process chemist

It has to be research fit, as most students to graduate programs have not worked with the famous professors. Those superstar profs in chemistry exist only at certain schools, and most students don't have access to them, even with the NSF-REU programs. But research fit is most important because it allows the program to connect you directly with a prof who does work that you are interested in, because you are going to have to spend 5-6 years there as a PhD student. It would be unfair to you for a program to grant admission to a student, and then have the student find that nobody in your program is doing the research that they want to pursue. Also, talk to students in these programs. They give you an unfiltered view of their programs. I was hell bent on applying to a program, until I spoke with a grad student in that program at a conference. He told me that, if you are not one of the top students in you cohort, you probably will not end up in a lab of your choosing, and may get pushed into joining any lab. So you may go in wanting to do inorganic, but may be forced to join a biochemistry lab.

I am applying to mostly MS programs, so that I can bring up my GPA and be more competitive for PhD programs. But the few PhD programs that I am applying to are the ones I fell in love with when I attended the ACS conference in Denver, and saw the kinds of research that was coming from those schools in synthetic organic.

So has anyone thought about what the cutoffs may be with this new scale. On the old scale, you needed >1200. For the new scale is it safe to say that you need >150 in each section?

Guess I will start. Applying for fall 2012 applying for organic (synthetic organic). UC Davis (PhD) Boston University (PhD) Virginia Tech (PhD) Miami of Ohio (MS) University of Toledo (MS) University of Akron (MS) Kent State (MS)

I got a 610V (highest score of both attempts) on the old GRE and I bombed the Quant section, but I retook it and got 650-750Q on the new one. I don't necessarly remember the Verbal range, but I overall had a lower verbal score than my first attempt at the GRE. How will schools view these scores? Will the adcoms say "He got a 610V (highest verbal score) on the old one, and he got a 650-750Q on the new one, so his score is 1260-1360 composit" or will they just compare composit scores from each attempt, and then decide if my scores on either attempt pass the cut-off scores.

This is a very productive discussion. I retook my GRE. I bombed the old one, but I did much better on the revised version, and I even bumped my quant score up (I don't know by how much thought). I got a 650-750Q, what does this mean, I have no idea, but I hope it means something good. My question is more general in how will the adcoms at grad programs, and fellowship orgs. view the new scores. I heard this rumor of a conversion chart, but will they look more at hard numbers or percentages. I have a feeling that the percentage will count more than your actual scores using the new scale. I just submitted part I of my fellowship app, and I hope all turns out well.

Lets be clear on LORs. If even one of your recommendors sounds anything but excited to write a letter for you, don't put them down as a recommender. I know a person who got a crap LOR from former professor who said pretty much said that, "this person is smart, but he/she is lazy and needs to be pushed" or "this person got an A out of my class, but was just ok in lab". Statements like these can really screw any application, regardless of GRE scores or transcripts. The guy had a 1450 GRE and a 3.8 GPA (UG), 4.0 (MS) and got rejected from all but one of his target grad schools. He got into Vanderbilt for Cancer Biology, but that was only because he did an REU with one of the profs, and he had to pull the student's application and fight for his admission into that year's cohort.

There is just so much content to digest, and to brush up on. I can only recommed you get your old text books and just hunker down. I think for organic, a suitable review would be MCAT materials. I have some old MCAT books, I am using to brush up on my organic with, in addition to working back through the book. Also, for the PChem section, I would suggest breaking down the first three laws and all applications; which, should cover a good deal of it. For the Quantum part, brush up on all math up to Calc. III, or Diff. Eq. and anything you can muster up (Normalizing Wave Equations, Work Functions, Energy Transitions, etc.). I wouldn't expect too much Quantum from the PChem part beause you just don't have a calculator to do all of those tedious calculations and unit conversions with.

Does anyone have an idea of the best (or even good) programs for synthetic organic chemistry? The best program that I saw with particular interest in synthetic organic was Boston University.

Well, consider the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are very close to one another. Also, with all of the political issues surrounding the postal service, Saturday delivery may soon be a thing of the past. If I were you, I would take it the first week of November, and allow ample time for my scores to arrive, and I would also call the school(s) to ensure that my scores were recieved before everyone leaves for the Christmas break. Therefore, I would have about three weeks for it to reach its destination. But, also remember, that these schools go on break like a week or two before Christmas, and the profs and the office staff will be very busy. Just some things to think about.

Are you going for an MS or a PhD, and in what field. These scores would get you into very competitive programs in many of the sciences, but I think it is utterly insane that you are thinking about taking the GRE again. The problem is obviously not you scores, it is most likely in other parts of your application. Did you write one blanket SOP for every school, if so, you may want to spend your time fixing that. Also, are you sure that your LOR were solid? Some LOR writers write letters, in spite of the fact that they have nothing positive to say about the student; which, I feel is unethical, but hey. You have a 1440 composite, with 70+% in each area, you don't need to take the GRE again; unless, you are trying for a MS or PhD in Engineering or Physics, where getting at least a 760 Q is the norm for most programs.

I would say take it again, but really buckle down. I am in a STEM field, and I got a 610 V, and I studied really hard for the verbal. The way I did it was to but the Kaplan 500 word list (available at any Barnes & Noble), and Barrons has a list of 2500 words available free online. I also purchased the Barron's 800 word book. All three of these are extremely adequate in preparing you for the vocabulary. The reading comp. comes from hard work, and practice. You have to make time to do this, your Quant scores are good, but you just need to get your Verbal up and you are in there.

