Non degree courses for grad prerequisites?

[matt.mont902]

So..long post ahead...

 

For a while now I'd been committed to going to law school. I took the LSAT this past February for the 2nd time in hopes I'd do well enough for my target schools for matriculation this fall (top 20 range). Not to be...So at this point I'm considering other graduate options (though I'm pretty sure I'll take the LSAT again later this year), but with no real direction (BA in Philosophy so go figure). At this point I'm looking at everything from Economics to Psychology (minored in both), but I know I'd need some prerequisite courses to be seriously considered. My question is, can I just take credited non-degree courses to fulfill these admission requirements? If so, is this route looked down upon by admission committees? I'm assuming it'd be similar to the undergrad admission process? Transcripts, LORs, placement/assessment tests? 

 

I apologize for my lack of insight and seeming lack of direction and committance...kinda been haunting me my entire life...

 

Any advice will be appreciated!

[OhSoSolipsistic]

I'd contact specific programs and ask. Some have firm pre-reqs before admission, some have guidelines that are fairly flexible depending on your background (e.g., may wave some requirements if you have professional experience in an area), and some will offer a provisional admission that requires you to take pre-reqs when you start that program.

[geologyninja13]

I agree with @OhSoSolipsistic. Also, I took non-degree courses in statistics and programming before applying to Geography programs, and professors looked on that very positively. It's not looked down upon at all! It shows dedication to your studies.

As for the application process itself, its superficially similar to the undergraduate process with the transcripts, scores, and LORs. However, there is one crucial difference - academic fit. In your application you're going to have to demonstrate that you've contacted professors, scoped out their research, and then argue why you are uniquely well-suited to work with them on it. You can have great scores and LORs but a department may still reject you if there is not a funded professor to sponsor you. Your research interest and statement of intent (aka. why you want to switch from philosophy to economics/psychology and why that background will make you awesome) are almost more important than your scores.

Edited March 29, 2017 by geologyninja13