frankstoneline

I climb pretty regularly, while it wasnt the number one defining item on my list of schools to apply to, it certainly played a role. In the end it worked out well, and I'm quite excited for my move for both the science and the climbing.

I realize this is a bit late (sorry) but many university libraries keep a copy of them on hand (the study guides), some local libraries with a good interlibrary loan system would probably be able to get them for you as well.

Was just thinking the same thing!

No, excited to visit U of Utah! Was curious if you were in Analytical as well.

What area of study are you in?

U of A requested you take the GRE subject before they will offer admission? Best of luck!

What criteria did you use to pick those top choices? If you have decent research experience and are authoring papers, your GPA shouldnt hold you back, though it seems you'd be fighting a bit of an uphill battle for admission slots at some of those schools (though, strong LOR's, compelling statement of purpose and some first author publications would certainly make that more manageable). I agree with previous posters, if you arent headed for a med. chem or biochem research group your time might be better suited picking up a math minor or looking into learning a programming language.

I second this. Shoot him/her an email and ask about openings, express interest etc. It'd be best to know whether your top choice for a PI was even a possibility going into the program.

Just heard from the last of the schools I applied to. Accepted at Univ. of Washington, Univ. of Arizona and Univ. of Utah. Excited to visit/make a decision, and especially excited to be done with the waiting.

With that kind of research background I wouldnt worry about it terribly, but if you have the time/money it certainly wouldnt hurt you to retake and aim for a quant score closer to 160. GRE is low on the priorities of most universities it seems, but if you want to apply to top programs in the field you'd do well to bring up your GRE scores, as your GPA might be a bit of a red flag (though I was in a similar position this app season in terms of GPA and have been accepted to some schools I thought I had absolutely no shot at). The bottom line is that you have the time, and if your aim is top programs you should take every oppurtunity to make yourself look good on paper.

Waiting to hear from the last of 4 schools. 2 acceptances (one at a school I thought I had little shot for) and one rejection (from the school I was least interested in going to/thought was least likely to reject, go figure) and waiting to hear from the school I'm most interested in. Oh well, another cup of coffee and 16 more "refresh inbox" clicks and I'll be to lunch...

I prepared by taking the powerprep exams, or rather I took one of them. It predicted my score pretty much spot on to the score I recieved when I took the actual exam.

If you would be willing to spend time in an MS program you could still apply to start next spring and transition into a phd track. What branch of chemistry are you intending to focus on/what are your admission stats? You've applied to very competative programs, perhaps widening your search to schools with a little less name-recognition but still very good programs would help considerably in your next application round. As Usmivka said, more research experience/publications certainly helps considerably as well. If all else fails, do as Jeferey Lebowski says, "Get a job"

Have you heard from Univ of Arizona yet? I was accepted there with a 3.35 GPA from a small state school, however I had at least 2 excellent letters of recommendation, close to 4 years research experience (about equally split between academic lab and industry setting) and what I assume was a decent SOP. Additionally, my GPA was uptrending in my final years taking near overload scheduling w/ P Chem, upper div. math courses and 400/500 level chem courses. I suppose my point is that GPA doesnt seem to be an issue as long as you have a pretty compelling background that suggests you will be a good researcher. That said, some folks have mentioned the prestige issue above, and it is a valid observation. If you can't discuss your goals/ideas as a researcher well in your SOP, mention some professors whose work you feel you would allign with and make a clear, honest and unique case as to why you should be researching at their university your application is likely to fade into the noise. Simply saying you want a better job or feeding an adcom lines about bettering humankind makes no case for admission, you need to make a solid case for your admission. Another topic in regards to the prestige issue: your advisor is paramount. There are bad advisors at prestigious schools, and their are excellent advisors at unknown schools. I had the pleasure of working with some excellent chemists in my undergrad who were employed at a small state university with no reputation for chemistry.

Not necessarily. I think Faraday is wondering why he all of a sudden wants to apply to safety schools. Certainly it seems some folks are primarily concerned with the reputation of the school they study at, while others place more weight on finding PI's they are most excited to work with. If your friend places considerable weight on high end programs, it seems he should just re-apply next year if nothing pans out, rather than jump into any old department that will take him last minute.