Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Traci, M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction
With online learning, you literally can go around the world and still obtain a degree. That's why Traci J. Macnamara enjoys distance learning so much. As a world traveler, logging in from afar works perfectly for her.
Name: Traci Macnamara
Age: 31
Marital Status: Single
Current Job Location: Antarctica
Goal: To complete the writing of her first book and have it published
School: Goucher College
Target: M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction, August 2007
Macnamara, 31, is currently stationed at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, the largest U.S. base for scientific research. Almost a world away is Goucher College in Baltimore, MD., where she is a student.
Born in Washington state, Traci holds a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame, as a pre-professional in pre-medicine.
"I am able to do my work as a communications operator at McMurdo Station and write on my days off and in the evenings," says Traci, who started working on her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction about two years ago, and expects to finish up by next August.
"I work very, very hard while I am here in Antarctica, juggling both work and writing, but my job allows me to save money so that when my contract is over, I can again focus fully on my writing. I love being able to travel and work wherever in the world I want to work, and without this program, I would not be able to do these things," Macnamara says.
Still, there are some difficult aspects of distance learning. So we talked to Traci about those and the many benefits that make distance learning work for her.
What is most challenging for you about distance learning?
The hardest thing for me about distance education is that I am not great with computers, and I spend a ton of time writing, so at the end of the day, I don't like getting into an online discussion forum.
At first, I did not like the discussion format—it seemed artificial online; I like it better when people can just talk casually and exchange ideas. It's harder to do this online, and it's harder to build a real community. It's much more work to get to know each other online, and it takes longer, more effort, too.
I'm already spending so much time in front of my computer screen writing that it's hard to motivate to participate in online discussions. I just don't feel like an online community is as good or as productive as a live one.
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