Hello to all of my new chaotic reading friends! Thanks for being here. And what an introduction you have, because I didn’t get this post out on time for last Tuesday so here we are. I have not named myself ‘The Chaotic Reader’ for nothing.
Welcome back to “Apparently I have very strong feelings about MFAs.” If you missed part one, it is right here. I intended for this to be one post, but had too many thoughts, so here’s part two. Part one covered many common arguments to why MFAs are ‘useless’ degrees, and why that might not be the case.
Today, I’m going to talk about my own personal experience getting my degree and what drove me to get it in the first place. Then, I’ll get into why I don’t think Substack will replace MFAs (at least not in its current form), and a look ahead to where do we go from here. Andiamo.
My own experience
The long road to me getting my Master’s degree started when I was 9. I’ve been a lifelong reader and writer, and was the child my eye doctor parents told to “stop reading and go watch TV because you’ll make your eyes worse.”
Despite wanting to be a reader, I did not major in English in college. I knew myself, and knew that I’d change my style of writing to please a professor or get an A. I took a few literature courses in college, but nothing creative writing focused. I wrote in my free time, and still have a high fantasy novel from that period in my life. That is not the novel I’m working on now, but hopefully elder sister will see the light of day sometime soon.
I continued this stealth writing sequence for a few years after graduating. I was living out in LA,1 and my boyfriend at the time was talking about writing a script and taking screenplay classes. I mentioned my aversion to writing workshops for the reasons mentioned above, and he pointed out that I hadn’t published anything with my current strategy, so why not try something new?
Touché.
I eventually moved back East because LA and I were not simpatico, and within my first month back in Boston, I saw an ad for Grubstreet on the T.2 I signed up for a Novel in Progress class, and started trekking over to the old Steinway building off of the Common.3 I got a lot out of the class, including meeting one of my writing mentors and future professors, Tim Weed. The class was small and intimate, and having so few of us made it easier to share my work in a workshop format.
Over the years (the years being 2015-2018), I took many courses at Grub. Some multi week, some one off. I finally got to a point where I needed more.
By 2018, I had taken the majority of the multi-week workshops that Grubstreet offered, and most of their one-offs, too. While I enjoyed the community, I had yet to find a writing group that sustained itself, and about half of the students in the workshops weren’t interested in publication or professional writing. That’s fine - it just wasn’t what I wanted or needed. I needed a room full of people who wanted the same things I did: to write and publish a book. I wanted to be with writers who shared my same motivations, and workshops weren’t delivering that consistently.
When I started looking into MFA programs, I narrowed down what I was looking for pretty quickly. One: because I could not afford to take time off and stop working and two: because I wasn’t as confident in myself as a writer back then. My only regret is that I wished I had applied to more low residency programs, and had more confidence in my own writing. But that’s neither here nor there.
The big thing was that I could keep working and do my degree. With a low residency program, I only had to be on campus in Newport for two weeks a year: once in January and one in June. The rest of the time, I’d work remotely. That in and of itself made it a much easier financial calculation to make. If I didn’t have to relocate or stop working, it made pursuing a MFA even more appealing. I was living in Boston at the time, which meant that Rhode Island was basically a day trip. (New England is small, y’all.)
Besides that, I also got very, very lucky in that my employer at the time4 provided for tuition reimbursement. While I didn’t get my degree fully funded, I was able to receive the maximum amount of non-taxable tuition reimbursement for each year from 2018 through 2020. Meaning in the end, I only have about $20,000 in student loans. (“Only,” she scoffs.) For me, that was a worthwhile investment. I was also able to pay off interest on my student loans while working and studying, meaning that the total amount didn’t exponentially expand. As of right now, I’m not sure how much I owe because my loan servicer doesn’t believe I exist (it’s a whole thing)5, and I’m not sure if that ~$20,000 amount will be reduced with any kind of debt relief. Sum told, I thought 20k was a worthy investment for something that would hopefully earn me much more than that.
