Is Age a Barrier for Pursuing a PhD in Physics?

[ripper]

hello all. I'm considering pursuing a phd in physics. i love science and always have. i would still have to get my undergraduate degree first. I've got a degree in psych already so i would just need to take the required physics and math courses. my main concern is being discriminated against because of my age when applying to grad schools. it may not even be malicious disrimination. i don't mind being 50 or so when i finish. I'm going to be 50 anyway (i hope) so i might as well be 50 with a phd in physics! I'm not concerned with making a lot of money either.
any thoughts?
thanks,
David

 

[ZapperZ]

hello all. I'm considering pursuing a phd in physics. i love science and always have. i would still have to get my undergraduate degree first. I've got a degree in psych already so i would just need to take the required physics and math courses. my main concern is being discriminated against because of my age when applying to grad schools. it may not even be malicious disrimination. i don't mind being 50 or so when i finish. I'm going to be 50 anyway (i hope) so i might as well be 50 with a phd in physics! I'm not concerned with making a lot of money either.
any thoughts?
thanks,
David

I can say, without any reservation, that your age has no bearing on your acceptance into any school, if you qualify. If you can pay for your education, there's no reason why they wouldn't accept you. After all, it's not as if you're going to stay at those schools forever and seek jobs there, you're PAYING to go there!

What I would be more concerned with is if you have a clear understanding of what is involved in such an endeavor and how long it can take.

Zz.

 

[reilly]

Do it. I have a friend who just finished Law School at the age of 65, and is enjoying his new career.

Regards,
Reilly Atkinson

 

[SimplySolitary_]

If you want to do it, do it. My mother's fifty and she's planning on getting her PHD. Your age will have nothing to do with you getting into a school, trust me, if you have the grades and money they'll let you in.

Whoot! Good for you! I know that a lot of my friends that are around that age don't seem to have much ambition anymore, it's really great to see that someone that actually <i>wants</i> to go back to school and such!

=) Good luck with it, I really do hope you do it!

 

[Jon Ruba]

hello all. I'm considering pursuing a phd in physics. i love science and always have. i would still have to get my undergraduate degree first. I've got a degree in psych already so i would just need to take the required physics and math courses. my main concern is being discriminated against because of my age when applying to grad schools. it may not even be malicious disrimination. i don't mind being 50 or so when i finish. I'm going to be 50 anyway (i hope) so i might as well be 50 with a phd in physics! I'm not concerned with making a lot of money either.
any thoughts?
thanks,
David

That's a big SHAME to people in Japan, no one is 40 when they go to college here. Japanese students are very young and very intelligent, they can do everything, from science to engineering. They are all patriotic, like my children (my wife is a Japanese). So you can believe that ALL professors are the strongest in THEORY of EVERYTHING.

What can you do at college when you are already 40,50 ? It's hard to understand what the professors explain even a simple natural phenomenon, but you know you are already skillful enough to read their criticism, hretorics or word attacks especially when you do something irritating them.

 

[Jon Ruba]

they need foreigners as a open policy of teh couny, they give for free a lot of stuff, some treat foreirners better than normal native, this is adifferent point from Canadian policy which trys to keep local, permanent residents than attract foreign students. we also try to treat white people better than other colors because one day we will build the couny into one against Canada

Mark,
That point helps me..hmmm..understand where I should live. My country is much better a place to live than Canada. In Japan, we pay only ~$120/year for health insurance, cheaper than other countries. Most of the people are quite much influenced by Budhism's teaching over their behaviors.
No creationism of course is in Budhism (sp?) only about human behaviors. I didn't have a religion. After moving to japan and getting married, I am now with my wife for Budhism. It's a source of social behaviors to learn.

Being 40 to college isn't something weird to me because I am not a kid who knows nothing about the world. My grandfather was 32 when he first stepped into high-school. And you know he sat next to a little naughty girl who became my grandmother then.

 

[Mollet1955]

Jon Ruba, oh that sonds not bad, tell me somthng abuot ur area.
Iam living in Macau, nice to know u know my name

 

[Jon Ruba]

Aka dada for the complete_ness of a play I just turned off all watchable cameras, that would sound more natural, I think.
I work for a television station here, in Japan. I know ur name because I searched your profile. The social wellfare here is completely much better than Canada. I have some friends from Canada, so I can be sure of that.
If you have any specific question, feel free to make.

