G3 Residency at Goddard College

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This past February, I had my third Goddard residency. It was an interesting experience. I’ve been burnt out since the end of my last semester. I wrote about this already. I ended up doing my long critical paper (on the Slave Narrative) and my teaching practicum in the same semester. Dear reader, I was completely tired by the end of that. I lost most of December and January to rest. I’m writing this in late March, and I’m still endeavoring to recover. I went into residency barely out of burn out.

Changes at Goddard

One of my frustrations with this program is that I seem to have managed to be in the program during the “awkward middle” of it. The old system has come to an end and a new system is springing up. I don’t get to take full advantage of the old system, and the new system won’t be ready before I graduate.

Communication remains poor. I found out about a whole extra study opportunity today accidentally via email. There are definitely changes happening around Goddard, and my only hope is to escape with my degree as best that I can. I can tell that the seeds of a better program are being planted, but this is not a tree under whose shade I will have the privilege of sitting.

Hybrid doesn’t work

This residency was unique because we had a hybrid learning option. You could opt to go to the residency in person, or you could opt to continue on Zoom. I decided that it was too big of a lift to make it down to Fort Warden, so I decided to stay home and do it on Zoom. This was a huge mistake. The two of us from my advising group that were on Zoom basically were on a laptop while the class took place around us. We couldn’t really hear class discussion, much less participate in it. Hybrid learning can work, but this setup was not it. I had hoped that something more manageable would be in place and was sadly disappointed. I’m certain this is something that will be fixed in years to come, long after I have moved on from the program. If Goddard wants to continue hybrid, it will have to be more than a laptop on a table. Personally, I fully intend to go to residency in-person in July. I will be coming off a 6-week trip to the East Coast, but I will manage.

Reduced Schedule

A reduced schedule dominates this semester. I decided to cut back on critical work this semester, so I could focus on my thesis. All my major projects, except for my thesis, are completed. So, this semester, I’m primarily focused on the thesis project (more on that front in a minute). I am happy to be able to take a bit of a break this semester because it gives me a chance to catch up on a bunch of things for The Cameron Journal.

Focused on Thesis

I am behind in terms of having a finished product for my G4 and I want to avoid staying an extra semester, so this is the time for me to do a great deal of work on my thesis. I’ve already turned in one packet, and I was able to get through a chapter and a half. However, I’m going to have to pep up the pace even more so. I’m currently in a discussion with my advisor about the merits of the passive voice. We are thinking about how I like to talk about people “beginning to do an action” rather than them just stating that they are doing it. I’m trying different things. My G4 revisions will be focused on standardizing the prose. But first, we need a draft.

And so…

My experience at Goddard has still been mixed. Things have definitely improved since my G1, but it is still a frustrating experience. Doing an MFA is no joke. This is much harder than my other graduate degree. It takes much more time, and it is constantly on my mind. It occupies so much mental bandwidth, it is unreal. Even when I’m on break, it’s still there, haunting me from behind. It is a huge commitment and nothing to be taken lightly. I think that is why, of my cohort of nine, there are only four of us left. Doing an MFA is a massive project. This is more so for those that choose to teach as part of their tuition. I can’t imagine doing this program and teaching classes in a traditional institution. My teaching practicum was bad enough. But then again, I suppose most other MFA students aren’t also running their publishing career on the side. Either way, my word of warning to others considering an MFA program: it’s a lot. Prepare for this to engulf your entire life; because it will do just that.