Hey all,
I am currently in an MA in English program as a first-year student. This is a new chapter after I just graduated undergrad. I am really leaning towards applying to PhD programs perhaps in the application cycle after this one. I need to know:
How should I prepare, and what should I do now, to be the most competitive candidate possible? I am fortunate enough now to have a graduate assistantship, and am attending a program that is not super well known but has a nice university. What is it going to take for me to set myself apart from other applicants, as I work towards my master's degree? I really want to go to a top-tier program, but know admissions are extremely difficult. I want to use my MA experience to make me a more competitive candidate.
...Conferences, publications, working at a library off-campus, test scores, volunteering, etc. -- what is the best way to bolster my track record so that I can get into an elite PhD program in the future? It may either be a PhD program in English, or Literature, or Rhetoric/Composition (I've not decided the exact focus yet) for reference. I'm not really trying to be program-elitist as my undergrad was a state school but if I'm going to full send the doctoral route, for job market purposes, I really should be in a highly known program.
Thanks.