Is there such a thing as “too late” for graduate school?

• At any age or stage of your career, a graduate degree can be transformative, altering your performance and understanding of the subject in ways you may never have imagined. Maybe you’re midway through a career you’re passionate about, but you’d like to become an expert in your field. Or perhaps you’ve discovered later in life that the career you’re in isn’t right for you. When it comes to moving forward or in a different direction, it can be beneficial to earn an advanced degree in the field of interest.

  But how late is “too late” to go back to school? It’s certainly not unheard of for middle-aged individuals to earn their undergraduate degrees; even though most people go for their bachelor’s degrees in their younger years, plenty of undergrads are career-changers or ambitious individuals who never earned their bachelor’s degrees and have eyes on promotions.

  While middle-aged and elderly students are somewhat rare in undergraduate courses, they make up a large percentage of graduate and doctorate programs. According to research from the Council of Graduate Schools, the average age of graduate students in the U.S. is 33 years old. This number has remained stagnant over the past few decades, going back to the ’90s. Their study shows that 22% of graduate students are over 40 years old; of this number, 14% are between the ages of 40 and 50, while 8% are older than 50 years old.

  These statistics show that whether you’re 40, 50 or even 60 years old, it’s never too late to advance your education. If you’re still feeling hesitant about going back to school, we’ve provided you with some reassurance that a late-in-the-game master’s degree is a good idea.

  “Will an age divide in the classroom cause problems?”

  In the event you decide to take your graduate courses on campus rather than online, you might be afraid that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb among other students in their early 20s. As stated above, the average age for graduate students is 33 years old. Sure, there may be other students in your cohort that are much younger than you, but there may also be some that are older than you. Regardless, age is merely a number in a graduate school classroom.

  “Why would I go back to school if I already have a career in my desired field?”

  In fact, some may argue that gaining a few years of experience in the field may help you get the most out of your master’s degree. Depending on what field you’re in and what degree you’re in the act of pursuing, there may be times in class in which the topics discussed relate directly to the work you do on an occasional or day-to-day basis. Without the hands-on professional experience, you may not be able to contextualize this information as well as you would after working a few years in the field. That’s why so many people go back to school later on in their professional lives.

  Let’s look at a real-life example. A professional might go back for their MBA after working for a decade as a marketing manager. They might have a few reasons for going back for their master’s; maybe they want to improve their credibility to current and prospective clients, or perhaps they’re working toward a promotion to VP or even Chief Marketing Officer. With several years in the “biz,” they may have approached several topics they will learn about in graduate school in their career. However, in graduate school, they will learn some updated practices in the field that they may not have gained in their undergraduate studies decades ago. (Think of how much certain fields, such as marketing, have changed since the introduction of social media and conventionalization of high-power technology.)

  “Will my age hurt my chances of getting into grad school?”

  While the answer to this question is “no,” it’s worth looking into how your application might look different from a 22-year-old candidate who has just completed their undergraduate degree. According to PowerScore, a test preparation platform, your undergraduate transcript may not hold as much weight in your application as your GRE scores if you’ve been out of school for over 10 years, as this evaluation serves as a more recent measure of your academic readiness.

  Additionally, if you’ve been in a professional setting for a decade or so, you might be thinking of asking your employers and colleagues to serve as references for your application. While one or two professional references can be extremely valuable, we recommend obtaining at least one recommendation from someone you’ve gotten acquainted with on an academic level. This may be challenging if you haven’t been in school for a decade or two, but you should be able to contact a previous educator, whether they still work for the university or are retired.

Are you too old to Study in USA ? 10 Years of Experience, 35 Years age ?

Home » Study in USA » Are you too old to Study in USA ? 10 Years of Experience, 35 Years age ?

Last Updated : July 7, 2022 | by Kumar | 344 Comments

Life takes us in different directions and many of us may not be able to pursue our dreams due to our circumstances at a certain juncture of our life. Studying in the US is no different for a few.   Some of us may not be able to pursue our dreams of higher education at an early point in our careers due to various factors of family pressures, financial difficulties, no clarity, etc…

Now, once life is settled, which is after 5 to 15 years of work experience, when someone is at the age of 35 or 40, they may wonder if it is the right thing to study abroad like in the USA. Many of them are unsure, of how they will be received in the classes and will they be able to cope with their younger peers in the class.  This article focuses on shedding some light on the reality at Graduate schools in America and if it is the right age for you to study.

1. Average Age of Graduate Student ( MS or MBA) in United States – Distribution

2. Are you too old to go back to School and Study Masters?

3. Pursue your dream of Higher Education with Passion

4. Next steps to Study, if you decide that age is not a bar and ready to commit ?

As per the research by National Center for Education Statistics, the average age of graduate students is about 33 years. Also, the below table from the same report indicates the age distribution of a typical graduate student enrolment.  The key stat to look at is that about 50% of the graduate students are over 30 years of age.

Are you too old to go back to School and Study Masters?

Looking at the above data, you can notice that over 22% of the students are over 40 years and about 28% of the students are between 30 and 40 years. Data speaks volumes…You do NOT need to worry that you are too old.  You are not old to go back to school. There are quite a few students in the same age group.

In fact, when I did my MS and MBA, I personally noticed the same. Many of my teammates were much older than me, it was fun to have all the experience folks in the class and my team as well.  You are NOT too old to go back to school! You bring a lot of value to the class and make it more engaging.

Pursue your dream of Higher Education  with Passion

When you are thinking about going back to school, you need to be very clear on your goals.  As you are already quite experienced, most of the time, your degree may NOT be giving you the instant return as you would expect immediately, unless it is a requirement as part of the job.  If you always wanted to get higher education and experience the education system in America, it is totally fine, just go for it.

Also, pursuing higher education with the goal to settle in America has to be considered with caution, with the h2B Lottery. Read Apply for MS with h2B Lottery.  Also, you do NOT have to pursue MS or MBA in your same field or area, you can change your major or specialization in MS.  If it was your dream to study Marketing but you somehow ended up in Computer Science in Bachelors, it is your chance to switch majors and pursue that dream.  Just plan it such that your education can help you make a career transition.

If you can afford the time with family commitments and have money to fund your education, it is an enriching experience to study in America.  There are so many great things about education in America, it is not about just the classes and research, it is about the activities that are part of the student life like Student Orgs , Student Leadership Activities, etc. that define the overall student life experience, … Many might question your decision as it may not be pragmatic, but what the heck? If it is your dream, go for it!  Many dream, only few dare to achieve it…Are you that one?

Next steps to Study, if you decide that age is not a bar and ready to commit ?

First thing you need to do is think about your goals for studying in US, what is is your passion. Once you know what you want to achieve, you need to plan to accomplish that.  Below are some steps to get started.

• Step 1: Research for Universities that offer the degree or program you want to pursue and create a list of the Universities that offer the degree or program you plan to pursue.
• Step 2:  Pick 4 to 5 of the universities that you plan to study based on some factors that you prefer like ranking, fees or proximity to cities, etc.
• Step 3: Visit each of the shortlisted Universities’ websites and then look for requirements to get admission in those schools. Usually, you need to go to the Admissions website and then to the specific School web page like School of Engineering, School of Business, etc.
• Step 4: List down the common requirements across these schools and make it part of the plan you want to study. Usually, most of them need GRE, TOEFL or IELTS.
• Step 5: Start to apply after taking the required tests. You can write to admissions and get details as needed.
• Step 6: After you get admission, attend visa interview as needed and then travel to study in that University.  That’s it !

What do you think ?  Did you choose to go back to school after the significant experience? Share your experiences

Categories Study in USA

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