ceunkkum wrote:
This is the first time that I'm joining in this forum. I have prepared to reapply for a Ph.D in Accounting and am wondering if anyone will be kind enough to evaluate my profile and recommend some schools.
Age: 42(International applicant)
Undegrad: Bachelor's in Management at a foreign University(GPA 3.5)
Graduate: MBA in Finance(3.6) in US Top 50.
Research: No published work. Haven't presented anything at a seminar.
GMAT: 720(4.0 in AWA).
Work exp: 14+ years as a Senior level manager with significant experience in the Asian financial market.
What I am seriously considering is short time to degree(for my age) and financial aids(for family support). Teaching is more interesting area than research for me.
I don't have burning ambition for top schools. Rather I want to find a good school where I can cement relationship with professors and learn teaching skills.
1) Short time to degree -- there aren't many places where you'll be able to get a PhD in less than 4 years. However the longer it takes before you get to the comprehensive exams (from 2-3 semesters to 3 years sometimes), the longer it will probably take to graduate because you have to devote at least a bit of time on something other than your research if your comps only come after 3 years. If time to graduation is a very important criteria, you might want to look at schools where you get to take the comps early. (No clue where that can be, but that info is easily obtainable from the schools' websites)
2) Financial aid -- given admission, financial aid is usually a given at top schools, although it's not exactly big bucks (typically it's a tuition waiver and a $15k-$25k stipend). After a year or so you'll obviously be able to complement the stipend with some TA/RA work, and some schools have mandatory teaching requirements that will give you more money as well.
The problem is that the schools that will give you the best financial deal are also likely to be schools where research and placement is extremely important, so emphasis on teaching may not be all that great there. I know for a fact that some schools could really care less about the quality of teacher you become if you can publish in top accounting journals instead.
As for your profile, you'll definitely be older than many applicants but I've seen quite a few PhD students in their late 30s and early 40s, so that can definitely be done. Your GMAT score and academic credentials are also pretty good. I'm sure there are plenty of places that would give you a shot -- the safest bet might be to send them an email and ask schools whether your age may be an issue. No school will ever reply "you're so old, don't even think about it", but you should be able to figure out whether they're just being nice, or whether they're actually giving you links to current student who are older than 25.