slouching

[julesevar]

If your set on getting your mfa I would just go for it. You might want to try to get into a school that funds your education so you not getting into too much debt. Why not just prepare for the GRE and get good letters of recommendation now and see what happens.... you can always go out and work a job.....

[TonyB79]

As someone who is considering going for his MFA and has done quite a bit of research on the subject, here is my advice:

 

Unless you have the money to spare, don't do it. Do NOT go into debt to get an MFA, because it doesn't sound like you absolutely *need* it where your writing is concerned (i.e., sounds like you already have plenty of discipline and drive; you don't need the structure and support of the program to actually *get* you to write). As far as teaching is concerned, there aren't a lot of tenured teaching positions out there, so you'd probably end up doing adjunct - part-time - work.

 

If you can get into a fully funded program (free ride, and you get a stipend to live off of), that's great. But again, it's not something I'd go into debt in order to do.

[Loric]

As someone who is an "author" in the Stephen King "used royalties to pay monthly bills" definition of the word..

 

You don't need an MFA to write. You seem to already be capable of writing.. but you want the community aspects. Find a community. If anything, go whip something out via CreateSpace or PubIt or whatever and use those royalties to pay for school.

[TonyB79]

I've also heard that publishing conventions and the like are a good networking opportunity... with agents, publishers, other writers, etc. Avoid signing events and book fairs, however - waste of time.

[spearmo]

If you're ambition is to end up teaching, my advice would be to consider the MFA, but with the caveat of doing your research and finding funded programs. 

It might also be a good idea to consider sending out your work to a few places, if you feel your work is strong enough. newpages.com is a great resource for finding writing programs and journals to submit to. 

The MFA and the PhD program can be good for getting your hands dirty with teaching if they offer teaching jobs. Although, I'll tell you now that the adjunct and graduate student professor pay isn't much and at some schools it's abysmal. The good thing though is that they provide teaching experience at the college level. 

But beware, like any job in academia, you'll have to be aware that publishing is a major part of it and while most professors at CW programs now only have an MFA, the job market is getting tougher and more and more CW professors have PHDs. And while I do know some CW faculty that dropped out of MFA programs or only have BAs, I think they end up being the exception and the thing that have going for them is that they publish books and win major awards, although I know one of my professors told me that the school he worked for was sort of reluctant to hire him without it and he's won major awards and is widely recognized as a good writer. Which is funny to me. 

To improve your chance, you should become involved in your writing community, start a reading, read for your school's literary journal or find out about one where they need readers, go to book-fairs, get familiar with literary journals, and maybe send out some of your work to a few places. There are some well-respected lit journals edited by undergraduates or that focus exclusively on publishing undergraduate student's work. 

Ultimately, it's your choice and you follow what you want. Best of luck!

[MoJuiced]

Getting a job teaching creative writing does not require an MFA. It's generally predicated on publishing and acclaim. An MFA would be a nice thing on your CV, but it is not worth going into debt for, especially as it's not such a huge factor in getting the job. I was advised strongly against going into debt or paying for it. 

 

The true benefit of an MFA is having the stimulated time to work and exchange ideas; feedback and lessons from faculty; the community of writers; the new experiences; the connections; etc..If that is what you wish to gain, then by all means pursue it. I'm similarly inclined and so I applied this year, but did not get accepted. I only applied to schools with guaranteed funding, as you can see from my litany of rejections in my signature.

 

It is a costly and time-consuming endeavor to research and apply to programs. For this reason, you might benefit from taking time off and simply continuing to write. Additionally, any time you take between graduating and applying will allow you to be even more adept and with greater knowledge and experiences, hopefully increasing your chances of getting admitted. The well-funded programs are very competitive and you'll be competing against folks like me, who are applying for a second time or third time or who have gained perspectives outside of college that lend a little something extra to their writing (I'm 29 and have taken a circuitous and ever-interesting path to get here). This is not to suggest you should artificially do anything to 'increase' your chances. Ultimately it is really all about your writing. It's more of a question of whether you want to in the near future invest your time and money, or give yourself some time.

 

My advisor said that, since getting a teaching job requires primarily a publishing history and a reputation, even with the MFA in hand, it will take time to actually accomplish enough to get hired. She estimated a decade. She also advised NOT to take an adjunct position as that might limit your chances of getting a full position.

 

Having an MA, MFA, or PhD will affect the types of courses you're able to teach, thus affecting your desirability as a candidate. You might consider going the Literary Studies route, while continuing to do your own creative work as you are already well on your way with that. You would still have the ability to connect with and get feedback from others in the department and community. There are some programs like UC Davis that offer an MA that is essentially an MFA, but which would easily translate into continuing on to a PhD. There are fewer creative writing PhD programs, but they do exist. Typically MFA is terminal.

 

For instance, at my university there is a poet/professor named Ken Irby. He got his graduate degrees in math and Chinese. He then had a lengthy career as a published poet and became a member of the English department. He does not teach creative writing courses and his graduate degrees allow him (even out of the field) to teach literature courses. I'm not sure what the position is with regards to him being capable of teaching CW, but I'm sure he could if there weren't other faculty invested in that. Getting an MFA might help you to solidify that as your domain of expertise, but with an MFA you may not be teaching things like American Lit or Major Authors, etc.

 

Regarding the application/admissions process, my understanding is that they read your portfolio and if you are good enough they then also review your other materials (statements, letters, and transcripts; in that order). In other words, your writing is the most important part.

 

Sorry for this rambling assemblage of information.

 

In conclusion, you should try for an MFA if you wish for it for the right reasons, do not expect to be gainfully employed as a result of it, you do not go into debt because of it, and you find it worth your money, time, and effort now.

 

I hope some of this helps! Feel free to PM me if anything was confusing and you'd like further information or clarification.

[TonyB]

 

Getting a job teaching creative writing does not require an MFA.

 

This is technically true, of course... if Stephen King or John Grisham walked in and offered to teach a creative writing class, there's not a school in the world that would turn them down, despite the fact that King, at least, only holds a bachelor's degree.

 

That said -- the fact is that most writers (the vast majority) are not destined to be the next Grisham or King. Most writers who consider teaching, I'd wager, don't do so 'cause they think it would be a neat-o thing to do, but because they don't make a sufficient living from their writing to be able to rest on those laurels alone. Such writers are not likely to have the success/esteem to get a job teachingbased purely on reputation. It's the age-old problem: the only folks who can get those jobs are the ones who don't really need them!

 

I've also heard from English profs (NOT MFA's or MFA faculty), college career services folk, and the like that, while an MA in English will enable you to teach undergrad writing courses part-time (or maybe full-time at a small rural school or community college), an MFA or PhD is needed to have a full range of opportunities open to you, teaching-wise. Considering that an MFA is a 2-3 year commitment, as opposed to the 5-6 year job of an MA/PhD program, going with the MFA just seems like the more solid bet, IF you plan on teaching as your primary career and want to have the minimum number of obstacles standing in your path.