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I seem to have read a lot of articles like this one about how the number of foreign grad students is declining yet again. Numerous factors are cited, which I won't get into. In short, research programs in the US depend on students from China, India, and Russia.
I agree that this is a problem, yes! But how about this for a change: WHY AREN'T DOMESTIC STUDENTS MAKING UP THE GAP?
I'll tell you why.
Because my sister-in-law, who works in insurance and who has never graduated from college, makes 15K more than I do.
Because my cousin, who works for an investment firm and who double-majored in history and English, the latter of which (do pardon me here) I could have done in my sleep, is making THREE TIMES what I do.
Do I grudge them their salaries? No, but I do find it frustrating. I went to school for six years post-grad, got a PhD, and there's no monetary reward at the end of it. Sure, I have a pretty sheepskin on the wall, but the fact remains that there is no financial incentive to go into science. You're doing it for the love of the field and not because you're going to be compensated for it.
Meanwhile, all your friends who went into finance or computers are sitting pretty, because they didn't spend years in school and have experience and seniority and all that. You can't make up the years you spent in grad school while everyone else was working, so you have to live with being on the short end of the stick.
So who's the schmuck? Not my cousin or my sister-in-law. Me.
So there's your reason for the shortfall. The underlying problem isn't just that foreign student enrollment is dropping, it's that universities are dependent on them to get the research done. They're dependent on the foreign students because they're far more likely to put up with the lack of pay and long hours that grad school requires. To solve the root of the problem, it's time to bring some respect - and reward - back to the scientific profession.
I agree that this is a problem, yes! But how about this for a change: WHY AREN'T DOMESTIC STUDENTS MAKING UP THE GAP?
I'll tell you why.
Because my sister-in-law, who works in insurance and who has never graduated from college, makes 15K more than I do.
Because my cousin, who works for an investment firm and who double-majored in history and English, the latter of which (do pardon me here) I could have done in my sleep, is making THREE TIMES what I do.
Do I grudge them their salaries? No, but I do find it frustrating. I went to school for six years post-grad, got a PhD, and there's no monetary reward at the end of it. Sure, I have a pretty sheepskin on the wall, but the fact remains that there is no financial incentive to go into science. You're doing it for the love of the field and not because you're going to be compensated for it.
Meanwhile, all your friends who went into finance or computers are sitting pretty, because they didn't spend years in school and have experience and seniority and all that. You can't make up the years you spent in grad school while everyone else was working, so you have to live with being on the short end of the stick.
So who's the schmuck? Not my cousin or my sister-in-law. Me.
So there's your reason for the shortfall. The underlying problem isn't just that foreign student enrollment is dropping, it's that universities are dependent on them to get the research done. They're dependent on the foreign students because they're far more likely to put up with the lack of pay and long hours that grad school requires. To solve the root of the problem, it's time to bring some respect - and reward - back to the scientific profession.
