I'm currently a senior graduating this semester (off-track) at a top 4 Ivy League university in sociocultural anthropology. I began as a political philosophy major and then moved into anthropology, but my interests now lie mostly at the intersection of early 20th century German ethnography and expressions of the urban/modern everyday. Pretty much all of my interests, however, have shifted throughout my college career, and because of this as well as my off-track graduation status, I wasn't able to write a thesis, although I have published one essay on urban violence and art in northern Mexico. I want to pursue a PhD, but feel as detached from anthropology and I'm considering a further degree in history, since I can align a lot of my interests there. However, I don't feel like I have the necessary background in the field to be a competitive applicant (only taken a few very disparate history courses), and my GPA here (3.6) is rather low (I had failed two courses in a semester in my sophomore year, was in the hospital most of the time and refused out of ego stuff to drop the whole semester--otherwise would have a 3.9).
Because of this rather weak app, and my divergent interests since my senior year, I wanted to apply for MA programs in History, but even then I don't know if I can secure funding and would want to be in a program that's intellectually stimulating and aligned with my interests. The Cambridge MPhil is my top choice, and I secured an advisor, but it's definitely a reach. I applied to a number of fellowships for independent study, but again, all reaches. I wanted to get some advice as to how to spend these next few months (between January and September, when I will not be in school) do hone down my interests, or what to do in the case that these options work out so that I can be more competitive in my application for the next cycle. Or if I should just throw my hat in for a PhD. Thanks!