prolixity

Graduate student dorms.

You got that backwards.

I might suggest applying to Harvard's SEAS. You'll have the opportunity to work with anyone in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, at the med school, at the Broad, at MIT, etc. You seem competitive.. I also attended community college and share a similar story with you. I had a slightly higher GPA (3.8), but I was just pure chemistry and not chemE.

Is this what motivates you: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/education/8139/8139education1.html ? Your stats are fine. Better than mine were. Just make sure you have good letters of reference (hint: people from NAS help a ton). Don't stress, it's unbecoming a future R01 professor.

This is not entirely true. You need to figure out exactly what you want to do (subdiscipline and specialty) and then find the school that offers the best program. Some lower ranked schools become very prominent when one considers specialties (example: UC Riverside/UC Irvine in Atmospheric Chemistry). What do you want to do with your life?

Lol, dude you have a serious persecution complex. I'm too busy in lab, working on my PhD, to care about my reputation on this forum.

Better retake that GRE and improve your GPA.

Is someone proposing a chemistry/geology drinking contest?

If I had quit every time my main instrument broke.. I'd have left grad school about twenty times in the last year alone. Learn how to fix things/program. That's what you're in grad school for, no?

Yeah, I'd say that Verano place is more modern than contemporary.

Harvard.

Your other questions: 1) Depends on the group and the amount of interest by your peers. Rotations are great for this reason. 2) I recommend the dorms for your first year. You will make a ton of friends outside of your discipline. 3) Harvard has an oral research proposal after your second year. When you pass this, you advance to candidacy.

I'd prefer not to mention any specifics about where I work or speak publicly about any specific professors. That said, there are tons more people doing theory at Harvard, especially within the physics department (plane-wave surface DFT, etc.). We have not received any discouragement about working outside the department. Many students work at The Broad Center, MGH, the med school, the physics department, the molecular biology dept., even at the school of public health. I know two students (not in my year) who are affiliated with Harvard but work at MIT. Don't worry about being limited to the chem dept. at all.

Students at Harvard sometimes conduct research with two PIs, though it is more common to see students working under one PI while collaborating with an allied group. Group meetings often have visitors from other groups, as there is a HUGE amount of cooperation. You'll find that some students work independently and others do not. I prefer to work independently, but I still meet with my peers to discuss problem sets before they're due. The chemistry program is very diverse, and some of my best friends are internationals. Our cohort often throws parties and outings to Boston, and these trips include everyone. You will blend in as well as you try to blend in, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't worry too hard about the multicultural environment at Harvard..

I'm just speaking from experience. There is plenty of collaboration, cooperation, and interaction between the students. That said, I hope you are able to arrive at a decision. Both are excellent programs.

I would recommend "The art of writing reasonable organic reaction mechanisms" by Grossman. This is a mechanistic approach to understanding organic chemistry rather than a memorization-based approach.

This is a false assumption. Did you visit Harvard last week?

yep.

Yo, no hostility intended.

I'll tack on to this: Harvard graduate students in chemistry can work for PIs at several highly-visible institutes and campuses as well, including the Broad Institute, MGH, The Harvard Medical School, other Harvard Schools, and MIT. I noticed a lot of prospective students had no idea about this during visitation weekend and only met with PIs within the Chemistry department.

Read my quote again. We're married dudes whose wives attend other universities - as in living "separately". Food is food. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. Dudley house is "an" option. I don't know of anyone who bought an extended meal plan, though the food is convenient if you don't have time to cook.

Seriously, you are the most annoying person who ever lived.

Don't worry about it. I'm 29. There are five married guys, besides myself, on my floor. All of our wives are pursuing degrees at other universities. The average age is obviously weighted toward the lower end of the twenties, but it's really a non-issue. It's only an issue if you let it be one .

Move to the dorms - your social life (imagine meeting people outside of your discipiline - GASP!) and wallet will thank you. Hint: Perkins is best (also, there's a secret fifth floor if you have lockpicking skills). I can't walk anywhere in this city without seeing a friend doing something..

I'm sorry, but I have to call you on this giant mountain of tripe. Harvard is a collaborative and expansive environment. Because of the size of the laboratories, a student is bound to encounter individuals with whom he does not get along; however, there is no generally toxic atmosphere as you've described. Your characterizations of the personalities of the two schools are also quite incorrect. There are many labs at Harvard in which the students are expected to be self-directed. There are many labs at Scripps in which the students are kept under thumb.