how old is too old

[fearlesss]

how old is too old to go to grad school? im 30 and just recently have been thinking about going back to school for my masters.

[Dirty Sanchez]

how old is too old to go back to grad school?

Technically, when you're dead. But, IMO, if you're within about 2 decades of retirement, you may not get the right ROI.

And keep in mind that if you're in your 80s and wearing a Social D hoodie and doc martins while drinking your face off with a bunch of your 20something classmates, you might look a little silly.

[CityGal]

You are SO never too old to go back to school or drink with a bunch of 20somethings. I've seen grandpa types get down on the dance floors several times.

[winneythepooh7]

I was 26 when I started grad school. I was actually one of the youngest students in my class. Many of my peers were in their 40's and 50's and only then were allowed the chance to go back to school........I noticed that a lot of them wanted to wait for their own kids to be able to take care of themselves before they devoted the time to school for themselves.

Also many of my fellow students were going back for a Master's after working in other fields for many years, and wanting to try something new and different.

I did notice however that one of the other programs (the F/T traditional daytime program) was filled more with 21 and 22-year-olds who had just graduated college and never worked before. That makes sense though because most people over that age really need to work and cannot focus solely on school F/T.

[spiritedaway]

30 isn't too old for grad school. "Traditionally", grad schools are for mid-level people who have some experience out in the field. That has shifted quite a bit as younger ppl seemed to be getting their grad degree, but you're never too old for it if that's what you wanted to do. It'll be an exciting change and it'll be great to be able to apply real-work experience back into the classroom!

[winneythepooh7]

30 isn't too old for grad school. "Traditionally", grad schools are for mid-level people who have some experience out in the field. That has shifted quite a bit as younger ppl seemed to be getting their grad degree, but you're never too old for it if that's what you wanted to do. It'll be an exciting change and it'll be great to be able to apply real-work experience back into the classroom!


This is what I really enjoyed about grad school. Finally a place where I could find people who could relate more to what I deal with in my professional life on a daily basis.

Not too many people I know in my personal life understand my profession or really care.

[mlle]

I've heard people in their 50's ask if they were too old for grad school, but this is the first time I've heard a mere 30-year-old ask that! 30 is SO not old for that. I once heard the head of a grad admissions committee give a talk back in college and he said they preferred the applicants who were not fresh out of college. The ones who have been out for a while have experience, know what they want, and are more mature. Your age and time out of college will be an asset when you apply and go back to school.

[Kragthorpe]

30 is not too old at all. In fact, I think it's a perfect age. If I had made any money in my last 5 years working, I'd go back, and I'll be 31 in January. I'd like to go back, study Economics, which I love and which is more interesting to me than law, hopefully meet a cute undergrad or grad student as I should have done the first time I was in school and live happily ever after! Of course that's how it ideally works.

[NewMrs.]

how old is too old to go to grad school? im 30 and just recently have been thinking about going back to school for my masters.


My father-in-law went back to school to finish his BA and then went own to earn his MA when he was in his forties. He is in his fifties now and he is still working on his PhD.

He said that most of the people in his graduate school classes were out of their twenties.

[Deni81]

30 is not old for grad school. I just started graduate school this fall and I am 26. I have a mix of people who worked in the field for a few years (like i did) and those who just came straight from undergrad. Personally I think its better to take some time to be in the workforce, gain experience, and then go to graduate school. I think you get more of the experience that way, imo.

[cameralady]

Actually I just started graduate school, and I'm about to turn 30. If I were to compare myself to my classmates from my undergraduate alma mater, that's on the older side. (About 75% of people from my ugrad alma mater have an advanced degree within 10 years of graduating from college. I'm not going to make that cutoff, since my 10-year reunion is next year.)

[yankeeyosh]

I don't think 30 is too old. Statistically speaking, the AVERAGE grad student is in his/her early 30s. I think that as spiritedaway said, the average probably decreased in recent years since a master's degree suddenly became important in many fields and young people want to get the "edge". But 30-something and even 40-something grad students still exist...I went to school with some of them.

[ebruening]

This is what I really enjoyed about grad school. Finally a place where I could find people who could relate more to what I deal with in my professional life on a daily basis.

Not too many people I know in my personal life understand my profession or really care.

Absolutely!

I am 25; I'll be 26, when I earn my Master's degree in Education in May. However, I am definitely one of the younger students in my classes. I work full time as a teacher, and my program caters to teachers' schedules. However, many of my fellow students are in their 30s and 40s. You are never too old to go back to school, in my opinion.

[capella]

I think there is a point where you won't really make the money back that you're investing in a masters program, however, 30 years old is not that point. I am almost 27 and I'll be 28 when I finish my MA in Instructional Technology in 2009. I can't speak to the ages of all of my peers in this program since it is entirely online (through a major public university, not Phoenix or something). I do know that most of them are my age at least or late 30's to mid 40's.