[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

So if I didn't hear back, does that mean that I am rejected? Or that I am on the waitlist? Or that I am "still being reviewed"?

GA Tech is notorious for sending their acceptances late. They send out acceptances until late March. 

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

Rejection from UChicago. Went to check if there was any update on my application status and found out there was one. I guess I'll be going to UT Austin for sure..

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

Indeed lots are happening.....just not for me (cry)

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

Accepted to Berkeley today through e-mail and a pending phone call from my POI!

 

Congrats! I hope I hear soon from other schools too.. Looks like a lot of early Berkeley acceptances are from Organic Chemistry Program.

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

First off, congrats that is great to hear! What division did you apply for at Texas? I know they handle admissions separately there so I'm curious as to which groups are making decisions now.

 

I've applied for physical chemistry department and got an unofficial acceptance today as well. 

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

I have to get a job over the summer for when financial aid stops covering my rent, so I was planning on trying to find a tutoring job; if the world ended (i.e. I don't get into grad school) I'd probably stick with that.

 

Nice! I was looking at a joint-appointment with an experimental PChem group and a theory-based one.

I have a math and physics background but no formal work in theory unless you consider black-box Gaussian calculations valid (which wouldn't be done at Northwestern anyway); do you know if people from outside of theory often jump into it for their Ph.D. studies?

 

There are a lot of experimental chemists that use theory to start their projects (Ab Initio calculations). One of my research adviser used Gaussian and Cfour to compute the geometries, harmonic frequencies, dipole moments, etc. before beginning his work on IR laser spectroscopy. However, my theoretical chemistry research adviser told me that isn't really a "theoretical chemistry." He told me it's more of a computational chemistry combined with experimental. I was looking for professors that combine both theoretical and experimental chemistry as well and my adviser to me to look for chemistry programs that have large physical chemistry department. Those include "big schools" such as MIT, UC Berkeley, UChicago, Ohio State, etc. He also suggested schools with prestige theoretical chemistry program, but not so much of experimental, such as University of Florida or University of Georgia. 

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

My GPA is a 3.1 and my GRE is 154V and 168Q.

I am looking at schools such as Caltech, Berkeley and Wisconsin.

I am getting a great recommendation letter from a Professor who is known well across the Chemistry society as he was my PI.

I was wondering how big of a difference that would make in the admissions process.

 

From what I've heard, LORs are evaluated after applicants have been "filtered" with the school's criterion for GPA and GRE scores. 

GPA and GRE scores might not be the most crucial part of the application but are important enough to keep people out. 

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

This is not true at all. Call your programs and tell their coordinators that your official GRE score report will be arriving a tad bit late but soon in the near future. They're pretty understanding. This is also why most programs ask for unofficial/self-reported GRE scores.

 

So I emailed the admission's office and checked if these problems matter.

For GRE scores, the administrator told me that this is not a problem and the admission's office will match the score to application whenever they arrive.

For LOR, she told me LORs are accepted after the deadline. I'm not sure if that would put me at disadvantage though.

 

I talked to my professor again and reminded him that the LOR needs to be submitted, but he told me not to worry too much about it, and he would call the admission's office if he needs to take any actions.

I guess that's better than what Whisky said, but it's giving me a hard time.. I really should have expected it because he has a history of submitting grades after the grade deadline..

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

Does anyone know what happens if LOR and/or GRE scores are not received by the school's deadline?

I've got all my part done, but one of my professors still has not submitted his letter yet. As for GRE, I requested the score to be sent last week, but I was afraid schools won't get them on time.

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

I'm pretty disappointed with my score.. I got 720 with 54%

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

Question:

 

For the UC Berkeley Application, what is the format for writing the research summary?

Should it be like a bullet point format? or should it be in paragraphs?

 

 

[Chemistry Applications Fall 2015]

I have a question about calculating major GPA.

So if you had to retake the course and have two grades for one class, should I include both in calculating major GPA?

I know some schools have a policy that would remove the course with lower gpa from your record and replace it with the better one, but the school I attend actually keeps both on the transcript. Also, are there any courses I should include in calculating major GPA that is not a chemistry course? (i.e. Physics, Calc 3, Diff eq.)