zabius

I assume that you're looking for a career in academia? If so, the two most important things are to beef up your CV and to network. 
 
For the CV, make sure that you publish as much as you can during your PhD. Don't wait until the end and publish one or two big manuscripts when you're almost done with the degree... be sure to publish throughout the 5 years that you're there, so that you can get your name out there. The higher the impact factor of the journal, the better. I'm in the biological sciences, so I don't know which journals are most "prestigious" in your field, but aim high (and if those journals don't accept your papers, just publish them elsewhere).
 
You can also beef up your CV by getting external funding awards. In my field, getting an NSF grant in your own name is a big deal, and definitely something that would make your CV look attractive. I'm sure that there are analogous awards in the political sciences that you can try for.
 
For networking, make sure to attend as many conferences as you can get funding for, even if you don't have anything to present at the moment. Use the time to introduce yourself to people in your field, who may have connections to other people at higher-ranking universities. Who knows... some of those people could end up being future collaborators of yours if you share common research interests! Of course, presenting your work (either as a talk or as a poster) at these conferences is preferable.
 
If you are going for a career in academia, then there's a good chance that you'll want to/need to do a postdoc between your PhD program and securing a job at a university. You could always try to do your postdoc at an institution with a higher rank? If you have a bunch of publications and conferences under your belt, there's a very decent chance that you can land such a position. You can also use the connections you made during your PhD to land a sweet postdoc.
 
At the end of the day, though, rank isn't everything. What really matters most is the quality of your work. Being at a lower ranking school just means that you may have to work slightly harder to attract attention to your work (that's where the publications and conferences come in), but if you're determined, you can do this. Good luck!

I assume that you're looking for a career in academia? If so, the two most important things are to beef up your CV and to network. 
 
For the CV, make sure that you publish as much as you can during your PhD. Don't wait until the end and publish one or two big manuscripts when you're almost done with the degree... be sure to publish throughout the 5 years that you're there, so that you can get your name out there. The higher the impact factor of the journal, the better. I'm in the biological sciences, so I don't know which journals are most "prestigious" in your field, but aim high (and if those journals don't accept your papers, just publish them elsewhere).
 
You can also beef up your CV by getting external funding awards. In my field, getting an NSF grant in your own name is a big deal, and definitely something that would make your CV look attractive. I'm sure that there are analogous awards in the political sciences that you can try for.
 
For networking, make sure to attend as many conferences as you can get funding for, even if you don't have anything to present at the moment. Use the time to introduce yourself to people in your field, who may have connections to other people at higher-ranking universities. Who knows... some of those people could end up being future collaborators of yours if you share common research interests! Of course, presenting your work (either as a talk or as a poster) at these conferences is preferable.
 
If you are going for a career in academia, then there's a good chance that you'll want to/need to do a postdoc between your PhD program and securing a job at a university. You could always try to do your postdoc at an institution with a higher rank? If you have a bunch of publications and conferences under your belt, there's a very decent chance that you can land such a position. You can also use the connections you made during your PhD to land a sweet postdoc.
 
At the end of the day, though, rank isn't everything. What really matters most is the quality of your work. Being at a lower ranking school just means that you may have to work slightly harder to attract attention to your work (that's where the publications and conferences come in), but if you're determined, you can do this. Good luck!

I assume that you're looking for a career in academia? If so, the two most important things are to beef up your CV and to network. 
 
For the CV, make sure that you publish as much as you can during your PhD. Don't wait until the end and publish one or two big manuscripts when you're almost done with the degree... be sure to publish throughout the 5 years that you're there, so that you can get your name out there. The higher the impact factor of the journal, the better. I'm in the biological sciences, so I don't know which journals are most "prestigious" in your field, but aim high (and if those journals don't accept your papers, just publish them elsewhere).
 
You can also beef up your CV by getting external funding awards. In my field, getting an NSF grant in your own name is a big deal, and definitely something that would make your CV look attractive. I'm sure that there are analogous awards in the political sciences that you can try for.
 
For networking, make sure to attend as many conferences as you can get funding for, even if you don't have anything to present at the moment. Use the time to introduce yourself to people in your field, who may have connections to other people at higher-ranking universities. Who knows... some of those people could end up being future collaborators of yours if you share common research interests! Of course, presenting your work (either as a talk or as a poster) at these conferences is preferable.
 
If you are going for a career in academia, then there's a good chance that you'll want to/need to do a postdoc between your PhD program and securing a job at a university. You could always try to do your postdoc at an institution with a higher rank? If you have a bunch of publications and conferences under your belt, there's a very decent chance that you can land such a position. You can also use the connections you made during your PhD to land a sweet postdoc.
 
At the end of the day, though, rank isn't everything. What really matters most is the quality of your work. Being at a lower ranking school just means that you may have to work slightly harder to attract attention to your work (that's where the publications and conferences come in), but if you're determined, you can do this. Good luck!