I was thinking of getting a MS at a place where it is funded. After finishing, go to a competitve school

I am settled on the fact the I will need to get a MS before I proceed to a PhD; because,my undergrad GPA (Chemistry, 3.2/4.0) is not high enough to be competitive for most of the PhD programs that I want to apply to (not Harvard or Yale, but ranked in the 30s-40s). I could apply to some really lowly ranked schools (100s) and possibly get admitted, but I will always wonder, "what if I got a MS first, then apply?" I was wondering if getting an MS first to improve my stats (GPA), and possibly get a pub will make me more attractive to a broader range of PhD Programs. I have tons of research experience in academia, and in industry, but my GPA and my GRE (1190, 610V, 580Q- I have been out of school for some time I was a math minor. I got nothing less than an A in all math classes, including Multivariable, Engineering Math, Diff. Eq, and Modern Algebra.) will hold me back. I am preparing for the new GRE, and hoping for the best.

I was wondering if those of us who are taking have to take the new GRE would be better off if we studied using GMAT math resources, rather than the resources currently available for the GRE Quant (Kaplan, PR)? I know this is kind of an odd question, but isn't the GRE's reason for changing the test was that I wanted to be comprable to the GMAT?

I think you will still need the vocab. I saw some examples where you had to pick all words that applied, and some required a high level of vocabulary.

I took the GRE last week, and I got 610V/580Q. I am in the sciences and I finally got it in my head that I may have to get a masters before going for the PhD. Is this score even competative for MS admissions into science programs? I am taking the new GRE in October, but even if I do well on it, I will probably still go for the masters because I have been out of school for 4 years and I am really rusty in all areas of chemistry, with the exception of Analytical (I work in Analytical). My undergrad GPA is 3.2, I have seven years of research experience, and no pubs.

My area is indeed chemistry. I guess I was thrown off by seeing quant first instead of verbal. My overall profile is an undergrad GPA of 3.2 and seven years of research (3 years academic, 4 industrial). I want to go into organic chemistry or cancer biology, specifically drug delivery of chemotheraphy targets.

So, I prepared for seven months for the GRE. I took it today, and lets say... the results were not what I was hoping for. 610V/580Q. So...should I just think about applying to schools (PhD) or should I register for the new GRE. I don't care where I go, I just want to go to school, and a damn test is keeping me out. This is senior year of high school all over again. This happened to me on the ACT. I took it four times before I scored a 23. I hate this dame thing, I can normalize the wave equation, but I can't solve remainders?

I had this question myself. My last year I was taking mostly electives (PE, art, sociology, etc.) and I think the value of my last year are not that great because I was a Chemistry major. I think a stronger metric would be the GPA of all of your major classes, (for me Math, Chemistry, Physics). For someone in the social sciences, I feel the metric should be somewhat the same, but I don't really know the classes you all take.

Also, gather any e-mails he has sent you, or any work plans, or notes from informal discussions you had where you took notes about any proposed work.

What you are saying is very serious. It is call scientific misconduct, and should be reported to the dean of the college. If you are a victim of this, you need to cover you butt because if he has pulled this before, he could turn it on you. I hope you are asking a blanket statement, and it is not real. I have been a victim of this, and you need to take the necessary steps, and gather the necessary docs (copy NB pages and keep four sets, two in your house, one at your desk, and one with a trusted confidant), to clear this up. This is where having a great NB (notebook) comes in handy, because if he didn't record it as he did it, he didn't do it (standard GMP, GLP science). He should not be taking credit for your work. It is time to make waves, it may hurt, but trust me, if you are connected with this in any way, it may come back to bite you later in your career. Read about the MIT scientific misconduct case, and your state'slaws on this. This is serious.

I am going through the same thing Here is my profile Undergrad GPA: 3.20 GRE: Taking it in three weeks, will update later Research Experience: 7 years (3 in Undergrad, 4 in Industry) Research in: Organic synthesis of RTM processable resins, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (Academic). Process Analytical Chemistry (Industrial). Pubs: None, but I have eight (8) technical reports from my job (5 first authors). Posters: 2 (1 @ NSF Conference, another at Global symposium for my company) Interest: Bioorganic Chemistry. Specifically, drug delivery targets for cancer and neurodegenative diseases, structure based drug design for more effective cancer therapies. LORs: Strong from supervisors and co-workers Schools (All Chemistry unless indicated otherwise): 1) Michigan State 2) Stony Brook 3) UMass Amherst 4) Syracuse 5) Northeastern 6) Tufts 7) UMICH PIBS - Pharmacology/Biochemistry 8) Stony Brook - Pharmacology 9) Wayne State - Cancer Biology 10) Wayne State - Pharmacology 11) Northeastern - Pharmecutical Sciences/Drug Discovery and Delivery I am thinking of putting an adendum to my essay, or put a few sentences in my essay concerning my senior year. Hurrican Katrina hit my home, and I had a tough year (having to work two jobs, and go to school full time). I am thankful for the extra semister I stayed because I was on a roll before my senior year hit (3.8Fall GPA/ 3.9Spring GPA) with an overall GPA of 3.40. My last semister GPA was a 3.20 after a depressing senior year of 2.8 (C in biochem), and a 2.5 two D's in biochem. I personally believe that the GPA could be overcome with Pubs, and extensive research experience. The PhD is a research degree, nothing more nothing less.

I am taking the GRE on the 21st of July. I have been taking CATs for the past two weeks. My scores are: PowerPrep 620V/680Q 540V/600Q (Rushed through Quant, counted at least 6 problems I knew how to do, but didn't read questions carefully) Kaplan 660V/690Q 670V/620Q What else should I be doing?

I am taking the GRE on July the 21st, and I have taken both of the PowerPrep exams. My scores are as follows: PowerPrep 1: 620V/680Q Comp: 1300 PowerPrep 2: 560V/ 600Q Comp: 1160 What does this difference of 140 points mean. I felt ready after taking the first PowerPrep, but now I am questioning my preparation. Any advice would be helpful.