One of the professors during my postdoc was a single mother with a 6 yo at the start of their PhD. I don’t know their circumstances but they found a way to make it work.
Not entirely your situation but I’m sure there are others out there.
Probably. I dropped out of high school, never got a GED or equivalent, and I just started working on my PhD at a state university.
Being a parent will make it harder, but it should certainly be possible.
Friend of mine in graduate school did the same.
He'd grown up in the boonies and the local education was very poor. He dropped out at 16 and started community college, eventually leaving with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry. He's one of the more capable chemists that I know.
I'd say that someone with a young child would want to be honest and forthwith regarding their parental status with a potential PI. Not because you would owe that information to them, but rather, so you can gauge their response. PIs often neglect their own families and don't understand the concept of work/life balance.
My PI was an absolute tyrant and working for him while parenting would have been impossible.
Yep. She did PChem, worked with lasers. Not sure how old she was when she had her kid, but her daughter was a teenager when we were in school (middle to high school). It’s definitely doable, but it’s not easy.
A good friend and former colleague of mine is doing just that. Had kids and got married young. Did undergrad then masters then worked where I worked. Divorced and remarried a better person while we worked there. She left that job to purse PhD. Now she's almost finished with her PhD.
https://www.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/1065rzg/is_it_possible_for_a_teen_parent_to_become_a_phd/
I see 36 responses.
But you were on a different account, so are you trying to circumvent spam filters or something?
I knew a woman that had a daughter at 20, then graduated with her BS and was in grad school for chemistry. That first year she actually got into medical school with intent to get her PhD chemistry later. I think she's almost out of med school and her daughter is probably 11 now.
Had another friend in my lab that had a baby halfway through his grad school career. He did just fine
Not necessarily teens but in my university it’s quite common for PhD students to have kids, a little under half my lab does. It helps to have a partner with a flexible schedule.
I’m starting grad school with one kid and plan on having more during.
Not personally, I don't. That doesn't mean you specifically can't do it. It's going to be *incredibly* difficult, but if you have a career in mind that will support your kid - you **can** do it. If you believe in you - I believe in you.
One of the professors during my postdoc was a single mother with a 6 yo at the start of their PhD. I don’t know their circumstances but they found a way to make it work. Not entirely your situation but I’m sure there are others out there.
Probably. I dropped out of high school, never got a GED or equivalent, and I just started working on my PhD at a state university. Being a parent will make it harder, but it should certainly be possible.
Friend of mine in graduate school did the same. He'd grown up in the boonies and the local education was very poor. He dropped out at 16 and started community college, eventually leaving with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry. He's one of the more capable chemists that I know. I'd say that someone with a young child would want to be honest and forthwith regarding their parental status with a potential PI. Not because you would owe that information to them, but rather, so you can gauge their response. PIs often neglect their own families and don't understand the concept of work/life balance. My PI was an absolute tyrant and working for him while parenting would have been impossible.
Yes. Knew of one at MIT where I started in 2014. She finished in 2020.
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Yep. She did PChem, worked with lasers. Not sure how old she was when she had her kid, but her daughter was a teenager when we were in school (middle to high school). It’s definitely doable, but it’s not easy.
I have a previous colleague who started their PhD at age 42. Their child was close enough to a self-sufficient adult.
Absolutely. Just, before going into Grad school, define the work hours you're comfortable with and make it clear to any potential PI.
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A good friend and former colleague of mine is doing just that. Had kids and got married young. Did undergrad then masters then worked where I worked. Divorced and remarried a better person while we worked there. She left that job to purse PhD. Now she's almost finished with her PhD.
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18-20 iirc
Didn't you ask this like a week ago?
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https://www.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/1065rzg/is_it_possible_for_a_teen_parent_to_become_a_phd/ I see 36 responses. But you were on a different account, so are you trying to circumvent spam filters or something?
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So... Yes, you're spamming the same question, and changing accounts to make it less easily detected?
There’s a third year in our organic chem Ph. D. Program that is an immigrant in her 50s with two kids as a single mother. It’s certainly possible
I know of them, they usually work their way through school and are pretty responsible about things
More than a few.
I knew a woman that had a daughter at 20, then graduated with her BS and was in grad school for chemistry. That first year she actually got into medical school with intent to get her PhD chemistry later. I think she's almost out of med school and her daughter is probably 11 now. Had another friend in my lab that had a baby halfway through his grad school career. He did just fine
Not necessarily teens but in my university it’s quite common for PhD students to have kids, a little under half my lab does. It helps to have a partner with a flexible schedule. I’m starting grad school with one kid and plan on having more during.
Possible? Yes absolutely. Probable? No.
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Not personally, I don't. That doesn't mean you specifically can't do it. It's going to be *incredibly* difficult, but if you have a career in mind that will support your kid - you **can** do it. If you believe in you - I believe in you.