[Chemistry Fall 2019 cycle]

On 3/28/2019 at 2:57 AM, chemap said:

Hi everyone! I wanted to get an input on how you guys are deciding what program to commit to. If any of you could please help that'd be great! Thanks!

My ranked priorities when considering multiple offers:

1. Research: I looked into the types of research going on at each institution. I tried to find at least three faculty members that I would genuinely be interested in working with,  but also who are actively publishing.

2. Location: I am more of a city or beach person and I go out a lot so that factored into my choice.

3. Stipend: if the stipend matches the cost of living in that particular location.

4. General vibe: I would highly recommend visiting the school to learn more about the program and the department. But, if you don't get the chance then don't be afraid to email the professors. I was not able to visit every school I got into, so I talked to several professors via email and I got a really good vibe from some of them. I compared my experience with emailing my advisor/professors at my previous institution and the ones I talked to seemed friendlier and more enthusiastic. 

5. Prestige/name: matters for some people, but it is not a "priority" for me.

I am sure there are a lot more factors to consider, but hope this serves as a starting point! Good luck!

 

[Chemistry Fall 2019 cycle]

15 hours ago, NoNo1 said:

Hello. I am also an international student and this is news to me. Did the school tell you what the fees are for?

 

9 hours ago, catalysis said:

Yes, there are other fees (especially for internationals) but they usually are in the 500-1000$ per year range. This should still leave you with enough money to pay for rent and groceries.

Are you sure you read it right? You may want to ask your school for more informations.

I emailed them again today to confirm because I was freaking out and they got back to me fairly quickly. Turns out the online student fees calculator was completely off. The student fees for international students, at least at the school I committed to, are about $2000 a year, including summer. It's totally affordable compared to the stipend so that's great news for me, specially since I was so worried yesterday. Thanks for the fast response y'all!

[Chemistry Fall 2019 cycle]

Hi,  I just have one question concerning chemistry graduate school. I always thought chemistry graduate school was free with a generous stipend, but even though the tuition has been waived, I still have to pay student fees. As an international student, the non-resident student fee is actually more than the cost of tuition. Although the stipend covers the student fees, I am left with only a couple hundred bucks every semester. As a result, I will have to pay out of pocket for personal expenses, food etc, which over the course of a year will be a major investment. Anyone else in chemistry graduate school confronted with a similar situation? Anyone who can share how they manage their finances/ handle their student fees? 

[Venting Thread- Vent about anything.]

Hi, not really venting lol, but I just have one question concerning chemistry graduate school. I always thought chemistry graduate school was free with a generous stipend, but even though the tuition has been waived, I still have to pay student fees. As an international student, the non-resident student fee is actually more than the cost of tuition. Although the stipend covers the student fees, I am left with only a couple hundred bucks every semester. As a result, I will have to pay out of pocket for personal expenses, food etc, which over the course of a year will be a major investment. Anyone else in chemistry graduate school confronted with a similar situation? Anyone who can share how they manage their finances/ handle their student fees? 

[Is the stipend close to a living wage?]

Does anyone know if upon accepting the offer of admission, grad school reimburses you the money you spent with ETS (on the GREs and to have your scores sent to the school)?? Can you ask for a reimbursement or is it considered in a bad light?

[University of Florida PhD Chemistry (F19)]

Now that the majority of decisions have gone out already, anyone who is seriously considering attending UF for a PhD in Chemistry starting next fall? What are your research interests? Any PI that you are looking forward to work with? Did any PI reach out to you? What other schools did you get into and why are you picking UF over these schools? Are you planning on visiting UF in the near future? Feel free to talk about any other UF related topic and to throw in any other questions or thoughts that you might have!

[Chemistry Fall 2019 cycle]

Maybe I aimed way too high even though according to my professors and friends, I didn't. My GRE scores are decent, but my GPA, letters of recommendation as well as research and work experiences should very well make up for them. I got my 10th rejection this week and I am quite disappointed by the overall turn out. Still waiting on my first acceptance, but it is getting pretty late in the game and I'm starting to lose faith.

Anyone who applied for ochem heard anything from NYU, UF (Gainesville) and BC? These were supposedly my safety choices back in December, but right now they're my only hope of getting into grad school and it seems like even they rejected me since I haven't heard anything to date (not even waitlisted, which comes as a big surprise!). Will try my luck out next year if anything.