What to focus on (MS) to increase my chances at PhD admissions

[ivictor]

Hi,

A brief background about me:

- International student (not from China, India, or any other major international pool)

- Computer Engineering bachelor's degree from a top 10 U.S. engineering school

- 3 years of relevant/reputable industry experience

- Applied to Master's and got admitted to a top 20 C.S. school (I did not apply for PhD directly due to my lack of research and low undergrad. GPA)

So I'm in. What should I focus on to raise my chances at top EECS PhD programs? Sure everything counts but given my profile what should I focus on? GPA/GRE/Research/LOR? What about average research under tenured prof. vs great research under unknown or assistant professor?

Lastly, when would I ideally apply for PhD? I anticipate finishing the program in a year but feel like applying this Fall would be too early for me to obtain enough research experience and letters of recommendation

Thanks

[ivictor]

Follow up question- what's most important in research, the topic, content, or who the adviser is?

Feel free to reply from personal experience (those who did an M.S. then applied to PhD)

Thanks