ERR_Alpha

I just looked up FODMAPs (digestive issues here) and it seems like most of the diets are mostly gluten free? So it's basically the same thing? (I'm genuinely curious)

Crab rangoons and chicken lo mein probably aren't the best of choices.. But soooo good. The grilled chicken and broccoli combo probably would've been a smarter decision.

I'm reading this while eating Chinese food. Sigh...

Circumstances are definitely different in different areas, I give you that. My boyfriend went to a high school in the next town over from mine where whites were the minority- where my school had less than 5% of minority groups. However, the statistics prove that in general, these hardships and inequalities do exist for people of color. As unfair as it may be, schools are allowed to consider this as much or a little as they want in the admissions process. You're right in the fact that it may be unfair to those not in these groups who also suffer hardship. You could also argue that everyone suffers some kind of hardship- each of varying degrees of difficulty. SOPs are short, but they are designed with this idea in mind. There is no way for a graduate school to evaluate every candidate on a personal level- hence the GRE, GPA, LORs, etc. In a perfect world, everyone who applies would get an in-person interview where they could tell their story. Since this isn't possible, schools have to decide whether they want to use these statistics, and to what extent. It's difficult, it may be unfair, but it's the best way to handle this situation. Good candidates may fall through because of GRE score, GPA, arrest records, what have you. I agree with you that the process makes people blame each other. I've heard people say "well, if I was a female Native American who played golf and the oboe, I would've gotten in!", but there may in fact be a Native American woman who had to overcome a lot of issues to be the best golf and oboe player, but people assume she only got in because she's Native American. I also find that some schools value diversity more than others. MIT is a classic one that comes to mind for undergrad. They get so many qualified applicants, they basically get to pick the makeup of the incoming class by hand.

My dad runs his own business without a degree- always tells me "you're either good at it or you're not. The degree won't teach you that!" And my mother got a business degree in ~1988 before the economy went to shit and still made more money bartending than she would have at an entry level business job. It's tough out there, that's for sure.

Definitely missing the point. The whole point is that SOPs will help anyone who had a tougher time. Also, just because you got a ticket once or that you're white and you had struggles doesn't mean the overall trend doesn't still exist. There are plenty of exceptions, but that doesn't make the rule any less true. Forming your opinions based on your own personal experience is flawed- you're only considering you. Maybe ask your roommate or coworkers what issues shes had to deal with because of her race. Appreciate that not everyone has the same experience. Edit: I just wanted to add that I'm happy we can all talk about this issue. It's a tough one.

I'm not directing my posts directly at you, I'm just sharing my thoughts on the topic. I don't think anyone is personally attacking you.

I would go with school A. Higher ranked and full funding would be hard to turn down. Young PIs can be just as good, if not better, mentors.

Very strong believer in this also. We push everyone to go to college when it reality, not everyone is meant to go to college. My dad is an electrical contractor, owns his own business, and makes a great living. He also dedicated four years to an apprenticeship- same as four years of undergrad, except he got paid and had a guaranteed job at the end! A system like Germany's could be useful here- you get sorted into three levels at high school. Trade school, in-between, or college bound. (I don't know much about this, someone feel free to correct me.) Although I'm not sure how I feel about people's futures being decided by how they perform as teens.

Penn State Philosophy, PhD (F15) Rejected via E-mail on 12 Mar 2015 ♦ A 12 Mar 2015 report spam 0a/0w/8r (of 10). I got 99 problems, but deciding which program to attend ain't one. Always look on the bright side right?

http://www.boredpanda.com/lesson-about-privilege-awareness Should've shared this in my earlier post. Really great example of how we become blind to our privledges.

When I was in high school, four of my friends applied to MIT. Two upper middle class white men, one middle class white woman, and a first generation Indian woman who was still fairly wealthy. The two women got in and the men did not, all all they did was run their mouths about how "unfair" it was. First of all, both of them got into institutions of a similar caliber (Northwestern, Johns Hopkins) so it wasn't like they were totally blocked from obtaining a degree. Also, it is completely up to the institution who they would find a better fit. Personally, your credentials can only say so much. An upper class white man with a first author pub and a ton of research is not necessarily a better fit than a lower class minority woman with less experience. This is why we write SOPs- so our personal experiences can differentiate us. Wanting diversity in an entering class isn't unfairly helping others- its creating a better environment for everyone.

I think he's been banned. Also I'm *so* happy someone finally taught us how to count to 10! OP, I'm sorry for all this nonsense. Hopefully it didn't make the decision any harder than it already was.

Is it that departmental funding is only guaranteed for three years at UH and then you advisor would have to fund you? I would reach out and ask. Also this post made me lol, being from NY- these two have completely opposite climates.

