1. Experience the American Educational System From masters to Postdoc Luis A. Ríos Hernández, PhD Marta Kalabinski Fulbright Scholars 2015-2016 Tuesday November 17, 2015 Room Time: 10:30am An American Graduate Education From opportunities to personal experience…

2. Experience the American Educational System From masters to Postdoc Luis A. Ríos Hernández Marta Kalabinski

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5. Easier than you think… From Poland to the USA

6. PhD’s granted by citizenship Let’s look at the numbers TABLE 11. Citizenship status of doctorate recipients, by broad field of study for selected years, 1992–2002 Field of study/citizenship 1992 2002 All fields 38,889 39,955 U.S. citizen 26,009 25,936 Non-U.S., permanent visa 1,980 1,646 Non-U.S., temporary visa 9,953 (25.6%) 9,707 (24.3%) Unknown 2,272 2,666 1. China, People’s Republic of 2,644 2. Korea 1,187 3. India 838 >40% http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/doctorates/pdf/sed2002.pdf

7. PhD’s granted by citizenship Let’s look at the numbers In 2013…….52,760 TABLE 25. Top 40 countries or economies of origin of temporary visa holders earning doctorates at U.S. colleges and universities, ranked by number of doctorate recipients: 2013 RankCountry or economyDoctorate recipients All temporary visa holders (157 countries)…………15,489 Top 40 countries or economies of origin……………14,197 1China 4,789 2India 2,205 3South Korea 1,383 Close to 30% are visa holders! http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2013/data-tables.cfm 54%

8. TABLE 10. Top 20 doctorate-granting institutions, ranked by number of doctorate recipients holding temporary visas: 2013 Rank Institution Doctorate recipients All institutions (n = 421)15,678 From top 20 institutions4,878 1 U. IL, Urbana-Champaign338 2 TX A&M U., College Station336 3 Purdue U., West Lafayette314 4 PA State U., U. Park and Hershey Medical Ctr.301 5 U. FL295 5 U. MI, Ann Arbor295 7 U. TX, Austin250 8 GA Institute of Technology247 9 OH State U., Columbus241 10 VA Polytechnic Institute and State U.235 11 MA Institute of Technology232 12 U. MD, College Park220 13 MI State U.204 14 Cornell U.202 14 U. Southern CA202 16 U. CA, Berkeley201 17 NC State U.200 18 U. WI, Madison194 19 Columbia U. in the City of New York187 20 U. MN, Twin Cities184

9. The Web is your friend Look for the right information for you! http://www.internationalstudent.com/ http://www.scholars4dev.com/6499/scholarships-in-usa-for- international-students/ http://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/scholarships-for/polish- students/ http://scholarship-positions.com/scholarships-for-poland- students/2012/05/01/ http://www.iefa.org/scholarships 15 minutes can save you lots of $$$ Yes in did.

10. Which is the best school for me? Which region best fit my needs? East coast West coast Midwest

11. Which University is for me? How independent I am? Big city or Small city Cultural support 6 yrs of my life Finances Research atmosphere Mentor High pressure

12. How do I get ready? What are the requirements for grad school? Graduate School DEPARTMENT LEVEL GRE Exam GPA minimum TOEFL (http://www.ets.org/toefl) Student Visa Each department is different even within the same university So you MUST find out directly! Be ready to commit to at least 6 years… for a PhD!

13. Graduate College Department level Faculty level University that you would like to attend How can you beat the odds? This is your application

14. The professors make the final decision! IMPORTANT

15. Learn how to communicate How do I get their attention? Send an unforgettable email Do not be shy, seize the opportunities: Scientific meetings or conferences Visit the laboratory Do a skype interview Dear Dr. Suflita: I am Luis A. Rios Hernandez and I’m finishing my master’s under Dr. Dave Odelson at Central Michigan University. My thesis is on the spatial distribution of degradative genes in contaminated soils. I am familiar with your scientific contributions in the area of anaerobic biodegradation but I have noticed that your publications are focused on classical microbiological and analytical methods. I would love to discuss with you some ideas I have and how I think my molecular background could complement your research team. I am including my CV, personal information., and our latest manuscript for your evaluation. Looking forward in hearing from you, Luis.

16. Make sure that your application is perfect and complete. Personal statements are original and written by you! Never send an application to any University without a commitment from your future mentor Make sure that you disclose all your weaknesses to your future mentor.. No surprises!!!

17. How about postdocs? Postdoc Apply to an existing one Collaborate and write your own

18. How about postdocs? https://www.postdocjobs.com/ http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/jobs/postdoc/ https://www.training.nih.gov/career_services/postdoc_jobs_nih http://www.fulbright.edu.pl http://www.thekf.org/kf/scholarships/exchange-us/

19. This is my journey Master’s program Transfer to PhD program Central Michigan University $$$ The University of Oklahoma Fellowship/RA/TA ~$250/yr Faculty Position Turabo University Postdoc The University of Oklahoma Faculty Position University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez 5 yrs 1 yr 8 yrs 1 yr 2 yrs 9 yrs The worst experience ever… but a necessary one! THE BEST BS University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

20. Marta’s journey 4 yrs Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC ↓ 6 yrs worked as an editor in a political science journal ↓ PhD program in History Department at Yale University in New Haven, CT (will be 6 yrs, I am in year 4)

21. Don’t be shy and ask the speakers! Go ahead…anything!

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23. Thanks… Feel free to contact us: luis.rios5@upr.edu or @ the Biology building office A236 or A211 and marta.kalabinski@yale.edu Dzi ę kuj emy bardzo