chemistry vs. materials science

[tempura]

Hi all!

I'm a rising junior at my undergraduate institution, studying the likes of chemistry and physics. Although I love chemistry, so far the work I've done is mostly materials science, so I was thinking materials science graduate school versus chemistry. Here are some questions I have.

-How are admissions different for chemistry vs. materials science?

-Since I'm continuing my major in chemistry, what sort of materials science courses should I take?

-Will it matter too much that my major isn't officially "materials science?" My school doesn't really have a set materials science and engineering program that some school's do.

-What do top schools in materials science, like stanford, MIT, Berkeley look for?

I know that I'm posting this in chemistry, and may seem a little odd, but I was hoping there would be people that had experience applying to both chemistry and materials at the same time (I'll be on that boat), and could offer advice!

Thanks in advance!

[UnlikelyGrad]

My department (chemistry) does lots of materials science research. So I have lots of peers who do research that might be found in a materials program, but would rather have their degree officially say "chemistry" for some reason or another. I also have peers who started in chemistry and transferred to our school's materials science program without a hitch...

So I don't think a chemistry background will necessarily be a hold-up for you. Do try to maximize the number of related courses you take (e.g. as much inorganic chemistry as possible, surface chemistry if you can, etc.)