What the title says. I am a double major in International Relations and History. I want to go straight to PhD for IR. My dream is to attend Harvard (like anyone's dream, lol) or Johns Hopkins SAIS. But I'm feeling like it might be impossible to get into ANY grad program, much less a straight to PhD in a top-rated school. I do research, I'm part of two significant programs on campus, I volunteer, I've gone on self-motivated, self-funded study abroad trips to improve my language skills through exposure. I am trying so hard in undergrad and I'm a junior, but a bunch of my senior friends in the same positions and programs as me are getting rejected from every grad program they apply to. I don't have any internships under my belt, and that's because out of all the internships I've applied for, I haven't even gotten so much as an email in response. Not even a rejection, just pure radio silence. If I don't have internships there's no way I'll be competitive for grad school, and apparently I'm not even competitive enough to even get people coffee in an office. I have no idea what I can do better. The lowest grade I've gotten in a college class is an A-, and that was in one single class with two majors and two minors. I research, I work, I volunteer, I have a 3.98 GPA. Every email my friends have been getting is "I'm sorry, the applicant pool was SO competitive this year!" What does that even mean? What does a competitive applicant even look like if just....doing college well isn't it?
What can I even do at this point? I'm at the point where I need to start applying to programs and it just feels like there's not point. I want my PhD so bad. I've tried so hard in undergrad and it feels like it's all going to be for nothing. I'm so stressed and could use some advice or reassurance or....something.