<p>i am a sophomore, and an english major, at a smaller school in virginia. i'm currently on a full tuition scholarship, but i'm considering transfering to a different school. i could either finish an undergraduate degree and a masters degree in 4 years with at least a 3.7 at my current university, or i could transfer to a more competitive school in virginia (william and mary) and finish an undergraduate degree in those 4 years. i plan on entering a phd program, but i'm not sure which would make me more competitive to a program at schools like Duke, UNC, or UVA. any ideas?</p>
<p>Well, you have nothing to lose by applying. Moreover, it depends highly on what your discipline is. Depending on your field, it may actually stand against you to have an MA when applying to competitive PhD programs. What are you planning on getting the PhD in?</p>
<p>as for a phd/ma i'm interested in women writers, especially poets and how being a woman influenced their writing, or creative writing. i'm currently just a normal english major/ed minor but if i stay at my current university i could also double major in women's studies, because taking 18-21 hours a semester is not difficult for me. i just don't know if it would make me more competitive to have a double major, an ma, or a undergraduate degree from a competitive university.</p>
<p>Well, since I know nothing about graduate studies in these fields, my advice to you would to go to the source. Either by phone, email, or in person, ask the question candidly to someone who has some role in running the program at one of these schools. I am sure they will be frank with you, at least about what their specific program looks for. I suspect that the advice that someone who runs the graduate program at Duke or UVA will be much sounder and specific than any speculation you find here. It's unfortunate, but your situation seems too nuanced to find a definitive, veritable answer here.</p>
<p>blah thanks anyway though.</p>