mmchung

A little bit of background: attended a small Northeaster liberal arts college after graduating high school in 2007, but due to a few personal reasons, had to leave after a year. After two or so years working/traveling, I returned to school in New York while simultaneously working full-time jobs. I'll be graduating this year and am strongly considering pursuing a PhD to eventually secure a curatorial position. My area of research/study is Conceptual art of the mid- to late-20th century. I'm wondering if anyone has any anecdotal experience or advice for someone in my position, who is completing an undergraduate degree three years later (and longer) than typically expected. I've held positions in and around the art world throughout the past few years (specializing in Art Books and Publications at a photography agency; Exhibitions Manager at a small contemporary art gallery), but I'm concerned that PhD programs are much more interested in academic and scholarly prowess. I have a high GPA and am currently working on a 30-page senior thesis (and typically test well on standardized testing), but my school (which caters to "adult students" that need flexibility for work/scheduling) is not exactly academically rigorous, as well as having a rather small art history department. I've taken as many courses as was possible in art history, and sought out advisors outside of my school to assist me in my research and independent studies, but I'm not sure this matches the more traditional undergraduate college experience. I'm interested primarily in top-ten PhD programs. Is there a particular course of action anyone would recommend to "up" my potential candidacy for a PhD to attain my end goal of being a curator? Or any other words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! I have a lot of other questions, but figured I'd start with this for now!