Please suggest me CHEMISTRY grad schools for Fall 2012

[ah233]

I am applying for Ph.D in chemistry (not M.S)

Firstly, I am an international candidate and selection procedure for int. applicants are at least 5 times more stringent than domestic applicants. So guys, please suggest widely. 2ndly, plzz suggest me 4 safe schools (98 % chance of getting admitted) after reading my scores, grades, field of interest, research exp. etc. THANK YOU in advance.

GRE: Verbal - 660, Quantitative - 750, Analytical Writing- 3.0

TOEFL: 106 out of 120 (speaking - 23 out of 30)

Sub GRE(Chemistry) - haven't appeared yet, will appear Nov. 2011( expected score around 75 percentile)

Research exp. - 5 months(thesis submitted), worked in theoretical phys. chem

Grades: 8.83 out of 10 ( decent,not excellent grades keeping in mind grades given in undergraduate level in Indian universities)

Field of interest: Physical Chemistry (not decided whether experimental or computational)

Letter of Recommendations: will not get excellent LoR's, rather receive decent ones.

PLZZ GUYS SUGGEST WISELY 4 SAFE SCHOOLS (98% CHANCE OF GETTING ADMITTED).

Edited April 28, 2011 by ah233

[UnlikelyGrad]

Field of interest: Physical Chemistry (not decided whether experimental or computational)

We really can't help you unless you narrow this down.

It doesn't matter how good your scores are: if you are not a good 'fit' in terms of research interests, you won't be admitted. End of story.

Spend some time reading journals and thinking about your strengths and weaknesses and get back to us with better research interests.

Or--if you aren't sure--talk about your current project, what you liked about it and didn't, and maybe we can help you refine your interests somewhat.

[ah233]

I was asking just looking for few suggestions----- that with my GRE/TOEFL score range, grades and research experience 4 safe universities to apply for.....just wise suggestion....I just dont wanna spend my time n money applying in unreachable grad schools or schools where there is say 50% chance of getting admitted even with good fit in terms of research interest....... And for that research interest thing...I have time to think for (about the subfield ----experimental or computational)... it definitely would be physical chemistry ( I did my undergraduate research in phys. chem).....within the phys. chem domain I have 2 think ....and yet again THNK U 4 replying....

Edited April 28, 2011 by ah233

[Eigen]

You haven't really given us enough to go on.

From your stats, you aren't a particularly strong candidate, but you aren't really weak either, which means there are probably about a hundred schools that are possibilities for you- that's a lot to narrow down without much more specific information about your research interests.

Your AW score was definitely on the low side, and I think that sparks more worry with an international student than it would otherwise. Because of this, your SoP will need to be very clean and well written, imo.

5 mos of research experience is a start, but it's on the low side. Most of my cohort had several years of research experience when they applied, and I'm at a lower ranked school, all things considered.

The really worrying fact, to me, is that you don't think you'll get strong reference letters... And those are very important.

You're focusing on what schools you can get into based on your GRE/TOEFL, Grades... And those really aren't the factors that will decide your admission. Fit, letters of rec, and SoPs will be the determining factors in most cases.

That said, fit and your research interests will go a long way towards overcoming these issues, and give you a wide range (>100) of potential schools that you'd have a shot at, I'd say. Schools with a greater than 98% chance of admittance, though? It's too hit or miss for that.

You *really* need to decide between experimental and theoretical, though, as most departments lean one way or the other with their faculty in physical chem, from what I've seen.

Edited April 28, 2011 by Eigen

[ah233]

as I did my undergraduate thesis on theo. phys. chem ( specifically molecular dynamics simulation), as of now my research interest would be molecular dynamics simulation, focussed on biomolecular simulation (using AMBER/CHARMM package)..... another thing is that here in India we have a full semester of research project, with only minor amount of coursework. So, its like doing a 5 month of Ph.D work...only research, nothin else . At the end of that few guys might get a publication in a decent international journal. For my case, my work also might get published in ' Journal of Molecular Liquid' (Elsevier),an average international journal as told by my supervisor. But all these again depends on my supervisor [ JUST HOPING IT GET PUBLISHED BEFORE DECEMBER]

So now u guys can suggest ???

Edited April 28, 2011 by ah233

[chaospaladin]

I am applying for Ph.D in chemistry (not M.S)

Firstly, I am an international candidate and selection procedure for int. applicants are at least 5 times more stringent than domestic applicants. So guys, please suggest widely. 2ndly, plzz suggest me 4 safe schools (98 % chance of getting admitted) after reading my scores, grades, field of interest, research exp. etc. THANK YOU in advance.

GRE: Verbal - 660, Quantitative - 750, Analytical Writing- 3.0

TOEFL: 106 out of 120 (speaking - 23 out of 30)

Sub GRE(Chemistry) - haven't appeared yet, will appear Nov. 2011( expected score around 75 percentile)

Research exp. - 5 months(thesis submitted), worked in theoretical phys. chem

Grades: 8.83 out of 10 ( decent,not excellent grades keeping in mind grades given in undergraduate level in Indian universities)

Field of interest: Physical Chemistry (not decided whether experimental or computational)

Letter of Recommendations: will not get excellent LoR's, rather receive decent ones.

