Admissions Backing back on track after 16 years of mental issues

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on an individual with a BSc in Physics who has faced significant challenges, including mental health issues and a lack of consistent employment, which have hindered their academic pursuits. After being diagnosed with schizophrenia and experiencing self-stigma, the individual has been unable to further their studies for 16 years. Now at 40 and feeling somewhat stable, they express a desire to pursue graduate school but are uncertain about their chances due to their past. Key advice provided includes excelling in the GRE and demonstrating the ability to maintain long-term employment, as graduate programs require a multi-year commitment. The emphasis is on overcoming personal and external barriers to achieve academic goals.
Charles Xavier
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Hi all,
I graduated from university with a BSc in Physics (3rd class) in 2000.

I was having some issues with depression then in my university years but I managed to graduate with a B average in my basic degree.

In 2005, I was warded in a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia. I was not hearing and have never heard voices nor have I had any clear hallucinatory symptoms. Instead, I believed in conspiracies that were kind of naïve and far-fetched.

I have had a spotty employment history. I have barely worked longer than half a year in a full-time capacity in supported employment.

These 16 years because of self-stigma and the stigma of my mother, I was unable to pursue my studies. Not even independently, as my mother was afraid I would relapse if I were so much as to study physics on my own again.

16 years later, I am somewhat stable. I am acutely aware that having lost all these years, further studies is a long shot. However I am already 40 and if I don’t pursue it now, I will likely never have a chance.

What can I do now to better my chances of getting into graduate school?
 
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Sorry. It's "Getting back on track" in the topic title. Having a dizzy spell.
 
Charles Xavier said:
What can I do now to better my chances of getting into graduate school?

You need to a) smoke the GRE, and b) show that you can stay employed at one job for multiple years. (Grad school is a multiple year commitment)
 
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