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

Cute! :-)
 
Here are some of mine...

 

 

Cute! :-)
 
Here are some of mine...

 

 

If you're not confident in yourself, there's a good chance that your interviewers at HST and MIT will pick up on that, and it could be detrimental. Confidence is really important! As others have said, you wouldn't have gotten interviews at these prestigious schools if they didn't think that you were qualified to be there. You're obviously a strong candidate; your letter writer may have helped you a little bit, but even the most stellar recommendation wouldn't have gotten you an interview if the rest of your application (SOP, GPA, etc.) weren't also very strong.
 
The best way to get back on your feet is to tell yourself these things and believe them! Go into the interview with confidence, and show the professors there why you are a good candidate for their program. Make them see that you are a good fit and that you have good qualifications! if you're ambivalent or doubtful about your own abilities, then your interviewers will be too. Of course, there is a difference between confident and cocky... so don't overdo it! Just be sure of yourself.
 
You also shouldn't dwell too much on your post-interview rejection from Harvard. Many schools interview more candidates than they can accept. It doesn't mean that you weren't "good enough" to be at Harvard. It means that there were simply too many people there who *were* good enough (yourself included) and the department just had to make some tough decisions. It could have been based on research fit, or maybe they detected that you weren't very confident in yourself. In any case, don't let this get you down to the point that it affects your interviews at other schools. 

Cute! :-)
 
Here are some of mine...

 

 

Cute! :-)
 
Here are some of mine...

 

 

Rejected from two PhD programs post interview. Screw this whole process....
 
Now all I can interview is for masters programs? So what, I can be a LPC and work while I feel the failure of never getting a PhD program succumb me? I hate this process. 2 rejections post interview for PhD, 3 masters programs pending and a disgust that won't leave me. Oh yeah and a pitiful waitlist for # 6 (yay :sarcasm:).
 
So what do I do now? Beg to get off waitlist? Maybe if I fly over for their Masters program interview and speak to PhD program they might see I have dedication? Hell I don't know....
 
maybe I should give up, get a PhD in leadership (education) LOL..the program is only 2 years! then laugh at other people who took the "rigorous" 5+ yr route...har har har...someone fill up my vodka!!! Cause I am going into education...
 
or should I beg for NMSU (New Mexico) Phd program....I can't bear all these rejections. I flippin went to Julliard and Calarts, I'm talented...i should have stayed as a professional dancer/choreographer.
 
what to do....oh maybe get a refill on my drink so I can drown in my sorrows. Sounds good 

I did my master's in a town that I absolutely couldn't stand, so I can tell you a few of the things that I wish I had looked into! The biggest thing for me was the political/social environment. The area that I was in was heavily conservative both with respect to social issues and politics. It was also heavily religious (as it was in the "Bible Belt"). As a very liberal atheist, I could never shake the feeling that I didn't fit in. Everyone I met had a very different worldview than I did, and while it's enlightening to see how other people think, I couldn't find very many people to connect with. And I often felt rather uncomfortable as people around me were talking about their gun love and making mildly racist comments, or claiming that evolution is a lie (I was in a biology department). So, this is definitely something I would consider! If you're liberal, don't go somewhere that'll be too conservative for your tastes (and vice-versa).
 
Along that same vein, if you're a member of a minority race or LGBT, check to see what the attitudes towards your identifying group are in the area. 
 
The other big thing was public transportation for me, since I didn't have a car. The area was very rural and so it was hard for me to get around, especially to the airport which was over an hour away. If you're looking at small towns, make sure that you know what's actually in the town and what you'll need to travel elsewhere for. 
 
Those two things (along with cost and standard of living) are big enough for me that they actually greatly influenced my decisions for PhD programs. Other things that are less important but that you may want to consider if you're really on the fence between two similar programs and areas are food (good restaurants if you like to eat out, or good grocery stores if you like to cook), things to do around town (because you'll want a life outside of work, at least on the weekends-- look for theaters if you like plays, museums if you like art, etc.), and climate/weather (does it rain a lot? snow a lot? is it too hot for your tastes?).
 
If you have pets, you'll also want to assess how pet-friendly the area is. Will you have a hard time finding an apartment if you have pets? Are there dog parks nearby? I have two dogs, so this mattered to me.
 
Also, consider crime rates if you're moving to a big city. Every big city has good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods, so make sure that your apartment's in the right part of town!

Congrats -- this means you're a finalist or have been admitted (though that's not clear from this email). Either way, they don't offer an expense-free trip to people they are not interested in admitting so if you're not admitted yet this trip will serve to confirm that you're a match with the department and you have a very good chance of getting an offer. If previously you were trying to convince the department to accept you, recruiting events are usually structured so that the department will be courting you. The assumption is that they are going to be making you an offer and they will doing their best to convince you to accept it. This is the one time students have power in the graduate school application process - once you have several offers and are choosing which one to accept. You'll probably have meetings with professors, some events with just students or students and faculty together, you may get to sit in on classes, there may be a party or a campus tour.

