An interesting query this week for anyone considering the academic route. From Melinda S. in Arizona:
What did you think of the MFA at Iowa State?
I think so many things about it, Melinda. I assume you are considering applying to MFA programs, or at least you are MFA-curious. I’m first going to explain my take on the MFA culture in general, and then I will offer some user feedback on the ISU program more specifically.
For the uninitiated, creative writing MFAs come in two broad categories: Fully-funded programs and scams. That may sound harsh, but I would caution any aspiring writer to avoid programs that ask you to pay any amount of money toward tuition. Simply put: that is not how the graduate school model is supposed to work. An MFA is a terminal degree–more like a PhD than a Masters. If you’ve reached a level of skill that merits acceptance to an MFA program, then it’s the school’s responsibility to cover your tuition costs and provide a livable stipend while you’re enrolled in the program. Do not take on debt to get an MFA.
Why? Because an MFA is not a credential. Yes, it theoretically enables you to teach at the college level, but it’s not a teaching degree, and you’ll be at a disadvantage in the job market competing against trained teachers. This might seem self-evident, but you should only pursue an MFA if you want to be a writer. If you want to teach writing, go get a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition. If you aspire to teach creative writing, then you need to write. Most credible colleges expect their creative writing teachers to publish books, and they honestly don’t care much one way or the other if you have an MFA or any other degree. If you’re a bestselling author, you don’t even need a bachelor’s degree.
That doesn’t mean the MFA is without value. The entire MFA system exists to give writers ample space and community to dedicate their time and energy to craft. At a funded program, you’re provided 2-3 years of workshops, supplemental courses, mentorship, and–most crucially–time. Funded programs don’t just cover tuition–they pay a bi-weekly or monthly stipend, so you don’t have to work while you immerse yourself in writing. That is the gift of the MFA. Time. It doesn’t really matter if your funding comes attached to some kind of fellowship or teaching obligation. These responsibilities are only minor nuisances that can be easily phoned in so they don’t encroach on your reading and writing. At Iowa State, we taught the maximum 2:2 load, and it was a giant nothingburger.
If you’re considering an MFA, understand what you’re considering. This is not professional school. It’s more akin to an extended residency or a studio program. It’s art school, and it doesn’t come with anything resembling an employment guarantee. All you get is time–time and resources dedicated to the craft you wish to pursue. But that is a rare and beautiful thing. If that’s what you’re looking for, then an MFA might be right for you.
This reality explains why I think so little of un- or underfunded MFA programs. If the university isn’t providing the means for you to support yourself while you’re writing, then they aren’t giving you anything. You might as well quit your job and rack up credit card debt for two years while you write. It’s the same picture.
Many applicants have come around to this way of thinking, so fully-funded programs have become very competitive. There are hundreds of MFAs in the US at this point, but only ~20 offer full funding to their entire cohort, and cohorts are small: 4-10 people. I suppose it might be worth considering a fully-funded offer from a program that doesn’t extend that courtesy to the entire cohort, but I imagine this creates a weird/hostile dynamic, and financial angst is honestly the last thing most MFA cohorts need.
The ISU MFA is fully and generously funded. I will admit–I took an entirely mercenary approach to the application process. I only really cared about two numbers: stipend vs. local cost of living and number of funded years of study. ISU offers 3 years of full funding with one of the highest monthly stipends across all MFAs. Ames is also a lot cheaper than, say, Greenwich Village, Austin, or Irvine.
On those fundamental questions, I can’t recommend ISU highly enough. The MFA gives you three years to dedicate entirely to writing. If you’re looking for a drawback, the program has experienced an unfortunate amount of faculty turnover. They have a lot of trouble hanging onto fiction and poetry professors, in particular. K.L Cook is still teaching there, and he’s excellent, but my advisor David Zimmerman has since left. If you write CNF or poetry, you’ll have access to former Iowa Poet Laureate Deb Marquart, who is also phenomenal, but some other fully-funded programs are certainly better furnished. For that reason, you might be better served at one of the traditionally prestigious programs like Michigan, UT-Austin, or Irvine, but those programs only last two years, so you take the good with the bad.
At the end of the day, faculty should be a far lower consideration than funding or term. If you are fortunate enough to receive multiple, competitive fully-funded offers, then it might be worth taking a peek at the faculty list to tip the scales. Otherwise, get the bag.
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