I'll be graduating this semester, without honours. I'm majoring in Economics, but I'd like to pursue postgrad studies in either Law or Criminology. Does anyone here with postgrad experience have any ideas for me as to where I can go after my graduation? Taking my Masters locally is out of the question - my grades aren't that great and the local Universities won't accept me. But I'm very interested in taking my studies to a higher level, partially to secure a better job, but mostly because I want to learn something more. Any ideas?

As a rule, college will only refuse you after you've taken a certain number of credit hours under them. In the case of my old school it was something like 128 credits. You should still be able to get into any new school. If you've been in multiple schools, you might be able to get by through sending the transcripts of whatever courses are most relevant. As far as where to take law studies though, can't help you. Supposedly an Ivy League school is one of the better options, but of course that comes with a massive expense.

Go for computer science - sth with programming database systems. I'm on the market from 1997 and in time I noticed that ability to use various IT tools: VBA for Access/Excel, SQL, PL SQL, Business Object etc gives a real advantage. Ability to write your own custom reports without waiting for sb from IT Dep doing it for you - is VERY useful and offers better positions.

Yep Ivy League schools are definitely out of the question. I'm just not sure how to apply for postgrad positions in foreign colleges, at this point, or where to even begin to look. Are there many respectable colleges with reasonable tuition fees?

Depends on your definition of reasonable. International studentship usually doubles or triples the tuition cost for someone in state. If you want it cheaper you'd have to get a citizenship to the country you go to I assume. Where were you looking to find a school from?

I've three degrees and studied in four different countries ... generally, there's no straight forward answer to that. Every country has it's own completely different rules, regulations, philosophy on education and differs in how things are done.

Narrow it down.

Are you willing to learn a new language or does it have to be an English speaking country?

What nationality are you - I know you live in Singapore - but it does make a huge difference what your passport says in terms of what fees are and where to go / whom to talk to :|.

Absolutely talk to people at the university you studied at, too. They may have links and connections - there should be some sort of officer that deals with exchange / foreign students, usually.

Remember the large majority of postgrads does not go to Ivy League or OxBridge style universities. So yes, there's plenty of really good courses and teachers out there elsewhere, too.

For anything to do with law in general or criminology in particular, think about the country you wish to settle in. So many details, and even whether your degree is accepted, depend on the individual country. Sometimes the differences are something an outsider wouldn't even expect, such as the differences between Scots and English law, or the need for licensing in the US state you intend to practice in.

In the US, law schools want you to take the LSAT; most other graduate schools want you to take the GRE's. These are offered in Singapore. They also generally expect a bare minimum of a "B" average (minimum GPA of 3.0); I think Singapore uses a comparable scale. Admission to elite programs, such as University of Maryland Criminology, requires much higher marks.

If you plan to return to Singapore, talk to local professionals who were educated overseas. Find out what universities they attended, how they fared there, and what problems they faced in getting their degrees accepted as qualification for work in their field when they returned.

I would advise a gap year. It's early so you might be able to find an internship or shadow type job. Finding something in a law office or at the local council would be great for your CV and give you some experience, which postgrad schools do take into account. If you're having trouble getting into schools this may be a good option, so long as you can stay focused and stay in touch with prospective universities.

If you're speaking about Law in US schools? No, not really, a JD will set you back 80 grand minimum.

There is a gigantic glut of lawyers in the U.S.A. right now with nowhere near enough jobs for them. I'd look into what you'd potentially do with any law degree and how the job market is for it where you are before plunking down any cash for a semester.

Why work? Travel if you want, relax, rest up, whatever. However working? It'd be better to go to grad school early and spend the extra life's year working in whatever your field is.

Well, not too sure about US, but IIRC the post grad in Aussie requires that you have some work experience first before applying. Of course it probably depends a lot on the universities, and on the majors, and so I may be generalizing it a bit.

Well, if it's a pre-req, sure:) Yeah, there's probably some programs like that around here, but I suspect they're the exception.

You can always do a postgrad in the UK - in general, a graduate / postgraduate position is easy to get into because, well most people don't do one and it almost certainly will not help you with the UK job market.