Fall 2012 Chemistry

[zainyousaf]

Hi

I am an international student from Pakistan. My stats are cgpa 3.62/4.0 scgpa 3.95/4.0, gre general 170/155/4.0 and subject score is 870 (92%). Good LOR and 1.5 years research experience no papers yet. Do i have a shot at top ten or should i focus between 10-30.

[liveoak]

Hey guys,

I wanted to get some opinions on a problem I really wish I wasn't having right now. My profile for applications (fall 2012) looks like this:

at a top 25 public university

GPA: 3.8/4.0

GPA (chem): 3.9/4.0

GRE (gen): V: 152 (56%), Q: 160 *84%), AW: 4.5 (76%)

Research experience since end of sophomore year, along with REU at Colorado State

The problem: I just got back my Chem GRE scores by calling ETS, and they are FAR below what I would like (<40%)

Obviously by my GPA you can see that this is not my normal performance. I did not have the time I would have liked to prepare for this test and had other circumstances preventing me from doing well on test day.

My question is whether I should try to address this in my SoP (with out making excuses, somehow) or just leave it out. And also is there a way to stop the ETS from sending it to school who do not request it? I was applying to Yale, Princeton, and Columbia who all at least RECOMMEND it, so I just threw it on my non-stretch schools that I was already sending my general scores to as well (Colorado State, NC State, Vanderbilt).

Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated

Don't sweat it! My undergrad research advisor went to Stanford with a GRE subject score in that range. And no, I don't think you recall score reports. They shouldn't use those against you though it they aren't required.

[Eigen]

I'll add: go ahead and get your applications in. Lots of schools in Chem do rolling admissions, and it never hurts to get in the stack early. I know our adcom really prefers to look at people as they send them in!

I got all of my applications out various times in October, and I had all my admits by November- it worked out really well, as I was able to schedule visits to the schools over Winter Break.

You don't necessarily have a handicap if you submit late in the season, but I think at a lot of programs, it's really helpful to get them in as early as possible.

[clemson448]

Eigen and LiveOak, Thanks for the encouragement and advice.

Another quick question. I am submitting my SoP's and noticed most of mine are about 60 words over the normal 1000 word limit. Do you know how strick they are about this? I feel that I am already leaving things out to cut it down to this and cutting another paragraph would be very difficult.

[Pnictides]

Eigen and LiveOak, Thanks for the encouragement and advice.

Another quick question. I am submitting my SoP's and noticed most of mine are about 60 words over the normal 1000 word limit. Do you know how strick they are about this? I feel that I am already leaving things out to cut it down to this and cutting another paragraph would be very difficult.

Don't you mean "strict"?

[clemson448]

haha yes I do... It's finals week on top of all these apps. Needless to say I'm not getting as much sleep as I should be.

[Eigen]

+/- 100 words is what I've heard as a "rough" feeling.... Here's a thread on the CHE forums you might find useful, basically all the prof's are pleading for shorter rather than longer- but it's for a 3000 word writing sample. YMMV.

I'd say you're probably fine at 1060, but you could always e-mail and ask.

[veele]

I am an international applicant. Applying to Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, and Berkeley in Theoretical Chemistry.

GRE: 800Q, 540V, 3.5A. Chemistry: 810

Toefl: 115 (30L, 29W, 29R, 27S)

GPA: 4.6/5.0 (~4.8/5.0 major), already graduated with First Class Honors.

Some awards.

4 years of research experience since sophomore: 3 summers, 2 UROPS, final-year project, and 1.5 years as RA.

3 first-authored publications in ACS journals and another first-authored paper under review (accepted recently).

What do you guys think of my chance? When I applied I thought these schools are the only places I wanted to go to, and my supervisor told me to apply to only top schools. Now I'm thinking I am mad, but it's too late...

Do you think I'm out of my mind? I am on fire waiting for the results now...

[nechalo]

I'll add: go ahead and get your applications in. Lots of schools in Chem do rolling admissions, and it never hurts to get in the stack early. I know our adcom really prefers to look at people as they send them in!

I got all of my applications out various times in October, and I had all my admits by November- it worked out really well, as I was able to schedule visits to the schools over Winter Break.

You don't necessarily have a handicap if you submit late in the season, but I think at a lot of programs, it's really helpful to get them in as early as possible.

You should post your results to the database; I personally had no idea any chem departments made decisions that early. The earliest I've seen in the database has been beginning of December (someone at U Florida just this year)

I started submitting apps mid-to-later November and finished my last one today. No admits for me yet though.

[Eigen]

You can't post past year results, or I would. My admissions all I came in 2008 and I didn't join or find the Cafe until 2009 after my first semester.

[ah233]

I am an international applicant. Applying to Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, and Berkeley in Theoretical Chemistry.

GRE: 800Q, 540V, 3.5A. Chemistry: 810

Toefl: 115 (30L, 29W, 29R, 27S)

GPA: 4.6/5.0 (~4.8/5.0 major), already graduated with First Class Honors.

