Career outcomes undermine value of studying abroad in US

While 84% of international students would recommend that their friends and peers in their home countries go to the United States for university, less than half think that the cost of higher education was justified from a career perspective, says a new study, “Is studying in the US worth it?”, conducted by Anna Eskai-Smith, co-founder of Education Rethink, in collaboration with Interstride, an interactive information portal designed to support international students in their career search and and with immigration.

“What was most striking about our study was the discovery of a ‘value gap’ between the value that students see in their US study abroad experience and the tangible value they get in terms of career outcomes,” said Esaki-Smith.

“When asked from a career perspective if the value of a US education justified the cost – and tuition charges in the US are among the highest in the world – the survey respondents were much more circumspect,” she said.

The study found that only 49% of the 1,087 students from 108 countries enrolled in more than 125 colleges and universities believed that these schools prepared them to enter the American job market. About 20% were unsure, while 29% did not believe the colleges and universities prepared them for the job market, especially given high tuition costs they incurred by studying in the United States.

Undergraduate tuition and fees for international students at Arizona State University in Phoenix, for example, at which the largest group of students (72) surveyed study, are US$36,699, while at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, they are more than US$57,000.

The study found that students’ disappointment stemmed from the fact that, while 72% of international students chose to study in the US either to work in the country for a few years after graduation or indefinitely, only 22% found that their universities or colleges helped them achieve this goal.

By contrast, almost 30% reported that they had to rely on personal connections such as friends and family. Almost a quarter reported: “I mostly [had to] do everything myself” in navigating entry into the American job market.

International students were especially critical of their school’s career centre. Fully 51% said they do not have either job listings appropriate for international students or connections with US employers who will hire international students.

Another 5% said the career centres did not have information about securing work visas.

Only 18% reported that the career centres helped international students secure Optional Practical Training (OPT) status, which allows international students to remain in the country and work for one year.

Unlike Canada, which many international students pick because getting a job out of university is easier there and it is easier to establish themselves as citizens than in the US (and the United Kingdom), Esaki-Smith noted, the pathways to employment and citizenship are much more limited in the United States.

“OPT is an option for students who study in certain subjects such as STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics]. But beyond that the challenges for international students to secure employment are real and really formidable,” she said.

Biggest obstacles

The survey allowed for students to indicate what their “biggest obstacle” was. Among the answers was one that spoke of difficulties in making “genuine professional relationships or connections [on] LinkedIn”. Another pointed to the difficulty of “Adapt[ing] my speech for what is expected in interviews”. Still another noted the difficulties of “fostering a connection when no cultural similarities are present”.

This difficulty in networking points to a gap between expectations international students have when they come to study in the United States and the reality of what is needed to be successful off campus in the competitive American job market, Esaki-Smith told University World News.

“I think those types of issues should be messaged by universities to students before they come to the United States,” said Esaki-Smith.

“I don’t think it’s going to deter students because they come to the United States for a lot of reasons. And one of them is the fact that there are universities in the United States that are so well branded.

“It won’t deter them [from coming], but more information, more clear messaging [about what is required to succeed in the job market] is good for all parties. I think managing expectations is a good thing: full stop.”