2017 Applicant Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgetful26 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2017 Applicant Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 @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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levon3 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I started at age 31, and I believe the mean age in my cohort is 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istanbulnotconstantinople Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbyt Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lbug Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username111 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_ruth Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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