DropTheBase

Unless you're referring to previous years' results as well, I just want to point out that this early on in the application process, you will mostly see acceptances because rejections are almost always given out late in the season. Also, I second the importance of reporting your stats! It drove me crazy last year when I saw decisions and no stats. Speaking of which, last year for some of them I (ironically) forgot to post my stats along with the decision. Can the results be edited? Back then I didn't want to post twice, since that would have been misleading. DTB

I'm a little confused by your situation, is your supervisor not writing you a letter for the NDSEG? You bring up a really good question, however. To what extent does ASEE contact every non-letter-writing reference you put down? And in what way? Do they read the blurb that we submit to NDSEG and confirm? Or is it just a he/she did/didn't work for me kind of thing? Maybe some previous applicants can answer. DTB

If you have something worth saying, then it's definitely worth writing about. Remember that it doesn't necessarily have to be about ethnicity. DTB

It's okay. We can all forgive a theorist! @Chemisto Northwestern and U-Chicago also tend to notify before Christmas. DTB

This, in my opinion, is a lot better than the 1-professors paragraph for reasons I mentioned previously. The 1-professor paragraph spends a lot of real estate on something that's not at all a sure thing. It's almost like saying that you won't choose to go to that university if you don't get to work with that one professor. Most universities seek a high attendance:acceptance ratio. How about combining your two paragraphs? That way you can show them that you've done your homework, but you'd also be happy either way. As for culture, it's difficult to include because how much do you really know about the culture having not attended there? So in my opinion it's best to leave it out unless a school is very well-known for something. For example, one of the schools I applied to had a very strong interdisciplinary culture, so I mentioned it because the research I wanted to purse was interdisciplinary. But I'm sure there are other things to mention. Some schools have very practical research applications and others focus deeply on the fundamental science. Things like that. Again, if you're not certain about these things, it's best to leave it out. DTB

From the solicitation: The statements must be (...) single spaced or greater. I can't imagine how shrinking a line of whitespace could be considered as adding space to your proposal. It's technically greater than single spaced. Hopefully the scanning software wasn't written by a 7 year old and just measures the whitespace between text. I wouldn't worry about it, unless someone here with a sad experience can attest otherwise. DTB

If you decide to mention only one professor, make sure you've spoken to this professor before and make sure he/she has space. If this professor does not have space, it can look like you didn't do your homework. You should be contacting POI's right now anyway. The idea of mentioning multiple professors is to build a case for why the department, as a whole, is a good fit. That's why mentioning ~3 professors is usually a good idea. As a new graduate student, it's important to be flexible. Admissions committees admire students that are open to new ideas. Full disclosure: I was heavily set on the research I wanted to do in graduate school, but I made no indication of this on any of my applications. Even though I'm doing that research right now, I honestly could imagine myself doing something completely different. The admissions committees (supposedly) chose me partly because they believed I would perform well regardless of my project. DTB

That makes SOOOO much more sense now. haha. I also made that mistake. I agree, it's definitely worth sacrificing the $100 unless you're certain you aced it. That's rough. DTB

No No and NO! You are qualified for every graduate program you apply to, and so is every other student on this forum. These programs are not mystical, righteous entities that conduct perfect research. Institutions are human; they come with professors that ridicule their students, students who fabricate data and departments/PI's that pay you nothing for working absurdly long hours. That means admissions committees are human too. Sometimes their members, mostly professors (real people), spend half a second on one application and an hour on another for no good reason. It's not a 100% fair system. Your job is to do everything you can to get in. You can worry about not feeling qualified later. If you don't come off confident in your application, then you are giving the AdCom an excuse to gloss over your application. And it won't be because you're not qualified, it will be because of a needless mistake. To all applicants here: You should all be proud of what you accomplished. Don't forget to convey it in writing. DTB

I have spoken to several members of admissions committees from Top 5 schools, all of them confirmed that the Chemistry GRE is by the far the least important part of the application (for Americans). I would highly recommend NOT sending the score for schools that say it's optional (almost all of them). If they absolutely require the Chemistry GRE, then send it anyway (what else are you going to do?). I know a few people from Top 5 schools who have done worse than you on that test. Some schools actually have a minimum score for the Chem GRE. If these schools actually require the Chem GRE, then it would make sense to mention something about it in your SOP (to show that you know how to read the rules, at least). Maybe some of my peers here will disagree, but given your impressive record, I can't for the life of me imagine a single, respectable faculty member arguing something along the lines of "Well, his/her Chem GRE is lower than average...he/she is clearly unfit to conduct research." Even statistics showing average chem GRE scores aren't going to mean anything for you. How many people with below average Chem GRE scores have a Goldwater Scholarship??? (or high General GRE scores, for that matter.) Your high GPA alone is a testament to your intellectual abilities, which I'm certain your LORs will also corroborate. DTB

Is this thread real?

