prolixity

In regards to chemistry: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/education/8139/8139education1.html If you want to be a professor at a top 10 university, it certainly doesn't hurt to have pedigree.

Dunno. Got my chem phys letter (which is offered by the Chem Dept. in conjunction with the Physics dept.) about a week ago (small envelope, btw). Maybe the chemistry committee hasn't met yet? I mean the timing of these things are all pretty arbitrary.

Does anyone else feel a sense of guilt or regret when you end up sending a negative response to a university? I built up a relationship with some professors at some of these institutions, and I feel terrible telling them that they weren't my final choice.

Accepted at Stanford today. Hard decision now, since the profs I'm looking at at Harvard and Stanford tend to collaborate quite a bit. I guess I have to choose if I want a Chemical Physics degree vs a Physical Chemistry degree.

Hi, It's customary to hang on to no more than one acceptance offer at any given time. It's okay to not respond to the university immediately, as long as you ensure you respond by the deadline given in the acceptance letter. University of Washington is an excellent school, but according to US News and World Report (for some reason people treat their rankings as if they meant something tangible), it isn't ranked as highly as some of the other schools. (here's the USNWR rankings list: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-chemistry-schools/rankings) You should definitely consider the socio-cultural aspects of the city at which you'll be studying. I'm not sure what your ethnic background is, but some areas of the country are more friendly to immigrants from certain areas than others (this is a gross generalization). Professors are important and university prestige is also important. I've heard some say that there is a general rule that one cannot become a professor at a university ranked higher than the university one earned his PhD, but I know of many exceptions to this. Good luck.

Best birthday ever: Madison (pchem) and Harvard (chem Phys) said yes.

I always receive the ubiquitous, "so what are the real-world applications?", when I talk about fs TAPPS spectroscopy of nanoparticles. For me, the joy isn't in making a better iPod, but in studying the physics involved. No one, I repeat, no one, outside of academia can understand this. Certainly, we'll have better solar cells, new cancer treatments, better catalysts for the oxidation of water, superior biological dyes and protein sensors, etc.. but no one understands those either. The joy is in operating bad-ass laser systems. That's it.

Dear other schools, please reject me already so I can make my choice.

I have two friends who were accepted into MIT as well. They both had GPAs of >3.8, and scored in the ninetieth percentile for Subject/general GREs.

Admits are sent throughout the admission period. The first batch of applications are reviewed, standouts are accepted, others are outright rejected or placed aside for consideration later. This proceeds until all slots are filled. So if you're competitive at a high level, but not a standout, you might not be accepted in the first wave.. don't fret if others have already been accepted.. that's all I'm saying.

Only heard back from UC Davis and UC San Diego. Madison, Boulder, Stanford, Harvard, and Michigan have not responded yet.. I'm willing to bet some of these schools have rolling admissions..

Thanks. Congratulations, I hope to hear the same news soon. It's an awesome school (but I hear the Winters are brutal).

Letter came in the postal mail or via email? I haven't been at home since Dec 17th, but I've also applied and they're rated high on my list.

Yes, Davis offered me a generous stipend/full tuition with TAship or Grad Research stipulation. It's an expensive town to live in (compared to the surrounding area), but there are cheap options available.. I'm looking at maybe $900 for a 1 bedroom place near campus. UC Irvine takes the cake when it comes to grad housing though.. I currently pay $900 for a 2 bedroom apt while the rates in the surrounding area are about $1500-1600 (wife is grad student @ UCI)

I just toured a few labs at UC Davis and I was quite impressed. The professors were knowledgeable, friendly, and excited to talk about their research with me. There were some AWESOME laser systems including several home-built NOPAs, a Terawatt system for high energy nanoresearch, some really interesting work on photochemistry/water oxidation, and what I found to be fascinating (unexpectedly), was a forensics laboratory employing surface science techniques such as laser desorption, UHV apparatuses (FT-MS, FT-RAIRS) and some other cool stuff. I've been accepted at much higher ranked schools, but rankings don't really mean anything in the broader scope. The research was exciting and dynamic, and the university itself is on an upward trend as older professors are being replaced with younger PIs. I'm inching closer and closer toward sending Davis my SIR.