 

[ZapperZ]

Let's make sure we stick to the original post of this thread and not derail it into a discussion of social structure of various countries.

Zz.

 

[Gokul43201]

David, I would suggest (actually, this is probably copying advice given by Zz a long time ago) you take at look at something like the Physics GRE sample problems and see if you feel comfortable with any of them. Getting a physics degree involves a lot of math, and it is very little like anything you read in pop-sci books or anything you watch on the Discovery/Science Channel.

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/Physics.pdf

 

[mathwonk]

go for it hoss. what is the downside? the upside is years of challenging and interesting learning and work, possibly followed by a career in an area you love.

 

[leright]

go for it hoss. what is the downside? the upside is years of challenging and interesting learning and work, possibly followed by a career in an area you love.

Possible career and family obligations are downsides. Also, financial issues.

 

[actionintegral]

Hey Ripper,

You still around? I would like to talk to you.

 

[J77]

Possible career and family obligations are downsides. Also, financial issues.

I don't see how they should play a role necessarily.

Career - you should do a PhD for the love of it, not to land a career.

Family - maybe, if there are children to support.

Money - see career.

 

[michealsmith]

this sounds interesting //..i want to know more about this ..if yiu do eventually decide to go ..please do come back and tell us all about it...

 

[leright]

I don't see how they should play a role necessarily.

Career - you should do a PhD for the love of it, not to land a career.

Family - maybe, if there are children to support.

Money - see career.

IF you have a family to support then the career becomes important to maintain, as a 40 yr old probably has a strong foothold in a career already. The three are obvious issues one faces when considering grad school.

 

[J77]

IF you have a family to support then the career becomes important to maintain, as a 40 yr old probably has a strong foothold in a career already. The three are obvious issues one faces when considering grad school.

Why maintain a career?

If the OP feels it will be beneficial for his well-being to do a PhD, he should go for it.

And, if he has had a good job up to now, he'll probably have enough money to finance the PhD plus his wife may work and bring in the bacon.

You've got to enjoy life first, work second.

 

[Ighnot]

40 is the age I'll be when I resume school for an eventual PhD in Physics, so of course I'm biased when I say go for it. In five years, I'll have finished a 20-year career in the Air Force, and I'll have that retirement pay and the GI Bill to fund my "Life, Part 2" as a physicist. I have a 20-month-old son, and by the time he's of an age to ask what his dad does, I'll tell him I'm a student of physics.

Living outside the norm (or what's expected of everyone, as if we're racing) is really very gratifying and exciting. It used to bother me that I wasn't some top-earner by the time I was in my 30s, but that doesn't bother me any more. That's a youth-driven thing, and shallow at that.

Don't let age deter you from chasing that dream. Personally, I can't wait to get back to it. I will already have a Computer Science bachelor's degree when I get out of the Air Force, so It's good to have something to earn money with in case things go wrong. Just be prepared for that. I'm sure this won't be easy (for either of us).

Good Luck! I'm very interested in how you do!

 

[gemunification]

I am glad this thread was begun. I left grad school before completing my phd to form my own company. Since then, I have continued my research, but independently. Two years ago I decided to publish some of my work.
But I was out of the "academic community" and unsure how to proceed.

The thought of completing my phd did occur to me, but it didn't seem realistic, unless I found a researcher who was really in need of an assistant and would be glad for more mature help.

 

[desA]

hello all. I'm considering pursuing a phd in physics. i love science and always have. i would still have to get my undergraduate degree first. I've got a degree in psych already so i would just need to take the required physics and math courses. my main concern is being discriminated against because of my age when applying to grad schools. it may not even be malicious disrimination. i don't mind being 50 or so when i finish. I'm going to be 50 anyway (i hope) so i might as well be 50 with a phd in physics! I'm not concerned with making a lot of money either.
any thoughts?
thanks,
David

Hi 'Ripper',

I began PhD studies at the age of 44, after a very busy, full Engineering Consulting career. I had set this as a target on my life's trajectory.

