--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I get emails from students at programs…" description: "\"I get emails from students at programs all over the country who want to transfer to Iowa, and in most cases their frustrations have absolutely nothing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-d-agata-13689_absolutely-nothing_i-get-emails-from-students-at-programs-a_1386352.jpg" --- # I get emails from students at programs all over the… ![“I get emails from students at programs all over the country who want to transfer to Iowa, and in most cases their frustrations have absolutely nothing to do with the programs they're attending. They have to do with the growing pains that they're undergoing as writers and with the growing pains…” quote by John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-d-agata-13689_absolutely-nothing_i-get-emails-from-students-at-programs-a_1386352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-d-agata-13689_absolutely-nothing_i-get-emails-from-students-at-programs-a_1386352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-d-agata-13689_absolutely-nothing_i-get-emails-from-students-at-programs-a_1386352.jpg) > “I get emails from students at programs all over the country who want to transfer to Iowa, and in most cases their frustrations have absolutely nothing to do with the programs they're attending. They have to do with the growing pains that they're undergoing as writers and with the growing pains that our own genre is constantly undergoing.” [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Students’ frustrations stem from personal growth challenges rather than program flaws, reflecting broader genre evolution. **In simple terms:** Students struggle with personal growth, not program quality. Key Takeaway Address personal development in writing. Themes education growth genre evolution Mood reflective supportive Type educational literary When to use this quote - academic advising - writing workshops - literary criticism Key Concepts creative writing mentorship curriculum design Questions to Reflect On - How can programs better support writer development? - What genre changes affect student expectations? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on individual blame may overlook systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutely nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely-nothing/) [Attending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Email](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email/) [Emails Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emails-students-4817946/) [Frustration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Genre is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre-is/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing pains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-pains/) [Iowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iowa/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-programs-4817948/) [Transfer Iowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transfer-iowa-4817945/) [Transfers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transfers/) [Undergoing Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undergoing-writers-4817947/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writers Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-growing-2455062/) ## Related quotes > [I always think that good writers should be growing up on the brink of death - it really lets them see mortality very clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-always-think-that-good-writers-should-be-growing-up-on-the-brink-of/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I get very frustrated by this term 'genre exercise.' I mean, what exactly is that? Genre is not really relevant when you are writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-get-very-frustrated-by-this-term-genre-exercise-i-mean-what-exactly/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [My feeling about fiction, regardless of the genre, is that it is meant to be a representation of life. I want my books to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-laymon/my-feeling-about-fiction-regardless-of-the-genre-is-that-it-is-meant/) [Richard Laymon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-laymon/) > [The actors are different, although I didn't set out to be different. My inspiration came from people like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/the-actors-are-different-although-i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-different-my/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [One of the problems of this genre is that there are cliches everywhere, and you've got to be careful and watch out. Our rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-hodges/one-of-the-problems-of-this-genre-is-that-there-are-cliches/) [Adrian Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-hodges/) > [In a weird way, riffing on genres is kind of a reaction to formula. When you watch so much of the programmers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/in-a-weird-way-riffing-on-genres-is-kind-of-a-reaction-to-formula/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [I could not flourish in the Hollywood system because the first thing spoken about is "What genre is it?" and "Who's it for?" It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcpherson/i-could-not-flourish-in-the-hollywood-system-because-the-first-thing/) [Conor McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcpherson/) > [ \[Michael\] Chabon is arguing in favor of what is at the same time an old-fashioned and very forward-thinking opening up - of taking off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/michael-chabon-is-arguing-in-favor-of-what-is-at-the-same-time-an-old/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [Genre is a useful concept only when used not evaluatively but descriptively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/genre-is-a-useful-concept-only-when-used-not-evaluatively-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Parodies are hard to do well, as is shown by the mediocrity of so many recent attempts. No matter how ripe a genre is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/parodies-are-hard-to-do-well-as-is-shown-by-the-mediocrity-of-so-many/) [James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/) > [I describe me sound as international: reggae, pop, rap, R&B all in one. I think I have my own style. I can't really even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-kingston/i-describe-me-sound-as-international-reggae-pop-rap-r-b-all-in-one-i/) [Sean Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-kingston/) > [Being gone for so long and coming back into the game, I'm the type of person to reinvent myself pretty often and I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-sunshine/being-gone-for-so-long-and-coming-back-into-the-game-i-m-the-type-of/) [Tony Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-sunshine/) > [There was a time when I first started that there was such a thing called 'a woman's film' and there were certain scripts that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurinder-chadha/there-was-a-time-when-i-first-started-that-there-was-such-a-thing/) [Gurinder Chadha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurinder-chadha/) > [Music is there for us to explore. To intentionally limit yourself to one, two, or three genres is limitation at its worst. Music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-anselmo/music-is-there-for-us-to-explore-to-intentionally-limit-yourself-to/) [Phil Anselmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-anselmo/) > [I started as a black-and-white teenage photographer, and I'm still there decades after. In some ways, the genre is almost gone. I am thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedi-slimane/i-started-as-a-black-and-white-teenage-photographer-and-i-m-still/) [Hedi Slimane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedi-slimane/) ## More