MFA Collective A creative writing magazine written by students in creative writing programs.

Currently I am attending a low-residency MFA program offered through Murray State University. Overall the experience has been good, and now that I am in my final year I have started to reflect on it more and more.

First of all, I am no freshman when it comes to the low-residency model. I did almost three years of study this way at Goddard College as an undergrad, and I have always felt that in some ways this system is more challenging then the traditional, classroom approach.

First of all, when you explain to someone that you are in a low-residency program, no matter what, the first thing you will hear is, “Oh, is that like an internet program?”

I know this seems like no big deal, but trying to explain to people the unique challenges and opportunities that are available through low-residency programs, quickly gets old. At Goddard they told us it was not our job to explain the way the system works, and I think this is good advise to follow into any MFA.

The other drawback comes from the intenseness of the “residency,” or the time you spend in the company of other students. For that week or ten days, you will feel so at home, have so many good experiences, and learn so much about yourself as an artist. The whole time you will come to understand the importance of being around other artists. You will exchange emails and promise to keep in touch and critique and support each other throughout the semester, and then everyone will go home, go to work, and most likely not talk with any other students until the next residency.

I have found that the intensity of the residency really motivates me, but that momentum always fails after the first few weeks out. There is something to be said about being in constant contact with other writers and artists, and when you have it, and have it taken away, it can be a huge let down.

I know it might sound like I’m coming down hard on low-residency MFA programs, but after reflecting on my own experiences at Murray State, and having grown used to these major flaws in the system, I still think that for some people, myself included, it is the only way to go.

I have learned how to keep myself focused, even if I am not surrounded by a bunch of creative people who support everything I do and write. I was able to live for three years overseas because I was not confined to one campus the whole time. By taking part in these intense residencies, I know that the “workshop,” atmosphere is something I really enjoy being a part of. And, most importantly, I have discovered what it means to design my study around myself, and how much more practical that can be.

In a year I will graduate, have to adjust to the changing times, and most likely the people I have met at Murray, or Goddard for that matter, will just become people I email less and less. But I will always be able to push myself to keep at this writing thing, and the one thing that I absolutely know for sure, is that I am a better writer because of the last two years I spent going down to Western Kentucky twice a year to share my work and my time with other writers and mentors in the program, and I am also a better writer because I was able to pursue other passions which took me other places, while I was earning my MFA.

– Bryan Marovich