metallocene2015

I got an email last week from a POI I listed in my app-he said that he's on the adcom and that my application (in particular my strong research record) caught their eye and that he would like to hear more about my research. I wrote back and now he wants to call me to tell me more about his research (I also asked him about that). I also got another personal email from a prof from a school that I didn't apply to.

I know that they won't get it now but what I meant was if I am admitted and they ask me for my final transcript (which would include my grades for this semester and even the following semester), would it look bad if I withdrew from research training next semester. All the schools I am applying to require that I submit official final transcripts in the event that I am admitted, which is why I am concerned.

If you are an international student, either the TOEFL or IELTS test will be required pretty much everywhere you apply. The SAT's are actually for college admissions rather than for grad schools so I don't think they will be any help at all. Also, if you are international, the GRE general test will also be mandatory. Depending on your program, the GRE subject test may also be either required or highly recommended- doing well on these tests as an international student could be extremely helpful in making you a competitive applicant. Good luck !

Hi everyone, So I recently submitted all my grad school apps and I was wondering how much my grades this semester matter ? I know that I should still maintain reasonable grades until or even after I am admitted, but will withdrawals affect my admissions status (if I am really admitted)? The reason I'm asking is because I am thinking about withdrawing from my research training class (not because I don't want to do the work but simply because of changes in research interests and the recently found possibility of switching to a research lab at another institution). I am hesitant about actually doing this because as a first year graduate student, this is a mandatory course and my withdrawal from this course may be a warning sign to grad school adcomms. Assuming that I can actually switch to another research group and drop out entirely from my current school to focus on doing research there next semester AND withdraw from research training this semester, will this be viewed unfavorably by grad schools ? I am not sure what I should do now but I am really hoping that being forced to stay in a lab whose research interest do not fit mine isn't my only option.. Any thoughts would be highly appreciated !

Thanks for the comments everyone ! I finally managed to convince my advisor to submit his letters a week before the deadlines and have already submitted all my applications. Hope I'll hear back from some schools soon

Thanks everyone for the really insightful and helpful replies ! TakeruK, I had the same thoughts as you did- one of my safety schools has their priority deadline on March 15th (regular deadline is April 1st) and the two other schools have deadlines in February and March (UBC and McGill)- since the February deadline is the priority deadline for international students I thought I would submit my application at that time. Since my PI is unwilling to submit my application be the priority deadline I thought I would find someone else who can do this to write my other recommendation letter. By the way, do you know what deadline grad schools normally request recommendation letters to submit their letters ? Priority deadline or regular (latest) deadline ? Because if it's the priority deadline then I might be able to keep my PI's letter after all..

Hi everyone, I've started finalizing my grad school apps and I was curious about how much an impact submitting grad school apps early have on my chances of being admitted ? I know that the earlier I submit my app the better it is but would it actually make a difference in my chances of being accepted ? I am planning to submit my app for my safety school (Oregon State U) and my dream school (UC Irvine) ahead of the deadline but my current P.I has already made it clear to me that he can't do that so what I am thinking now is to have someone else who CAN submit my letters earlier write my recommendation letter in his place for these two schools. The problem is that the prof. I have in mind doesn't really know me that well, is known to write only so-so letters and only remembers me from having gotten an A+ in his class 3 years ago. Assuming that he and my other 2 recommendation writers can submit their letters before the deadline for both these schools, is it worth it to trade a potentially strong recommendation for a so-so letter just so that I can (hopefully) hear back from these schools earlier (or have a better chance at getting in)? One of these profs taught a graduate course that I aced and the other one taught a graduate course that I also did very well in and I am currently working as his TA for general chemistry. I am an international student btw. Any advice would be highly appreciated ! Thanks !

I am actually about to start grad school at my current undergrad institution, so I can't really go anywhere this semester. What I was asking was, since none of the schools I am interested in accept spring admissions, is it possible to first join a research lab in the spring (without being enrolled in the school) and then start taking classes in the fall (as an officially enrolled student) ?

I got email replies from 8 of these schools and they all told me that they don't offer spring admissions, almost all of them saying that coursework starts in the Fall and that it would be difficult for students who enroll in the spring term to get into any courses. What if I were to enroll in the spring term to start research work and simply hold off coursework until the following fall term ? Has anyone done this or heard about other people doing this ? There's an incoming graduate student at my current institution who did just that, although I'm not sure if something like this would be possible in the US..

What you heard about their being more spots for physical chemists at top programs is probably true- I've heard this exact statement from the pchem prof at my current institution (he went to MIT and many of his students have also been accepted to top programs in pchem) and also, I hear of far far fewer ochem applicants getting into top schools like MIT and Princeton than I do pchem people. So I guess my answer to the first question is YES.

