How to make the most out of a Master's program before applying to PhD?

[iamthesith4382]

I thought this post would be interesting and helpful to myself and other fellow Masters students. Does anyone have advice on how to make the most out of a Masters experience? What skills do you feel are important to develop to make yourself a better PhD applicant? Any advice is welcome!

[dancedementia]

Research research research! Depending on the kind of masters you're pursuing, the focus might be largely on clinical/applied work. Make sure to get some research work done as well! Sometimes this may involve you going outside of your program/department/college, but since a PhD degree is largely about publishing or perishing (or so I'm told ), you should aim to get at least some presentations under your belt, if not publications.

Edited October 11, 2016 by dancedementia

[didion10]

its all research. Make sure you do as many posters as possible, even if its just your school's MA conference.

 

Also, every single PhD program asked me if I did a thesis during my MA, if you are given a choice between thesis and comprehensive exams, choose thesis. Comps are looked down upon. 

[psychologue]

I agree with the above, but I would add that you should think about building relationships with multiple professors so that you can get strong letters (and good mentorship!).

[t_ruth]

It depends on your field. I agree, research and building relationships for letters, but would also add networking and becoming involved in relevant professional organizations. And, of course, you can't overlook a strong theoretical and methodological foundation. As I do lots of quantitative research, a PhD student who could hit the ground running with a good stats foundation would certainly be appealing.

[rising_star]

Attend major professional conferences in your area, whether or not you can present. Try to attend at least one regional/specialty conference and, if at all possible, the major conference in your field. That not only helps with networking but also helps with understanding the terrain of the field.