Int'l graduate students offer advice to prospective degree seekers

Pursuing higher education is a pivotal decision in one's academic and professional career. Selecting a compatible laboratory and supervisor can significantly impact one's research and career trajectory.

A molecular separation laboratory at KAIST in Daejeon, where Charlene Tapia and her colleagues make membranes and absorbents for gas storage and separations, as well as water treatment applications [CHARLENE TAPIA]

Pursuing higher education is a pivotal decision in one's academic and professional career. Selecting a compatible laboratory and supervisor can significantly impact one's research and career trajectory, which is why choosing a lab aligning with one's research goals is essential. Considering the significance of this task, it can be daunting to reach a decision, leaving students applying for graduate studies uncertain.

The following are some tips for international students hoping to pursue a postgraduate degree in Korea, based on interviews with several students in STEM fields.

Research direction and career goals

Before delving into researching universities and laboratories, it is essential to identify what one hopes to gain from embarking on this journey. Rather than blindly delving into yet another expensive degree, prospective graduate students are recommended to take some time to gain clarity on their reasons for pursuing another degree.

The reason may be for intellectual growth, monetary benefit or long-term career development — as long as it is reasonable enough to ignite one's motivation for the laborious journey ahead. By identifying one's goals and unique academic interests, students can find labs that align with their academic pursuits and professional future.

University ranking and lab research focus

Once the goals and research interests are narrowed down, it should be easier to gather information on labs and supervisors. The ranking of a university can be important to gauge its standing in education quality and access to opportunities after graduating.

Such was the case for Amima Khalid, a Pakistani master's student researching water splitting at Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi, and Muhammad Umair Munir, a Pakistani master's student researching switching power converters at Soongsil University in Seoul. They both considered their universities' rankings, availability of the desired area of research and research output before applying.

Munir gathered supervisors' information using research papers through an international professionals' association called the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the university's faculty page and Google Scholar profiles. As such, using professional association websites of STEM majors, prospective students can access research papers published by the labs they are interested in and use them to gauge their academic reputation and research direction.

Supervisor compatibility and lab culture

Graduate degree programs in Korea, specifically in the STEM fields, are known to be particularly demanding due to the long working hours, cultural differences and intensive research demands. It is important to choose a compatible lab and supervisor to ensure progress in research and timely graduation.

Charlene Tapia, a doctorate student from the Philippines researching molecular separation via porous material synthesis at KAIST in Daejeon, said that the culture of her lab was particularly crucial because she knew she'd be spending most of her time there.

"Since I am doing Ph.D. and it will take at least four years to finish the program," she said, "the working environment that I will be in was important for me."

In order to gauge compatibility, it is helpful to have an open conversation with supervisors and reach out to current students or alums of the labs of interest. The interviewed students said that the supervisor's reputation among other international graduate students played a pivotal role in their decision.

Munir said he contacted former and current students from a lab of his interest to inquire if the lab was equipped with the required tools and if the professor was affable toward international students. This conversation helped assess the suitability of the supervisor to his needs.

Khalid said that the greatest challenge in pursuing her master's was not the academic difficulty but rather the conflicts in the lab with her supervisor and labmates, which usually stemmed from the cultural and language barriers.

For Tapia, her supervisor's background of teaching abroad for several years and extensive interaction with foreign students led her to select his lab.

"I focused more on the experience [of the professor] with foreign students since I believe that professors in KAIST are all competent and are experts in their field," Tapia said. "It's the experience [of the professor] in living and working abroad that made the difference."

Access to funding and opportunities

Graduate degrees are often a major investment, one that might be necessary but challenging to afford without loans or scholarships. As an international student, one can receive funding opportunities directly from lab supervisors and universities or through fully funded government programs such as the Global Korea Scholarship.

Munir said that even though he is not reimbursed for the costs of attending conferences, he has had the opportunity to interact with the research and development sections of renowned companies.

Word of advice

Khalid advised against joining a lab before starting one's postgraduate degree.

"I wish I had chosen the lab after joining the university," she said. "I should have visited different labs, talked with different international students, and then made my final decision."

Khalid also recommended studying Korean, stressing that learning the language allows deeper learning.

While graduate studies can be academically challenging, these challenges can be overcome with support from supervisors and labmates.

"Once you join the lab, things get complex if your professor is not a cooperative person," Munir said. "Therefore, try to contact some graduated students of the concerned lab [in advance for advice]."

BY STUDENT REPORTER ALIZA KHAN [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]