pepsico

Question for those who did not get housing: What were your preferences? @talkcherty2me My department told us when we should request housing in order to make it for our department's TA training. It's the weekend my contract at work ends so I'll be hustling. Kinda cool how it all flows together.

You don't need a car to get around in/to/from Bethesda. It's extremely public transit friendly.

I think I saw that they had 66 current fellows. Assuming that graduation rates are around 6 years, there are about 11 fellows each year. I think awards also go to MA or MS students so the numbers are rough. As far as number of awards vs number of fellows who accept them, not sure.

So the top of their homepage has the following message Congrats to any of you who received it

Nothing

Just a note, a Master's in Chemistry is not common. Terminal Master's programs typically do not exist for chemistry. Most programs admit for PhD, and if you cannot finish the PhD, SOME schools give an option to graduate with a Master--which can be an indication to future employers that you could not handle the PhD and quit. Some Master's may be awarded alongside Bachelor's degrees after addition (usually 1 year) of study from the undergrad institution. That said, the industry experience sounds great and GRE scores are respectable. Find some professors at your prospective schools, tell them you're interested in their research, and ask for any advice for admission to their program.

Looking at past years' results, some acceptances may trickle down next month!

My MIT letter discussed funding. Domestic student.

Those who applied to MIT may be sitting by the phone today, just as I am

I agree with the above advice. However, I will add that you should also apply to some safety schools if you're determined to get into a program. All the programs you have in your signature are top programs that are difficult to get into even with excellent letters. I think a GRE retake would have a minimal effect on your applications. Your scores are pretty good. You can reevaluate your SOP and letter writers. Additional experience, academic or industry, will help. Keep in mind there is still a month or so before most schools give out the bulk of their acceptances.