by John D'Agata > [Inclusiveness isn't what I want to push back against. The obsession with facts is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/inclusiveness-isn-t-what-i-want-to-push-back-against-the-obsession/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I think that in a lot of readers' minds the essay is a lot more utilitarian than it is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-think-that-in-a-lot-of-readers-minds-the-essay-is-a-lot-more/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [As frustrating as my time in grad school felt, it also helped tremendously because it challenged me to figure out what it was I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/as-frustrating-as-my-time-in-grad-school-felt-it-also-helped/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I'm not worried about what part of their life they needed to massage in order to achieve something that I get to experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-m-not-worried-about-what-part-of-their-life-they-needed-to-massage/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You create your own audience, and your own community of peers, and in some ways you create your own forebears as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-create-your-own-audience-and-your-own-community-of-peers-and-in/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Even if it's a definition that feels oppressive to us, that oppression can be inspiring because it helps us push up against something while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/even-if-it-s-a-definition-that-feels-oppressive-to-us-that-oppression/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I thought that I wasn't an essayist because I just didn't see myself in a lot of the essays that were popular at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-thought-that-i-wasn-t-an-essayist-because-i-just-didn-t-see-myself/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [A risk is something that feels risky to the person who's taking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/a-risk-is-something-that-feels-risky-to-the-person-who-s-taking-it/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You move your life across the country and make a commitment to a place, and to a genre, and then you realize that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-move-your-life-across-the-country-and-make-a-commitment-to-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Pedagogically, we need definitions and borders. They help us get our heads around what we're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/pedagogically-we-need-definitions-and-borders-they-help-us-get-our/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“Maybe every essay automatically is in some way experimental — less an outline traveling toward a foregone conclusion than an unmapped quest that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/maybe-every-essay-automatically-is-in-some-way-experimental-less-an/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I wanted to create an environment in which more than just personal essays could be represented, and in which stranger approaches to making essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-wanted-to-create-an-environment-in-which-more-than-just-personal/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Sometimes what I'm looking for is the thing that will help renew people's interest in a writer that they may have written off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/sometimes-what-i-m-looking-for-is-the-thing-that-will-help-renew/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [It's fun to just skim through piles of books in the stacks of a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/it-s-fun-to-just-skim-through-piles-of-books-in-the-stacks-of-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) [Explore all 49 John D'Agata quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## More Absolutely nothing quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Amateur psychiatric prognosis can be fascinating when there is absolutely nothing else to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-condon/amateur-psychiatric-prognosis-can-be-fascinating-when-there-is/) [Richard Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-condon/) > [I am unusual for a Frenchman - I have absolutely nothing against the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/i-am-unusual-for-a-frenchman-i-have-absolutely-nothing-against-the/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [I know quickly whether a guy is boyfriend material. If I can have a good time doing absolutely nothing with him, then that's boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-hannigan/i-know-quickly-whether-a-guy-is-boyfriend-material-if-i-can-have-a/) [Alyson Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-hannigan/) > [I cannot conceive of music that expresses absolutely nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-bartok/i-cannot-conceive-of-music-that-expresses-absolutely-nothing/) [Bela Bartok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-bartok/) > [Well, I've got nothing to hide. Absolutely nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/well-i-ve-got-nothing-to-hide-absolutely-nothing/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-caddy/expect-the-most-wonderful-things-to-happen-not-in-the-future-but/) [Eileen Caddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-caddy/) > [There is no reason not to love. There is no reason not to be joyous. There is no reason not to celebrate because all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-reason-not-to-love-there-is-no-reason-not-to-be-joyous/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Here is something no real celebrity will ever tell you: film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/here-is-something-no-real-celebrity-will-ever-tell-you-film-acting-is/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [Listen to everyone, read everything; believe absolutely nothing unless you can prove it in your own right!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-william-cooper/listen-to-everyone-read-everything-believe-absolutely-nothing-unless/) [Milton William Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-william-cooper/) > [What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-a-delightful-thing-is-the-conversation-of-specialists-one/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I go to practice every day. I really don't have a training camp. In the boxing world, and that's where that came from, almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-every-day-i-really-don-t-have-a-training-camp-in-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [There is absolutely nothing that you desire that you cannot achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-is-absolutely-nothing-that-you-desire-that-you-cannot-achieve/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [What did Republicans get for 16 days of a government shutdown with people being hurt? We have absolutely nothing to show for it, other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/what-did-republicans-get-for-16-days-of-a-government-shutdown-with/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [Speak kind words to mankind and the unkind will attack you. Speak common sense using all your senses, and you will attacked by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/speak-kind-words-to-mankind-and-the-unkind-will-attack-you-speak/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) [Browse all 268 Absolutely nothing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely-nothing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I get emails from students at programs all over the country who want to transfer to Iowa, and in most cases their frustrations have absolutely nothing to do with the programs they're attending. 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