The MFA debate: worth it or waste of money?

I didn't get an MFA. I got a journalism degree and learned to write by hitting deadlines. Let's talk about whether MFA programs are actually producing better writers.

I teach in one, so full disclosure. But I'll be honest: the MFA is best understood as buying time and community, not skill. The workshop model has real limitations.

I got my MFA and it changed my life. But not because of the craft instruction. It was the two years of being surrounded by people who took writing seriously. That permission to prioritize your art is the real value.

The debt is the real issue. If you're taking on $80K in loans to get an MFA, the math doesn't work unless you're also getting a teaching career out of it. And those jobs are disappearing.

The MFA has a homogenizing effect on prose that we don't talk about enough. There's a recognizable 'MFA style' — controlled, minimalist, epiphany-driven. It crowds out more experimental and culturally diverse voices.

That's fair and it's changing, slowly. The best programs are actively diversifying their faculty and reading lists. But Amara's right that the workshop can sand down the edges that make a voice distinctive.

My advice to aspiring writers: if you can get a fully funded MFA, go. If you're paying full price, take that money, write for three hours a day, and join a writing group. You'll learn the same things.