Applications for a PhD program (Advice?)

[the_smiley1]

I'm right now in the process of completing applications for MA programs and I noticed that the majority of people here are applying for PhD's. There are a lot of great questions pertaining to that. Up until the last year as an undergrad, I had no intentions of ever going to grad school so I never did things I was supposed to (and actually at the

Comments

[arinamay]

I'm currently in my second year of an MA program and am applying for PhD programs. I would say the biggest things I have done that ended up making my application stronger

1. Getting to know all of my profs well
2. Going to lots of department presentations and happy hours (networking, exposure to new ideas in the field)
3. Research experience (I was an RA and am doing a thesis; I was able to get funding from the graduate school and also my department for my thesis)
4. Teaching (I was a TA and gained a lot of teaching experience, which some PhD programs prefer for funding)

Numbers 1 and 2 I did as an undergrad as well, but 3 and 4 are easier in an MA program. For example, I did an undergrad thesis but wasn't able to get any funding, so my data collection method was not particularly good.

I would also add

5. Conference presentations. My program only allows for research in the second year, so I have not done this yet. The graduate school gives travel funding to present at conferences, which I would love to take advantage of!

[arinamay]

I should clarify by "so I have not done this yet", I meant I have not presented my MA thesis at a conference since I am currently in the middle of it! But my main point is that some MA programs will give travel money to their students, which would be awesome to take advantage of!

[the_smiley1]

Thanks. Just a question about #5...what do you mean your program only allows research in the second year? Does that mean you are still allowed to do research and present at a conference that is not affiliated with your school/program?

[arinamay]

Oh no, it's nothing that official. We just have tons of required coursework the first year and can't do a thesis until our second year (we apply to do a thesis at the end of the first year). It's also rare for a first year student to be a RA, since they don't know any profs.

I shouldn't have said "only allows" but rather that the program isn't structured for first year students to do research. We do courses first year and research second year. A student could do research in their first year, but that would be pretty unlikely. Too many problem sets!

[freddie]

I echo everything arinamay said, but would also say (if in fact you think it needs to be said) get perfect grades.

[arinamay]

Yes! It you can't get A's in your masters classes, I imagine PhD programs would be suspicious of your ability to do their material. Good point!

[saralinds]

But remember, LORs and superb writing sample/SOP can trump grades (I mean, as long you pass as in getting 3.0 or higher). But unless you think you can get those, then focus on getting good grades.

[arinamay]

It may depend on the program. At my school, grad grades only go from B- to A. A B- ends up being a D, so a 3.0 would not be considered a very competitive GPA. I think the skewing of MA grades is relatively common, but I'm not positive on that.

[brittdreams]

This is really a better question for gradstudents, where similar questions have been asked and answered in the past.

[the_smiley1]

thanks, I didn't know about that one.

[coaldustcanary]

"getting conference exposure"

Really, no one expects undergrads to have anything conference-related under their belts. I promise. However, it is definitely one thing to try to get done as a MA student.

[saralinds]

Well, what field are you in? It would help.

Because in MY field (history), getting a conference paper OR being published is unheard of from a MA student, you aren't expected to get published until you're an advanced PhD student.