How late is too late to start Grad School Process

[dnhiem]

I've been BUSY with work and have been slacking:mad: with the whole grad school process (looking at Fall 07 in Engineering). I need some input:

-I've done a draft outline of my Statment of purpose, but not an "actually" draft.

-I've asked for recs from my profs already, BUT I need to send them a copy/outline of my Statement of purpose. They should be able to get back to me around xmas time or early Jan 07.

-Still brushing up for the GRE's hoping to take it around xmas
-Earliest School deadline is Jan 15 07

Has anyone completed their grad school application process in ~ 2 mths??? Or should I put it off until fall 07?

[Jersey_Steve]

I've been BUSY with work and have been slacking:mad: with the whole grad school process (looking at Fall 07 in Engineering). I need some input:

-I've done a draft outline of my Statment of purpose, but not an "actually" draft.

-I've asked for recs from my profs already, BUT I need to send them a copy/outline of my Statement of purpose. They should be able to get back to me around xmas time or early Jan 07.

-Still brushing up for the GRE's hoping to take it around xmas
-Earliest School deadline is Jan 15 07

Has anyone completed their grad school application process in ~ 2 mths??? Or should I put it off until fall 07?

Put it off to Fall 07 at least. Hell, give yourself extra time and look at Spring 08. This is a college, and colleges are so bureocratic that you should really give them as much time as possible. I've heard stories of how long it takes them to do ANYTHING, and trying to rush things is just not going to help things.

[springhaze]

I only decided to apply to grad school in early January this year...I managed to get my personal statement done & get 2 letters of recommendation within a month, mailing off my application at the beginning of February. And now I'm happily enrolled in my program :D I didn't have to worry about the GRE's though. So I'd say it can be done, if you really keep on top of things.

[Kitty]

Actually, the typical age that people go back to grad school is 5-8 years out of college.

[weary]

Actually, the typical age that people go back to grad school is 5-8 years out of college.

well, i'll fit this year-wise (5-8 years out of college to go back to grad school), but considering i got my undergrad degree 10 years after graduating HS, i'll be pretty off the mark age-wise. oh well, i can be the wise old fart in the class and relate better the professor than my fellow classmates! :rolleyes:

[CityGal]

I say go for it. This way you get your feet wet. If you don't get in anywhere, you know what and how to do things next time around. Practice makes perfect.

[AG_47]

well, i'll fit this year-wise (5-8 years out of college to go back to grad school), but considering i got my undergrad degree 10 years after graduating HS, i'll be pretty off the mark age-wise. oh well, i can be the wise old fart in the class and relate better the professor than my fellow classmates! :rolleyes:
When I was a senior in high school, my mom went looking at colleges with me and decided to enroll too. This was five years ago and she was 42 at the time. The first two years (actually, I went to a different college my first semester and failed most of my classes so it doesn't count for me) we took the same classes which was weird- I mean who goes to college with their mom:0 . She was older than almost all of the professors. This worked out well for her because she became friends with most of the professors. She could easily talk to them about the subject matter and would constantly do much better on the tests than me even when I studied more than her. Because she was older, she was much more into learning. She graduated with a BS in Sociology two years ago and is now in her last year going for a Masters in Counseling & Student Personnel. I'm so proud of her. If she can go for a BS at 42 years old without having ever been in college then I think anyone can.:D

EDIT: When she applied to grad school, I think it only took her two months to get everything together and sent. She didn't have to take the GRE since she was staying at the same college. The department was really slow to get back to her and it took her six months to get an interview. After the interview it took them two more months to tell her she was accepted. I'd say go for it - if you don't get all the application materials turned in by the deadline then you could wait - and you would have a head start on the next deadline.

[kdhmps]

In college, I was pre-law and completed the application process (the LSAT, letters, statements, etc.). I was accepted and changed my mind in January of my senior year. I was frantic about what I would do because I still wanted to pursue a graduate level of education. I took the GRE---it is an easy exam to schedule---within a month. I bought a prep book and did fairly well (I think anyone with your level of intelligence could do the same). I applied around the same time and was accepted into a very good program. I changed my mind about the particular school in July and reapplied elsewhere for a similar program and started classes in the beginning of September. I don't know how your program works, but I sincerely believe you can meet that deadline! Many schools are flexible with term start dates, too. You can almost start taking classes any quarter---I would look into that.