Nontraditional and Confused, How are you?

[HeatherC]

Hello everyone,

I am Heather I am 32 and just entering my senior year in college. As you can see I am a nontraditional student who feels like I am so far behind everyone else. I wasn't ready to go to college at 18 so I just worked and finally got tired of working dead end jobs and went back to school. I am planning on going to graduate school but I wonder if I can really be competive because of my age. I try to stay optimistic but it is hard. I am here to learn from others and hopefully pick up some tips because I am trying to navigate grad school on my own, and I may just lose my mind. I hope to talk with everyone soon.

[Lisa44201]

32 also, finishing up my the second year of my Master's. Got my BA at 30. Applying to PhD programs. You can still be competitive as a non-trad. It gives you a different perspective. Good luck!

[HeatherC]

Thank you that is wonderful to know. I just feel so old as an undergrad. The rational side of me knows that most of the people are my age who are enrolled in grad school but it still helps to hear it from someone else.

[Chai_latte]

I'm a bit younger, but you can still be competitive in your early thirties. No doubt. When I was in undergrad, I met a number of (pre-med) post-bacc students who were in the 28-32 age bracket (one was ~40), and many of them were accepted to good med schools. I also know a 1st year b-school student who is 31-32. It's not nearly as uncommon as you think. Don't worry about it, and just forge ahead. Experience can also tip in your favor.

[LMac]

I'm applying to PhD programs after 2 years of post -bacc at the age of 34. There are plenty of us out there

[iowaguy]

Life is not a race...  Being older gives you a unique perspective, try to highlight those strengths in your grad applications (maturity, discipline, dedication, experience, etc).

 

I am actually older than one PI that I met with this fall.  That said, my fit feels better with "older" PI's...  One older PI I met with said he liked my maturity/work experience and proceeded to tell me a story about a younger grad hopeful who brought his mom along for the interview...

Edited December 26, 2012 by iowaguy

[theregalrenegade]

I'm a MA student at 35 and will (hopefully) enter a PhD program at 36. I agree with the other posters - I have a different perspective and experience only age brings. I don't take myself too seriously. And I absolutely love being able to learn from both older and younger colleagues. Congrats, HeatherC on moving forward on your educational journey 

[CarlieE]

Just my 2 cents: 

 

It took me 10 years to get my BA (community college took 7 years to finish!) so I graduated from college at 30, and then applied for and got into a PhD program. I turned 31 just as I entered the first semester! 

 

There are several other members of my cohort in our 30s, one guy is in his 40s. Our ages range from 22 to 40+ (and it's a small group, less than 10 of us). But we all get along and have had get togethers, hung out etc. And as others have said, we've learnt from each other regardless of age or experience(s). 

 

Also, one of the questions put to me during the interview weekend was this: "So you're coming straight out of undergrad, do you think that might be a problem?" The interviewer went on to clarify that sometimes students get burnt out going from one directly into the other. I do look young for my age and it's hard for a lot of people to tell how old I actually am. 

 

My age saved me on this one! I answered (something along these lines): "I'll be up front about my age. I'm 30 and I've been working towards this for a really long time. I've taken that time to really think about whether I want a PhD, what I want to do with my life and so on. And, so, while I understand your concern, I don't think that's one you'll have to worry about with me. I'm basically old enough to know that THIS is IT." 

 

AND It worked! 

[MammaD]

If I get into a program, I'll be 40 when I start. When I visited, the other students seemed very comfortable around me, and said I'd have no trouble fitting in. The environment there seemed very collegial and supportive.

[karent]

Another 30 year old here graduating in May!  I'm quite (ok, very very) nervous about possibly being rejected by every school on my list.  I know what I want to do - be a specialist librarian in Slavic Studies - and that's precisely why I'm so nervous.  If this doesn't end well, I don't know what I'll do with myself.  I've yet to feel the sting of academic rejection, and I'm quite sure it will be devastating.  I know I can reapply next year, having learned from my mistakes, but I don't want to waste anymore time.  Everyone my age (of my acquaintance) has either a family or a career or both.  I have nothing to show for myself.  It's very hard to see myself as anything but a failure.  I started this process optimistically, but the more I think about it, the more sure I am about utter rejection.   What if my grades are not up to the schools' standards?  My GRE scores are abysmal.  What if my Personal Statements come across as clumsy?  I'm scared.  What if I'll never be able to do what I want to do?  What if I continue to flounder all my life?

 

Maybe that's too much information.  But no one in my life understands.

 

- Karen

[midnight]

I'm 32 as well.

 

I figure that I may as well give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out--I have made peace with the fact that I don't have control over schools' decisions, and the things I do have control over (GPA, GRE, SOP, LORs [to the extent that I asked profs who truly know my work and abilities]) are good to excellent.

[misskira]

I felt like I had a hard time being competitive in my masters program at 22. most of the other students were 30+. The oldest was 50. I'm looking forward to being a bit more mature in my life experience for a doctoral program. I will be 29 by fall.

[Seatbelt Blue]

I'll be 29 when I start my program. 

[33andathirdRPM]

I will be almost 35 when I complete my BS in Math this May. If I were to fortunate as to be accepted to a Ph.D. program for this upcoming fall, I would be 35 when I begin and around 40 when I'm done.

[humblegirl]

I so appreciate this thread. I think imposter syndrome is totally normal. It's really difficult not to compare ourselves to others, isn't it? I just turned 30 and I'm graduating with my two BS degrees in June. 

