ss22

Hi all - I am a lurker coming out of the shadows and am extremely thankful for this little community for quieting my anxieties during this process. Congrats to all those accepted this year! I have a dilemma/need advice and I'd love to get some feedback - I think it is safe to say that I have been rejected to all the schools I applied to this cycle. I am wondering what my next steps should be.. I am debating on whether or not I should pursue the Columbia Sociology MA I was accepted to enhance my application, as it is a prestigious institution with a lot of networking opportunities/opportunities to flesh out my research interests (maybe publish? maybe go to additional conferences?). Or should I just take the GREs again and strengthen my application in other ways (research fellowships, publishing something - recommendations welcome!)? I'm not sure what to do next, but all I want is to get into a PhD program so I can lead research and teach in the future. My profile at this point is: Ithaca College undergrad degree - 3.4 (a weak point of my app, due to a bad freshman year) CUNY MA - 3.89; thesis on minimum wage movements (fightfor15), framing, media, etc. Research interests: the intersection of education, social movements, coercion, and power (political/economic sociology) 3 conference presentations at major psych association conferences in undergrad (EPA; NEPA) 1 year as an undergraduate research assistant Leadership experience in 2 executive boards in undergrad 1 internship focusing on economic development with low-income women 2-3 years in research and data analysis @ a non-profit w. promotions 2 years of peer review experience at AERA 2 years of additional professional experience (program management, grant management, HR) 1 masters thesis GRE 162V/152Q/4A (could do better) Sorry this is a lot!! Any suggestions on the best way to strengthen my application would be much appreciated. I feel lost right now . Thank you!