When I completed my original Undergraduate degree, I was already married & could not afford to continue onto Post-Graduate studies. I promised myself that I would make the switch around mid-life.

It has been a very interesting experience for me. In the almost 20 years since my Undergrad program, numerical science has made leaps-&-bounds. We are able to perform calculations today on desktop pc's, that were only a gleam in the Prof's eyes 20 years ago. I have focused on learning the Numerical techniques needed to solve CFD-type problems. With an 'older head', it has allowed me to see details that many Profs have glossed over & allowed me to make some breakthroughs.

Beware though, that you can begin to outrun your advisors as the coursework hones your mental agility. I would advise you to not select a particular adviser until you have spent at least 1 year pre-studying & expanding your mental horizons out of your previous mindsets. I have had to recently re-build my supervision team as the original scope of study began to shift into a novel, new area that the previous advisors simply could not support. There is always the possibility that an adviser may try to 'hold you down' if he/she becomes threatened academically - this was my case. This is where your age can often be a threat to potential advisers.

Go into the PhD program with the intention of having fun & making discoveries - both in science & about yourself...

desA

 

[gemunification]

Hi desA,

Sounds like you are already doing what I am thinking about. So you are currently enrolled as a graduate student in an institution that grants Ph.d's?

 

[mathwonk]

Itmight help if the OP told us his reason for wanting A DEGREE and whAT HE WOULD LIKE TO DO AFTERWRADS.

he said he loevs science, and in that case the whole exsperience of elarning should have lots of good aspects for him.

he did not say if he needed a job afterwards or was independently wealthy.

certainly we need more teachers who love science in US, at high school level specially.

not everyone wants to go into physics research.

 

[mathwonk]

i myself went to math grad school for A PHD, with a wife and one child, at starting at age 32, and had a second child my second year of grad school.

I had no problem of outrunning my advisors who were world famous mathematicians and had to struggle hard just to keep up. But I graduated in three years at age 35, holding the (university) presidential grad fellowship and had four university job opportunities, including at Columbia.

I am very glad I did it, as my favorite job before that was as a meat lugger, and that meat gets heavy when you get over 40. At least one guy a year got murdered on that job too (out of 20), the three years i was there, so the life expectancy is longer in academics.

 

[desA]

Hi desA,

Sounds like you are already doing what I am thinking about. So you are currently enrolled as a graduate student in an institution that grants Ph.d's?

Yes, most definitely.

My PhD program consists of 24 coursework credits, & 48 Dissertation credits. So far, I've completed 21 coursework credits, & some 24 Dissertation credits.

desA

 

[TMFKAN64]

I'm in my mid-40's as well, and would love to be able to go to graduate school and study physics. I have two problems though... first, my previous schooling has not prepared me to go directly to graduate school in this field... there is a lot of undergraduate work that I'd need to catch up on first. But more importantly, finances are a serious issue. If I could get support that would pay tuition and give me a small stipend as well, I'd jump at it in a heartbeat. But paying tuition with no money at all coming in... well, that's just a bridge too far.

 

[George Jones]

If I could get support that would pay tuition and give me a small stipend as well, I'd jump at it in a heartbeat. But paying tuition with no money at all coming in... well, that's just a bridge too far.

When I was a grad student (in Canada), all physics grad students, if they wanted it, received RA (research assistant) and TA (teaching assistant) money. This money was enough to cover: tuition; rent for a *cheap* apartment; *cheap* groceries. Also, maybe the occasional beer.

 

[gemunification]

I often overhear professors lamenting their under-ambitious graduate student
assistants. I wonder if there are researchers who would be happy for more mature research help.

I know that my advisor had an older gentleman on staff who was a "research
associate"

 

[TMFKAN64]

When I was a grad student (in Canada), all physics grad students, if they wanted it, received RA (research assistant) and TA (teaching assistant) money. This money was enough to cover: tuition; rent for a *cheap* apartment; *cheap* groceries. Also, maybe the occasional beer.

It was a similar situation when I was in graduate school for computer science, many moons ago. I assume *some* money is available for physics graduate students... but I doubt if I could get any support while I work on undergraduate preparation.

Oh well, maybe if I hit the lottery...