I did my master's in a town that I absolutely couldn't stand, so I can tell you a few of the things that I wish I had looked into! The biggest thing for me was the political/social environment. The area that I was in was heavily conservative both with respect to social issues and politics. It was also heavily religious (as it was in the "Bible Belt"). As a very liberal atheist, I could never shake the feeling that I didn't fit in. Everyone I met had a very different worldview than I did, and while it's enlightening to see how other people think, I couldn't find very many people to connect with. And I often felt rather uncomfortable as people around me were talking about their gun love and making mildly racist comments, or claiming that evolution is a lie (I was in a biology department). So, this is definitely something I would consider! If you're liberal, don't go somewhere that'll be too conservative for your tastes (and vice-versa).
 
Along that same vein, if you're a member of a minority race or LGBT, check to see what the attitudes towards your identifying group are in the area. 
 
The other big thing was public transportation for me, since I didn't have a car. The area was very rural and so it was hard for me to get around, especially to the airport which was over an hour away. If you're looking at small towns, make sure that you know what's actually in the town and what you'll need to travel elsewhere for. 
 
Those two things (along with cost and standard of living) are big enough for me that they actually greatly influenced my decisions for PhD programs. Other things that are less important but that you may want to consider if you're really on the fence between two similar programs and areas are food (good restaurants if you like to eat out, or good grocery stores if you like to cook), things to do around town (because you'll want a life outside of work, at least on the weekends-- look for theaters if you like plays, museums if you like art, etc.), and climate/weather (does it rain a lot? snow a lot? is it too hot for your tastes?).
 
If you have pets, you'll also want to assess how pet-friendly the area is. Will you have a hard time finding an apartment if you have pets? Are there dog parks nearby? I have two dogs, so this mattered to me.
 
Also, consider crime rates if you're moving to a big city. Every big city has good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods, so make sure that your apartment's in the right part of town!

I did my master's in a town that I absolutely couldn't stand, so I can tell you a few of the things that I wish I had looked into! The biggest thing for me was the political/social environment. The area that I was in was heavily conservative both with respect to social issues and politics. It was also heavily religious (as it was in the "Bible Belt"). As a very liberal atheist, I could never shake the feeling that I didn't fit in. Everyone I met had a very different worldview than I did, and while it's enlightening to see how other people think, I couldn't find very many people to connect with. And I often felt rather uncomfortable as people around me were talking about their gun love and making mildly racist comments, or claiming that evolution is a lie (I was in a biology department). So, this is definitely something I would consider! If you're liberal, don't go somewhere that'll be too conservative for your tastes (and vice-versa).
 
Along that same vein, if you're a member of a minority race or LGBT, check to see what the attitudes towards your identifying group are in the area. 
 
The other big thing was public transportation for me, since I didn't have a car. The area was very rural and so it was hard for me to get around, especially to the airport which was over an hour away. If you're looking at small towns, make sure that you know what's actually in the town and what you'll need to travel elsewhere for. 
 
Those two things (along with cost and standard of living) are big enough for me that they actually greatly influenced my decisions for PhD programs. Other things that are less important but that you may want to consider if you're really on the fence between two similar programs and areas are food (good restaurants if you like to eat out, or good grocery stores if you like to cook), things to do around town (because you'll want a life outside of work, at least on the weekends-- look for theaters if you like plays, museums if you like art, etc.), and climate/weather (does it rain a lot? snow a lot? is it too hot for your tastes?).
 
If you have pets, you'll also want to assess how pet-friendly the area is. Will you have a hard time finding an apartment if you have pets? Are there dog parks nearby? I have two dogs, so this mattered to me.
 
Also, consider crime rates if you're moving to a big city. Every big city has good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods, so make sure that your apartment's in the right part of town!

I don't have first hand experience finding an apartment with a pet, but I think you should be able to find something.  Try looking around on Craigslist a bit.  Also, familiarize yourself with Metro Transit, especially their express lines to the U.  I'm sure there at least a couple from the area casually known as Uptown, which is everything west of Lyndale, south of Franklin, and down to the Lake Harriet area.  Lots of grad students live in this area.  There are also buses from Northeast Minneapolis, which is another good option.  Dinkytown, Prospect Park, and Southeast Como are pretty undergrad, so beware.  There are some caveats further up this thread about certain landlords, about which I have no direct experience.
 
Actually, looking at your program, you are probably on the Saint Paul campus.  Living in Saint Paul is nice (I'm biased) and will save you money.  Just look for apartments near campus in Saint Paul, Falcon Heights, or Roseville.
 
EDIT:  the 3 and the 61 go near the Saint Paul campus, not sure about any others.  I don't think the 61 runs on weekends, but the 3 runs all the time.  Saint Anthony Park would be a very nice neighborhood to check out.