Ding!
The notification in my inbox alerted me to an email asking for a speaker on “Challenges Facing International Scholars” as part of the “Diversifying Your Workplace” workshop at NACOB this summer.
My brain was running a million miles an hour. Should I do it?
As is a familiar tale for many of us, I had so much on my plate and was questioning whether I should add another thing to my “To Do” pile. Ultimately, the desire to share my experiences as an international student in the U.S. was greater than my desire to not commit to more responsibilities.
Over the next two months, working alongside Jonaz Moreno Jaramillo and Kieran Smith (and guided along the way by Kayla Seymore), we pooled together our experiences as international scholars. Some conversations were vulnerable, sharing moments where we experienced xenophobia, loss of identity, and frustrations we’ve had in our time here. Some talks were celebratory, sharing successes and moments where we felt a true sense of community and belonging. These conversations and meetings culminated in the 15-minute presentation given at NACOB.
Here, I will share both challenges international scholars face and some potential action items. A quick disclaimer, this is inherently U.S.-centric as those have been our experiences. Many of these challenges and action items can translate to other countries, but the examples and details will be through the lens of international scholars in the U.S.
Why should you care?
The National Science Foundation released a report in 2020 detailing doctoral recipients from U.S. Universities, which highlighted up to 60% of recipients in some disciplines are on temporary visas (i.e., are international scholars). For the areas in which biomechanics lands, international students make up a large percentage of those recipients. When we look at the postdoctoral level, those ratios shift further in favor of international scholars, with approximately 35,000 international postdocs out of the 64,000 working in the U.S., and these numbers continue to grow.
Despite the large number of international scholars working in the U.S., many misconceptions still persist. Of these, two, in particular, stand out: 1) there’s an emotional and linguistic disconnect between international and native scholars, and 2) international scholars are wealthy. These misconceptions succinctly summarise the challenges faced by international scholars, and I’ll utilize some real estate below to expand on cultural challenges, financial challenges, scholarship challenges, and immigration/visa challenges. These unique barriers for international scholars can create inclusion and access issues, many of which can be addressed through action items from allies.
Cultural Challenges
I could write for hours about the cultural challenges that international scholars face, yet this blog post is already far too long. There are a few immediate challenges that people may think of - for example, homesickness and language barriers, but these barely scratch the surface.
International scholars from non-English speaking countries tend to face prejudice from students about their accent, and oft select Americanized names to make it easier for their peers. This can erode a sense of identity - which is a massive challenge.
When you think of your own identity, you may think of things to do with work, food, hobbies, and interests. But identity can be forced upon international scholars, with their foreignness becoming the primary identity others attribute to them. For example, a Black student from outside of the U.S. may not appreciate what it means to be Black in the U.S. as there are a number of cultural and historical assumptions projected onto someone due to the color of their skin.
This leads me to another challenge - the challenge of “thinking American”. What does this even mean? There are certain mannerisms, body language, work styles, conflict resolutions, and societal expectations that are innate to Americans that feel alien to international scholars. To assimilate and work within the system, you have to learn what these are and consciously integrate them into your life. It’s a whole lot of extra emotional work that native scholars never think about. A simple example here is the academic grading system. I came up in the English academy, and our grading scales are along the lines of:
1st: > 70%
2:1: 60-70%
2:2: 50-60%
3rd: 40-50%
Fail: < 40%
These percentages (and grading terms) look mind-boggling to my American peers because culturally the expectations are totally different. When I began TA-ing an undergraduate biomechanics class in my first semester in the U.S., I came in with this grading system as my default. Needless to say, my students for that semester were more than a little shocked by their grades. We pivoted and corrected, but I felt embarrassed. It was something I hadn’t foreseen, and something that has an easy fix. Communicate your expectations clearly.
When you inevitably slip up on integrating into the society you moved to, people treat you as some sort of exhibit. “Say that word again!”, “Your accent is so cute!”, “You can get away with using this word because you’re British and it sounds sophisticated. When I use it, I sound try-hard.” are all very common phrases that have been said to me over the years here. They seem harmless but compounded over thousands of interactions create a sense of feeling otherized and, at times, fetishized. You come to the country for a degree, the experience of being in a different country from the one you grew up in, for the opportunities available to you. Yet local students often feel the need to highlight just how different you are. The toll can add up. In the words of Taylor Swift, it can feel like “death by a thousand cuts”.
A 2007 report indicated that 50% of international students report experiencing discrimination, yet if we include the common microaggressions I’ve outlined above I am confident that this number would be much, much higher.
There are also the logistical challenges faced by being an international scholar. Your friends become your family, which creates a different type of bond. You rely on them for many things, whether that’s driving you to a doctor’s appointment, or them adopting you for the holidays. Have you ever thought about who you would put down as an emergency contact in a country where the only person you “know” is your new boss who you have never met in person? Who do you call if you end up in the hospital? Stop for a second and think about how that would feel. That feeling is common for many international scholars.
Financial Challenges
At the end of the cultural challenges section, I asked who you would call if you ended up in the hospital as an international scholar who has yet to make local friends. This scenario also introduces financial challenges - of navigating medical insurance, paying for visiting a doctor (which may be a foreign concept), and entering the world of American medication commercials. I joke with that last one, but the financial burden is not limited to medical emergencies.
International scholars rarely have U.S.-based credit history, and thus it is a challenge for them to “just put things on your credit card”. When I first moved to the U.S., my credit card had a limit of $250. I could not put conference flights on that for reimbursement, for example.
