I have lots of free advice, all of which you're welcome to consider or to ignore.
Just to be above board at the outset: I don't recommend MA in English programs when all you get at the end is an MA. Generally they tend to be cash cows for the PhD part of the program (assuming there is one), generating funding for students who are not you (if you are applying only to the MA part/MA track). Or they tend to be directly focused on a particular specialized group; e.g., there are some good MA in English programs designed for people who are doing a dual MA/teaching program, or MA/publishing program. For those with such goals, the programs can be fantastic (though if you're interested in publishing, there are specific programs for that, like Radcliffe's summer publishing program, that would be even better).
If you are indeed set on going to an MA-only program, and you just want to study literature, one of the few places I would recommend is Georgetown. They have an MA program, but no PhD counterpart, so you're not competing for resources/attention/time with people who are going to make careers there, with students who are going to get priority over you because they're moving towards professionalized roles. At a place like Georgetown (which has a nice, well-rounded program historically) the professors and advisers will have only you/your cohort(s) to focus upon, and that's a very good thing.
Of course, you may be thinking of MA/PhD programs, in which case I have an entirely different rundown of advice to give -- let me know.
My main advice, generally -- don't go to school just to go to school. I'm *not* suggesting that's what you're doing, because you could well have a really considered plan here. But it's an issue worth considering briefly whatever your reasoning for applying to graduate school. Apply to and attend a graduate school if you have some very specific goals in mind: if you're using an MA program as a jumping off point to getting into a PhD program, or to see if you would *want* to continue on in a PhD program; if you're using an MA program to go to a specific career (teaching, publishing) that the program feeds into with advising and career support included; or if you're using an MFA program to work on getting connected/getting agents (not so much for the writing workshops -- if the latter is the case, take writing classes instead, seriously).
A good across the board piece of advice is that you should apply based on ho you want to work with -- I think this is particularly important for MFA programs, since you would finish your thesis/work of fiction/work of non-fiction, etc., under the advisement of someone who will be one of the main people through whom you make connections. For MA programs, consider who teaches MA/first-year classes, who will be on leave if it is a one year program (start asking now, before you spend the application fee), who might mentor you depending on which field you choose. Don't choose a program that's strong overall if it is weak in the area that most interests you. You're not looking at schools as such, at how well-ranked each college or university is, but rather how well ranked *your* program is, and further, *your* area of specialization specifically. If you like Modernism, it'll do you no good if the program is strong in Medieval Studies and not much else. And make sure the person/mentor you'd like to work with actually, you know, works with people. I've been in two grad programs in which people found their ideal adviser didn't actually advise -- way better to know about something like that beforehand!
no subject
Just to be above board at the outset: I don't recommend MA in English programs when all you get at the end is an MA. Generally they tend to be cash cows for the PhD part of the program (assuming there is one), generating funding for students who are not you (if you are applying only to the MA part/MA track). Or they tend to be directly focused on a particular specialized group; e.g., there are some good MA in English programs designed for people who are doing a dual MA/teaching program, or MA/publishing program. For those with such goals, the programs can be fantastic (though if you're interested in publishing, there are specific programs for that, like Radcliffe's summer publishing program, that would be even better).
If you are indeed set on going to an MA-only program, and you just want to study literature, one of the few places I would recommend is Georgetown. They have an MA program, but no PhD counterpart, so you're not competing for resources/attention/time with people who are going to make careers there, with students who are going to get priority over you because they're moving towards professionalized roles. At a place like Georgetown (which has a nice, well-rounded program historically) the professors and advisers will have only you/your cohort(s) to focus upon, and that's a very good thing.
Of course, you may be thinking of MA/PhD programs, in which case I have an entirely different rundown of advice to give -- let me know.
My main advice, generally -- don't go to school just to go to school. I'm *not* suggesting that's what you're doing, because you could well have a really considered plan here. But it's an issue worth considering briefly whatever your reasoning for applying to graduate school. Apply to and attend a graduate school if you have some very specific goals in mind: if you're using an MA program as a jumping off point to getting into a PhD program, or to see if you would *want* to continue on in a PhD program; if you're using an MA program to go to a specific career (teaching, publishing) that the program feeds into with advising and career support included; or if you're using an MFA program to work on getting connected/getting agents (not so much for the writing workshops -- if the latter is the case, take writing classes instead, seriously).
A good across the board piece of advice is that you should apply based on ho you want to work with -- I think this is particularly important for MFA programs, since you would finish your thesis/work of fiction/work of non-fiction, etc., under the advisement of someone who will be one of the main people through whom you make connections. For MA programs, consider who teaches MA/first-year classes, who will be on leave if it is a one year program (start asking now, before you spend the application fee), who might mentor you depending on which field you choose. Don't choose a program that's strong overall if it is weak in the area that most interests you. You're not looking at schools as such, at how well-ranked each college or university is, but rather how well ranked *your* program is, and further, *your* area of specialization specifically. If you like Modernism, it'll do you no good if the program is strong in Medieval Studies and not much else. And make sure the person/mentor you'd like to work with actually, you know, works with people. I've been in two grad programs in which people found their ideal adviser didn't actually advise -- way better to know about something like that beforehand!