Thanks for the really detailed and helpful reply ! The reason why I want to get into a PhD program by spring is because..well, basically I am trapped in a lab with a research advisor whose research interests do not fit mine and all the schools I applied to last cycle rejected me (they were all top schools). So I am basically trying to leave my current institution asap

Hi everyone, So while searching for potential grad schools to attend, I noticed that most (if not all) schools I looked at accept only admission for the fall semester. Some mentioned that spring admission would be acceptable under "very special circumstances" but didn't elaborate further. Is this common ? Does anyone know any chemistry grad schools that DO offer spring admission? Would be even better if they are also strong in organic/pharmaceutical synthesis ! Right now I am looking at the following schools: UC Irvine (very interested) UC Davis UC Santa Barbara UC San Diego UIUC UWM UMich UCLA UT Austin Any advice would be highly appreciated Thanks !

I would say that your GRE chem and GPA look good enough, but like you yourself said, that verbal score (and also the AW score) are both too low - try to shoot for at least 160 for the verbal part and 5 for the AW part. I personally applied to Princeton too (as an international student but undergrad) with a similar GPA, higher GRE verbal and AW, lower GRE chem, submitted manuscript and didn't get in- however, since you actually have a published paper AND >90% on the GRE subject, it looks like you have a better chance than I did. It's worth trying if you're really interested but to maximize your chances, try to get that verbal and AW score up- you don't want to give admissions officers the impression that English is a problem, especially since you're international and admissions for international students is already competitive enough as it is. Good luck !

Thanks for all the replies guys ! I actually will be starting a terminal masters program next semester- I simply don't plan to finish it both because I don't feel like my current lab and advisor are not good research fits and also because I don't want my GRE's to expire. My current plan is to get out after 1 semester (or max 2 semesters) and then apply directly for a PhD program abroad. Perhaps that's a better idea ?

Hi everyone ! So I didn't get into my top choice school but was accepted into my safety school. I've heard that people will first apply to a lower ranked (safer) school, do research there for a few one or two years and then apply to top programs. However, I've never heard actual success stories from people I know- has anyone seen or was actually one such success story ? Aside from potential difficulties with convincing POIs, is such an approach actually feasible ? My current plan is to continue start my Masters at my safety school, apply to another grad school this fall, start attending it next spring and then transfer to another (better) grad school 1 or 2 years later. Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

Has anyone heard anything from UCLA yet ? I see that some of the UC schools are already sending out notices..

Admissions director for your intended program-they are the ones that will have this information . There's usually an email on the "how to apply" page for your program that is specifically for application inquiries (although they are sometimes also for general application questions).In any case they will definitively notify before April 15. Good luck !

Your application for admission to the Graduate School in the Department of Chemistry at MIT for the Fall Term of 2015 has been carefully considered by a committee of faculty members from the department. We regret to inform you that it is not possible to recommend approval of your application. Admission is very competitive and the number of new students we can admit is limited by the size of our staff and research facilities. We have acted on your application as promptly as possible, and we hope that you will be successful in gaining admission elsewhere. We wish you all the best in your graduate studies and future scientific endeavors. Same here. And here goes my dream school....

and also I haven't seen any MIT chemistry rejections yet The website does say that rejections will go out in late February though

The FAQ section on their chem grad page says that offers of admission are typically made in mid-February; I guess (and hope) that the earlier MIT admissions posted here so far were made only to the more competitive applicants rather than to all the potentially qualified ones...hoping for the unlikely chance to get wait -listed myself

Wow congrats that's really awesome ! I wonder if this would have worked if you had emailed him instead ? Or whether or not you were already qualified enough to be wait- listed and the phone call simply showed them that you are very serious about your app ? I've actually heard about similar stories before- one about a grad school reject that emailed the school to ask the school why she was rejected and actually ended up getting accepted when they relooked at her app for the reason ! Really interesting to see a real life example

Does this still apply even if the POI is not famous or an authority in his/her field ?

Yea their application status website says that we won't hear back until at least March or April..but I already saw two people get accepted on the results search page so I'm not sure what's going on.....Ahhhh I'm going insane !!!!

I do not have information at this time. We have made the majority of our admission offers. If more, possibly only 1-2. All applicants will receive information by the end of February or sooner. Department of Chemistry Doctoral Program University of California, Berkeley I'm with ChemPlasmonics- based on the reply above I really wouldn't keep my hopes up..all my hope now is on UCLA

I don't know about you, but as far as I go, I don't think I have a chance (esp since I just saw a new UC Berkekey acceptance on the results search page today). As for the email, here's what I asked: I applied to the graduate department of chemistry during the Fall 2015 term. I would like to ask the following questions about my application: 1. Has any decision been made on my application ? 2. If I do not hear back before February, can I assume that I have been rejected ?