ghostar

So I guess my response to your question regarding instrumentation is that it's not something that helps stand out any significantly.

I would expect instrumentation to be part of a student's research experience. I personally would be suspicious of students who claim to have experience in organic synthesis but don't know how to operate an NMR. Different models/brands work differently, yes, but one should have experience running "an" instrument that is crucial for research, like NMR, IR, and MS are for organic. Undergraduate research experience that doesn't provide training in relevant instrumentation is poor preparation in my opinion.

Agreed with fancyfeast. Given highly competent credentials like what you have, I feel like acceptance would depend strongly on the LORs and fit with the program & research. One could have all first-rate stats and still be rejected if his/her research interests and goals do not align well with the program's, for example.

Congrats on your Berkeley acceptance! Sorry to hear about the UCSF situation It's weird that your application was considered complete without the transcript and was allowed to be submitted as is.. Did you find this out when you logged onto the website to check the status of your application or something? I would definitely recommend contacting the program coordinators. The UCSF staff are some of the nicest I've interacted with (at least for CCB, which I applied to). I hope they would be understanding of your situation!

I would direct this question to the PI himself.

Haha, this made me go check my own Linkedin profile views. Yeah, apparently someone from TSRI has checked my profile ~1 week ago. I also got more than average # of views from Anonymous members all throughout December..

Nothing from Chemical Biology.

This doesn't have anything to do with the application cycle, but I saw this photo just now on Facebook and wanted to share: http://goo.gl/NmtULe Taken at what happens to be my top choice school (for organic) XD Looks like the PI wasn't too enthused about their students being gone for so long, haha. Happy Holidays everyone! Wish you all good news in the next coming weeks.

Neither, still waiting for both.

This is reassuring =)

I can't say for sure, but I really hope grad programs don't reject you for a 3.0 AW score. That test is terrible fot gauging your actual writing skills.

Oops sorry, I misread your original post regarding your GPA. Having a strong recommendation from a well-known PI would certainly help. Was your GPA low because of poor grades in your chemistry courses or other electives? If you have strong chemistry GPA then I don't think it would be too bad. Definitely apply to a couple back-up schools to be safe.

Also, your GRE score, was it (154 V & 168 Q) or (154 Q & 168 V)? It's hard to tell which one based on what you put. I would be concerned if it's the latter.

Which top 10 schools? What is your GPA? "Not in the 3.0s" is vague. I suppose the minimum that could be is 3.5, which I don't think is too bad. I wouldn't say 2 years of research experience puts you behind, especially if you have a manuscript in preparation.

They definitely help your application, but they're not essential. The quality of your LORs matter so much more.

Haha, for that matter, even I don't know what my preferences are at this point! I don't think I will know for sure until after visiting and meeting the faculty and students in the program. Agreed that this is not worth stressing over. I just thought it was a little strange they asked that.

Eh, I suppose. I'll figure something out. Thanks guys

Okay, that makes sense. In this case I guess my back-up school will know that it's my back-up. Oh well.

Apologies if this topic has been discussed already - I was just not able to find a thread about this in the Chemistry forum. When graduate programs ask us to list other programs that we're applying to (some even ask to rank them), what are they really asking for? And why? The only plausible reason I could think of was so that graduate programs can strategically plan their visit days, but given that the visit days for all my programs are confirmed already, I couldn't think of how else this information could be helpful/desirable. Any ideas? How did you guys approach this question?

Update: I just received an email from TSRI confirming that my application is complete. This was with my official GRE score report delivered 2 days after the application deadline. So don't worry for TSRI if your GRE score report is delayed.

Ah, I see. I think you are doing the right thing by focusing on your current biology classes and the GRE, which are still under your control. Does your GPA show an upward trend? If so, that would be helpful (at least better than a downhill trend) and maybe something to note in your SOP. Be sure to speak to your work supervisors about grad schools as well - they know you way more than we do and may be able to offer more specific advice. Good luck! If you find any interesting journal articles that you would like to read but don't have access to, feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to send you their reprints.

I wouldn't worry about it. For some of my schools, the deadline for letter writers are actually 2 weeks later than the application deadline, so it's possible that your professor has a later deadline for his LOR. I really wouldn't stress too much.

This is not true at all. Call your programs and tell their coordinators that your official GRE score report will be arriving a tad bit late but soon in the near future. They're pretty understanding. This is also why most programs ask for unofficial/self-reported GRE scores.

What do you mean when you say that your GPA doesn't accurately reflect your aptitude? Aptitude for what? I wouldn't worry too much about the GPA as long as it is above the absolute minimum required for your programs (for chemistry most say 3.0, but I'm not sure about food science). The PI I worked with this summer, who also happens to be the department chair of one of my top choice programs, told me flat out that an applicant's fit with faculty research and the graduate program is way more important than the GPA. I would also recommend taking a look at the applications to programs you plan on applying to next year, and start thinking about your personal statements and letter writers. Which 3 references will you be asking for your LORs? if you have anyone in mind, it would not hurt to consult with them for their advice as well. Make a list of faculty you would like to work with, and spend a lot of time figuring out how to pitch yourself to demonstrate excellent fit with their research and the graduate program.

^ Just noticed this as well. Not only is it annoying to double post under two different accounts, but your history also indicates that you've asked the same question in multiple threads in the Chemistry forum alone. It really isn't the Gradcafe community's job to pick out your choice of safety schools.