Age as a factor in grad school admissions

Aceflyer
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:23:28 +0000

Unless staying in undergrad is financially untenable, there’s not much point in graduating so early. You can use the remaining time to raise your GPA further, get more research experience, take more advanced classes (maybe grad-level ones), and/or take electives in areas that will be helpful to your grad study (e.g. writing, statistics).



I don’t necessarily think it’s worth it to stay in undergrad just for the sake of staying in undergrad. If you feel you’re ready for the next step, I think you should apply to grad programs and see what they think. Not sure if Asian American Studies programs emphasize ‘life’ experiences or philosophical insights or ECs the way med schools do - if they do, then age might be a disadvantage, otherwise it shouldn’t really matter (except as an advantage). I do know engineering or biological sciences programs don’t care about ‘life’ experiences or ECs at all, basically, but I can’t speak for humanities programs.

You should also talk to your profs and see what they feel. Staying in undergrad does have the advantage of helping you raise your GPA further and perhaps further refine your research interests. But again, I wouldn’t necessarily just recommend staying in undergrad just for the sake of staying in undergrad. Hope this helps. Best of luck!