In my last semester of undergrad, I was faced with the question every senior is asked: “What are you going to do next?” For me, it seemed simple enough – I was accepted into Teach For America and I had gotten accepted into an online MSW program – so I was going to commit two years to become an educator and then I was going to become a licensed social worker after my commitment. However, my plans had completely changed.
A low-residency MFA program can be a great option for writers who have other commitments in life and prefer one-on-one time with a mentor. I have spent the past year enrolled in a low-residency MFA program and I have learned how it works in contrast to full-residency programs. I have a deep love and appreciation for my experience because I have learned to keep writing despite having a full-time job, received a lot of support from experienced mentors, and I am still offered many opportunities that a full-residency gives their students.
In this post, I will be explaining what a low-residency MFA program is, how it differs from a full-residency program, and my 3 personal reasons why I have enjoyed my MFA experience.
What Is a Low-Residency MFA?
For many writers, the Master in Fine Arts (MFA) is the golden step ladder. It’s like receiving a document that says “look at me! I have perfected my craft and am going to be the next New York Times bestseller!” But, really, the MFA is a graduate degree for candidates working in the arts (in our case we are looking at an MFA in Creative Writing).
The MFA mostly has two program models: full or low residency. The low-residency model allows writers to engage with the program at home through submitting monthly packets and annotations to an assigned mentor, and they have an opportunity to visit the campus during residencies where students participate in workshops, readings, community events, and even networking opportunities. Full residency programs are often extremely selective and students attend the campus as a full-time student where they are given opportunities to teach undergraduate students and participate in workshop classes and literature courses at the graduate level.
Both programs have their own pros and cons, and writers should consider their current lifestyle and needs when applying to programs.
Low-Residency MFA vs Full-Residency MFA Models
There are plenty of reasons why a writer would choose a low-residency program over a full-residency and vice-versa.
This section will list out some of the major differences between the two models.
Cost and Funding
Full-residency programs will often cover tuition for the student as they assist in teaching undergraduate courses. Students are paid for their teaching duties while they spend their 2-3 years writing and honing their craft. Many young writers are attracted to this model because a tuition-free degree means no debt and they are being paid to gain teaching experiences. It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime for an ambitious writer who wants to dedicate all their time to their craft!
Low-residency MFA programs do not cover tuition and most low-residency programs do not have teaching positions for their students (however, Bennington College is known for offering a competitive fellowship to students so that they may teach an undergraduate literature class and receive full tuition remission for a term). Low-residency students will need to apply for scholarships or loans to cover the cost of their tuition. I would say this is the biggest downside to a low-residency MFA program as this means that students will owe some debt after graduating.
Workload and Structure
In a full-residency program, candidates are full-time graduate students who attend class and workshops like any other student. They will likely be in a class with others in their cohort and will attend lectures and complete readings and assignments. So the program gives a lot of structure for their students, and students are expected to consistently complete reading and writing assignments along with their teaching duties.
In a low-residency MFA, writers are often not attending regular classes or interacting with their cohort on a daily basis. Rather, every writer must work on a packet that they submit to their mentor every month. Packets typically contain the writer’s original work that they have produced or revised along with annotations of books that they have been reading. In my program, writers also participate in what we call “Book Circles” where our mentee group meets once a month to discuss a book that was assigned to us (think of it as a book club) and we are also required to complete a translation course and two semesters of volunteer work in a literary space (such as working on a literary journal or the program’s podcast). Though there is less structure in the low-residency MFA model, students are still expected to submit work in a timely manner and they will need a lot of self-discipline.
Lifestyle and Flexibility
This might seem like a miniscule point, but trust me I’m just trying to help you out and give you a clear picture on why one program might benefit you better than the other!
Though full-residencies might sound ideal to some, I would say that attending them is quite the privilege. For one thing, full-residencies are great opportunities, but they are extremely selective with a 1% to 6% acceptance rate. Additionally, let’s say that you are accepted into a program, if the program is not in your city, you will need to relocate. Then, once you have relocated, you will need to really budget the money you are given because you will most likely be unable to work outside of your teaching duties due to most programs having policies in place that do not allow students to attain a full or even part-time job. If you are able to relocate and don’t mind committing all of your time to the program then by all means! It is an amazing opportunity to dedicate time to your writing life and have some teaching experience under your belt!
However, the low-residency MFA is a saving grace for a lot of writers. The program is specifically designed so that students can continue working on their craft without the need to make drastic life changes. Low-residency models still expect you to do work, but it is within your own time and you will need to manage it well if you want to progress through the program. The only time you may need to travel is during residencies which typically last around 10 days (this depends on your program). You might also do online check-ins with your mentor and will have access to different supports such as a writing center.
