So, as we all know, I’m doing my MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) online. Going into the program, I assumed that I would be among like-minded peers, fellow writers like myself, who had ideas of furthering themselves within the writing and career world. Turns out, that wasn’t really the case.
There are several students that I feel are just there to get an easy degree. Which, I suppose, is fine if someone wants a Masters just to say they’ve got a Masters.
Most classes are set up the same – each week we have a list of assignments, including a discussion in which we make a main post and then come back daily to comment on each other’s post like a in-class discussion. Sometime we’re told to simply respond to the reading intelligently. Sometimes we’re given a prompt.
I’m doing a class now that’s centered around writing. It’s the mechanics of academic writing – and sometimes it’s painfully obvious that some people didn’t even bother to do the reading. It also occurs to me that some students put in a lot more effort than others. For example, when I write a 600 word response and then another student puts out maybe 200. Do I feel like they’re not pulling their weight? Totally.
But I’m not in the MFA program for those people. I’m in it for me. I went into the program to further myself in my career, my writing, and anything else I might want to do in life. I didn’t go in to the program to see how I compared with other people. I’m putting forth the effort that I am comfortable with; that’s what matters.
Beatrice B. Morgan 