<p>I was wondering whatever happened to "exlier" in his 2008 quest to gain acceptance in a prestigious PhD program "even though" he was 54 years old then. Did you get in? </p>
<p>Hope so! I myself, at 51, am considering to join a PhD program in Management & Organizational behavior. I have been told (by an experienced professor, none other) that I should not waste my time applying to the most prestigious colleges, as these prefer younger, more malleable students with decades of research and academics ahead of them. Second-tier universities are reportedly less finicky in their selection criteria, given their reduced appeal. Do forum members think this is the case? "Exlier" got split answers back in 2008. I happen to think (in an admittedly biased way) that mature professionals like me and him (with decades of career experience) could hit the ground running post-PhD and provide great, hands-on perspective and added-value to students and the research community. </p>
<p>50 years old, man I cant think that far ahead. Just retire to a beachhouse in California, find a little surfer babe (aged 18+) and enjoy your life.</p>
<p>pamssh, this really varies by program, which is probably why the previous poster got mixed responses. No one will admit to outright age discrimination, but many practice it indirectly, e.g. by ranking students more highly if they have recent undergraduate research experience, or strong recommendations from current faculty hot shots. </p>
<p>I’ve taught in two Phd programs, both in the top ten in my field. The first certainly didn’t think of itself as discriminatory, but all its entering students just happened to be between 23 and 26 years of age. The second one had a fair number of middle-aged students returning to launch second careers. That’s partly because the department had had a good experience with such students in the past, and partly because its fellowships were not as munificent, so people with ample savings were better able to attend.</p>
<p>You are not going to be able to know what a department’s policies are just by reading its policies on its website. If you can visit, you can get a sense of who’s actually enrolled in the program and, if you can talk to the person handling admissions for the program that interests you, you may be able to assess how flexible that person is.</p>
<p>One issue you’ve probably already thought about is how long you intend to continue working. A PhD generally takes at least 5 years to complete if you’re working on it fulltime. Of course an older person doesn’t have as much time after the degree to amortize its value.</p>
<p>I ran job placement for my second program, and the older PhD students were somewhat harder to place in jobs that seemed appropriate for their abilities than the younger ones were. However, in my field, it’s a very competitive market for everyone, and virtually everybody is applying for academic positions only. In your field, the situation may well be different.</p>
<p>Regarding UKDude’s comment. Retiring to a beach place would be akin to death for those who have a brain and want to continue using it. Sarcasm?</p>
<p>Enjoyment in life includes challenging yourself. Pammsh- go for it. By now you probably have financed your retirement and can afford to do something for yourself- you are not primarily looking at the economic benefits of the degree at this stage in life. Sounds like you can physically visit programs in search of a good fit as well. Never too late to follow your dreams.</p>
<p>wis75- I think if it’s something the OP wants, they should do it, but UKDude has a good point. Lets face it, if you’re in your 50’s and it takes 5 years to finish the degree, there’s only so many years you have in the workforce to use it. The chances of recouping the cost through wages are pretty slim. Financially, you’re better off saving the money. There’s plenty of other (and cheaper) ways to keep yourself intellectually stimulated in your senior years than by getting the degree. </p>
<p>Again, if the OP wants to do it, go for it.</p>
<p>My mother started to get a master’s part-time in her late 40s, and just as she was finishing it a job reversal led her to apply to a full-time PhD program. She was accepted, and it was great for her. She got distracted along the way with a significant funded job, and completed her PhD at 61. She continued teaching for more than a decade after that, and was excited and productive the whole time. Basically, she got a second career that lasted about 17 years out of it. And a LOT of to be proud of.</p>
<p>She was pretty much limited to one institution by the fact that she wasn’t going to move. That institution was fairly well regarded, but not a top-10 kind of place. I’m sure it helped her application that she had been hanging around the department for several years before she applied, and had good relationships with a number of faculty (most of them younger than she). It may also have helped that she was social friends with the Provost . . . but sometimes you get those kinds of advantages when you are in your 50s.</p>
<p>Hi JHS, I am 54 years old and just enrolled in a PhD program last September. I have to say returning to school at this age is challenging; I felt quite isolating. Thanks for sharing your mother’s inspiring story - I’d like to learn more. How did she keep herself always motivated?</p>