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International Students Transition to U.S. Doctoral Study
 International students often face transition challenges when entering a U.S. program, particularly at the doctoral level. As they confront and overcome these challenges, MU international students offer some of their observations and suggestions to others who might face similar circumstances.
One of the most personally challenging issues is the difference in the English language they learned (often studying for many years), and the English language they are expected to understand and speak in the U.S. According to Hong Zhu, Ph.D. student in Accountancy, despite starting her English studies in her pre-teen years, what she learned was hardly consistent with what she heard here. The learning tapes she used in her homeland, the People's Republic of China, were slow and crystal clear, never combining words or using slang. She also had difficulty with allusions to American culture. Hongbok Lee, a doctoral student in Finance, had studied English for ten years in Korea. Most of his English study centered around grammar and reading comprehension, with little time devoted to conversation or writing-both of which are used extensively in doctoral-level courses.
Suggestions to help overcome the language challenge include: (1) come to the U.S. a little earlier than the beginning of your program to get some experience in hearing and speaking English; (2) get an American roommate or an American friend to practice conversation with; (3) don't be afraid to ask for help (ask ahead of time such things as how to address your advisor appropriately, what to do if you are ill, what does the student insurance plan cover, what to do if you have problems with your landlord).
Course work, particularly the format of doctoral seminars, is often different for international students. Students may come from educational climates where the lecture style is predominate. MU doctoral seminars require students to read many papers and articles, present assigned papers in class, and participate in class discussion. Some suggestions of helpful techniques to quickly become accustomed to these differences include sitting in the first row in class, listening carefully, concentrating on the topic of discussion, and reading class material closely prior to class.
Simona Stan, doctoral student in marketing, feels that one of the biggest, yet most important challenges to international students is the importance of making the time to study and learn about American culture as well as studying in their major field. In order to learn about American culture, Simona recommends that international students allow time to watch TV, shop, visit restaurants, talk to people, and travel in addition to the time they allot to course work study and research. She feels that gaining knowledge and experience with American culture can enhance the value of a U.S. doctoral degree for international students.(Contributors to this article include Hongbok Lee, Simona Stan, and Hong Zhu)
Doctoral Students and Research
A primary objective of the Ph.D. program is to train candidates to become proficient researchers. Through course work and other activities, students develop skills in various areas such as literature review and critique, theoretical modeling, research design, computer assisted empirical analysis, and preparation of proposals and research papers. Students are encouraged and supported to engage in research activities in collaboration with faculty, other students, and independently. Additionally, as part of the assistantship assignments, students are assigned as research assistants to faculty members.
How do doctoral students learn about the research process? Since there isn't just one research process, it is important to be aware of the multiple methods through which research can be conducted and decide which method is the best fit for the individual and the project. Exposure to different approaches can be gained through unit seminars, courses in outside areas of study, or through working with faculty or doctoral colleagues. Doctoral students agree that one of the best ways to learn about the research process is through the actual experience of working with faculty and that students should not hesitate to approach faculty with research ideas. Attending professional conferences and listening to other researchers is another suggested method for learning about the process.
What have some of our doctoral students learned about the research process? Students report that they have learned that the research process is long and very time consuming, usually taking longer than expected. A key element to a successful outcome is initially choosing a topic that is highly interesting to the researcher. Another important lesson is that researchers must be extremely careful to create the best instrument possible, whether it is an interview protocol, survey, questionnaire, etc. A thorough understanding of the core theory one is applying is also essential to the research process.
How does one establish an effective working relationship with faculty? Faculty and students contributing to this article agree that one of the key factors of establishing an effective working relationship with faculty is for students to communicate their ideas for research projects with faculty. Additionally, students should do their homework and know the existing literature, try to talk to as many faculty as possible, and if a good match in interest is found, try to get an assistantship with that faculty member. It is also important that students follow through with ideas and demonstrate that they will do what it takes to accomplish a research project. Establishing an effective working relationship requires a time commitment, a commitment that should begin early in the student's doctoral program. (Contributors to this article include: Jere Francis, John Howe, Todd Arnold, Timothy Landry, and Rhetta Standifer)
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Conferences, Publications and Presentations
Finance
Kent Ragan, "An Intraday Analysis of the Mexican Stock Market," paper accepted to present at the FMA Conference in Seattle, October 2000.
