bamafan

It's hard to say, but the concern isn't as much with your letter writers as the adcoms. I know my letter writers would probably be thrown off if I didn't waive, because it's implied. It's a respect and honor that you asked someone to write your letter; not waiving suggests to them that you don't trust them to write you a good letter. But again, the big problem is with adcoms. It will question the legitimacy of your letters. Also, it's a red flag because most people will waive, so for anyone who doesn't, it draws their attention to it. See if for the online apps you can still change the checkbox from not waive to waive! If not, there's not much to do, just hope for the best. Good luck!

Yeah, basically, you're supposed to waive it. If you don't, it's a red flag.

I wouldn't assume anything about your second performance. Take it first, then worry about which ones to submit. For all you know, you might improve scores.

Ew, Packers fan. Go away. Just kidding, I'm from Chicago and am just bitter about yesterday.

This is offtopic, but are you by any chance studying at MIT?

THIS. Single most frustrating line.

No, everyone feels this way. Sometimes, you'll think over your app, and feel supremely confident. And minutes later, you could be freaking out. It's done! Time to wait and see.

If she really said this, you have grounds for complaint because that's racial discrimination. Interestingly, she should know that her statements are false anyway... very Richard Owen-esque. I too find it hard to believe for this reason. I can't imagine any philosophy (or humanities) professor actually believing brain size corresponds to intelligence level amongst human races. It's just a very backwards, disproven 19th century concept when taxonomy and science was dominated by superficial anatomy instead of molecular science. Even if she has no biology training at all, it just seems so outrageous.

Sorry if I seem daft, but what exactly is Calc 3? My school only had two, the second being multivariable.

Can you explain it? It seems relevant to me... In any case, don't email -- it will take too long. Just call the admissions office and explain why it is that you can't get transcripts.

"jande48 is the effing man. Not even joking, this is kid is dope. Accept him effing ASAP. kaythxbai." Use that, verbatim. In all seriousness, it's an interesting situation, but probably not that uncommon. Instead of focusing on the specifics of the research, focus instead on your qualities that you think (and he would likely talk about if he actually wrote) that make you a good researcher. Don't be worried if there are some similarities; remember, letter writers often ask to see the SOPs and CVs, and some of mine asked me if there were any qualities I wanted them to stress as far as tailoring the letter to the programs in question.

Again, I agree -- if a rec isn't glowing, or could be tinged with subconscious negatives, that will hurt your app, not help. If he's not enthusiastic, you don't want his in my opinion. Second, I don't know that not having a thesis advisor will hurt you. Will the grad program know you had a UG thesis or the nature of your UG curriculum? For instance, I don't have a thesis advisor rec simply because I didn't have to write a thesis for my program at all.

Something no one has mentioned though is that if something has happened, are you sure this person will be able to write you a great letter? If there is some kind of grudge, that would obviously be very bad.

170/170/6.0. All kidding aside, it really depends on the program and subject. For math/engineering, I think most people get 160+ in quant, typically 165+ for top programs. Given that you're applying to a writing/humanities and a PR type program, you'll want to retake it. That verbal is too low.

Are you an international? That can also present a challenge.

IF everything you say is true, find a new lab and a new PI. It's as simple as that. Based on what you've described, she seems to not be very competent as a scientist. You also question her ethics; if that's also true, immediately leave. You don't want to be associated with her academically. The biggest red flag was in your first post -- 3 years (3 and a half now?) and no publications. Also, consider this. If she isn't producing / able to get more grants, she's not going to be around much longer. She's new, so not tenured, and she might get fired after her appointment basically. You definitely don't want to be stuck without a PI if she leaves. On that note, consider it from her point of view. Maybe a lot of her own behavior stems from insecurities or frustrations with her own failure to produce.

I hope you've gotten the situation figured out. If not, you should consider just sitting down with your PI and talking about all of your concerns. Touch base, find a mutual understanding, and work from there. Honestly, complaining about your situation online won't help it get solved. Talking to your PI will. I'm sure he's just frustrated due to a gap between expectations and production, but if you two discuss it, I think it can work out quite well. He's human too, you know.

Go to the office. They can ignore emails, but they can't ignore you. You don't have to specify the condition, but you can stress that there is a serious medical issue and you guys are already fronting unplanned costs.

I'm going to sound like a huge jerk, but don't jump ship. I think it's a pretty terrible idea. There is basically no upside to it, besides you don't have to write research papers anymore. Science is becoming incredibly interdisciplinary -- you don't need a PE degree or even chemical engineering to get a job in the oil industry or similar. To be honest, the research being done by chem majors and chemE majors (most of whom go to work at BP, etc if they don't go to grad school) at my university are basically the same thing. Same is true for bio vs bioE. I don't see why you couldn't go work in the petroleum industry with your PhD in chemistry (hell, I know MechE and BE majors who go into the oil industry), especially if you take on some projects related to it during your graduate studies. As an engineer myself, I agree with ktel, there are plenty of things out there for you with a chem degree. In fact, my school doesn't even offer a PE degree. Also, I don't know your financial situation, but you should consider the opportunity costs of going back for another BS. I'm assuming you're funded right now, but if you go get your BS, that's another 3-4 years of tuition (not to mention the masters..). Let's say you end up with a 20k/year increase in salary; it will take you 10-15 years to make up for the tuition and lost stipend. And finally, I have my doubts your salary will be significantly higher with a PE degree. Again, there is absolutely no reason you can't do PE with a different degree. I disagree with your assertion that industry prefers to hire BS/MS. While there are more low-level jobs available, there are definitely higher-level ones as well. I know many, many PhDs in industry right now working again for BP, etc. They make bank. Ultimately, it's your decision. Do whatever makes you happy and you think is the best choice for your future. But in my unsolicited opinion, the pros of getting another BS is far less than the cons, and some of your assumptions about the industry are untrue. Don't let your discontent with your current situation obscure your clear thinking, you should make the best decision for your career.

Apply to some BE or BME programs. Many of the are basically MechE labs (for instance, cartilage or tissue replacement labs).

Just finished all my applications. Woo!

street crime

The graduate schools can probably figure it out when they receive materials. Often, some will have a section where you can also write down "Alternate Names".

The good news is that most PhD programs are mostly/fully funded, so if you get in, you'll have that. If you have any research experience (in addition to the REU), I would tab that PI for a letter of recommendation; same with the one from the REU, even if it's only for a summer. Grad schools want to see if you can do research, and they want letters from people who can evaluate your research potential. I too have a pretty terrible GPA, but this is something that can be easily offset if the rest of your application is promising. Write a kick ass statement, do well on the GRE, and I don't see why you wouldn't be competitive.

It's hard to say without more information, such as your undergrad institution. If you write a great statement and have strong recs, I don't see why you can't be successful.