Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:


By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bachelor’s degree, you gain a specialty:

A master’s degree deepens that specialty:

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

Once you’re at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you’ve made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don’t forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.

Brookings is a city, but I call it a university town. It is a town that offers limited number of malls, shops, bars, restaurants, and places that may divert your attention from your studies. It is probably a good thing because everyone gets to be familiar with everyone. If you are old enough to frequent the bars on weekends, you would most likely know and befriend other frequent bar hoppers and make connections with them. Or if you are a coffee lover like me, you can stay at Cottonwood on nighttime and make friends with the baristas and even with regular customers. Luxury comforts in Brookings are limited but that does not mean you should limit your social life too.

Get yourselves involved in sports. Join the theater groups, or the SDSU Statesmen, or the Women’s Chorus and showcase your talents. There are hundreds of student organizations to choose from, so pick a group that tickles your fancy. I know a few who have enlisted themselves in more than one organization. You can join as many groups or do as many extra-curricular activities as your time commitment allows. You can read Matt Tollefson’s column two weeks back for a wealth of student activities you can do while studying in Brookings.

Warning: Brookings can be very depressing at times. For international students, you may find the town devoid of fun, especially if you are the type of person who cannot live without seeing busy sidewalks or high-rise buildings or neon lights on 24-hour shops. The first few days would all be about wondering what brought you in Brookings, and thinking how to go to a supermarket to buy food.

I had the same ordeal. Knowing nobody and without a transportation, I had to walk at long distances just to buy ready-to-eat meals. I could not even cook because the common kitchen in Wecota hall does not provide kitchen utensils, unlike the student flat I used to live when I was in Europe. The residential restaurants serve food in short cycles that you get bored at some point and, also, you could not expect them to prepare your favorite dish. There is no so much variety really that would cater to international cuisines.

Start to make friends today. During depressing days, which will happen this winter, you need your friends to keep you sane. Then find a friend with a car. When Brookings is all covered with snow, knee-high, it is very impossible to walk to WalMart or even to the nearest fast-food chain. And if you are someone who owns a car, give the new international students free rides. Bring them with you when you shop. It would not only make your day but, most of all, you would earn a friend.

The answer is simple: it does not pay! Here are some statistics between 1993 and 2001 as gathered by E. Rubenstein, a financial analyst, economics journalist and consultant:

• The number of U.S. citizens enrolled in graduate science and engineering programs fell 10 percent

• The number of foreign citizens enrolled in graduate science and engineering programs rose 26 percent

• The number of engineering Ph.D.s awarded to U.S. citizens rose from 1,887 in 1987 to 3,516 in 1996. But in 2002, only 1,890 engineering Ph.D.s were awarded to U.S. citizens

• Non-citizens received 32 percent of all science Ph.D.s awarded in 2002, up from 24 percent in 1987

• Non-citizens received 61 percent of engineering Ph.D.s awarded in 2002, up from 55 percent in 1987

The current data suggests that the new predictions may fare no better than earlier ones.

I could see clearly the real reason why Americans hesitate to study science and engineering – pursuing an advanced degree is a bad investment! A Ph.D. for instance: their wage premium while pursuing graduate study is not high enough to compensate for the five years of foregoing an industry salary.

According to Daniel S. Greenberg, an author and writer at The Washington Post, the failure of more Americans to pursue science studies can in part be attributed to poor high school and college programs for nurturing scientific talent. But the much-lamented turn away from science also reflects sound economic calculation. The post-college route to a science Ph.D. usually takes five to seven years. Postdoctoral fellowships, now a commonplace requirement for most academic and many industrial jobs, run for two to three years. Postdoctoral wages only average around $35,000 a year, without benefits. With this remuneration in mind, for Americans, pursuing a doctorate in science or engineering could initiate a net lifetime financial damage.

For foreigners, on the other hand, an American science or engineering degree remains attractive, relative to their options at home. Ask any scientifically talented foreign student from a developing country, and you would get an answer that a career obtained in the United States is a wondrously tempting opportunity. This is why foreign students come in droves and prefer to make their careers in the United States.

However, the U.S. may not have to worry too much in this so-called crisis, as those foreign citizens who received their Ph.D.s’ are more likely to stay in the U.S., according to the National Science Foundation report. Therefore, they still play a major role in the American science and technology development.

There may be a decline or shortage of American Ph.D.s, but the U.S. research or scientific enterprise is still flourishing as seen in the eyes of the foreign nationals. I think Americans should be glad of this mixture of foreign and homegrown talents on their lands. The crisis may not sound good, but at least you make the future of these foreign students from third-world countries brighter. Just think of that.