On Keeping Chinese Science Students

I’d like to add to the story by Lynley Hargreaves ( Physics Today, May 2001, page 24 ) on the dropout rate among Chinese physics PhD students. I am the chair of the graduate admissions committee in chemistry at Colorado State University. Since 1991, I have noticed similar trends among our chemistry students from the People’s Republic of China. Like many state schools, CSU has significantly different tuition for resident versus nonresident graduate students. This is a cost that the department or the research advisor’s grants must bear. Along with the costs, we are also concerned about teaching assistants’ English language skills. Consequently, only 10 to 20% of our incoming graduate student classes comprise foreign students: 4 to 8 out of 30 or 40 new grad students per year. A significant number of students have dropped out of chemistry, to the advantage of our computer science program.

We have recently taken steps to select top chemistry students from the PRC who will want to stay in chemistry. We look for students who have been involved with undergraduate research and have published on chemistry-related topics. These two elements usually indicate students who are finishing a master’s degree. We also call prospective students and interview them individually to determine their intentions. They are usually (though not always) forthright, and their interest in remaining in chemistry can be ascertained. When possible, we also call the student’s adviser for additional information.

Generally, Graduate Record Exam scores are a very poor indicator of a student’s future performance. We have found that undergraduate research experiences are the best indicator of both a student’s performance and his or her dedication to a chosen science.

Building relationships with departments in the PRC is critical to developing the kind of openness one needs to accurately evaluate students. It’s not always obvious how to do that except to take the first step. Careful selection of students and careful mentoring once they are here are the best solutions to this problem.