struggleknot

Here we go??

I could 100% see them doing that lol If it's real, this is what I assume would be happening.

Ngl, I swore it was going to be this Tuesday. If that's been the pattern for the past 10 years, why would we expect them to break it now? If it is real (which I think it is), I'm just happy I can finally get this over with.

In 2020, the answer was yes...? I got the email (for HM) before I saw my result in the portal, but only by 5 minutes or so.

Fastlane still accessible, as is research.gov.

The maintenance windows were never this short... yeah? Shortest I've seen thus far is 2 hours, but maybe they worked something out?

I wasn't published when I applied last cycle (I'm in grad school now and perusing through this thing to see how the COVID cycle is going), and I got into UCLA for organic and my application at Caltech (for organic) was also heavily considered there.

This is true, I very vividly remember watching (and commenting) on the 2020 thread before it was deleted late spring/early summer. Such a shame.

Just heard back, not selected! All good I suppose.

Nothing heard yet. As someone previously said, there were about ~900 folks who applied this year (usually 700-800), so they might be taking more time to decide who gets interviews, especially if they intend to have the same number of interviewees rather than proportion of people selected. In previous years though, people usually heard back around yesterday or today for interviews.

I want to say it depends on the field and like general pool? Then again, it's kind of a crapshoot... some years people have gotten almost straight E's and weren't even awarded..

Honorable Mention senior undergrad (chem synthesis, IM/BI): E/G, E/VG, E/E Varying comments about the broader impacts of my project, but all said my GPA and research was good and that my personal pursuits were acceptable. ok. I expected this.

The website said April 21st!

honorable mention! senior undergrad in chem, so i'm very happy. I can't wait to try again when I have more experience under my belt.

When they say "released" do they mean they'll email us? How will they notify us? Just wondering bc this is my first time applying (senior undergrad) and I'm also on West Coast time and am a pretty hardcore night owl.

I'm pretty sure they have a category only for people on gap years (level 2, so basically right above senior undergrads, but right below first years). I remember it was a classification on the app. And yes, based on what I've heard from panelists/reviewers, you're only compared to those in your own level.

Before you say anything, I swear this isn't a humblebrag/shitpost, I'm actually being serious. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into some of the top chemistry PhD programs in the country. I've narrowed my final choice down to Stanford, Berkeley, and Harvard, all very good schools that do very good science. I was able to visit the first two schools before the COVID outbreak cancelled visits across the nation, including Harvard's (who then cancelled their virtual visit). I didn't fall fully in love with Stanford or Berkeley, but I want to say that I liked Berkeley better than I expected (the students there felt genuinely happy or at least very honest/open, I like the research, and the PI's seem reasonable), but Stanford less than I expected (I had a miserable visit weekend, something about the students seemed off, but I did like the faculty over there better). It's also good to note that I'm from the Bay Area (closer to Stanford). The stipend at Stanford is $46.6k, while Berkeley's is $36k. I heard sometimes Berkeley kids grasp at straws to pay rent and necessities, and the stipend at Stanford is just enough to pay for rent and food after taxes, but I'd need to pay for half the cost of my health insurance there, which isn't great for a person like me. I was hoping to get a good impression of Harvard and the Cambridge area during a visit, but obviously that couldn't happen. I've managed to get in touch with a few PI's and some students there, and I think in terms of research, they might be my top, although I'm still looking to get more viewpoints. I know things there have changed in the past few years (gender ratio, work-life balance, etc.) but I can't get a gut feeling of a department (like I did with Stanford and Berkeley) without actually being there. Harvard's stipend for my first year is about $32.2k (well, they said they might adjust it to be higher). I have no idea what that means for living in the Boston area. Does anyone know how I should go forward making a decision, especially when I might want to commit to a place without visiting? Additionally, if you have any advice you want to offer about any of these schools, please drop it down in the comments! Thank you!

Thinking of going to Cambridge (Harvard) in the Fall for graduate school. PhD program pays me stipend of ~$38k I think. Does anyone have any recommendations on living situations? What's the on-campus living situation like: dorms or apartments? Would it be ok/affordable for me to rent a small apartment out in Cambridge (like a one-bedroom/studio)? Any advice appreciated!

That first statement is for the undergrad admissions only, I believe. In grad school, they still care about your whole four years, even though your last 60 credit hours are the most important, I believe.

I always kinda emailed them a thank you (and a "hey i'm applying") after we talked. The only instance I actually did this was by a specific request by a PI; she told me "email me when you submit your application".

Domestic applicant (USA) here, 800 (79%, my score) is considered "excellent" according to my very reputable PI.

I finished taking the GRE this morning and got a 155V and 167Q (322 total). I'm looking to apply to chemistry grad programs, and was wondering if that score would warrant a retake. My overall score should be around the average for the schools I'm applying to, and my quantitative is higher than all those averages. However, my low verbal score seems a bit iffy. I also haven't received my writing scores yet, but I don't think I did terribly. Besides the GRE, I have a good GPA (3.92), and some pretty fairly decent/good research experiences. What writing score should I be looking for? Does my current score warrant a retake?

Ah I see, yeah I'm in a very similar situation too school+department wise. Our degree is ACS accredited and has like.... over a dozen major courses? We have very few electives though, and no graduate courses.

Hi everyone, I'm planning to take my GRE (general+subject) in the spring/summer and fall of 2019, respectively. Unfortunately, I've never been very good at reading comp (ok at vocab if I study up) when it comes to standardized tests. Due to scheduling requirements and other degree related things, I have to take biochem the fall of my senior year (fall 2019), the time when I have to apply to grad school, so I really only get one shot at the chemistry subject. Has anyone been in a similar situation testing-wise and would be willing to share some studying tips or resources with me? I've never been so sure as to how to study for a verbal portion of an exam (yes, I did very bad on critical reading on my SAT), so any suggestions (besides doing practice exams and vocab cards, which I'm already doing) are really appreciated. For those with experience/insight, should I basically study up on biochem before I take the actual class so I'll know just enough for the GRE? In general, if I want to make it into a good PhD program (not necessarily Harvard or Princeton, but maybe like some nice state schools like Texas, LA, Davis, etc.) what scores I should aim for?

My school recommends (actually requires) that all chem majors (regardless of future concentration) at least both quantum+thermo pchem, mechanics+introductory E&M physics, and at least calculus 2. Out of curiosity, what year are you?