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[quote=Anonymous]Hi all. I'm in a somewhat specific position so I'm going to intentionally be as vague as possible while still providing the broad strokes of my current predicament.

I'm 25 years old. I graduated from a higher ranked ivy (HYPC) one year ago in 2015. I had a rocky time in school and, due to a number of factors (depression, family matters, finances, youthful laziness and irresponsibility), graduated with a 2.7 GPA majoring in social science (but not econ or poli sci). I currently work as a staffer on a presidential campaign in an early primary state after applying on a whim—they don't seem to care as much about prestige as they do about getting things done—but feel that I'm stuck in a rut. Prior to my current job, I worked as a contractor at an unknown consulting firm in DC.

I'm de facto unable to apply to any graduate programs with a sub-3.0 GPA but at the same time, see no other way to advance in my career/life or, at the very least, to quicken the rate at which I do. I don't mean to excuse my GPA, but at the same time, I think that I am in a very different place now than I was in college and hope that in 1-2 years I'll be deemed competent enough by an admissions committee to get into some sort of law school or MPA/MPP program.

More about my background: I was born in DC to immigrant parents (URM) and grew up in NOVA. I went to a non-target public HS and went to college on 80% financial aid. Neither of my parents went to college (although several aunts and uncles did) so I feel that, for the most part, I lack guidance and am trying to figure out what direction to move towards. My general background is in think tank-like research, politics and data analytics but I am eager to gravitate towards international development work and/or something more creative. (Yes, as you see , I lack direction).

I've recently started taking LSAT practice tests and have been consistently been scoring 175-178. Obviously, practice tests are not the same as taking an officially administered test but I'm confident that in time, I'll be in a place where I'm consistently scoring well and ready to sit down and take the official test.

What would you do in my situation? Move to California to reinvent myself? Keep my head down and churn on? Look into more creative job tracks where graduate school doesn't matter as much? At this juncture, there's no way to go back and change my GPA. I've looked into taking classes for no credit at UMD or UVA but on other online forums and among people I've spoken to, the general consensus is that this would be a waste of time. Do you have any thoughts? I currently have 30k in undergraduate debt and, given the nature of campaigns, no guarantee of a job after my state's primary (which, as of a recent poll, we are on track to lose).

In spite of all this, I remain—obstinately, even hopelessly—confident that I'll be able to move forward in some capacity despite my academic record. I would appreciate your thoughts. Tough love and insights from people who have been and or know of people who have been in similar situations is especially welcome. [/quote]

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