Nontraditional Applicants

Many fields, such as business, nursing, and engineering, welcome and even expect real-world experience on the part of applicants. Counseling psychology also is a field in which experience counts, as it entails working closely with people and helping them navigate their lives. Your age shouldn't be a factor unless you apply to a competitive research-oriented doctoral program. Nontraditional students often perform better in graduate school than new graduates who are sometimes immature and certainly inexperienced. Most admissions committees will view your experience as an indicator that you've made a reasoned decision to apply to graduate school and are more serious than a new graduate might be.

The key to admissions is to use your experience to demonstrate your interest and aptitude for the field. Describe experiences that you've had that indicate your aptitude for counseling: Do you have lots of experience working with people, for example, dealing with interpersonal problems as a manager, for example? Consider your experience and how you might "tell a story" of why a career in counseling is for you, based on what you've learned about yourself after working for a few years.

As for how to succeed in graduate school, consider taking a noncredit course in studying and reading strategies over the summer to reacquaint yourself with academia. Your biggest challenge will be falling into the role of student again, making time to read and study, and learning how to do so efficiently. That task, however, isn't unique to nontraditional students -- new graduates often must learn them too. The resources on these pages should be helpful. Good luck!

How do Admissions Committees View the Older, Nontraditional Student? (for medical students, but useful nonetheless)

Letters of Recommendation for Midlife Applicants to Graduate School

Survival Skills for Graduate Students

Study Tips

Managing Life