>>7290665>how are your credentials?3.9+ undergrad GPA from a good uni (#15 for field or so), and good personalised letters of rec, but my GREs are like 152Q 166V so kind of bleh on that front.
Honestly, from what I can tell, as long as you meet certain minimal thresholds for GPA and GRE, it's mostly about a) the quality of your research proposal and statement, b) the the quality of your letters, and c) the quality of your writing sample. You should really be in touch with your potential adviser ahead of time, preferably well ahead of time, and gauge both their interest and their willingness to take on more grad students in the year you're applying.
My best advice would be to get a really early start by talking to professors in your field and at your uni and asking for as much advice as possible on applications, but also for reading, contact, and general recommendations, and especially for letters of rec if you've studied with them and cultivated relationships (you should). I've been told by basically everyone that letters are tied for #1, if not the #1 indicator of potential on an application. Also make sure that by the time you're writing your applications, you know your field well enough to impress with your statement of purpose, showing you know the state of the field, how your research idea fits into that and why it's interesting, and how you might go about it (potential sources, methods). Ask your professor friends to review and inform your proposal. And ideally keep in mind that you'll need writing samples, possibly multiple and possibly flexible in length and content, so start thinking about gearing projects or research toward them early on.
If you get started early, I'm jealous, because I am a retard who does everything at the last minute. I WISH I could go back and spend my last year or two of undergrad writing my samples instead of having to basically hammer everything into shape this month.
And of course take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt, since I am just a pleb MA student.
Also consider hoarding money. Applications cost like $100+ a pop average, sending transcripts costs money, taking the GREs cost me $200, everything just blows money out your ass.