Another thing to consider is when scholars relocate from a foreign country, they often don’t meet the minimum income requirements for apartments. Therefore, they require a cosigner. Yet, cosigners often have to be present in the U.S. - how do you handle that one? “International students are wealthy, just pay 6 months rent upfront” was an actual proposed solution that I heard. That wasn’t going to work for me.
Things like phone plans, auto insurance, and general adult responsibilities fall 100% on the foreign national - it’s hard to be part of a family discount plan when family aren’t in the country you’re in. Add in expenses for spouses and dependents and the situation got a lot more expensive, and a lot more complicated.
Another expense you may not have considered is academic transcripts. As an American citizen, you may complain about paying to obtain official transcripts for new positions. As foreign nationals, we have to pay to translate ours in addition - even if the transcript is in English (due to country grading differences).
Then, we have issues of visa compliance. On temporary student/scholar visas in the U.S., you are unable to take another job to make extra income. Your income MUST be through the position on your visa. So no driving ubers, bartending, dog walking jobs to make ends meet. And if you can’t afford rent/groceries, just use food stamps! Unless you want a green card in the future because that shows that you’re a drain on society and thus become ineligible. [Quick note, I’m not an immigration lawyer, this may not be true forever, but it was certainly true during my time as a graduate student.] Add to this that there is rarely equity in pay across departments, so graduate students in engineering may be making more than those in kinesiology (for example). And, what about summer funding?
Scholarship Challenges
I’ll start with the main one: foreign nationals are ineligible for NIH and NSF training awards. This immediately limits opportunities and forces foreign nationals to look towards private foundations for research funding instead. If their ultimate goal is a research-focused academic position, this is an inherent limitation as grant writing experiences have been restricted.
Since international students are limited in funding opportunities, they may have to rely on teaching assistantships for funding. While teaching can be an important skill-set, it does take time away from research, and also opens the door to cultural microaggressions from students (as mentioned in the cultural challenges section). There are many developmental programs that occur in the summer (e.g., grant writing, internships), and oft these are not open to international scholars.
If your goal is to stay in the U.S. following graduate school, you have to prove that you are better than an equivalent American potential hire - increasing stress and putting a requirement to over-succeed. It’s a lot.
How about traveling to conferences? In putting together our talk for NACOB, Kieran expressed disappointment that he was unable to attend the conference due to visa issues. Foreign nationals often have different visa requirements for countries than American citizens, and so may not be able to attend the same opportunities abroad.
Much of this has been student-centric, but what about scholars who are not present in the U.S.? Scholars from countries without the same research support as the U.S. may be limited in their equipment, journal access, and research methodologies. Considering these challenges when reviewing articles or seeking collaborations will go a long way. Also, this may seem obvious, consider time zones! Bring in outside perspectives for those who want to engage with U.S. researchers - it will provide enrichment for both parties.
Visa Challenges
Again, I would like to reiterate that I am not an immigration lawyer, and this section is written from my own experiences as an international scholar in the U.S.
Visas are an ongoing stressor for international students. It’s what I call “background anxiety” - am I going to get a visa renewal, will I get deported for this action, can I go back to my home country if there’s a family emergency, is this action in compliance with the restrictions of my visa type? The questions go on and on.
If you need to leave the country (e.g., to go to a conference), you must get a travel signature (if you’re on a J-1/F-1) to be able to re-enter the U.S. following the conference.
Visas are expensive - it’s not just the filing fees and administration costs, it’s traveling to embassies outside of the country and legal fees. These aren’t one-time expenses, every time a new visa is required, you can shell out $5-10,000. And once you do that, you have to wait months, and sometimes years, for decisions to be made. This waiting period can lead to your position being terminated while you wait for visa approval (there is no bridging visa in the U.S.), or experiencing a lack of income while you wait (and you won’t be able to qualify for a loan - because they see you as high risk as you may not be present in the country).
There’s different rules for different visa types, and different experiences for people from different home countries. As you are ineligible to work outside the position listed on your visa, it can be almost impossible to participate in opportunities like internships. Reach out to your institution’s international office to understand compliance for your scholars.
Action Items
So I've spent a lot of time discussing some of the challenges facing international scholars. What are some potential action items? Neither the challenges nor action items listed in this blog post are exhaustive, and this is already far too long. These action items are based not just on our experiences, but also on discussions that arose from the workshop at NACOB.
Create a list of biomechanics funding opportunities for non-citizens, and make it easily accessible. This would be a fantastic resource for international biomechanists. I provide an example from Caltech, though this is not biomechanics-specific.
Ensure equity in funding for international students across university departments
Where possible, publish open-access journal articles and datasets
Use tools like ResearchGate and Twitter to make your science accessible
Create public repositories for the wider biomechanics community. A great example of this is on GitHub by modenaxe.
Build a relationship with your international office. This is one of the most impactful things you can do, especially as an advisor to international students. In an article on how universities can effectively provide support for international students, they suggest investing in resources for international students. Your international office is this place. It’s not just for international students but their mentors too.
Take initiative in learning the requirements for your international scholars, including visa requirements for potential conferences. Get to know people - don’t assume anything based on where they’re coming from.
Call out xenophobic actions when you see them
Consider teaching resources, both for teaching international students and for their own teaching. Vanderbilt provides some excellent resources.
Improve understanding of what will create success for international scholars. A 2018 publication expands on this.
Given international scholars are prevalent as students, colleagues, and peers it is vital that inclusion efforts include our unique challenges. So, I ask you, are you prepared to successfully support international scholars?