historygradhopeful1

After having a good undergraduate education in Middle Eastern Studies from a respected public institutions, including 2 study abroads, developing advanced proficiency in Arabic, conducting research in the region, having my senior thesis featured by university, and graduating undergrad with a 3.8...I made a mistake - the biggest mistake of my life. I should have followed my heart as I knew I wanted to be a Historian of the Middle East. That being said, I was pressured to do something "practical" and went to law school...a good one, but by no means Harvard. Needless to say, the law was not for me. I realized that after my first year as I hated the subject matter and my grades were pretty lousy, so I am a drop out. On top of that, law schools grade on a forced curve so my GPA would have been better at a school that has a higher set median GPA. I was also working close to full time during my 1L year - another big mistake. As I finish up my grad school applications, this huge blemish on educational history is starting to give me quite a bit of anxiety. Will I be able to get into Masters/Doctoral Programs in Middle East Studies or Middle Eastern History? I'm applying to both MA and PhD level although my ultimate goal is the PhD. For the schools that want statement of interest, I address it and try to explain it while taking responsibility, but I am unsure as to how they will view it and the best way to phrase it. For schools that want research proposals, I may just send in an addendum to my application to explain the situation. Needless to say, I am worried that dropping out of law school and having an abysmal 2.7 Law School GPA will end any hope for an MA program, let alone a PhD program. Or that if I do get into a terminal MA and apply on to PhDs when done, there still won't be any hope. If only I could turn back time. Help!