Thank you!! It's a US based program, Chicago. I was the only incoming 2nd year who took the prelim - the rest were incoming 3rd and 4th years. That's the typical timeline for the program. I had the advantage of coming in with an MPH in biostats from the same institution (tons of crossover with PhD epi), so I jumped right into the last methods and quant classes I needed to take for the prelims. I also worked in academia for 4 years prior to starting my PhD, which helped with analysis and writing. I was in a unique and unusual situation and would probably not recommend this aggressive of a timeline to most people (my stress levels were out of control this past year).

Thank you :)

It was a huge gamble - I consulted with a number of my professors about it before making the decision. Every program is unique, too, and I was fortunate that I had the ability to speed things up a bit.

It's incredibly program and field dependent, but typically, it's a few years of coursework/research -> preliminary exams -> thesis proposal -> thesis and defense. My program is, on average, 5-6 years. I know from previously attempting a molecular biology PhD that the average length for that one was 7-8 years.

It's not too late! My biggest advice - with the caveat that it's very field and institution dependent - is to only start when you feel you're ready, when you have some experience in the field, and have some savings built up. Pursuing different dreams when you're younger is a perfectly valid choice (that's what I did). I was 32 when I started this program. My first attempt at a PhD (completely different field, molecular biology) was when I was 24, and I just didn't have the job experience to know the field wasn't my true passion. You should really only do a PhD if you are immensely passionate about the field, and that takes time and experience, imo.

Thank you!