Preparing for PhD program entry in a couple of years

[graduatecat97]

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.

Edited August 12, 2020 by graduatecat97

[snorkles]

To preface my advice, I'd like to mention that programs in general are admitting smaller cohorts this year. I wouldn't be surprised if this trend continued beyond 2021. If you're thinking about PhD programs with the job market in mind, you'd be better served by focusing your efforts elsewhere. It was already near impossible to land a tenure track position. Now, things are looking very, very bleak. 

The best thing you can do is refine your interests and develop questions about them. You aren't expected to be an expert in a field when you apply, but you should be somewhat conversant with one. Write a good (that is, relevant to your field) thesis and use it for your writing sample. 

Conferences and publications don't hurt your application, but they take time. The same is true for library work and volunteering. In my opinion, you're better off spending your time researching and writing. Develop relationships with faculty to help you along. 

The application process is expensive and grueling. I'd heavily consider whether you want to pursue this route, because a lot of the labor that goes into making yourself an ideal PhD applicant may also prevent you from developing your marketability in other avenues. 

[merry night wanderer]

With so many schools ditching the GRE, I would have rediverted 100% of that energy to getting even more abreast of the field and refining my writing sample. To the first point, SEL provides overviews of trends based on era that I found incredibly valuable, though I'd imagine you will already have a leg up as a Master's student, and teachers in your area can help as well. To the second, I'd work on  writing sample extensively (of course) and give it not only to your mentors, but to people in the dept outside your area, if possible. I only gave mine to a newly-retired prof in my field and I regret it because (while I value his opinion tremendously) I think I pigeonholed myself a bit. Your readers are going to be all over the place in terms of specialty, theory, etc, so you want to be able to make yourself understandable and ideally appealing to as many as you can.

Not hedging your bets on a job seems wise, of course. Not specifically to you, but to anyone here: please don't go into academia because you can't think of anything else to do with your degree. Data shows we humanities folks do just fine on the job market after an adjustment period (and if you ever want to talk about the vagaries of getting a job in corporate America, let me know). But I'm also deciding to do this with plenty of middle-class job prospects elsewhere (I'm an older student) because frankly, it's way more meaningful. So I'm not personally going to discourage you. If the school you get into is a good one, they'll also provide resources for alt-ac trajectories.

Edited August 14, 2020 by merry night wanderer