PLZZ GUYS SUGGEST WISELY 4 SAFE SCHOOLS (98% CHANCE OF GETTING ADMITTED).

In the other threads you have posted, you have gotten 1 rejection and all wait lists. Are you certain you will not get off of those wait lists and will need to apply a 2nd time? Some people may get off of wait lists like in June and in some cases a few weeks before classes start at said schools.

[ah233]

At present got rejected at three universities....U Wisc, Maryland, G.Tech......no updates from Texas A&M ( taking it as a rejection).....only Stony Brook has officially waitlisted or rather they are saying they are still reviewing my app...... so preparing for next year app.....and looking for applying to safe universities according to my research interest ( theo. phys chem.), scores and grades...... dats why lookin 4 suggestion.......... so anyone have some safe university suggestion ???

[chaospaladin]

I am applying for Ph.D in chemistry (not M.S)

Firstly, I am an international candidate and selection procedure for int. applicants are at least 5 times more stringent than domestic applicants. So guys, please suggest widely. 2ndly, plzz suggest me 4 safe schools (98 % chance of getting admitted) after reading my scores, grades, field of interest, research exp. etc. THANK YOU in advance.

GRE: Verbal - 660, Quantitative - 750, Analytical Writing- 3.0

TOEFL: 106 out of 120 (speaking - 23 out of 30)

Sub GRE(Chemistry) - haven't appeared yet, will appear Nov. 2011( expected score around 75 percentile)

Research exp. - 5 months(thesis submitted), worked in theoretical phys. chem

Grades: 8.83 out of 10 ( decent,not excellent grades keeping in mind grades given in undergraduate level in Indian universities)

Field of interest: Physical Chemistry (not decided whether experimental or computational)

Letter of Recommendations: will not get excellent LoR's, rather receive decent ones.

PLZZ GUYS SUGGEST WISELY 4 SAFE SCHOOLS (98% CHANCE OF GETTING ADMITTED).

Also where do you get these random numbers from? I'm talking about "5 times more stringent" and "98% chance of getting admitted." One weakness in your application could be your missing Chemistry GRE score. Even though some schools don't require the Chemistry GRE, skipping the Chemistry GRE may put you at a disadvantage. Do you already have a B.S. and an M.S.?

[Eigen]

Eh. I didn't take the Chem GRE, and it didn't cause me any problems. If it's not required, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[chaospaladin]

I am applying for Ph.D in chemistry (not M.S)

Firstly, I am an international candidate and selection procedure for int. applicants are at least 5 times more stringent than domestic applicants. So guys, please suggest widely. 2ndly, plzz suggest me 4 safe schools (98 % chance of getting admitted) after reading my scores, grades, field of interest, research exp. etc. THANK YOU in advance.

GRE: Verbal - 660, Quantitative - 750, Analytical Writing- 3.0

TOEFL: 106 out of 120 (speaking - 23 out of 30)

Sub GRE(Chemistry) - haven't appeared yet, will appear Nov. 2011( expected score around 75 percentile)

Research exp. - 5 months(thesis submitted), worked in theoretical phys. chem

Grades: 8.83 out of 10 ( decent,not excellent grades keeping in mind grades given in undergraduate level in Indian universities)

Field of interest: Physical Chemistry (not decided whether experimental or computational)

Letter of Recommendations: will not get excellent LoR's, rather receive decent ones.

PLZZ GUYS SUGGEST WISELY 4 SAFE SCHOOLS (98% CHANCE OF GETTING ADMITTED).

Are you applying to schools that will require the Chemistry GRE? If not, then try to get more research experience instead of wasting time to prepare for the Chemistry GRE.

[Cantorg]

I would not go so far as to completely dismiss the importance of the GRE Chemistry Exam, especially since you are foreign. For example, UW Madison, one of the schools you applied to, explicitly mention that although the exam is not required, it is encouraged for foreign and fellowship applicants.

That being said, your research experience is the most important, so if I were you, I would commit my time to the lab like there's no tomorrow.

[neuroticchemist]

Taken from one of the professors on the admissions committee at my undergrad institution (which is top 10 for grad), if you want to do physical/theoretical, you really need an 800 Quantitative to even be considered. I know that's not necessarily what you want to hear, but you may want to retake the test and see if you can improve on that.

[prolixity]

Taken from one of the professors on the admissions committee at my undergrad institution (which is top 10 for grad), if you want to do physical/theoretical, you really need an 800 Quantitative to even be considered. I know that's not necessarily what you want to hear, but you may want to retake the test and see if you can improve on that.

BS. I only scored a 730 in quantitative and I got into every program to which I applied. I know many others in my program who also scored in the mid 700s for quantitative.

GREs are nothing but formalities.

[Eigen]

BS. I only scored a 730 in quantitative and I got into every program to which I applied. I know many others in my program who also scored in the mid 700s for quantitative.

GREs are nothing but formalities.

This. No one cares about perfect GRE scores, they just want you to be above the minimum. And I'd say probably 700ish in math heavy fields, at least.