Tuesday, September 13, 2005

I am the Dinosaur

In the SDM program, where the median age is about 31, my age lies somewhere in the middle percentile. Whereas in the TPP program, I am ranked the second oldest person in my cohort. Yikes... I have never felt this old until my matriculation to the TPP program, although conversely I am feeling mighty proud of my experience and wisdom. I can finally empathize what Milt and Camille meant when they said: "I was in high school when they were born." Indeed, one of my TPP classmate just turned 21 a week ago. 21 years ago, I was just a freshman in high school!!! Here's another scary thing, almost half of the incoming TPP students have less than 2 years of work experience with many coming straight from undergraduate programs. Yep, this means that I have more work experience in years than some of my fellow students have internship experience in months.

Enough of lamenting on my old age, there are advantages of being old. I am more mature, financially secured, and wiser. Moreover, it is always refreshing to get different perspectives from the younger minds during class discussion. Despite the age disparity, I don't feel any older than my fellow TPP classmates. For those who don't know me, I am always the young-at-heart. For a change, it is good to actually to immerse with a group of people who are more energetic and sociable.

9/13/2005 6:52:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) # Comments [6] School

9/13/2005 8:32:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
You definitely are young at heart. And you have no white hairs that I have seen ;)

Also, at least you're not a Sloanie -- over there you're really old if you're past 30 ;) Even I feel older among them, although my age is only 1.5 years above the median for this class.
9/13/2005 8:33:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
BTW, there's another great thing about TPP students not having much real-world experience. They are still idealistic about the impact they can have on policy. Otherwise they wouldn't be there.
9/13/2005 11:49:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
Oh, I felt so old when I went to the
"Ethics, literature and authority"-class in Sloan.
I am most likely 10+-years older than anyone
in the class.
And all of them have been managing teams etc.

What a loser I am....
9/14/2005 12:30:32 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
I feel even older in a first year grad class on material science that I am currently taking. There are undergrads as well as the 1st year grad students (almost all came straight from undergrad) attending this class.

I am just as old as the professor...

Also, I rather be having grey hair than loosing my dark hairs.
9/14/2005 8:30:43 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
Really? You don't want to go for the nice Kojak look? Shave it all off, I say!
9/14/2005 6:49:02 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
Sam, Don't feel so bad. During this year's banquet for the lacrosse I help, one of the parents asked "Which one is your son?" In short few years, I could be as old as the parents.
- Paul
paul b
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