Starting a PhD Program Long after Undergrad

[2017 Applicant]

I'll be starting a PhD in Education this fall, six years after I graduated from college. How common is this in the field of education? Will I likely be in a cohort with a lot of 21-year olds, or will I have a decent amount of peers closer to my age? 

[forgetful26]

haha, I graduated from College six years ago. If there is any indication, Harvard's cohort last year had a mean age of 28. So, if that is representative, then I believe it would be fair to say you'd have peers close your age. Also, I believe that many people in education apply with work experience

[2017 Applicant]

@forgetful26 Thanks! I thought there might be a good chance of the mean age being older than most programs, since (like you mentioned) a lot of the programs I looked at mentioned experience as being a positive. Not all of them did though, and in fact I talked to two graduates of the program I'm likely to attend and they both jumped in right after doing BS/BA work. It's nice to have a concrete statistic to go on.

[Levon3]

I started at age 31, and I believe the mean age in my cohort is 30.

[istanbulnotconstantinople]

I graduated 7 years ago and from looking at the school websites I figured I would be around the average age. It sounds like you will be too.

[libbyt]

For graduate programs, I've always thought anything goes when it comes to age. To me, it smarter to attend graduate school with a few years of "real world" experience under your belt because you'd be a bringing new, diverse perspective to the department. I've known people to go straight from undergrad to graduate school, but most people I came  across took time in between. I waited a few years after undergrad to apply for my Master's, and I was really glad I did. I felt that I was at an advantage because I was a bit older than some of the students in the program and had experience with the topics in my classes. Also, I was much more responsible and self-aware. After my Master's, I went into teaching higher education in Chicago, and five years later, I'm applying for my Ph.D. in education. I think there may be more people in your same boat than what you might think! 

[Lbug]

I will be starting 7 years after I graduated from college! I think there will be plenty of people like us and that we are in good company.

[username111]

It's been six years since my undergrad. Starting  a PhD at 30ish is no big deal. My dad started his when he was 38! 

[t_ruth]

Depends on the program, but Ed PhD students tend to be a little older than those in other fields. I've known plenty who started in their 30s or 40s. Late 20s seems most common.