Tales of an MFA-in-Progress: Exhaustion Sets In
by Ryan Sanford Smith
It’s been over a month now since I first wrote on my experiences heading into an MFA program, and a lot has his transpired—I moved into the Fischer grad. residency on campus, a short and beautiful walk from, you guessed it, the stadium (and some other buildings, I’m told, but who cares?). I’m living with someone not of my family for the first time, an experience I was dreading but one that has turned out to be far more enjoyable than anyone might have guessed. I’ve begun classes, with all the excitement and megatonic stress that comes with them.
With everything that’s happened, I thought it might be a good time to pause and reflect on a few things I feel like I’ve already learned (and not yet learned) a few weeks into the ND MFA program:
For one thing, everyone is, basically, as busy and frazzled as human beings can conceivably be, myself included. If you see someone playing Frisbee on the quad, you can rest assured that there’s no way said person is a graduate student. If you see someone sprawled out relaxingly in the grass somewhere among the grad. residency buildings, it is only because they have collapsed from sheer exhaustion while walking back from class, and medical personnel should promptly be alerted. Personally, my reading load is averaging about 2.5 books per week; usually, one book of poetry, one book for my literature class (a very interdisciplinary course with books covering topics from sociology, pedagogical theory, political science, philosophy, and so on), and another 100 or so pages between them of articles and essays provided through the e-reserve system.
With all this in mind, it’s as important as ever to remind yourself that everyone needs time to relax and work off that stress—your faithful correspondent suggests spending your Saturdays standing in the student section screaming like a banshee (see image).
You’ve heard of the Freshman 15? Welcome to what I’ve dubbed the ‘grad-student gourmet 50’; not as nice a ring to it, and I realize my future career in marketing quips is suspect, but stay with me here. If you don’t cook yourself, there seems to be a very good chance most of not everyone else in your program does or will be trying to. I don’t know if this is the result of so many people escaping dorm life where cooking was probably non-existent or what, but the phenomenon is wonderful. If you’re friendly, you’ll probably be turning down dinner invitations on a nightly basis just to get the aforementioned reading done.
Thanks for reading! Over the next couple of posts I’ll continue this little series as well as touch on some things that I feel I’ve yet to learn around here. Meanwhile, have some of Seattle’s Finest at the Courtside Café for me! GO TITANS!
