When Did You Start Grad School?

[1Q84]

Well, I actually find it easier to get through grad school when you have someone else (i.e., my husband) who has an income. I guess I've never been one to "live it up," exactly, but we just spent three years on one income in Manhattan while my husband did his degree, and I found it more than doable. And doable in, like, a still-get-to-go-out-to-a-movie-sometimes sense, not a Raman-noodles-for-every-meal sense.

Oh wow... okay if you can do that, I should be able to live on a shoe string in LA I don't know, it's a little harder for me as me and my partner are no where near marriage so I would feel bad "utilising" his income for 3 years haha.

27 is definitely not "really behind."

Don't feel behind - it's actually a lot less common than it used to be to go straight from undergrad to graduate school. I also want to point out that you will have a "real income," it'll just be smaller than you probably want it to me, and you can begin saving or whatever. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I heard about graduate school is don't wait to start living your life, because you are *already* living your life. Be you.

Thanks... this made me feel better

I just started my PhD program at age 37. I am the oldest in this thread. Gosh, I am so behind, but I know others people in the 35+ club in this forum have also started their graduate study at around this age or even older.

That's guts! I really mean that. I already feel terrified going back to school at my age...

[annieca]

I'll be starting grad school at 20. And yes, that kind of freaks me out. But both my parents and my advisor said I was a student born at 30 so it will be fine.

In preparation for the next question - I completed high school in 3 years and I'll graduate from college in 2013 with 3 years of undergrad. Study abroad credit inflation is helping a bit to accomplish my BA in 3 years.

[Queen of Kale]

I graduated high school early and was on track to graduate college a few weeks before I turned 21 when... my life took a few major turns. Now I'm married, back in undergrad and set to graduate (with a completely different degree) at 30. If i get into a graduate program I won't graduate until 35+. The truth is from young over-achiever to non-traditional older student; I've never felt at a disadvantage or that I was missing out on something the other students had. Having run the gamut I can say that each experience has it's own set of compromises, and challenges, and you will come out older and changed no matter what age you went in. I know it's terribly cheesy but it's hardly worth time fretting over, you can't change your age, you know what you want to do, and ten years from now you'll look back on whatever age you are now and think of what a young foolish thing you were back then.

[BrokenRecord]

23 starting my MS in a few weeks

[deconstructing]

I do worry about this, but mainly when it comes to applications. I'm in my early 30s - will that make my application weaker? Plus, I'm an international student. I know there's no official rule on this, but I have no idea how it truly goes when it comes to admissions and funding. Are prospective graduate students discriminated against based on age?

My problem is that I started my undergraduate studies late: I was 25. BA studies in my country are 4 year studies so I graduated at 29. I have a MA (I'll probably have another before I start my PhD), but I wonder if it's considered too old to be, say 33 when you start your graduate studies. (Well, is an applicant in her early 30s at a disadvantage when it comes to admissions?) I don't have a problem to be the oldest student in the cohort; I'm used to the feeling. I just worry about the admissions, especially since I'm an international applicant.

I guess what I'm asking is whether age is a factor for admissions and funding (especially for Internationals) or not.

[obrera]

I'm heading into an MA at 23. I am actually quite envious of older students. I feel wholly unprepared for graduate school. I don't have as much applicable life experience, and I probably do not have as much experience handling deadlines and stress. I find that older students have clear goals, which younger students often lack. It's more of a sacrifice for older students to go back to graduate school, so they often really want to be there. I could go on, but the list would be long.

[Another Crazy Poet]

So I totally had these same feelings. I am 29 and queer and I've thought about all the same questions. I finished my MFA at 24 and I'm just now in a place where I've paid off my undergrad transcripts so I can apply to Ph.D programs. I was worried about everything about time, money, job placement, and whether pursuing a Ph.D is a worth it or not.

I don't know if it will be worth it to pursue a Ph.D in English/Humanities but if feels like the thing I was made to do, however crazy or dumb that sounds.

I decided I will not attend a program that is not fully funded, I am calling and researching (and have been) schools to see what their program's structure is. i.e. if they try to get you out in 4-5 years vs the expectation of 7-8yrs for women and people of color especially. I think being a part of a program whose intention and funding packing reflects the student finishing in 4-5 years is everything. I also have grown to slowly understand the age is just a number. Spend more time focusing on what makes you happy and that age thing fades. Finally I'm only interested in schools that have a strong job placement program. I'm also applying this Fall for 2013 and interested in a Ph.D in English/Gender Studies.

Good luck to you remember keep asking questions. Send emails to current students in your program. Call the school itself. Keep researching. Do all of this until it makes sense to you. Until you feel absolutely excited about a program. Right now I have 5 on my list and I'm thrilled about 3 of them. Let's keep talking. Feel free to message me. Good luck.

[OldGrad2012]

@deconstructing,

I do not think age is the factor in admission for graduate school because I got in at age 37, and I had a choice to make on where to go too. But then again, I am a domestic student. In your case, If you are an international student, I do not know the answer. I guess you have to try applying to find out. But then again, maybe age is not a factor anyway.

[Azarashi1]

@deconstructing

I can relate! I am an international student and 27 (so if I managed to get into a program i would already be 28, when I start). In my case, it's because I have two bachelor degrees (I know it might seems strange, but it's fairly in my country).

