The Chronicle of Higher Education: Building a Better ‘Bridge’ to the Ph.D.

May. 19, 2016, 11:37 AM | Want more research news? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter »

Below is an excerpt of a feature story by Vimal Patel that appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education May 19, 2016:

Feelings of academic inadequacy are common in graduate school, but diversity advocates say they hit black, Hispanic, and American Indian students harder because those groups are sharply underrepresented in academe, especially in science and engineering. It’s impostor syndrome, that nagging academic self-doubt, compounded by stereotype threat, or the risk of confirming negative expectations of one’s group.

But a partnership between a historically black college and a major research institution is trying to support more students working toward doctorates and to reduce the underrepresentation of minorities in some STEM fields. The program, in Nashville, helps students make the transition from a master’s at Fisk University to a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University.

Read the full story here. (Subscription required.)

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