synorg

unfortunately, we could be waiting another two weeks before hearing back from NDSEG.

got it. first time applying, but also a first year grad student. E/E E/E VG/E pretty surprised since i didn't have publications. congrats/good luck to everyone. now if i can somehow fall asleep before having to go to the airport in two hours...

you should have gotten something in the mail from each school that accepted you. in that packet there would be a card of some kind where you check a box and sign your name and send it back.

yeah berkeley will be totally screwed now that another school has landed you...

calm down. i wasn't putting down your grad plans at all. it was just a perfect opportunity to lighten the mood with an arrested development reference.

when i said "you would be woefully unprepared for classes" i was speaking directly to the OP. chem Es get enough chemistry coursework under their belts to do fine in grad classes. a typical undergrad chemE curriculum includes most of the undergrad chemistry curriculum, in addition to more math and about ten chemE-specific classes...

as someone who did both chemistry and chemical engineering in undergrad, i think you'd have a very difficult time. i think it's much more reasonable to go from chem e to chemistry. you would be woefully unprepared for classes. and while research is more important in grad school, you still must have some fundamental understanding that an undergrad chemistry curriculum likely would not provide. combined with a lack of research experience, i think you'd be wasting your time. why do you want to go into chem e to begin with? if you're young enough, just change majors. otherwise, that ship has probably sailed. :/

it's annoying, but i think you're underestimating the amount of shit these people have to do. the profs are obviously super busy, and the folks in admissions are probably miserable this time of year. what it all comes down to is the fact that sending rejections is the least critical piece of admissions. sucks for applicants, big time, but that's the case.

Yes. It's almost mid March. Most of these schools are in the middle of, or finished with, their visit weekends. Top schools especially do not add students at the last minute for the sake of having a full class.

fwiw: the NDSEG facebook page replied to someone's comment in mid february stating that the office plans to give out 200 awards this year. who knows if they will stick to this over the next few years, but it appears that this year's awards will not be affected by the sequester.

i'm glad yall at least listened to that part

so you're bringing a question about dental admissions to a grad school forum? cool, got it. taking summer classes probably won't hurt you too much, since i'm sure there are plenty of practicing dentists who were garbage in organic chemistry, general physics, calculus, etc. i think you're just asking the wrong people about this. ask your pre-dental advisor, or a pre-med advisor at your current school. they'll probably have a better understanding of the process. i'm still confused by all this shit you're involved in given that you say you're pre-dental and that you wish to go into academia... i don't believe i've ever taken a class from a DMD, nor do i think any administrators at my current or former institution were DMDs. now if you wish to counter this with "yeah but i said DMD/PhD" then to you i say, as i said before, do research. in general, research based higher education requires prior experience in a research environment. i'm not saying what you spend time doing is a waste, i actually think it's great. but the end goal doesn't seem to fit.

it doesn't sound like you're good at organic chemistry... from my perspective, it seems like you're trying to do the classic pre-med shit where you start/join every club you can think of. i suggest that you instead focus on things you have a GENUINE interest in, and do those things well. admissions committees for PhD and MD programs will see right through "i tried to do this, but i got a C+ because i was doing like a billion other really impressive things... and no i suppose i didn't stand out in any of them. this is probably because i'm just such an overachiever that i had to constantly go from club to club. i don't even remember what that one is for. LOL" and faceplant. this might be pretty harsh, but a)pre-meds are the worst, and b)STOP SPREADING YOURSELF TOO THIN. if you really want to pursue a PhD, you should probably not spend a summer retaking a class. Quit making excuses for yourself (read: attention problems) and finish strong. good luck

ask the PIs you like when you're on visits whether they'll let students start early. weigh your options at that time. i strongly suggest you give yourself a break before jumping into the deep end haha

you will all have, well, ALL OF YOUR TIME to spend in the lab pretty soon. calm yourselves.

you should give each school full consideration. this is not a decision you should cut corners on. good luck!

and the station closest to caltech isn't super convenient either... don't do that to yourself haha

you'd probably need to get a rental car to make that at all possible. that sounds downright miserable, though. i'd try to avoid doing both in the same weekend...

just an fyi, tulane is not a state university of louisiana. it has no affiliation with lsu.

also worth noting is that after you rsvp for a visit date, you'll likely get some sort of itinerary before you actually make your trip. so go through the list of events and be mindful of "dinner with faculty" or "outdoor activities" to make sure that you've got the right attire for the whole weekend. it won't be all fun and it won't be all business so be prepared for some of each.

i don't go to any of the schools you applied to. but yeah, i don't think this is uncommon. i bet most people simply don't notice the wording. in any case congrats on getting in.

i believe my current school's letter to me said "congrats you have been recommended for admission to the graduate school...blah blah" i believe this is just a formality and you are in. it's probably some last check to make sure the institution has enough money and such.

it would be a good idea for you to have a friend who is a native english speaker to proofread your essays. the things you mentioned should make you competitive but it's not an exact science so the only way to know is to apply and find out.

that person is probably confused by both schools having the acronym GSAS...