<p>i've been hearing that it's actually easier for a qualified american student (like myself) to get into graduate school in comparison to international students, with the main reason that there are fewer american students who apply than international students. as my orgo professor dr. breslow (semi) jokingly put it, asian students might ace everything in the classroom but once they're in the lab neither them nor their advisors know what they're doing or saying. breslow is obviously known for being a little blunt, but is it in fact generally the case that domestic applicants are viewed more favorably than international applicants to phd programs?</p>
<p>The main reason is money, not numbers or talent. Most bio-related students are paid off of NIH training grants for the first couple of years, which can only cover Americans. For a department to offer admissions to an international student who doesn’t come with their own funding, it means dipping into a smaller pool of money. Most departments have enough extra money to offer funding to 1-2 non-American grad students a year. This is especially true at state universities (ie the UCs), and compounded by the fact that international students can’t gain residency while americans can, thus doubling the cost of accepting an international student even if you don’t factor in training grant money. This is why students from Singapore (a-star) are prevalent among the top grad schools. Rockefeller, which has a billion dollar endowment, doesn’t need to worry about the money and thus has a very high percentage of international students (although they also have a training grant).</p>
<p>^Seconded – it’s about NIH funding, not about thinly veiled xenophobia or racism.</p>
<p>Definitely money. Other factors might play in to lower the chances, like language barriers, but I would assume that’s actually limited because seriously, I don’t know, I live in Toronto and most labs here have people from, literally, all over the world, and we all communicate just fine. And I have had a lot of profs who barely speak English, yet still they have their positions and labs, etc.</p>
<p>[princeton</a> biology • thegradcafe.com](<a href=“Grad School Admissions Results for 2006–2024 • thegradcafe.com”>Grad School Admissions Results for 2006–2024 • thegradcafe.com)</p>
<p>that’s an interesting link…it definitely seems a lot harder for internationals to be accepted into programs than domestic students. and this holds for other schools, too…not just princeton.</p>
<p>Molsysbio, I do not get the point of repeating the same thing over and over again. We all agree that it is harder for internationals to get in compared to domestic students and this is because of the lack of funding (NSF/NIH support domestic students only). </p>
<p>Seems like Dr. Breslow never had opportunity to work with smart asian kids. poor breslow :)</p>
<p>^ Exactly. Isn’t it obvious…no one is denying it and it is clear that it is about money/funding.</p>
<p>oh, i just used dr. breslow as an example. i don’t care much for what he says anyway. i thought it was interesting that it’s seemingly easier for american applicants to get interviews/acceptances in comparison to internationals. that’s all.</p>
<p>It is not very interesting or exciting for me, as an international student :P</p>