My mom and my sister have this exact same relationship... I don't get it. Parents can be baffling.

Also this is wrong. Penn State is 3 hours roughly to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and it is not easy to get there without a car. Also lol, a village. If you want to know about State College, feel free to ask- but I'm convinced he has no idea what he's talking about.

Don't listen to this guy. McGill has a fantastic reputation in the US. If you're concerned about economy, then look at funding. If McGill guarantees your funding, why does the economy even matter? McGill also works closely with many US based schools, which will also you networking options. And about his "cold" complaint- I went to undergrad 1 hour south of McGill and now I'm at Penn State. Winter is winter everywhere, you honestly won't notice the difference between PA and Montreal. Also look at your POIs- where have their students gone on to get jobs? If most of McGills students wind up working in Canada, think about if you'd be happy settling there. Personally, I would choose the school that let me see my family. Five years of graduate school is tough. Having a support system is crucial. Honestly, it's the phrasing of Bernard1992's posts that alarm me. They aren't constructive or helpful, and obviously he's just trying to troll you. Try to ignore it as best you can. There will be people who think a US school would be better, but you have to make the decision that is best for you.

Stony Brook University Chemistry, PhD (F15) Rejected via E-mail on 13 Mar 2015 I 13 Mar 2015 report spam Undergrad GPA:3.0 (GPA-Chemistry Courses: 3.10); Grad-GPA: 3.6; Average GRE; Strong Recommendations; 7 Years Research Experience; 8 Years Teaching Experience; Publications: 2 Books, 16 Journal Papers (my h-index is 5), 5 National Conferences (4 Posters, 1 Workshop); Outstanding Researcher (2 times); Distinguished Lecturer; Outstanding Chemistry Student; Two Hot Papers (Elsevier); Reviewer for Three Journals (11 papers). //////////// The Admissions Committee has reviewed all of the applications submitted for the doctoral (Ph.D.) program in Chemistry at Stony Brook University. After careful review and consideration of your application, we have determined that it will not be possible to offer you admission for the Fall 2015 term. There were many strong candidates for admission this year, which made decisions difficult and time-consuming for the Committee. Your application was very well presented, and our inability to offer admission reflects the intense competition for a limited number of openings. You are to be commended for your achievements so far. We encourage you to continue your studies and are confident you will find another graduate program to match your interests and excellent qualifications. We thank you for your interest in the Chemistry Ph.D. Program and extend our best wishes to you for your future success. Talk about a laundry list of achievements...

I feel like this is the result of having academic mentors, but not professional mentors. Many PIs have the fault of pushing their students more towards academia, because that is what they know the best. My department has actually been actively working to bring more speakers from outside academia to give us the chance for mentorship and examples to follow.

I'll put my two cents into this debate, I suppose. While it's true you don't want to specialize too early, it doesn't hurt to have an idea what you want to do. As an undergraduate, you should take as many chemistry classes in as many areas as you can. (I also took advanced math and physics courses) You'll never know what lab you'll land in as a graduate student, or even beyond. I always knew I wanted to do biochemistry. I took a variety of classes (from Cell Biology to Modern Physics, and a ton of chemistry in between) and they all kept pointing me back to biochemistry. If you had asked me as a senior undergraduate, I would join some sort of protein lab in graduate school. Now, here I am- a first year graduate student. I rotated in two protein based labs- one straight up biochemistry, and one enzymology/structural biology. I also rotated in an analytical lab. Joining a program that allows you to do rotations will let you explore your options. I had a friend who came to my school completely set on doing organic synthesis- then he rotated in the enzyme lab and loved it. You never really know. The lab I landed in (fourth rotation) is very interdisciplinary. My advisor describes it as "physical, analytical, and biological all rolled into one". Granted, there's nothing really more I can do about my background now- but taking all of those classes definitely helped me out. I'm in a chemistry lab but I'm actually a biochemistry student, which is grouped with molec and microbio, so I can't really speak to the reading papers debate. I do know that I could probably make sense of a synthesis paper, maybe. Bioinformatics papers still confuse me to no end. My department is very collaborative, so if I ever needed help, I could reach out to another graduate student or faculty member. (One of my friends is big into genomics, she's really helpful!) In my opinion, you don't have to speak all of the 'languages', but you do have to know enough to ask someone.

http://mashable.com/2015/03/11/career-profile-college-professor/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link I found this article and found it interesting, figured you all would like to see it. I give anyone who finds this kind of life appealing a lot of credit- a lot of work for not a lot of thanks it seems!

My bioinformatics professor says Cold Spring Harbor is one of the best places for genomics right now. I don't know much past this but he constantly raves about CSH. Not sure if this helps at all.