All hope gone?

[AZMoose]

I have lurked around a little, but now feel the need to post. I have read some topics on here regarding slip ups as undergrads, but did not see anything resembling my situation. So, here it is.

I got my BA in 07 with a 4.0, took a couple years to get real world experience and then got my MA in 11 with a 3.98. Now, how I managed that is still a mystery to me because I was already in a downward spiral of substance abuse. I received my degrees from the same institution, so when I left to start. PhD program and lost all the emotional supports I had enjoyed, my addiction turned for the worse. The result was I just quit going to classes and failed out of my program after one semester. Fast forward to today, I am clean, have kept a decent steady job, and I have learned to not depend solely on only those I have known for many years as emotional supporters.

So, I am feeling ready to try this thing again. Poor job market be damned, I am an historian, and I feel I am good at it. So, how do I address this issue when looking at potential programs? Some have suggested to me to be brutally honest and hope for the best, while others have told me to not even bring it up since those classes did not lead to a degree and so should not be part of the transcripts/application package I send. Any advice from those in the know would be appreciated. My fear is that I have blown any chance I have at a career I have been working toward for so long.

[AZMoose]

And sorry for any typos. Working off a mobile device today.

[TMP]

I would try to have conversations with your adviser/DGS in your prior program and your MA professors and see what's the best way to handle this.  LORs can usually do the work for you.  I'd tailor your application based on responses (i.e. if School A says to be honest, you can add a line in your SOP, if School B says "don't wanna know about it" then don't say anything at all).

[Andean Pat]

Hi there! I think it's great that you want to give it another shot! 

 

As an international applicant, I was surprised that during interviews, professors did not ask about my marital status, whether I was pregnant, what sort of things I did for relaxing. No. they just wanted to know about my potential as a historian. Therefore, I'd say you focus on that. If the question arises, you explain, but from my tiny experience, advisors want to know about the person you are now and the person you want to be. 

 

It is clear that you have overcome your addiction, and it is not a "promise", it is real. Therefore, it is not a part of your life any more. go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

BTW, if anything is worth mentioning, probably your LORs will. 

Edited June 23, 2013 by Andean Pat

[TMP]

@AndeanPat,  to ask personal questions is actually against the law in the US when making "hiring" decisions.  They're considered discriminatory categories.  You can find them in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The only way to bring up these issues if the candidate thought it might be advantageous to the "hiring" process.