In his book Cis White Gay, Ben Appel, who grew up in a religious cult, was involved in an AA program that was run like a cult, and then went to Columbia and then an MFA program in his 30s, reflects on his academic experiences:

“Falsely advertised as a place of free inquiry, where adults could interrogate established narratives and confront uncomfortable truths, the academy had become a religious commune. A place where emotionally stunted, sanctimonious assholes who had never had an original thought in their lives made names for themselves by dutifully reciting scripture while policing the thoughts of others. It was a funhouse mirror image of the religious cult I grew up in.”