Fall 2012 SoP HELP!!

[synthetichead]

Hi Everybody,

The time to start applications is getting frustratingly close and I am beginning to panic. What I would really like to know is if/how I should address my deficiencies (mostly low GPA) in my statement of purpose. Here are my stats:

Overall GPA 3.45, Chem GPA 3.51, GRE 460V 780Q 3.5AW (retaking GRE in August) Have not yet taken chem GRE. I have been doing ongoing research (including 2 summers) for 2 years now in one lab, with a relatively famous organic chem professor, that will result in a publication before the application deadlines. (not first author). I do expect 3 solid recommendations. Also, I have done very well in all of my upper level chemistry courses (mostly A's and some A-'s) and have a consistently increasing GPA alongside an increasingly difficult work load since freshman year.

I plan on applying to 10-15 schools for a Ph.D. in organic/medicinal, a handful of which are top programs like Scripps, Columbia, MIT, etc.

I truly do have a great passion for research and I am very efficient in the lab. How can I convey this in my statement of purpose to make up for my low GPA/GRE scores?

Thanks.

P.S. If anyone else has similar credentials I would be very interested to hear about your experiences!

[thedelstar]

Why did you get your C's / B's? How did you improve back to A's?

Don't give excuses. Explained what you learned and how you improved from your poorer grades.

My GPA went to hell because I took the 3 hardest and most time consuming classes in the dept at the same time. I thought I could do it. But I learned to set more realistic goals. I explained in my SOP.

I don't know about how to explain your low GRE. But have you let your advisor read your drafts of SOP?

[prolixity]

Own your grades and don't apologize for it. Confidence in your abilities (and the expressed confidence of others in your letters of reference) are paramount. Talk about what projects you want to work on, and with whom. Don't get too specific, but you could maybe talk about how you want to, for example this is what I did: implement a method for in vivo super-resolution microscopy using thiol-capped quantum dots by exploiting their blink frequencies for point localization. etc.

You aren't required to follow through on the plans..

You know, come up with an idea, state what you want to do with it and with which professor you'd like to do it.

My GREs were 580V/730Q/4.5AW with a 3.8 GPA. Chem GRE was 48th percentile. I had no publications but two years of research... I was able to obtain entrance to every school (chemical physics at top 5 universities) at which I applied, despite my GRE scores.

It helps if you have the confidence of a professor in the National Academy of Sciences or a similar prestigious organization.

[synthetichead]

Thank you both for your advice. I apologize for the delayed response. It has been a rough semester.

I'm finally finishing up with my statement and I avoided mentioning anything about my poor grades and just focused on my positive experiences and goals.

I do have a handful of great recommendations, one of which from my research advisor who is in the ACS hall of fame so hopefully that will carry some weight. Keeping my fingers crossed.