And that has been the case. In my (very rough) calculations, I have almost out-earned my degree. I graduated in 2020, and through teaching, tutoring, writing and research projects, I have made about 3/4s of what my degree cost.6
Ultimately, it’s clear that I do not regret my MFA and think they can be very useful degrees. However, just because I had a good experience and would recommend it does not mean all people have enjoyed their MFAs. As
pointed out in the comments on my first post, many POC have found MFA programs unwelcoming. This is absolutely true and valid, and unfortunately is still the case with some programs. While there are many authors trying to change MFA programs to be more open and diverse (including authors like Matthew Salesses, whom I’ve written about previously) that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a major consideration. Publishing in general has a well known DEI problem, and I’m not going to claim I have an answer. This is a both/and scenario: I both enjoyed my program and acknowledge that historically the degree has not been as accessible to all groups of people. I am a very white lady, so I’m not qualified to speak on POC’s experiences here. If this is something that concerns you, I’d recommend reaching out to alumni of the MFA program you’re interested in to learn about their experiences, too. Many POC have also written about their experiences in MFA programs, too, so I’d encourage everyone to read more there.MFAs vs. Substack
While Substack has been heralded as the platform of the future for writers, I’m not convinced it can deliver what a MFA program can. Substack, for the moment, is entirely digital. Some folks do offer in person workshops, but the majority of offerings, both writings and workshops, on Substack are digital. And as we learned with the pandemic, some people really do not do well with asynchronous learning. That’s ok! That’s why it’s important to have a multitude of programs available. But broadly claiming that a digital platform is going to replace in person workshops and classes is shortsighted and misguided at best.
Substack absolutely can help you improve your writing. Whether you’re writing your own newsletter or reading others, there is so much content available to read and study. A recent NYT article about Cormac McCarthy rightly lamented how his career cannot exist today. McCarthy was given a lot of opportunities to be an ‘apprentice’ writer, and given space to refine his craft. Writers today need to be almost fully formed before they approach traditional publishing, saying nothing of already knowing how to market and leverage a platform. I see Substack as a potential way to do this for newer writers: giving them the space to develop and grow and experiment in a fairly low stakes environment. While you can earn a living on Substack, you do not have to. If you want to get on here and wax poetic about your favorite frog or how you only like certain poems, you can absolutely do so and find a readership. There is so much value in Substack, and so much good writing available, that it’s often an untapped tool writers need to be aware of.
However, Substack is not going to replace in person learning. It will also not replace learning how to workshop a piece and provide appropriate and respectful feedback. This can all be done digitally , but every time I’ve tried to run a workshop on Zoom it fell apart. There is value in learning how to engage with your peers respectfully, and something about being behind a computer screen throws the balance off. In my experience, students are much more commitment to not being jerks when led by an instructor who will monitor and correct their behavior. And again, some people do not do well with Zoom learning. Substack will continue to evolve, but I don’t think it will ever replace having an in person class.
Unfortunately, Substack currently does not have much currency, either in terms of translatable education value or skill certification in a place of employment. In a recent ‘House of the Dragon’ episode, Otto Hightower (who is the worst by the way) said in response to a strategy meeting, “We have to play the board before us.” That’s how I feel about the present state of higher education and the job market in America. Do I wish MFAs weren’t so expensive? Yup. Do I wish Substack had more value? Yup. Do I wish Substack workshops and non-graduate degrees programs had more applicability in the workforce? Yup. Do I have the ability to change any of those things? Nope.
While Substack wasn’t a factor back when I was applying to MFA programs in 2018, if given the choice today, I’d still pick an in person program. Workshops are great, but I don’t think I’d get the same education. And having any kind of Substack certification or workshop experience means diddly squat, unfortunately. Further, Substack is relatively unknown. 90% of the writers I know do not know what Substack is. And these are professional writers. Many are starting newsletters now because that’s the way digital media is trending, but it’s still a very new landscape. My Master’s degree is doing all the heavy lifting when it comes to certifying me as a professional teacher and writer.
Do I wish that wasn’t the case? Yes. Could this change in the future? Also yes. But as of right now, this is where we are. MFAs mean something, whereas Substack certifications or workshops do not. For example: my own Grubstreet workshops. They were very useful for my own development, but in the end don’t qualify me to do anything. They’re good experience, but don’t outweigh the MFA. Many jobs still want advanced degrees and humanities degrees can offer cover a lot of different industries in terms of certification and advancement.7 The MFA is the reason I can demand a raise at my job, not the workshops I’ve taken.
That doesn’t mean I think Substack is useless or won’t become competitive one day. Like I said, it’s a newer platform founded in 2017.8 I subscribe to so many good publications here, and learn a lot from the plethora of writing available. Alternative MFA models are also growing, too. Well known workshops like Clarion West are one example, and eventually Substack may build up into something that rivals the traditional degree. The potential is here. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’d wager that’s a long way off. We’re still in the early stages of seeing how this platform can transform and what value it can bring writers and artists of all kinds. But if I was choosing to get a MFA or continue my education via workshops on Substack, I’d still choose my MFA without hesitation.
Is it worth it?
