Workplace Average age of doctoral student?

C

cutiepie21

O.G.
May 15, 2006
2,257
1
#1
For those of you who have a Ph.D or are currently in a Ph.D program, how old were you when you started? Was your age average, younger than, or older than the other students? I am 23 now and I am planning on entering a Ph.D program when I am 25. I'm curious if that is about average age or a bit older. TIA! :tup:
 
#4
guccimamma said:
i know several people in phd programs in their 30's and 40s, many return to school after years in the workplace
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Oh, wow. I am surprised. I belong to another forum of students who are in doctoral programs or trying to get into a doctoral program and it seems like many of them were accepted at 21-22 years of age, which means many of them will complete their degrees by 25-26 years of age. My thinking was if I entered a program at 25, I would be the oldest! The forum is geared specifically towards doctoral students in clinical psychology, so perhaps the age is different depending on the field?:confused1:
 
#5
caxe said:
This makes me feel better! I want to go for my PhD, and I'll be 32 before I can even THINK about starting.
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I started my program at 32, professional job related to field at 35, graduated doctoral program at 38. I figure with retirement at age 65, I'll have been in my field for 30 years. That's enough for me :smile:
 
#11
I started at 27...and was the second oldest in my cohort (oldest was in her 50s). Most of them were early 20s.

I interviewed at many clinical psych programs and it seemed as if most people were around 22-25. Most clinical psych people take off a year before entering!
 
#12
Are you talking about the SDN forum by any chance? If so I'm also a member in the clinical psychology forum. I'm planning on applying during my last year of undergrad, but everyone I've spoken to says it's common for people to take 1-2 years off and 21-22 year olds are no longer the norm.
 
#13
cutiepie21 said:
My thinking was if I entered a program at 25, I would be the oldest! The forum is geared specifically towards doctoral students in clinical psychology, so perhaps the age is different depending on the field?
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It definitely does. Clinical Psych is one field where the majority of students have only very recently completed their degrees. In most other fields that I'm familiar with (literature, business, etc.), people often work for a while to get experience and/or money before beginning a PhD.
 
#14
SPOILEDkiwi said:
Are you talking about the SDN forum by any chance? If so I'm also a member in the clinical psychology forum. I'm planning on applying during my last year of undergrad, but everyone I've spoken to says it's common for people to take 1-2 years off and 21-22 year olds are no longer the norm.
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Yes, that's the one! Hello fellow SDNer!! Such a smaller world. My username on that forum is PnkElefant, who are you?:tup:
 
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