Some awards.

4 years of research experience since sophomore: 3 summers, 2 UROPS, final-year project, and 1.5 years as RA.

3 first-authored publications in ACS journals and another first-authored paper under review (accepted recently).

What do you guys think of my chance? When I applied I thought these schools are the only places I wanted to go to, and my supervisor told me to apply to only top schools. Now I'm thinking I am mad, but it's too late...

Do you think I'm out of my mind? I am on fire waiting for the results now...

@veele Are u from MIT ?/ or a international student completing undergrad from MIT ?? (i heard they have a 5.0 scale CGPA) .

[muhammadaffawn]

Hi

I am an international student from Pakistan. My stats are cgpa 3.62/4.0 scgpa 3.95/4.0, gre general 170/155/4.0 and subject score is 870 (92%). Good LOR and 1.5 years research experience no papers yet. Do i have a shot at top ten or should i focus between 10-30.

Hey zain!

Your stats are pretty good. I think you will be able to get in at least one of the top ten. However, I would recommend, rather than applying in only the top ten, you should also apply to some safety school. I guess you are applying in berkeley, mit, and UIUC. I would say, rather than MIT, apply somewhere else, like texas austin etc. Also, if someone else is applying from your institute, then your chances of getting into that school are reduced. I hear Abidi was also saying this, "do not cut each others' throats!"

:P

[twb]

Looking at the results page, someone got into UC-Irvine today for chemistry! No stats though or information about when they applied. If it was someone who reads this thread, please fill us in!

[mcstev13]

Looking at the results page, someone got into UC-Irvine today for chemistry! No stats though or information about when they applied. If it was someone who reads this thread, please fill us in!

That was me. I got a call today from a professor who I hadn't mentioned on my SOP. However, he said that another professor (who I had expressed interest in) was very impressed by my application.

He also mentioned that this was a sort of "early-admissions" wave of acceptances that they wanted to get out before the holidays. Visitation dates are in march, but he said that they would be sending out an acceptance packet within the next couple of weeks that gives more detailed information about stipend, visits, and other administrative things.

EDIT: I sent in my application the second week of November.

Edited December 13, 2011 by mcstev13

[twb]

That was me. I got a call today from a professor who I hadn't mentioned on my SOP. However, he said that another professor (who I had expressed interest in) was very impressed by my application.

Congrats!! It looks like on the results page there's another person who hear from UC-Irvine too, the same way that you did...

[veele]

Congratulations mcstev13!!! You have already got two offers! That's really amazing, especially to hear back from the schools this early.

ah233: No, I'm not from MIT. I think I wouldn't be here whining if I were from MIT . I didn't do my undergrad in US. You are going for computational chem too! Good luck :-)

Good luck everyone, and have a happy holiday!

[process chemist]

I have all my materials in for Virginia Tech, and all I need to do is submit my application; however, I have an eerie feeling about applying there because of the recent string of shootings at the school. I am applying to this school to fulfill an obligation for a fellowship that I am applying to, and I cannot change my choice of universities. Should I still apply?

[synorg]

processchemist:

I'm from northern virginia and about 50 ish kids from my HS goes to Tech every year. I don't know anyone who has studied chem there, but I can promise you that none of them regret their decision to attend VT. if you can handle living in blacksburg (not really near anything), then you'll enjoy it. there's an incredible sense of community at VT, and incidents like these, while tragic, tend to heighten the sensitivity to unusual behavior.

in case you hadn't read, the recent shooter was not a student. I'm actually not sure if they've even determined motive. going to VT is by no means any more dangerous than a school located in a major city.

hope that helps

[process chemist]

@synorg

Thanks for the add. I was aware that the shooter was not a student, but I think it is more a sense of campus security. I went to a small HBCU and the administrations built brick and iron gates around the university because the "locals" were robbing students on campus.

[twb]

on the results page someone in bio heard back from Scripps today....I hope chem people start hearing soon too.

[mcstev13]

on the results page someone in bio heard back from Scripps today....I hope chem people start hearing soon too.

There's nothing I want more in this world than to get an acceptance call from Scripps.

[twb]

There's nothing I want more in this world than to get an acceptance call from Scripps.

Awww is it you top choice? I'm trying really hard to stay neutral between all of my schools so I won't feel as bummed by ones that I am rejected to =)

[process chemist]

Just doing some research and came across a great resource to brush up on some organic rxns for prelims.

http://evans.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/problems/search2a_selectKeywords.cgi

[contretemps]

Just wondering what do you people do to keep yourself preoccupied? How do you keep yourself from being obsessed in waiting for the decision e-mail? The wait is killing me. I have nothing to do in the Christmas break so I imagine myself being in the computer all-day pressing the refresh button.

I can't believe I have to wait until the end of January for the results (according to last year's results page).

[synorg]

when i go home for break, i'll likely be spending a lot of time with friends, watching football, going to the gym, and playing skyrim... i can count on those things at least partially distracting me