Considering My Future / Chances

[Rustic]

Currently, I'm a senior at a not-so-prestigous school (University of Michigan's Flint campus, to be precise) and I've been considering spending a couple of years teaching abroad once I finish my BA, and then applying for a spot in many different PH.D programs. I'd like to be a professor of English, and I enjoy literature. I've taken more courses that focus on literature written before 1800, honestly, so that might be the route I'm taking. As far as interests outside of my major (English with a Writing Specialization), I also will have a minor in History, and I've taken three semesters of Japanese language (which is all that the school has ever offered at the Flint campus) and two semesters of Chinese, so a PH.D in something like Asian Literature would be awesome, though I imagine it would be unlikely that I would find and get into such a program.

 

I'm not looking to get into a particularly fancy school or anything, so feel free to suggest places I could apply to since I still have a few years to pay down my student loans from my BA and decide. Here's what I have going on:

 

- Estimated GPA upon graduation: 3.5-3.6. Estimated GPA in major: 3.7-3.8.

- Participating in a Writing Conference in about two weeks. I'm trying to get more involved on campus.

- I have a few pieces submitted to the campus literary magazine. I'm currently awaiting letters of acceptance/rejection.

- I am currently working to get into a Research Assistant postition on campus, as I think it will help to have research experience.

- I already have many faculty members who would write me letters of recommendation.

- Over this year and next, I will be reading a lot of literature on my free time and studying up to take the GRE. 

  (I honestly think that the Milton & Spenser course I'm taking right now will be extremely helpful for the literature portion. I have no idea what I'll score on the GRE; back in high school I did better than average on the ACT, but not amazing-- I had a 27 cumulative score.)

- Possible teaching experience from teaching abroad once I finish my BA.

 

Other than contacting schools and finding out specifics, are there other general bits of advice you guys can give me to help me prepare for a PH.D? What kinds of schools and programs would you recommend as a strong fit for me? Do you think I will be able to to make it in anywhere? I'm kind of worried.