I just bought an old book on the chemical physics of cosmetics at a used bookstore for a friend of mine who wants to follow that route. This stuff is pretty sweet: reduction potentials of different additives related to their utility as pigmentation agents, colligative properties of make-up.. who'da thunk there'd be hardcore chemistry in make-up. Anyone know of any schools that offer specialized curricula in cosmetic chemistry?

I'm interested in molecular spectroscopy, atmospheric chemistry, semiconductor nanocrystals.. Applied to P-Chem programs.

So UCSD and UCD have both responded already. My stats aren't all that stellar, so don't stress ya'll. GRE: V650 Q730 A-5.0, Chem Subject: 680 3.7 GPA 2 years of UG lab experience 1 Summer REU in Germany 7 years of Industry chemistry (before earning B.S.)

Seriously? You have nothing to worry about. Your GPA and your GRE will not be what keeps you out of a decent program.

I don't have much to contribute beyond: the attitude of the Yale "recruiters" at a graduate fair I attended prompted me to ex the university off of my list of schools to investigate. They aren't even ranked highly in my field. These two blonde-haired pasty recruiters, sitting at their booths, glaring at each and every person who walked by, when approached and asked for information by multiple members of my party at individual instances, scoffed, guffawed, and merely gestured toward a stack of papers held stationary by a rock on their table. I'm not sure what their function was, besides lending credibility to the elitist reputation held by the university. Harvard, on the other hand, hosted incredibly friendly recruiters who actually looked me in the eye and smiled! Because Harvard is ranked fifth in my field, I know I have so-so chances of acceptance, but I donated my $105 to the endowment anyway. It's nice to be treated respectfully sometimes. Of course, one can't judge a university by its public face; however, it almost seemed as if Yale was intentionally conveying a message of superiority and smugness through their selection of the most unfriendly recruiters I've ever met.

You sound like you're well prepared. I would advise you to study less for the GRE and work more within your stated interests. The GRE ain't hard enough to merit all them extra books and lernin. Professors at graduate schools will be impressed if you mention in your statement of purpose: Filler. Filler. Ideally, I would like to work with Professor XXX, as his recent publication "Blah Blah Blah" speaks directly to me, as I've spent the last four years of my life studying the same material. Filler Filler. Filler. Seriously, for every school you apply, you should mention one (and only one, unless the application specifies otherwise) professor by name and why his research interests you in your SoP. I think the amount of familiarity you can gain with the materials in which you're interested over a Summer (and improved ability to communicate your interest in it) will translate to much more application success than a difference of 100 points on the GRE. You may also learn more about the programs of interest in this manner.. email professors with questions about their methodology (in a non-confrontational manner), if you engage them in intelligent dialogue, they'll be likely to remember your name when you apply. Oh, also, since you're a year away.. identify the schools to which you'd like to apply, register to apply online using a dummy email and save the essay/personal statement prompts. The school is likely to reuse the prompts year after year, so you can polish these suckers during your downtime rather than during the school year, as most of us have had to do.

It's better to do your PhD in smaller labs where the prof has something to prove and takes personal interest in your research. Save the big-name labs for the post-doc work where you'll get more than a form letter when you ask for a reference. A school's reputation can only take you so far though; by far, it's better to amass personal achievements than ride on the ivy coat-tails.

I live in graduate housing at UC Irvine. It is possible to be granted an exception if the dog is prescribed by a doctor for anxiety conditions (hint).

A little late to the game but for future reference: Sacramento traffic bottlenecks on the Causeway (I-80) in West Sacramento. You will, I guarantee - will, spend needless hours of your life trying to cross the American River floodplain to get to Davis. If you plan on living outside of Davis (though I recommend only living in the city), check out Woodland (tweaker/trailerpark ghetto) and Dixon (hickville, with hispanic gang influence).

I'll be starting at 28. Yeah, I'm old, but whatever - I don't ever want to work for a corporation again. In Germany, most of the PhD students I met were in their late twenties.. granted, they had to earn their diplom (more or less equivalent to a thesis-based masters) before they could proceed to full doctoral apprenticeship.