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Question Dear Philosophers, I am a 34-year old undergraduate (junior level, at a very good liberal arts college), majoring in philosophy and art history. I fully understand that I am already 5-10 years behind those with whom I would potentially compete for positions in higher education. My question is the following: Do you believe I have the same capacity (given the rigorous nature of the discipline) and chance (given that I complete doctoral studies) to make a meaningful contribution to my chosen specialized field (aesthetics)? I know that there are personal variables that make success more or less likely.

Accepted:
August 7, 2007

Comments

There are of course the usual things anyone ought to consider before applying to graduate school in philosophy -- you need to love philosophy and you need to understand that good jobs (at research universities or top liberal arts programs) are scarce and require that you go to a very strong graduate program and do first-rate work. These and other qualifications and advice are discussed at Brian Leiter's Philosophical Gourmet Report (http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com). But I don't think that being a somewhat older student, of the sort you describe, by itself puts you at any significant disadvantage in getting into a good graduate program or getting a good job. I don't have statistics on thes issues, but I have certainly encountered very talented applicants to graduate school or for tenure-track jobs that took some time out somewhere between high school and graduate school. Someone who took time off between college and graduate school might be at a disadvantage in applying to graduate school, because programs would worry about whether they were prepared for graduate school, but that is not the situation you describe. Also, I can imagine that prospective graduate students in their 30s might be under special pressures in graduate school if they have or were planning to have a family. These pressures confront some in graduate school anyway and confront many others early in their careers, but, all else being equal, they are likely to arise earlier for students that start later. You may not have such plans, and in any case many graduate students and junior faculty members contend with such pressures successfully. I can't think of other issues to discuss. My sense is that the important issues for you are the general ones about your philosophical interests, ambitions, and talents and that age, by itself, should not significantly affect your decision. By all means, discuss this with your advisors in the philosophy department at your undergraduate institution.