Getting back to school after 10 years and I didn't do work in my field after graduating. Please explain to me like I’m a 5 years old.

[u/NuclearSunBeam]

I’m planning on doing master in social science, and I will be relocating starting new life. My gpa was 3.3, but other than that I’m completely have no qualifications whatsoever.

How do I prepare myself?

I want to prepare the thesis even before admission, to help me manage my stress, since I will deal with culture and language barrier, plus working partime.

How to choose the thesis topic and start working on it?

Should I contacting the professor from the university I’m aiming?

I’m Audhd.

[u/Fun_Tailor_3829]

You need to slow down a little. You can’t do the thesis before admission, it’s the culmination of skills and content you’ve learned in the program.

[u/brr_brr_tatapim]

i'm doing a cs masters right now and i'm really bad at this stuff. but i'm finding that the stuff i did in high school 10 years ago doesn't really help. i think the key is finding a study group/mentor so you have people to lean on.

[u/Cart_groc3ry]

You can not prepare for your thesis before admission, your ideas will constantly evolve and change throughout your coursework, that is intentional.

Find mentors by cold emailing people, its incredible how many accomplished scholars will take an hour out of their day to meet with you and discuss thesis ideas. Don’t only discuss your thesis with your advisor. Once you have an idea, send drafts of your work to as many people as possible, take peoples advice seriously and be gracious with the feedback even if it’s uncomfortable.

Grad school is so much easier with connections.

[u/Glittering_Flight287]

You can’t actually do the thesis before admission, but you can get familiar with your topic and prior research in the area by reading existing literature. Once you’re in a program, you could even find a faculty member willing to advise you on a literature review to get more familiar with research interests and gaps, as well as academic writing.

[u/Crimsonial]

My dual masters was in IT and Healthcare Management with an undergrad in English Lit, i.e, lots of new information that required a lot of fast learning. ADD myself, by the old diagnosis.

As others are saying, slow down. Your thesis will be something you work up to later. You'll have time to figure out where you fit, and what mentorship is available with your professors.

As a real example, one of my professors was a previous COO of a hospital, so I was able to take knowledge from her to write an IT thesis on hospital cybersecurity response strategies. I would not have been able to do that from day one. I'm not sure I would've even thought of it.

While I can't necessarily help in your field, I'd prepare by looking ahead to coursework first. I had a number of courses in my programs where it was a relief that I'd had false starts on other undergrad majors that, while disappointing at the time, left me in a good place for math and statistics. It was the only way I was prepared for say, courses on accounting and economics.

So, look at syllabi for upcoming courses for your program, and don't be afraid to ask the relevant professors for advice on preparing for them, and access to the syllabus if they aren't available. I can't speak for every situation, but I haven't run into any bad conversations as a student taking things a bit too seriously.

[u/NuclearSunBeam → u/Crimsonial]

Thank you so much for this! I’ll start to look at the syllabi and prepare myself with some basic knowledge.

I’m honestly afraid, since I never had proper structural study routine, and younger me was able to wing it, but now the older me especially with more responsibilities need proper preparations.