Back to the Books: Navigating Grad School as a Mature Student

Some say that mathematics is a young person’s game. To be fair, becoming preeminent in your area of research usually takes a long time. There’s certainly something to be said for starting early. However, I obtained my PhD in 2022 at the age of 48. What makes a person start on a path to a PhD so late in life? Was this a good idea? What are the unique challenges for an older student? Would I do it again?

When I decided to go back, I had been working the graveyard shift as a mental health professional for seven years. I felt a lot of satisfaction by serving the mental health community. But after years of working overnights, I decided I wanted a more enriching professional existence, and math had intrigued me since childhood.

So I decided to take a second bite at the academic apple. I would go back to school for mathematics. My thought at the time was that I could be a high school math teacher. Luckily, I chose the perfect school, Metropolitan State University (St. Paul). They are primarily an undergraduate institution with a schedule designed to appeal to adults with jobs who are seeking a degree. The math research I did while working on my second bachelor's motivated me to pursue a postgraduate degree. Unfortunately, schools structured to accommodate adult students don’t inspire doctoral programs to admit their students. In my case, persistence was the key: I worked toward an MA at the University of Minnesota until my application to the PhD program was eventually accepted.

Having once been a younger college student (during my first bachelor’s degree), and more recently an older college student, I can give you a perspective on some of the differences. As a younger student, I had fewer things competing for my attention. I was not married. I didn’t have a mortgage, a puppy, or a full-time job (which I kept for my first few years as an older student). My landlord took care of shoveling the walk, mowing the grass, and repairing the building. I had chosen a bicycle as my way to get around, avoiding the headaches of car ownership. And I didn't have an aging parent who needed my attention, nor did I have children as did some of my older classmates.

While all graduate students are susceptible to imposter syndrome, older students have an extra layer. We wonder if we are fooling ourselves by heading back to school, seated next to our younger classmates. While this is an exaggeration, imagine having to retake your senior year in high school at your current age.

Younger graduate students are also more likely to socialize together, creating connections which can provide support during and after graduate school. Many older students already feel like they have indulged themselves too much in what can feel like an age-inappropriate doctoral pursuit; often putting burdens (financial or otherwise) on loved ones in order to be able to attend classes. Socializing after class is often out of the question. There is a household to maintain, children to manage, a spouse to support.

Of course, there are also advantages to being an older student. One hopes that with age comes wisdom. There are some self-imposed struggles and personal insecurities that younger classmates contend with that I am now able to avoid. Older students have usually matured a bit, and are more comfortable in their own skin. This can result in fewer life dramas.

From the outside however, the field of mathematics does not appear to be a welcoming place for aspiring older mathematicians. In addition to the amount of content one must master before being able to publish in mathematics, there is the conventional wisdom that the mind has more plasticity when young. Unfortunately, the field appears to lean into this idea by insisting that mathematicians under the age of 40 cannot win some of its most prestigious awards, including the Fields Medal. The reason, I am told, is not a bias against older mathematicians but is instead a desire to motivate early mathematicians to greatness.

While I have no designs on solving the Riemann hypothesis, this reason does not ring true to me. The criterion could easily have been that mathematicians need to earn the award within 15 years of receiving their doctorate, instead of tying it to their age. It’s an alteration the award committees might consider. Our community would certainly be more inclusive if we honored mathematicians’ contributions, irrespective of age.

So, would I do it again? Definitely. While I questioned my choice to go back to school throughout the process, each time I did, I imagined what the alternative path would look like. In my case, it was working the graveyard shift as a mental health practitioner. And, while I loved working with people with mental illness, it was not a place where I could grow in my professional life. I wanted to use my mind to explore the world, and mathematics was the lens through which I wanted to explore it. While the path has been very difficult, it has also been very rewarding. And I am happy to report that I will start a tenure-track position at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York this fall.

So should math minded older folks go back for their PhDs? It’s hard to say: It depends on your situation and what you want out of a doctoral program. There is a tremendous amount of work and stress involved in getting a PhD. If you are wanting to go into industry, consider a masters. But if your heart is set on academic research or teaching at the college level, then perhaps some of the ideas expressed here will help you prepare for the challenges to come. Good luck!

Jodin Morey is a postdoc with UMTYMP at the University of Minnesota, and will be starting a new assistant professorship this fall at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. His research interests are in dynamical systems, in particular celestial mechanics and gravity waves emanating from black holes. When not doing math, Jodin enjoys biking, music, and Earl Grey iced tea.