We’re all familiar with the great MFA debate: Can an MFA program teach you how to write? Is it just a Ponzi scheme? Why should you enroll in one, or not?
Jia Tolentino, a University of Michigan MFA student, zooms out and takes a less het-up look at both sides of the argument. It’s super calm and super reasonable, and we should probably all chill out and listen to her. For example:
The MFA, as a concept, is a neutral entity—it does not automatically qualify you for anything, it does not fundamentally make you better or worse at what you do. The MFA system is a collection of greenhouses, and what occurs within them is for each program and writer to decide.