Is My MFA Worth It? A Review of My First Semester at Antioch

And my thoughts on MFAs, in general

Hey Bleeders,

Let’s start with the big question: Do you need an MFA to be a successful writer?

Short answer: Nope.

Longer answer: You do need to educate yourself, but there are a lot of ways to do that without dropping MFA-level money. Case in point? I’ve spent the past 13 years putting myself through a DIY MFA via writing classes, workshops, and just putting in the work. And guess what? It’s paid off.

Not that this is the most important metric, but before starting my MFA, I’d already landed better bylines than most of my classmates—and even a few of my professors. The point is that my writing career was underway, and I could’ve stayed on the DIY path without much difference in the outcome. So why am I here… and has it been worth it?