<p>For the past few months, I have been trying to find proper guidance to understand admissions into a creative writing MFA program. Professors at my undergraduate institution are not helpful because they believe I should take 10 years off before going. I cannot afford to do as they wish, however, because I need to maintain a steady job with benefits because I have one disability (and have a 50% chance of having two). Under no circumstances do I wish to split my focus between a job and school. Additionally, I would like to go to grad school before I turn 26 so I do not have to worry about health insurance as well. Time is of the essence with these applications.</p>
<p>I have developed a series of questions, which nobody I know can or will answer. Few people from my school have gone for MFAs, so career development has limited suggestions. My mother applied for an MFA in Printmaking and my father has no respect for the arts. Though I have found a lot of blogs on creative writing admissions, I do not know where to find a solid answer for a varying degree of questions, or if I can find said answer from one source.
The questions I have are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>How much do grades factor into creative writing MFA admissions</li>
<li>How much do previous publications factor into creative writing MFA admissions?</li>
<li>Are LORs required to be from professors, or should they come from anyone who is familiar with my writing? If I want to attend a particular grad school, will an LOR from a successful alum help me significantly?</li>
<li>Will timing increase my chances of admission to a particular program?</li>
<li>To how many schools should I apply?</li>
<li>Is there such a thing as a creative writing MFA "safety" school?</li>
<li>Should I only go by the rankings in the AWP, or are there other resources?</li>
<li>How can I check the credibility of specific programs?</li>
<li>Will it make a difference in my application if I visit each program and meet the professors? When is the best time for me to visit?</li>
</ol>
<p>Please let me know if these questions are better suited for admissions/professors of various programs. I wanted to start here to prevent the possibility of an irreparable mistake.</p>