My Experience In a Low-Residency MFA Program
If you read the intro, you probably remember that I originally was accepted into an MSW program… so what happened? Well, I met a professor during my last semester of undergrad who is a published author and enthusiastic about fiction. He worked with me a lot to grow my confidence in fiction and I ended up rekindling my love for it. Once my love was rekindled, I made up my mind and told everyone that I wasn’t going to enroll in the program and that I was going to go for an MFA instead because – point blank period – I am a writer and that is where my true passions lie.
So, I got with my career coach and we worked on creating a portfolio and statement of purpose to one of my low-residency schools of choice and I got in! I knew that with being a teacher and having plans to settle and get married, a full-residency just wasn’t in the cards for me. And you know what? It worked out!
My first semester started with a summer residency. I was so ecstatic because my university is located in California and I knew that I didn’t have the means to travel there, but residencies can be done fully online! All lectures were recorded live and could be reviewed later if I missed something that I really wanted to attend. Our workshop group met completely via Zoom and I was surprised at how smoothly the workshops ran.
I then filled out a Google Form to select my mentor and I was happy that one of my preferences was assigned to me. I then met my mentor and mentee group to discuss the selections for our Book Circles and to schedule out together when our packets were due.
After residency, I had to complete a sheet that documented which events I attended and reflect on how what I learned from the event impacted me as a writer. I then had to complete a contract with my mentor to list out the books I would be reading and the goals I had for the project period. I even applied for and listed my interest in being part of my program’s literary journal and ended up being assigned as the fiction editor.
Now that I am nearing the end of my second term, I feel extremely happy being in my program and am excited to really work on my final manuscript. Here are three reasons why I ended up loving my low-residency MFA experience.
3 Reasons I Love The Low-Residency MFA
1. My Self-Discipline and Time Management Skills Have Improved
I’m just going to be honest about myself and my personal work ethic. If I had went to a full-residency program, I would’ve dedicated 2-3 years writing and teaching just to graduate and learn how to navigate working a full-time job while also being a writer (likely without a mentor).
However, the low-residency MFA has trained me to really manage my time better and how to achieve a work-life balance. In being a full-time classroom teacher, I have had to learn to work through tough times during my job by pushing myself to spend at least 20 minutes a day writing for my packet and spending some time on the weekends to develop my project along with reading every night so that I can complete my book annotations and ensure that I am cleaning the queue for fiction submissions.
Self-discipline and time management skills are very marketable. Though, yes, the low-residency MFA is an investment, I believe that the skills I have gained can translate well into any field and I can definitely highlight this in my resume and in interviews.
2. I Thrive On One-On-One Mentorship
I’m somewhat spoiled when it comes to this area. All my life, I have been used to small class sizes. I’ve only had about 3 classes in my life that have been these large lecture-style classes, and I can tell you that those were the classes I struggled with the most. I didn’t always have access to the professors outside of office hours, and I felt more intimidated when it came to asking questions directly.
In my low-residency MFA program, I have had two mentors so far and have loved working with both of them. They are successful and experienced writers, and I feel like I get a lot of special attention to my work. Both mentors have offered flexibility when I needed it, have given me extensive and constructive feedback on my work, and have also given me a lot of insight into the publishing industry that I was not previously aware of!
Before I had applied to my program, many people seemed to have a stigma towards low-residency MFA programs because they believed the programs were not rigorous and that the faculty were not notable writers. I completely disagree! My mentors have challenged me and have set expectations on the quality of the contents in my packets. I remember I had always struggled with flashbacks in my story because I had too much of them and they disrupted the impact of the present scene. My mentors gave me specific feedback on these moments by recommending certain stories for me to read and saving these flashbacks to use in the future. This helped me to really build tension in my stories and to never “throw away” my flashbacks, but to redirect them to become their own stand alone pieces. My mentors are also experienced writers with published novels, collections, and memoirs.
3. I Have Had Plenty Of Opportunities From My Low-Residency MFA
Another stigma towards low-residency MFA programs was the idea that students would miss a lot of opportunities like being part of a literary magazine and networking with agents and other people in the publishing industry. Thankfully, I am here to tell you that is not the case at all!
In my low-residency MFA experience, I got to start off my first semester by being the fiction editor for our school’s literary journal, Lunch Ticket. I got to experience what it’s like for a magazine editor to read submissions and manage a reading team. I have even gotten the chance to work on the journal’s newsletter. My work in the journal have led me to become the editor-in-chief.
Additionally, writers have a chance to attend seminars by guest speakers who are literary agents during our residencies. I even remember our residency hosting a session where writers can pitch their query letters and receive feedback on them to better their chances of getting their work represented later when they want to send out queries.
Conclusion
The biggest takeaway I want you to get from all this is to research, research, research! My experience is just that – my experience. You want to really sit and evaluate what you want to get out from an MFA program.
For me, I knew that I wanted to get my MFA to better my craft, and through my program’s workload, my awesome mentors, and the opportunities I’ve been given, I have grown as a writer! Not all programs will offer the same things, but it’s up to you to find out!
Have you completed an MFA program? Whether you’ve done full or low-residency, I’d love to hear your thoughts and what your experience was like!
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