It's Never Too Late for Grad School
Late 20s to early 30s. Minimal outside commitments. Has the ability to consume unnatural amounts of caffeine. Lives in the lab and doesn小蝌蚪APP檛 remember the last time they had a full night of sleep.
That小蝌蚪APP檚 the portrait of a typical graduate student小蝌蚪APP攖he stereotype.
But if you ask us, there小蝌蚪APP檚 no such thing as a typical grad student. Older grad students and non-traditional grad students have as much a place in a grad program as anyone else.
Graduate school is all about pursuing your passions and advancing your field小蝌蚪APP攁nd you can do that whether you小蝌蚪APP檙e a just-out-of-undergrad 22-year-old or a .
Why being an older grad student can be an advantage
Some grad students realize their passions at a young age and know that a graduate degree will help them reach their dream career.
Some older grad students instead take a more winding path to find their passion, accruing more experience, taking time off to care for family, or just never thought it was to pursue a graduate degree.
But those professional and personal experiences are some of your strongest assets. Most often, it means you小蝌蚪APP檙e more focused and you better understand how your coursework can be applied to your career because you know what you want to do.
Some master小蝌蚪APP檚 programs are actually designed for older grad students who have gained experience working in their fields. That experience can be really valuable, especially in programs related to , , and . In fact, some programs won小蝌蚪APP檛 accept you for admission unless you have work experience小蝌蚪APP攚hich, as a non-traditional grad student, you have plenty of.
And if you小蝌蚪APP檙e not sure if you want to pursue a doctorate, but you do want to return to grad school, you can pursue your master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree and then use that experience to determine if you want to continue on to a doctoral program.
In his blog, 小蝌蚪APP of Chicago public policy professor Chris Blattman also :
小蝌蚪APP淧hD students are not known for being good at managing people, projects, or money. Presumably you learned a few things about being a professional whatever you小蝌蚪APP檝e been doing. This will serve you well, and make up for some of the disadvantages of age. Maybe even more than compensate.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Samuel McPeek, an ordained minister who has served as the full-time pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Lafayette since 2000, earned his master小蝌蚪APP檚 in communication in 2007 and his doctorate in English in 2017, both from UL Lafayette. He had already attended graduate school earlier in his life when he earned his Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, but enrolled in the Graduate School at UL Lafayette in his mid-40s.
Dr. McPeek decided to return to graduate school because he wanted to teach in higher education, but his enrollment was delayed because of his full-time career and his visual impairment, which he says 小蝌蚪APP渟lowed down my progress significantly.小蝌蚪APP He does, however, think that having more 小蝌蚪APP渞eal life小蝌蚪APP experience helped him when he was ready to return to academia.
小蝌蚪APP淭he major advantage is that I entered graduate school with a lot of experience under my belt,小蝌蚪APP he says, 小蝌蚪APP渁nd carry a little more discipline. While I would like to see myself as the wise, older student admired by the younger 小蝌蚪APP榢ids,小蝌蚪APP the advantage for me was that I learned so much from my younger colleagues and have established relationships with some of them that will be long lasting!
小蝌蚪APP淢y experience in graduate school was very rewarding,小蝌蚪APP he continues. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was exposed to so much information that I would not have found otherwise, which gave me a better sense about my career; my experience also honed my critical thinking skills and my ability to better analyze and study; and I'm a better person from it.小蝌蚪APP
Take a cue from Dr. McPeek. It小蝌蚪APP檚 your time!