Graduate Study in the USA: Surviving and Succeeding

Sense Publishers, 2014

These narratives recount what it means to be a research student at an Australian university. They unpack the complex pathways that have lead the authors to this place, the early imaginings, the attempts to achieve the dream and the challenges that come with that achievement. These students bring a range of life skills and experiences to their studies and need to balance competing financial, family and employment related demands on their time and attention. For the international students whose voices dominate this text, there are also barriers of culture, language and physical and emotional dislocation. Students from Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iraq and R mania recount the personal and academic challenges they have o faced and the ways in which they have struggled to find a way of being in academia which both accommodates their sense of self and allows them to be recognised as researchers in the international arena. An Australian student adds her voice to the collection. Their stories all combine the intensely personal with the academic. There is the joy of finding libraries full of books, of making friends with strangers, of managing to be student, partner and parent. There is pride in the achievement of children coping with school and gratitude for the support of family and fellow students. There is also developing confidence in their ability to contribute to research in the international arena and increasing authority in the ownership of their research. As a collection these narratives offer insight into both the student travellers and the academic and personal journeys being taken. Cover photo: International academia, by

2009

This Roundtable Discussion addresses the barrier of informal peer support system (where its absence is one of the cited barriers to doctoral persistence) via the theoretical framework of shared case stories. These case stories explore the experiences of two women who entered a doctoral program as returning adults, and the ways in which their separate stories intersected and became interdependent, supporting their persistence towards degree. The presenters will provide a theater style format to share their stories in four scenes. From 1970-71 to 2003-04, the number of doctor’s degrees conferred by degree granting institutions rose 51% from 32,107 to 48,378 (Snyder, Tan, & Hoffman, 2006). For the same period, the number of doctor’s degrees in education rose 17% to 7,088. A cursory review of the statistical data suggests a success story: more individuals are pursuing and achieving the dream of advanced degree attainment. But closer inspection reveals a startling reality: doctoral progr...

Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy Revue Canadienne De Counseling Et De Psychotherapie, 2011

The goals of this study are twofold. First, it aims to understand immigrant graduate students' experiences in higher education and how these influence cultural transitioning and social integration to Quebec society. Second, the study examines the career counselling and mentoring needs of immigrant graduate students while attending university. Implications and recommendations for career counselling and mentoring programs are discussed.

1996

his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating iL 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent &float OERI position or policy. ,Journey of Graduate School Graduate students have long expressed difficulties adapting to different expectations graduate 3c}.00ls place on them. Although not in large number foreign students pursuing knowledge in the field of speech communication encounter cultural difficulties. The expectations different programs have, individual abilities of these students to comprehend and assess their new context of study, and the research procedures are part of what such future scholars encounter in their stressful journey of graduate school. American academia haf one of the highest reputation for expertise and research in r_ht world. Looking at world-recognized quality of scholarship, foreign students consider themselves fortunate to study in this environment, and some of them consider to pursue their professional careers becoming part of the American university workforce. So far, there is not much difference between how a "normal" American graduate student feels and his/her foreign-j_ peer in relation to higher education programs in the United States.' However, foreign graduate students carry an extra cultural 1 This paper recognizes the considerable levels of stress American graduate students encounter in the pursuit of a degree. However, the focus of this paper represents the intercultural BEST COPY AVAILABLE

2020

Through conducting an ethnographic study about doctoral students from traditionally underrepresented groups who are learning to conduct ethnographic research, this volume offers unique insight into the challenges and experiences through which these students develop their skills and identities as qualitative researchers. Foregrounding the stories and perspectives of students from minoritized backgrounds including Latinx, Black, differently abled, and queer students, Graduate Students Becoming Qualitative Researchers identifies how the process of learning to conduct ethnographic research underpins doctoral students' success, confidence, and persistence in the academy. Chapters follow students during a one-year ethnographic research course during which they learn about ethnography and also conduct observations, write field notes, interview participants, and gather artifacts. Offering important pedagogical insights into how ethnography and academic writing are communicated, the text also tackles questions of access and diversity within scholarship and highlights barriers to first-generation and minoritized students' success, including impostor syndrome, stereotype vulnerability, and access to time, knowledge, and capital. This volume will prove valuable to doctoral students, postgraduate researchers, scholars, and educators conducting qualitative research across the fields of education and rhetoric, as well as the humanities and social sciences. It will also appeal to those interested in multiculturalism and diversity within the education sector.

