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In yesterday’s mail, the latest issue of Poets & Writers magazine arrived. I was surprised to find a full-page ad on page 24 for Western Michigan University. – I have to do a bit of bragging here. It ranks in the top 100 universities in the United States.– That is where I got my MFA. MFA stands for master in fine arts. It marks you as a creator and not a scholar. Many years before I went to Western Michigan, a magazine editor told me that I should get my MFA to make myself an “official writer.” MFA programs are typically very difficult to get into because of the high demand. There is a ton of people with great talent out there. That’s true in all sorts of areas. Think of television shows such as America’s got Talent. Going back to MFA programs, I was told the year that I applied, 1989, there was somewhere over 700 applicants and they took just three of us. It was the absolute highlight of my education. To be with other writers and realize I wasn’t the only “strange person” in the world was not only a relief but an absolute joy. It proved to me whatever goal you are pursuing, don’t give up.