H. Yong, S. Kim, and J.D. Stowe, "Agency Costs and Corporate Financial Policies: A Simultaneous Equations Approach," presented at the Midwest Finance Association, Chicago, March 2000.
Management
John Stark, Job Talk Presentations on Trust Research, California State Fullerton, Bakersfield, and Sonoma, 1999.
Felissa Lee, "Personality and Work Values in Formal Mentoring Relationships," paper presented at the Annual American Psychological Association Convention, Boston, 1999.
Felissa Lee, T. Dougherty, and D. Turban, "The Role of Personality and Work Values in Mentoring Programs," Review of Business, 1999.
K. Multon, M. Heppner, N. Gysbers, R. Wood, and Felissa Lee, "Development of a Taxonomy of Career Transition Resources," paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, 2000.
Mary Sue Love and G. Macy, "The Case for the Work Group," presented at the Midwest Academy of Management Meetings, Midwest Academy of Management Electronic Proceedings, April 2000, Chicago.
J.P. Palmer, "Retaining Expatriates as a Global Competitive Advantage," Association for Global Business Conference, Association for Global Business Journal.
D. Turban, T. Dougherty, and F. Lee, "The Impact of Demographic Diversity and Perceived Similarity on Mentoring Outcomes: The Moderating Effect of Time," paper presented at the Annual Academy of Management Conference, Refereed Conference Proceedings, 1999.
Marketing
Todd Arnold and Timothy Landry, "Customer Induced Negative Emotions: A Cognitive Appraisal Framework," AMA Proceedings, Summer, 1999.
Richard F. Beltramini, Kenneth R. Evans and Simona Stan, "Believability and Comprehension of Nutrition Information in Advertising," accepted and to be published as an abstract in the Procedddings of the AMA summer Marketing Educators' Conference, August 5-8, 2000, Chicago, IL.
Niraj Dawar and M. Omar Shehryar, "The Influence of Perceived Price Fairness on the Relationship Between Perceived Quality and Consumers' Willingness to Buy: A Preliminary Study," Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Fordham University Behavioral Pricing Conference, 1999, paper presented.
Kenneth R. Evans, Robert Kleine, Timothy Landry and Lawrence Crosby, "How First Impressions of a Customer Impact Effectiveness in an Initial Sales Encounter," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, accepted for publication, Fall 2000.
Kenneth R. Evans, Todd J. Arnold, and John A. Grant, "Combining Service and Sales at the Point of Customer Contact: A Retail Banking Example," Journal of Service Research, August 1999.
David Hunt, "What's In It for Me? Entrinsically Motivated Enduring Product Involvement," presentation at 2000 Nebraska Doctoral Symposium.
Catherine Roster, "Visitor Behavior at Industrial Trade Shows: A Micro Perspective," with S. Gopalakrishna, presented at 1999 Midwest Marketing Camp, Minneapolis.
Catherine Roster and S. Gopalakrishna, "An Individual Level Analysis of Visitor Behavior at Industrial Trade Shows," presented at Marketing Science Conference 2000, Los Angeles.
Simona Stan and Kenneth R. Evans, "Small Business Retailing in Privatizing Economies: The Influence of Managers' Individualistic and Collectivist Values," Journal of East-West Business, 5 (1&2), pp. 123-143, 1999. Published simultaneously as a chapter in Marketing Challenges in Transition Economies of Europe, Baltic States and the C.I.S., Gopalakrishnan R. Iyer and Lance A. Masters (eds.), NY: International Business Press (an Imprint of Haworth Press).
Simona Stan, Kenneth R. Evans and Dan Cernusca, "Collectivism and Market Orientation in a Privatizing Economy: An Exploratory Study of Retailing in Romania," abstract published in the Proceedings of the AMA Winter Marketing Educators' Conference, and paper presented, February 5-8, 2000, San Antonio, TX.
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