Alright, I made an account solely because this thread could be very useful for some folks amid the awful feelings of rejection with which I (and many others) can wholly relate.
I just finished a master's degree at the University of Chicago in what is called MAPSS, or the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences. The program has undoubtedly been discussed at length on this website, but who uses the search function anyway? This program is absolutely ruthless, demanding, and brutal. However, two years ago, I was in a position where I was rejected across the board, save for an offer from UChicago to do MAPSS, which offers the chance to earn a master's degree to solidify (or, for many, withdraw) one's interest in graduate school. In a nutshell, in an academic year, you can choose eight courses to take across the entire university in fields that you are interested in and will ultimately help you produce a master's thesis. Of course, if you wish to pursue a PhD in Sociology, it would behoove you to take classes almost exclusively in the department or that relate directly to your subfield, but you have a chance to take courses in other departments that might undergird your interests that extend beyond the department. For instance, you can take an Urban History course if you're interested in Urban Sociology. In effect, you build up your foundation through coursework and ultimately design and execute a project that conveys and/or contributes to everything a PhD admissions committee wants to see: a writing sample that shows exposure to key literatures and methods in your field; success in coursework taken at the graduate level; strong letters of recommendation from individuals prominent in your (sub)field; and support from a department that builds its reputation on successfully placing applicants into PhD programs.
To this last point, allow me to return to my own biography. As I said, I was rejected from eight schools because I had only bits and pieces (at best!) of what the typical undergraduate thinks grad schools want: a great undergraduate GPA, good letters, and some research experience. However, two years later, I completed the program in a timely manner (varies based on one's field and research project, but those who actually finish tend to do so in June (~20%), August (~75%), or December (~5%)); took graduate courses at a world-renown institution; earned fantastic recommendation letters; gained additional research experience; and wrote a statement of purpose that addresses what doctoral programs want to see: familiarity with one's subfield, experience in that subfield, and a proposed project to contribute to that subfield. At this point, with three more schools left to hear from, I have received six fully-funded offers from doctoral programs in Sociology, of which three sit in the top ten (according to US News and World Report) and the others from some of the most competitive PhD programs in the field and fall into the top 15 or top 20. At a time when admission to PhD programs are at historic lows, MAPSS continues to place applicants into PhD programs across disciplines.
For the record, I am NOT a spokesperson for MAPSS, nor do I suggest this fantastic (albeit, read: imperfect) program is for everyone. It will beat the absolute crap out of you and kick you while you are down. However, if you can take these incessant blows, and are willing to go into some debt...well, the numbers speak for themselves: last cycle (2014), 12/12 applicants in Sociology received funded offers across top institutions, and the year before (2013), 14/14 applicants. These are not flukes, but indications of a highly successful, although expensive and demanding, terminal master's degree.
I cannot overemphasize that this program is NOT for everyone. But if you want a litmus test of your commitment and a program that has developed something of a formula for success in application to (and, due to the MA program's demands accompanying its brevity, likely success in) PhD programs, then you should consider MAPSS. At the risk of sounding arrogant, this program has unparalleled success in PhD placement, and has been held up to some similar programs already mentioned, at which point the data that supports my assertion suggests the clear conclusion that MAPSS stands above the rest in this regard.
