<p>I graduated from a small LAC in social sciences with a 3.83 GPA. I also had a minor in secondary ed, and for those of you that are unfamiliar, this means a lot of time spent observing and teaching classes, in addition to a full semester of student teaching. At the time, I was not involved in much because I was a single mom with a young (toddler) son. I worked full time and I went to school full time. Not the most fun, but considering I made good grades. I taught history and government in high schools for 5 years. Public schools are hell, and I have always loved academia, so I want to move on and get my PhD. However, as my husband is entering his medical residency, my whereabouts are predetermined for the next three years. We could end up in Louisville, South Carolina, Connecticut - who knows.</p>
<p>Given my strong undergrad GPA and my teaching experience, I thought I could bolster my app to a PhD program if I do my MA first. How much does it matter where I do my MA, if my MA is really good and publishable/published? What GRE scores do I really need to look for? I want to do my grad work in medieval European history, with a specific focus on the development of Christianity. As medieval history is a pretty competitive field, job-wise, I want to get into the best possible university.</p>
<p>I will have French and Latin before I apply for my PhD - probably also either German or Italian too (I’m currently working on languages and making strong progress). I have also tutored neighborhood students.</p>
<p>What are the possibilites of me getting into the top universities? What do I have to do to get there? And what are the benefits of a US-based PhD vs. a UK-based PhD in my field?</p>
<p>Thanks for sorting through my long post!</p>