Jump to content

Starting a PhD Program Long after Undergrad


2017 Applicant

Recommended Posts

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

@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

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

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

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

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use