4 ms·
Source? I'm questioning it simply because I remember from browsing US News stats during my grad school applications that pretty much every graduate department
by avemuri 13y ago
Source?
I'm questioning it simply because I remember from browsing US News stats during my grad school applications that pretty much every graduate department in STEM fields was 20-50% foreign students. I only looked at the top 20-30 schools, but that's a pretty substantial cohort. Maybe there are sweatshops out there that hire middling-low candidates at below market wages, but it's hard to dismiss the presence of a large pool that certainly ARE the best in the field.
- ng12 13y agoBeing in graduate school has nothing to do with being the best in the field. Very few American-educated STEM majors (or, at least in CS) go on to grad school since they can easily get the same job with a BSc as a foreign student with a MS. Getting a masters can help fast-track you in the visa process and make your resume more attractive for employers who are largely ignorant about Indian/Chinese/etc education systems. It's more of a competitive necessity for a foreign student.
- avemuri 13y agoIt's not a necessary or sufficient condition, but it's a good signal that you're at least above average if you're at a top 30 grad program. I'd say the majority (but not all) of those foreign students would at least escape the 'low-middling' categorization. P.S. We may be coming from different perspectives since I'm a mechanical engineer. A grad degree does make a significant difference there. Also, I was talking about both MS and PhD students. P.P.S. I may have gone overboard in saying 'best' in the field. I merely meant good.