At what age did you finish your PhD?

1. A PhD takes twice as long as a bachelor’s degree to complete. The average student takes 8.2 years to slog through a PhD program and is 33 years old before earning that top diploma. By that age, most Americans with mere bachelor’s degree are well into establishing themselves professionally.

What age did you get your PhD?

Given how most college graduates are 21 or 22, this makes the transition straight into a PhD program, you’re talking 26 or 27 year old when they graduate.

What is the average age of a PhD student?

The median age of new humanities Ph. D.’s was 34.2 years in 2014—almost three years older than the median among all new doctorate recipients (Indicator II-28a). Among academic and professional fields, only doctoral degree recipients in education had a higher median age (38.3).

How hard is it to complete a PhD program?

It can be extremely challenging to complete a PhD program while maintaining physical and emotional health. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 50 percent of all doctoral students drop out of graduate school without completing their degree. Some schools report a 90 percent attrition rate.

Is it possible to be a generically happy PhD student?

Any PhD student at two years and three months will tell you it’s going [insert expletive here.] You too can be a generically happy student. You get the gist.

Should a 50-year-old woman get a PhD?

There are many reasons why pursuing the dream of a Ph.D. at 50 or 60 or even 70 or 80—why not?—could be the greatest move a woman will ever make. Even, that is, if her chances of working in the Academy are already diminished by her age and sex, which they surely are.

What percentage of PhD students drop out after grad school?

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 50 percent of all doctoral students drop out of graduate school without completing their degree. Some schools report a 90 percent attrition rate. Common reasons for dropping out include academic shortcomings, students who change their career path, or those who lose interest in their pursuit.