Is 26 too old for grad school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you're never too late to go. That said, I was considering going at age 39 but I feel like given my relative experience and my field (professional degree similar to an MBA) I'm as qualified as most of the professors, frankly.

I'm going back ar 56 to partially change careers. The program has students of many ages and backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the program.

For sciences and engineering, it's generally expected that you go straight out of undergrad. This is due to the fact that many of those people will also go on to a phd, so you've got to specialize and get your education done before you'll get a "real" job. Maybe you'll have one year between undergrad and graduate school to be a research assistant, but that's all.

I've heard that med school has been trending older, as the competition has become even stiffer. It's increasingly difficult to go straight from undergrad, as you need to have volunteer and research experience that shows you really want the career.

From anecdotal experience I've seen, it appears that MBAs are getting younger. My friends who recently received mbas stated that they met many people with only one or two years of work experience. Still, there's lot of older folks in those programs.

[Anonymous]

OP,

I find it stunning that you only know people who went directly to graduate school from college! You can go to graduate school anytime. People complete their PhD's in their 60s. (Obviously they are doing this to fulfill a goal and not as a career builder.)

[Anonymous]

For sciences and engineering, it's generally expected that you go straight out of undergrad. This is due to the fact that many of those people will also go on to a phd, so you've got to specialize and get your education done before you'll get a "real" job. Maybe you'll have one year between undergrad and graduate school to be a research assistant, but that's all.

This is changing. In my program there were a number of people who spent anywhere between 1-5 years either working as a research assistant in academic labs, or working for oil/biotech/materials/pharmaceutical companies as a B.S. scientist (there are positions for B.S. and M.S. scientists, just limited room for career growth without the PhD). There were even a couple "non traditional" students who had switched careers or raised kids and went back to grad school. I would say maybe a third of my incoming class did not come straight from undergrad, and it was a top 15 program. A lot of people jump straight into grad school after undergrad, but not everyone. In fact, if you work in industry beforehand, it can help make connections when you are job hunting after graduating. Also if you get on any publications as a research assistant/lab tech, it can help get into grad school and secure fellowships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stupidest question ever.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stupidest question ever.

+1

+2

OP should avoid any top tier programs

[Anonymous]

Direct answer: no, it is not too old at all, it's completely normal.

Long answer: it's actually better, in my opinion, if you go to grad school after a few years in the workplace. Grad school in the U.S. is ALL ABOUT FOCUS. The range of grad classes is incredibly wide, and with all the resources at your fingertips, you will get a lot more out of grad school if you go with a very clear picture of what you are interested in, and what EXACTLY you want to get out of it. Without that focus, the value of your grad school education will not be as high. The understanding of what your focus should be usually comes after a few years of exploration, unless you're a kind of person who always knew exactly what they wanted to do. These people do exist but I found they are a minority. Most people need a few years of wandering before they hone in on something.