Can I Get Into Grad School?

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Ok, I need to ask your opinion on something. I am just leaving undergraduate education in one thing (a prelaw degree), and now want to go into social sciences research. Given my current qualifications, though, I am not sure I can find a program that will accept me.

My undergraduate education, which I am just finishing, is based more on an idea of what I wanted to be, and not who I really am. My degree basically sets me up for law school, and gives a lot of communications training on the side. I also have quite a bit of internship experience, at least one of which turned into a real job. I feel pretty confident I can find a job in this market, and would probably get an MBA or JD if the status quo remained.

There's a hitch, though. Like many of you, I am shy and socially awkward, and yet I tried to change that. Of course, I found that trying to change who I am is impossible. I now realize I wouldn't be happy with my life if I stayed in the trajectory I am in now.

A friend introduced me to geography as a social science discipline. That intrigues me, especially working with demographic analysis. I read several peer-reviewed journal articles on how immigrants spatially distribute in the US, and how it affects their assimilation into American life. It was riveting, and I would love to study this. I am a ways away from applying, though, and would also consider sociology or a related discipline.

I am not sure I am an attractive candidate for graduate social sciences programs, though. While I know I can add value to any program, I am not sure I can communicate this to most programs. For one, my preexisting academic research are merely reviews of other works, and not really original. With the exception of a mental health research paper, all of my papers are legal in nature. My application will compete with thousands of others with a greater research background than mine. That, and I never took more than a basic statistics course, and I could use a refresher.That puts me at a disadvantage.

So do I have a shot at getting in somewhere? My main worry is that I will need to take some postbac courses. That would be fine, except that I already had four years to prepare: more schooling seems a bit pointless.

I think you should give it a shot. I am in the social sciences right now, and I have moderate-severe aspergers. It can be done. You just have to let the neurotypical world accommodate you instead of you accommodating them all the time. As for your research that COULD be an issue depending on where you apply. It might also depend on your GPA and other factors. I know around here a good research project is essential for some programs at some universities, but other just-as-good universities don't require the same amount in undergrad. Just do some research on a variety of schools before you start handing in applications.

I think that a couple of guys that i started my grad school with needed to pass an exam when they got into EE department but had physics degrees. So probably you need to write to each department ou are interested in. I am not sure for social sciences but GRE plays a big role in eng and physical sciences and in those cases you would probably need to get a good gre score before talking to the departments.
Basically there is a cut-off line for gre and if you are higher than that they are willing to take more chances on you. The other thing is a demonstration that you can do research, the topics does not need to be the same but still not sure how different that is.
I think starygirl here has a masters in social sci.

GO FOR IT.

It's difficult to tell you exactly how to "market" yourself for grad school because I don't know you, but "fitting the bill" so to speak is doable. If you have the resources, I'd suggest that you apply to several schools, and use different essay strategies for each, and just see what takes. If you're pre-law and have a solid gpa, that alone says a lot.

Also, to possibly ease your mind on the GRE, when I took mine I was at one of the lowest points of my life. I was drunk and stoned most of the time, and while I did study a fair amount, I didn't take a class or anything. Probably much less motivated and certainly far less mature than most (my "motivation" was so minimal that after I took my GREs I didn't even bother to apply to grad school for 2 years ). The test is not easy, but I was around the 75th percentile in all subjects--if you're taking a class on it you have a huge leg up and will probably destroy it.

Yes, percentiles are nasty however one needs to keep in mind that this is general test for all the areas. When I took mine I remember that EE had highest scores on Quant and physics on Analitical part which makes sense. I doubt social sci are expected to rank that high in these two areas. People also know that international students have lower verbal so this is disregarded for Eng and Phys Sci. Funny enough I was told they still expect Chinese students to get high verbal parts because if they don't they are consdered lazy (since typical Chin stud will get high verbal, not sure if that is true). Anyway you will be judged based on your group (soc sci).

I never had a tutor for GRE but some practice helped me manage time, otherwise I couldn't improve much.

Just need to add a disclaimer: I took gre more than 10 years ago.

The GRE really isn't that much more difficult. Scoring well is more a matter of knowing how to take a multiple-choice test. What your program will accept will depend largely on the program to which you apply. In many cases, it's most important that your interests line up with the department's areas of specialization. It's always a good idea to look at the university's website to find out the areas of research in which the department's faculty are involved. Find a department that meets your interests. Departments will often provide application requirements, though these are not necessarily set in stone. Generally, most academic departments will require either a 3.5 or 3.0 undergraduate GPA. Original research is not a must, but you should be able to provide some examples of past work that demonstrate your capabilities.

I would also highly recommend locating a department that a) can provide you with funding in the form of grants, scholarships, or graduate assistantships and b) has an established record of placing its graduates in jobs relevant to the area of study. This information is generally available on a department's website, or by contacting the department via phone or e-mail.

I do have one warning. Getting through a graduate degree, particularly a doctorate, will require developing a strong working relationship with a faculty advisor. Once you get in, that relationship will end up being more important than the grades you earn in your classes.

Last year, when I graduated from University, I decided to apply for a masters program even though I was a bit burned out from being in post-secondary for most of my twenties (I had a diploma in a different major before enrolling in a different undergrad program).

Based on my application experience (I was denied BTW), it can be very difficult for someone with asperger's to get into a grad program, since you have to submit things like letters of intent and thesis proposals, which I found was a very daunting task to do.