| This study sheds light on international students' doctoral experiences compared to their domestic counterparts in engineering and social sciences departments at the University of Washington, Seattle. Data were both collected through an online survey (n=504, response rate=51%) and follow-up interviews (n=18). Survey findings show that most international students were first-time foreign sojourners in the US, significantly younger, having had shorter paid job experiences before doctoral studies, and feeling a sense of less social and academic fit in doctoral programs compared to their domestic counterparts. Interview results further shed light on why disciplinarity made a difference, and how. Student informants in engineering, such as in Computer Science, experienced summer internships, and early preparation for professional collaborations and publications. These professional opportunities built their professional capacities and established their networks for post-Ph.D. careers. In contrast, informants from social sciences, such as Economics, constantly felt challenged by the lag in faculty advising and career supports in doctoral studies. International students as a group felt disadvantaged at the start of doctoral programs which possibly led to lengthy time-to-doctoral candidacy and/or time-to-Ph.D. completion. This situation was particularly apparent in programs where the structures were ambiguous and/or student supports were lacking. Implications of this study suggest that the effort of improving doctoral experiences is mutual among all the stakeholders. Students as well as institutions, departments and faculty are all entitled to make a change to enhance students' well-being in doctoral studies. An assessment of post-enrollment graduate student experiences is particularly important considering the University of Washington is the first host institution of graduate education for the majority of graduate students, and for the majority of international students as first-time foreign sojourners. If mechanisms for this experience assessment could be departmentalized and supported by the University, doctoral students' professional socialization could be better tailored by their program stages. Consequently, hurdles in doctoral programs could be timely eliminated and students' program satisfaction could be increased. As a result, doctoral students could also be better prepared for their professional lives after attaining a Ph.D., and their career prospects could be advanced. |