Anyway, what I've been told repeatedly is that American schools enjoy having eclectic students in their programs, and I like to think that the fact that we are a little older means that we've had the chance to accumulate several diverse experiences:)

From what I've heard the major problem that schools have with international applicant is the fact that we cost more than domestic ones, hopefully this issue won't add up with the age issue and make our admission impossible...

[Magical Realist]

@1q84--

I'm in the same place you are in terms of the process, so I don't have any advice in terms of having "been through" it, but I can at least confirm you're not alone.

I'm applying for PhD programs in comparative literature, and will be 29 at the start of fall semester, 2013. I never intended to wait so long to apply, but a number of factors outside my control (and a few more I could have controlled) precluded me from applying any earlier. There are times where I'm a little freaked out about being a bit older than my (hopefully) soon-to-be peers, but I think those fears are far eclipsed by the benefits of waiting so long to go back.

I'm glad I waited because

1) As an undergraduate, my interests were all over the board (I had 3 undergrad majors because I couldn't make up my mind). Even now, narrowing my focus is a struggle, but at least I'm confident I've made the right decision. I'm not certain that would have been the case 5+ years ago.

2) A lot of past and present grad students I know with "real world" experience bemoan the lack of professionalism amongst their colleagues. Being "professional" is a bit of an art, and I think having those skills refined from the get-go really helps in terms of networking (which you're doing from Day 1).

3) Because I've had a professional career that hasn't proven to be fulfilling to me, I'm going to appreciate school much more than if I'd never known differently.

I'm certain you, too, are a much better candidate than you would have been 5 years ago. Considering how important the work we produce and relationships we build over the next few years will be in terms of our futures, I think in some ways, we've got the advantage.

[psychdork]

I started my master's program at 24 and hopefully I will start my PhD program next fall when I'm 27. Although I am not happy that I will be basically starting a PhD program at an age where I was hoping I would be close to finishing, it is what it is. Like other posters, in some ways I am glad I will be starting in my late 20s instead of my early 20s just because of how much I have changed in the past several years. I really think that if I had started a few years ago I would not have gotten the same things out of grad school that I get out of it now (and hope to in a PhD program). I am more focused with work, I can handle issues better now and overall I just have a better handle on myself and what I can and can't deal with than I did several years ago. I'm sure some (if not all) of this is due to things I've gone through in the past few years, and as cliche as it is, if I hadn't gone through them I wouldn't be who I am now. So although I am not content with the age thing (and yes I realize I'm not that old, but I'm also trying to juggle dating/marriage/starting a family worries) I think it will be the best thing for me in the long run.

[csibaldwin]

I'm 33 and married, and starting an MA program this fall. I started my B.A. in 2008 at 28 and finished in 2012 at 32 years old. My wife is also 33, and is starting her M.A. this fall as well, although at a different school in a different state.

[zabius]

I was 21 when I started my master's, and will be 24 when I start my PhD.

 

When I visited the PhD program that I will be attending this fall, my sense was that most of the students in my program (both current students and my fellow prospectives) were older than me, with a good majority of them in their late twenties or early thirties. Many of them were also married, some with kids. I don't think age really matters much, though.

Edited April 9, 2013 by zabius

[tlsstc]

I just started my PhD program at age 37. I am the oldest in this thread. Gosh, I am so behind, but I know others people in the 35+ club in this forum have also started their graduate study at around this age or even older.

 

Don't worry I am starting a graduate program at 39!  I got a law degree when I was 26 and I'm switching careers.  Yes there are moments when I think omg why am I doing this I am way too old, but mostly I am excited.  I am single & no kids so I don't have to worry about supporting a family, but on the flip side I don't have someone else's income to help.  I am still figuring out how I am going to pay for everything...

[student12345]

I can also see someone who took AP or concurrent enrollment courses during high school easily finishing college a year or two early and beginning grad school at 20 or 21.

This is exactly what happened. I am starting my PhD in Mathematics/Statistics at 20.

[Becks1]

Wow, I'm definitely in the minority here. I finished UG at 22, worked, then was a stay at home mom for several years and am just now going back in my mid/late thirties to start this fall.

[wtncffts]

Wow, I'm definitely in the minority here. I finished UG at 22, worked, then was a stay at home mom for several years and am just now going back in my mid/late thirties to start this fall.

 

Funnily enough, I was just reading this report a couple days ago: http://www.uwo.ca/sogs/Doctoral-Graduates-CanadianUniversities.pdf

 

Specifically, looking at Appendix A.1 (page 35) suggests that the responses here are atypical, although a couple things:

 

1) this is Canadian data. Anecdotally, it's always seemed to me that in the US it's more typical of students to go through higher education without break or delay, so straight from high school to four years of undergrad, then straight to a doctoral program, which means they're in a PhD program at 22 or even 21 or younger.

 

2) the poll asks about starting grad school, while the report is giving age at start of doctoral program. Even then, though, a median age of 27 implies a median age for MA starts is still 25 or 26. 

 

EDIT: I responded in part b/c I thought I was also 'atypical' - but thinking about it, I was 23 at the start of my MA (turned 24 a few months in), though I was in undergrad for six years. I guess that's why I thought I was older than that!

Edited April 21, 2013 by wtncffts

[Becks1]

Interesting, wtncffts! Yes, I personally found it useful to have the years in between. I had thought about going to grad school when I was about 24, but if I had, it would have been in a totally different field.