The Chem GRE is just a dumbed-down test of everything you learned. In order to get a good distribution of scores, they put extremely random questions (like geochemistry) on there, which defeats the whole purpose. I have faith in professors on adcoms to realize this. That's why so many schools expect a minimum score of 50% on the chem GRE! (I got something very close to that!) When I asked a professor on the admissions committee from my school about this, I was told that your score on the GREs (US only) is nothing more than an indication that you "cared" about taking the test. When I asked a different professor on the admissions committee, he said that as far as GRE goes, he liked seeing a decent Quantitative score, and a slightly higher Verbal score. They want students who know how to write. As for the analytical writing score, I think it's safe to say they're well-aware that all it does is test your ability to write garbage in 30 minutes. Another professor told me the GRE was only skimmed for red flags rather than used as a deciding factor. --- @Chemwag (Go Bears! ) Don't worry about the low GPA (mine was low). Here's another paraphrase from someone on the admissions committee: If you're at a public school, 3.6 is impressive. If you went to a private school, 3.6 is "not so great". (Sorry if that offends anyone here, not my opinion). --- Research experience (letters of recommendation) and personal statement will almost always outweigh GPA and especially GRE scores. Keep in mind that you're being evaluated on your potential to do research. DTB

Yes, excellent point! For international students, GRE scores in general are relatively MUCH more important. Thank you for this correction. DTB

If it makes you guys feel any better, the Chem GRE is by far the least important part of your application. DTB

As far as the sciences go, those are the big three. I believe there's also the computational DOE CSGF and the Ford fellowship (might have to be an underrepresented ethnicity for this one). Sorry, I wish I knew more (I'd apply to them myself!). NSF doesn't take GRE, but I believe NDSEG does. Unlike grad school apps, fellowships are better thought of as competitions. As a result, you are judged on more superficial terms, such as GPA/GRE. Also, if you ever read winning essays, they almost make you want to vomit because of how egotistical they make the applicant seem (I enlightened inner-city minority children, I spearheaded this project/organization....) Don't let that put you off! I know many fellowship winners and they too are upset with how inflated they needed to make their personal statements sound. (Have a look at some winning essays here: http://www.alexhunterlang.com/nsf-fellowship if you want a good idea of what I'm talking about.) But this still depends on each individual fellowship. NSF, for example, cares more about "Broader Impacts", whereas the NDSEG focuses more on the research. To answer your question, I know quite a few fellowship winners who did not have a stunning GPA/GRE. But these questions are best asked/answered in "The Bank." DTB

Hello Applicants! Applying to graduate school is one of the most stressful (academic) periods of your life! You have my deepest sympathies. If you aren't feeling stressed enough, here's something maybe not all of you are aware of. I encourage all applicants to also apply for fellowships this year (NSF, NDSEG, Hertz...etc.). Pros: 1. Most fellowships let you apply multiple times. You have the highest chance of winning it PRIOR to entering graduate school. 2. You can mention that you applied for it in your SOP, and your Referees can mention that too (it gives at least one of them more to talk about). Applying for these fellowships is not easy, and to an admissions officer it shows your commitment and determination to pursue research. It's a tie-breaker (in your favor!), at the least. 3. It gives you excellent experience writing proposals, which you will have to do several times during your graduate career. Also, the feedback you receive from the fellowship committees is invaluable. Cons: 1. The added stress might give you a heart attack. --- I understand your schedules are busy, but if you believe that you might have time, then I HIGHLY encourage you to apply. Note: The Hertz/NSF deadlines are at the beginning of November, so it might be difficult to pull it off if you haven't started. However, the NDSEG has a deadline in late December, so that's a possibility. Sorry I didn't mention this sooner. Good luck to you all! DTB

I think they do require them. I remember being asked for "all transcripts." You can always ask the universities to which you are applying to if you're not sure. DTB

You have a chance.

You are not aiming too high. In any case, aim for the schools you want to attend and do not worry about the chances of getting in. Read papers related to what you want to study. Find professors whose research interests match your own. Contact these professors to learn more. This will greatly help narrow down which schools you really want to apply to. If you have no idea where to start, you can always start by looking at a rankings website. However, you should only use rankings to begin your search, never as a deciding factor, in my opinion. Good luck! DTB

Absolutely take linear algebra. Imo, if you have time take differential equations. Both classes were required for my school to even get a chemistry (and biochemistry!) degree. DTB

Linear Algebra is useful in just about any field that requires data processing, like biophysics. I highly recommend taking it. While topology and (differential?) geometry are certain interesting to take, Linear algebra is vastly more related to the work you will be doing. DTB

Everything asaprocky said. And here's a worthy read about safety schools by a fellow forum member: DTB

http://calmingmanatee.com/

I forgot where I just heard/read this, but I remember the phrase: "Have a hobby as different from your work as possible." DTB

They're all extremely easy questions but only if you know the material. Based on the study guides, they seem to ask the simplest question of any subject. As a result (and as St. Andrews Lynx points out), the questions are very random. The study guides seem to provide a good idea of what random facts and phenomena you should know for the exam. By the way, scanned copies of the physical and organic study guides should be fairly easy to find if you're already used to finding movies/TV shows online . DTB