if this is all you want, a graduate degree, just look into getting an m.a. in polisci.

because it is relevant to your ba, you should be able to get admitted into some program somewhere, and probably a few (although, based on which law school you were at, you might have slim pickings).

more importantly, programs like these are almost always going to find a way to get you through them w/o accruing any further debt. be it through grants, scholarships (not likely, from what i can tell), or ta-ships, you will only burn a couple years off of your 20s, and will come out with no extra debt and your coveted scrap of paper.

The incremental job dollars you earn will most likely not overrun the incremental education costs it takes to earn a masters degree.

What Is a Master’s Degree Worth? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

What’s a master’s degree worth? | Funny about Money

Wikinomics – Is grad school a waste of time (and money)?

“People are going to grad school for stuff that has no bearing on the workplace. It’s not like we have more critical thinking because somebody knows the history of the little War of the Roses, right? And so, who cares? I don’t see any corporation placing a premium on any kind of graduate degree, except a top 25 business school degree. I mean most MBAs are from shitty schools so they don’t place a premium on that. Most law schools are shitty and people have to go into some other profession besides law because their degree is so bad. If you get a Masters in French and then try to get a marketing position, you’re penalized. You’re actually penalized because you look like you don’t have a clue about how to manage your life because you just spent four years learning French and you’re not using it. To me that just screams obsessive with details, scared to go out into the job market, and purposeless. I mean, I just don’t think anyone is placing a premium on graduate degrees.”