Gap year, Week 31

Posted on by Scott McLean

Welcome to this week’s edition of my Gap Year, a twisted tale of a poor country clinical geneticist who has chucked his day job to become a writer.

This past week I’ve applied to a handful of low-residency MFA programs. MFA = master of fine arts, a graduate degree that one acquires after successfully completing a master’s program. It is a terminal degree, but the apostrophe is not.

My MFA list, when first created in 2023, included about a dozen programs. One of them (Goddard) to my surprise went out of business earlier this year – a shot across the bow. Maybe my selection process was flawed! Consequently, I took a second look at all the low-residency MFA programs –  dropped a couple and added a few more, longlisting about 15, then culled them by half to develop, 2 months ago, my short list. I hazarded a final ranking and started the applications.

The most important elements of the application are the writing samples: for me a 25-page short story, a personal essay, and, for a few programs, a short critical analysis. I wrote the short story in early July and took it through 6 revisions in the next 3 weeks. The personal essay guidelines varied significantly among the MFA programs, so each required customization. The critical analyses asked for discussions of literary craft, something I was well-prepared to do in 1977 as a senior at Hamilton College. Now, it felt like a request to join the US synchronized swimming team for a few minutes in the deep end. I’m holding my breath.

I was excited about another program, Seattle Pacific University, but when I finished the application, I couldn’t upload the writing sample, essay, or critical analysis through their application portal. Tech gremlins messing with the boomer? Probably. I contacted the administrator at SPU to ask for help. Zounds, that MFA program closed a year ago! The budget cuts apparently included the IT department responsible for updating the MFA website. Disconcerting, especially after I had put in the work. And the second school to drop off the list, reinforcing the unproven theory that I’m not a great picker. However, the dust has settled. I have applied to seven programs and wish them best of luck in remaining open. During the rest of the Gap Year, I will keep you up to date on my acceptances and rejections, though remanding the names of specific programs until the trial is adjourned.

~

In other news, the upfitting of our Transit Trail class B campervan, named Milton, is coming along. Vanture Customs has him on the front burner. We will take delivery in Philadelphia later this year.

Photo of USA’s synchronized swimming team courtesy of Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY NETWORK

4 thoughts on “Gap year, Week 31”

  1. As the saying goes, “if it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all”. The upside is that you have found a niche market enabling you to set up your own institution of DEI higher learning along with an accreditation service, at “Bob’s your Uncle.” 🙂

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      1. My comment was made in jest. I was just making the point that as certain institutions of higher learning change their focus from the foundation of the liberal arts curriculum to, say… “billiards, the foundation of communication”, you found an area of needs, unmet. However, I cynically, tongue in cheek, referenced the DEI issue due to the PC climate that seems to have eclipsed the need for facts. Oxford Dictionaries released its 2016 word of the year: “Post-truth,” which they defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” So, to set up a school in today’s climate, DEI, though a burden to the goal of education, is a prerequisite. Not that you would, just that you could . Poorly worded Joke 🙂

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