[CarlieE]

So, just to pose an alternate view... I'm 31 and in my first year of my PhD program, but five others in my cohort are in their early to mid 20s. We were gathered around, talking about the new incoming cohort for next year and it seems that our cohort was unusually young - and after asking around, the average age of all of our cohorts currently attending is about 30-32. 

 

The youngest in my cohort expressed that she actually felt she was the odd duck, being in her early 20s and expressed concerns about not having a lot of life experience etc. 

 

Of course, this isn't a MA program, but a PhD so maybe that makes a difference, but, just to pose the possibility that younger cohort-mates might be experiencing similar anxieties about THEIR age. 

[jeparwafo]

More Disipcline, that's a key

[Ely]

I'm 37 and just finishing up my Bachelor's degree.  I have already been accepted to a highly ranked PhD program and am eagerly awaiting responses from several other schools.  I get along well with the traditional undergraduates at my current school, and don't forsee many social difficulties in grad school.  I've done a couple of REUs and didn't feel out of place there either.  My biggest concern is parenting a teenager while getting through grad school.  Fortunately, I already have a network of parent/grad student friends from whom I can draw advice and inspiration.  Best of luck to you!

Edited February 1, 2013 by Ely

[madricka]

I'm 40 & was just accepted into a Masters of Information Sci program. A lot of people might try to discourage you & say your chances are lower because of your age -- which is simply insane! There are no rules about age. It's your life, you can do what you want. I think what schools ARE looking for is someone who loves what they do, is excited, dedicated and intelligent. They want people who have had a variety of life experiences and can bring some fresh perspective to the table. How boring would the world be if everyone was the exact same age, coming from the exact same educational background? Age and experience bring spice!

 

Best of luck my friend!

[Janie M.]

Hello everyone. I am so glad that I found this thread. I'm new to this site and I'm also somewhat of a nontraditional student.

 

I'm 33 and will be entering my first year of graduate study this upcoming fall. I was just accepted to both grad schools that I applied to (after years of working dead-end jobs and being absolutely distraught about my personal and professional situation). There is hope!

 

My situation is kind of unique: I did go to a four-year college right after high school (transferred a few times) and graduated with a bachelor's within a reasonable amount of time. After receiving my bachelor's in journalism, I started out on the right track by getting an entry-level position at a newspaper, worked there for a few years, and decided that the newsroom of small town newspaper wasn't really my style. Anyway, I had planned to move to a better location to pursue a decent job, so I began waiting tables in order to save some money (huge mistake!). Well, what was supposed to be a temporary job to earn cash ended up lasting seven years (actually, I am still waiting tables). At the beginning of this stretch, I continued to relentlessly look for writing/media jobs, but for years it just seemed that nothing worked out. Eventually, I quit trying and became a bit depressed for a while.

 

A few years ago, I decided something HAD to change or I was going to go crazy. Since I couldn't find work in my field that paid me, I began looking for somewhere I could internship, even if it meant not receiving any financial compensation. Again, I wasn't even in any college or vocational program at this point. My main goal was just to gain any relevant and recent professional experience to use on my resume in order to apply to grad school.

 

I thought that maybe I wanted to get into publishing, so I began researching this field and nearby agencies, etc. I eventually did land an independent internship at a boutique literary agency in a nearby city. This experience was beyond invaluable to me since I not only learned the basic skills of this industry, but since it is a very small agency, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with the owner of this agency, who is extremely reputable and successful in the field. To this day, I still consider him a mentor. He has encouraged me, written me several excellent recommendation letters for grad school, and we continue to keep in touch.

 

After the internship, I managed to find a few freelance editing positions, which I was also able to use on my resume. I even edited someone's memoirs and the author was so impressed with my dedication that he also agreed to write me a letter of recommedation for grad scoool. To branch out and also to start writing again (this was my original passion and I discovered that I missed it greatly), I began contacting local websites and papers to see if they needed any freelancers. Since I live in somewhat of an economically depressed place, all I could find was a writing gig that couldn't pay, but since it is for a kind of hip website and I desperately needed the clips for my portfolio for grad school, I wrote a few articles for free. I still continue to write for this site occassionally, as I need to grow as a writer and I need to clips.

 

Phew! Well to make a long story short, I did start applying to grad schools a few years ago. A few weeks ago I found out that I was accepted to both schools I applied to. They are drastically different: One is a somewhat elite and kind of uncoventional communications-based school (very well rated and known, however) and the other is a larger university in the Midwest that isn't as well regarded, but the writing department looks fantastic. I am going for writing and publishing with both schools, even though the curriculum in each institution is very different.  

 

I'm just here to tell you that I too didn't follow the conventional route, gave up hope for quite a bit of time when I thought I had no future, and now I am in the position of having to decide WHICH grad school to choose. If you can't find paying work in your field, VOLUNTEER your time in order to gain skills, network, and put something on your resume in order to make you stand out to grad schools! Work for a literacy group, a nonprofit in some capacity, just anything to have recent experience. You could also subsitute teach, since most school systems only require you have a few semesters of college in order to do this. Even if you are not interested in education, again, this endeavor would show that you are at least trying to do something somewhat professional and relatively rewarding.  

 

Good luck to you! You can seriously do it. Don't give up!

[Janie M.]

Wow! That post was long -- sorry.