Re: applying to graduate school after 13 year layoff

If you want it, go for it.  After 13 years I doubt undergrad grades
will be that relevant.  Do follow the advice about getting good
letters of recommendation and meeting with representatives from the
departments.  If you're planning on applying for next fall, you should
be thinking about taking the GRE's over the next couple of months.

For determining where you want to go, I recommend the books "What
Color is Your Parachute?" and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People."  Both were very helpful to me when I was soul, job, and
education-searching.  Also, just start reading web sites of programs
which might interest you.  I found that after a significant amount of
reading, I was gettting much more fired up over somethings than
others.

Many departments, especially those which are scientific/technical or
highly competitive, will ask you something along the lines of "Why do
you want to go to grad school and what do you plan to do afterward?" 
If you're hoping for a fellowship, they'll basically be trying to
decide how educating you in particular will benefit society as a whole
and why resources expended on you would be a good investment.  If
you're paying the bills, you'll have much more leeway, but it's still
worth thinking about.  Few of us have the perfect answer to this
question, so think about it but don't let it discourage you.

Then go for it.  Good luck!

-Celeste

"crazyeye" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> Hello.  I was hoping someone might be able to steer me in the right
> direction.  I am very interested in going to graduate school but I'm unsure
> as to how to proceed.  Here is my situation:
> 
> I received a BA in 1989.  My grades were mediocre at best, basically because
> I was immature and didn't work at all.  (By mediocre I'm talking a gpa
> around 2.2).  I didn't bother even considering grad school at that point
> because I figured with such lousy grades I wouldn't get in anywhere.  I went
> on then to have a successful career until 1998 when a protracted illness
> resulted in my being permanently disabled.  I have not worked since and
> might not work again.
> 
> It's been 14 years since I graduated and I would really like to go to
> graduate school.  I'm thinking less in terms of for career advancement
> (obviously) and just for intellectual enrichment.  I am confident that I can
> do well as I'm much more mature than I was as a 20-year old.    There is yet
> an additional obstacle:  I have a family and a home so relocating is not an
> option.  I would need to attend a school no more than 60 or so miles from my
> home.
> 
> So my basic question is Do I have any chance at getting into a graduate
> program with such a miserable undergraduate GPA?  My thinking is that since
> so much time has transpired since then that much less emphasis would be
> placed on my undergrad performance, but I don't know if that is accurate or
> not.  Can somebody suggest a way to proceed down this road?  Believe it or
> not there is not a particular vocation that I have in mind as far as
> obtaining an advanced degree goes.  I have so many interests and would be
> excited about many different prospects ranging from philosophy to writing to
> psychology and many others.
> 
> Another question:  Do you need to have taken several undergrad courses in a
> particular field in order to study it on the graduate level or can that all
> be attacked once in grad school?
> 
> I apologize for this being so long but I'm just so confused as to how to
> proceed.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.