The Aceh government is committed to rebuilding Aceh (Indonesia) post the tsunami, and sending students to study overseas is one of many initiatives to enhance the quality of human resources in the province following the tragedy. This paper illustrates the journey of two students from Aceh who are undertaking their PhD at Flinders University where their decision to study differed from the reasons students might typically have to pursue the PhD degree. As do others who are chosen by the government, the students have responsibility to accomplish that specific mandate. The government and the people in Aceh anticipate the new ideas, novel concepts and ways of empowering the province that the students will bring back to their province upon the completion of their study. Pursuing a higher degree, particularly overseas, is seen as blessing for many people including the students. Meeting new people and experiencing a new study and research environment always brings added value for them. As well as cultural considerations, undertaking a PhD also involves professional and personal issues. Shifting roles from professional teachers to become postgraduate students is part of the process of undertaking the degree, and this brings with it a number of challenges. As international students, these challenges encompass cultural, along with language adjustments and academic barriers, in addition to family issues. This paper employs a self-narrative study approach to report the PhD journey of the two students. This journey is examined from three dimensions: cultural, professional and personal.

2020

Recent guidance from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drastically altered the lives of international students in America, especially those who are matriculating. This commentary describes how international students still face uncertainty concerning their visa statuses and their place in American society.

Navigating International Academia Research Student Narratives Jill Brown (Ed.) Foreword by Simon Marginson, 2014

These narratives recount what it means to be a research student at an Australian university. They unpack the complex pathways that have lead the authors to this place, the early imaginings, the attempts to achieve the dream and the challenges that come with that achievement. These students bring a range of life skills and experiences to their studies and need to balance competing financial, family and employment related demands on their time and attention. For the international students whose voices dominate this text, there are also barriers of culture, language and physical and emotional dislocation. Students from Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iraq and R mania recount the personal and academic challenges they have o faced and the ways in which they have struggled to find a way of being in academia which both accommodates their sense of self and allows them to be recognised as researchers in the international arena. An Australian student adds her voice to the collection. Their stories all combine the intensely personal with the academic. There is the joy of finding libraries full of books, of making friends with strangers, of managing to be student, partner and parent. There is pride in the achievement of children coping with school and gratitude for the support of family and fellow students. There is also developing confidence in their ability to contribute to research in the international arena and increasing authority in the ownership of their research. As a collection these narratives offer insight into both the student travellers and the academic and personal journeys being taken. Cover photo: International academia, by

Equity & Excellence in Education, 2007

This study examines the experiences of Latina faculty during their doctoral education. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with tenure-track Latina faculty (who primarily self-identified as Chicanas, Latinas, and Mexican Americans) across the west and southwest United States. Resiliency theory was used to help structure and understand the findings. Findings show the nature and experiences of Latinas' resiliency during their doctoral programs in the areas of social competence, problem-solving, autonomy, and sense of purpose. The study concludes with a discussion on how academic leaders and institutional change agents can begin to address the education roadblocks experienced by academic Latinas. In order to survive in the elite White university system, the collective goal of. .. diverse students who have been admitted is to succeed with this power system, but not to be "broken in spirit'' along the way. No longer choosing assimilation as the path to success, as generations before them have done, these students forge new paths by creating and employing "critical resistant navigational strategies.'' (Solórzano & Villalpando, 1998, p. 216) A s of July 2006 there were an estimated 44.3 million (14.7% of the U.S. population) Hispanics 1 in the U.S. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2007a). This makes Latinas/os 2 the largest "minority'' group in the country. In addition, Latinas/os are the fastest growing, with a 2050 projected growth to 102.6 million (or 24.4% of the 2050 U.S. population) (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2004); this growth is not expected to be reflected in Latinas/os that seek higher education (Chapa & De La Rosa, 2006). In addition, while the size and growth of the Latina/o population has contributed to the problems of attaining the type of formal education that is available to Whites and other racial/ethnic groups (from K-12 to higher education), this does not excuse the fact that "the educational 'pipeline' for Latinos is rife with massive leaks'' (Chapa & De La Rosa, 2006, p. 203).