Overall, are MFAs worth it? I’d say so with the major caveat of - only if you want to get one. If you think that a MFA will help your career and deepen your artistic practice, then it probably will and it’s probably a worthwhile investment. MFAs are also more intensive, focused, and require more work. If you decide that this isn’t for you, totally fine. Again, you do not need a MFA to be a writer. But I think writing off an entire degree on its perceived uselessness is absurd. For me, it was worthwhile. I do know some writers who decided that year long incubator type programs were what they needed. The key here is to understand your own needs and goals as an artist. A MFA can help you achieve those, but only if you know what they are. Make sure to consider all your options.
Despite their perceived futility, MFA programs are still very popular.9 Every few years or so, articles will come out handwringing about how MFAs are a bad investment, and yet, they persist. My own program, a relatively young one, survived the pandemic, as did many others. That’s not a sign that people are devaluing arts education. Additionally, there were many types of students in my program, from folks who wanted to pursue employment in higher ed, to folks who wanted to finally write that memoir/novel/poetry collection they always dreamed about.
In a future clouded with AI, writing is going to become much more important. As I’ve lamented previously, some of my college freshmen just…could not write. I had to give a lecture on the necessity of capitalizing proper nouns.10 Writing is important for critical thinking and formulating your own thoughts, and no fancy computer program is going to get you out of doing that work. AI detecting softwares and programs will get more refined as the technology does, and being able to express yourself in a written format is always needed, even if you don’t think so. My technical students, many of whom were in nursing or other technical fields, talked about how they needed to write clear and concise notes so that their supervisors, coworkers and clients could understand them. I’d wager that having a degree that proves you can write without the use of AI will become more valuable. Oh, you can do your whole job without having to rely on a robot to help do it? Fantastic.
Also, you need to understand something. My generation (Millennials) is incredibly jaded. I know Gen X has the lock on nihilism and apathy, but please believe me that Millennials are ready to burn it all down. Most people I know, myself included, 1) never expect to pay off their student loan debt and 2) retire. Despite the current administration (whatever you think of it) trying to relieve the student loan debt of Americans, it’s not happening. So for myself and many of my peers, the reality then becomes - who cares? Who cares if I have a bunch of debt? It’s never going to get paid off, anyways. Who cares if I get a ‘useless’ degree if it allows me to excel at something I love? The deck is stacked against us anyways, we can’t buy houses, the planet is overheating, and billionaires are shooting themselves into space. With this in mind, thinking about whether a degree is going to fully return your financial investment is meaningless, ultimately leading back to: Who cares? If we’re all going to die with debt in climate change induced catastrophes, might as well do what we love while we can.
Again, these are all just my own opinions and experiences. I obviously don’t know every MFA program or Substack workshop in existence, so I’m sure there’s counterfactuals for my arguments. Many people may have different experiences and may disagree with me. That’s fine; I welcome the discussion. What rankled me was reading pieces denigrating the degree I have based on some very outdated assumptions and opinions.
I’ll be back on Friday with another bi-weekly roundup. I’m thinking of trying something new this time, so we’ll see what emerges from my psyche now that I’ve purged myself of that rant. If you have any questions or comments about MFAs, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
It was a weird time. I am not, as Katy Perry says, a California Girl.
Let’s get this out of the way: Yes, it is the same one as Bad Art Friend. No, I didn’t know any of those people directly. Yes, I did know who they were.
That’s where Grubstreet was at the time, they now have a shiny new space in the Seaport.
Who is also my employer now but we’ll talk about that another time.
As far as I’m concerned, this is a them problem and not a me problem so I will not be hurrying to resolve this issue. They fully acknowledge I have been registered on their site. They just refuse to let me log in. 🤷🏼♀️
This is all approximate. Please don’t make me go get my tax returns.
It goes without saying, but this does not work with STEM fields. I cannot use my MFA to advance in any scientific field. Not that I’d want to, but let me be clear before anyone accuses me of fallacy here.
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/substack
A footnote doing its job, yay!
Some further reading:
https://hyperallergic.com/830812/mfa-programs-in-los-angeles-see-enrollment-dip-as-costs-rise/#:~:text=The%20programs%2C%20often%20considered%20a,whether%20they%20can%20be%20sustainable
Will never be over that.
Marissa, if I’d been in your shoes, partially employer-funded, I’d have gone for the MFA too. Or at least taken welding classes (always wanted to learn, especially how to weld w/o burning my hand like last time). Nothing wrong with being jaded when it comes to education. I’ve had bad profs and should have tried to get some of my tuition back. As an example, my law school evidence professor was terrible, old and should’ve retired. When shopping for MFA programs near me, couldn’t find anything within a reasonable price (novelists make so much!) with quality profs and a chance to meet other writers in person (versus online which in my experience isn’t as fulfilling). Thanks for sharing your experience.