Ying Chen

Looks like a tough choice lol. Majoring in Chemistry myself as well, I have learnt quite a few things about USC. It's one of the biggest private research institute in the US, with millions of dollar funding in the school every year. It has a strong biochemistry program. So if you are interested on the more biological side of chemistry USC is the heaven for you. But you also need to always keep in mind that competition in there is extremely intense. Think about not only getting into the school but also come out alive! I think you should think more about which school has your dream professor than which school has the best graduate program. After all you will be working literally 4/5 of your time with this guy/gal in the next 5-6 years. It's time to sit down in front of your computer and start checking out EVERY professor in these two schools (emphasize on EVERY), That's because you may be interested in something from your past experiences, but you can always change your interest if you see an interesting project/problem (that's in my case many times). So it's best for you to know something about everyone at this stage. Keep your mind open. And start doing homework now. Congrats to your acceptance at USC!

Don't sweat it. You will be fine. A result (rejection/acceptance alike) is still better than no news at all, which is what most of my friends are experiencing. Frankly speaking I'd really appreciated the schools who notify me early on about their decisions so I can go for my plan B. So you may have a change to go for your plan B i.e. hurry up and find some other schools or alternatives. Time is money. Time is life. So waiting is not such a good thing to do. A rejection at first is not a sign for anything. Different schools have different consideration - think about it, PhD is VERY DIFFERENT from a Master. Most of us paid every penny of our Master tuition bill out of our own pocket. But PhD is a big investment (~100k-200k total in 5 years) from the school on the student. So it's perfectly understandable that the school would make a very careful choice about who they are picking, because this student will represent the profit and reputation of the school in the future. So long story short, it's more important to work with a compatible professor/program/department than getting a prestigious school, in my opinion. If you got accepted, congratulation! If not, well, don't stress yourself too hard. There's always another way!

Take it easy! Submit the application early doesn't mean you will get reply early. Generally speaking the school will not open your package until application deadline (or at least they will keep an open mind about decision). There's exception though, like SUNY Buffalo offer me admission before their application deadline (March 1). So just check your email regularly. Meanwhile I guess you really want to check out all the professors in detail in all the school you chose so you can prepare for interview.

As far as I've learnt the school uses interview to check your compatibility with the school - ESPECIALLY IN PHD PROGRAMS. A PhD is a big investment from the school so they will choose wisely. You will not be accepted only if there's someone in the dept you are applying to has an interest on what you are interested to do. So really do your homework on the professors before you are there!!

Well I just received acceptance from UB as well - but in chemistry PhD. As far as I learnt living in Buffalo is not as expensive as in NYC which I lived. But it's very cold there. Lots of snow during winter and long snow-time too, If you are from Turkey and if you are sensitive to cold weather, you may need to watch out. Compare to NYC, Buffalo is somewhat boring - not a lot of entertainment, and a lot less cuisine you could dig out after class. SUNY tuition is not very expensive, but you need to manage your living expenses. So congratulation on your acceptance in UB!