Fall 2013 Chemistry and Biochemistry

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

Heard from UIUC and Princeton today! I wasn't expecting to hear back for a few more weeks, so it was pretty exciting.

got accepted to illinois and princeton already?

[theoretician]

Heard from UIUC and Princeton today! I wasn't expecting to hear back for a few more weeks, so it was pretty exciting.

Hey, do you mind sharing your stats (GPA, GRE, research experience, etc.)?

Thanks.

[tyther]

Heard from UIUC and Princeton today! I wasn't expecting to hear back for a few more weeks, so it was pretty exciting.

I'm applied to UIUC too, so hopefully this means I hear back from them soon and hopefully it will be with good news.

Edited December 13, 2012 by tyther

[DGKohler]

I currently attend UIUC and happen to be in the group of the faculty in charge of admissions this season. If you've applied and all of your content is submitted the most obvious candidates are hearing back fairly quickly, which I assume is on par with most institutions. I don't think there will be many declines before all applications are in, however.

And to the person worrying about GRE subject scores, you don't need to be worried about getting an 80th for schools. Not sending scores is most likely worse than sending a score above 60, because they're worried more about your other information than that. If you have above a 50 you should send them, because it will look as bad to send nothing as to send a 40. At that point you need to bring the research experience. A 61 looks much better than nothing, and for reference, I got into UChicago, Wisconsin, and UIUC with 68th for fall 2012-2013.

[MadScience]

Hello everyone! I wanted to ask if anyone that applied to Harvard got an email confirming receipt of transcripts or sees them as received on their application status page? I sent mine in over a month ago and inquired about their status and received the following response:

"When a transcript has been matched to your submitted application you will be able to log in to your ApplyYourself account and track its arrival yourself. Because of the volume of mail we receive it can take up to several days before it is matched with your application. Since you were required to upload a scan of your transcript to your application the selection committee for your department will have your transcript when evaluating your application.

We cannot verify the receipt of individual test score reports. Because you self-reported your test scores within your online application the selection committee will have access to your test scores when they evaluate your application. We will contact you if there is a question regarding your test scores."

Has anyone had their transcripts matched to their apps yet? I guess I shouldn't worry based on the rest of their response, but still would like to have everything there and done with.

[brandnew677]

Anyone else applying to UCSB? I sent my transcripts probably around a month ago and my application status still says they haven't received them yet and it's freaking me out because the deadline is on the 15th.

[theoretician]

Oh shit, I didn't even realize Harvard needed hard copies of transcripts. It didn't say it anywhere on the site. I just checked my application and it says it on the top of the academic background page, crap. I just requested transcripts to be sent there but am now worried. Do you think those transcripts needed to get there before the deadline or does it not matter because we uploaded transcripts on the application page?

Also, did you guys send it to the GSAS or the chemistry department? I just sent it to both just incase.

[MadScience]

I believe they do, I was a bit confused though about it too. I got an auto-reply email from them with the following info on where to ship to (I shipped mine to the GSAS):

Additionally, hard copies of official transcripts should be mailed to the following address*:

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Harvard University

Office of Admissions

P.O. Box 9129

Cambridge, MA 02238-9129

Official transcripts sent via an express mail service should be addressed to:

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Harvard University

Office of Admissions

Holyoke Center, 3rd Floor

1350 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

I think though that it shouldn't matter, based on the previous email I posted. Looks like they will use our uploaded transcripts for evaluating our applications. which is good news! I am so OCD though, I have a spreadsheet with all the schools I applied to and who has received what and Harvard is the only one I'm still waiting on confirmation from. I want to mark it off so bad..it hurts!!

[ouang]

Oh shit, I didn't even realize Harvard needed hard copies of transcripts. It didn't say it anywhere on the site. I just checked my application and it says it on the top of the academic background page, crap. I just requested transcripts to be sent there but am now worried. Do you think those transcripts needed to get there before the deadline or does it not matter because we uploaded transcripts on the application page?

Also, did you guys send it to the GSAS or the chemistry department? I just sent it to both just incase.

REALLY? Columbia also requires official transcript? I didn't send it cuz according to their FAQ section, "Official transcripts must only be mailed to us if you receive an offer of admission."

Now I'm confused.

[theoretician]

REALLY? Columbia also requires official transcript? I didn't send it cuz according to their FAQ section, "Official transcripts must only be mailed to us if you receive an offer of admission."

Now I'm confused.

I'm almost positive Columbia does not require an official transcript, just like you said. On their GSAS website, it says to not send transcripts in caps until you have received admission.

[synorg]

that person is probably confused by both schools having the acronym GSAS...

[galloleo56]

Hey everyone,

Good luck and congrats to everyone! I’m pursuing my PhD in Inorganic Chem.

Here are some of my stats:

I attend a small liberal arts school and have one semester remaining for a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics.

GPA:

Overall: 3.75

Major: 3.84

GRE:

General: 152 Verbal(53^rd percentile); 156 Quantitative (68^th percentile); 4.0 Writing (49^th percentile)

Experience

-1 summer + 3 semesters of pchem/physics research at my undergraduate institution, 4 by the time I graduate

-1 Duke/Carnegie Mellon REU with nanotechnology research

-1 internship at the USDA (1 semester) with analytical research

-Lab Assistant since January 2011

3 great LORs

Applying to

Temple University, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Lehigh University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Northwestern, University of Delaware, Cornell University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University

[losthunter]

Since I've been lurking around here for a while, I thought I might as well post!

Pursuing a PhD in Organic Chemistry.

Currently attending a small research university, expected to get BS Chemistry in May.

Overall GPA: 3.89 (we don't have major GPAs)

GRE: V/Q/W 158/165/4.5, Chem GRE 770

Experience

-3 years in an academic lab

-2 summer internships in industry (both well known companies doing medicinal chemistry)

-1 manuscript in progress for my work in industry

4 great letters (2 from industry, 1 from my PI, 1 from professor who volunteered himself)

Applying to: Caltech, Scripps (La Jolla), UCI, MIT, Princeton, Columbia (all applications submitted late November, early December)

I already have an acceptance to UCI, so I'm pretty relieved!

[UBackwardsChemistry]

Hey all,

I am applying to a mix of high/low prestige schools (all very good in my research area):

Princeton, Harvard, Caltech, UWisconsin Madison, UC Irvine, UOttawa

I doubt that I'll get into all of these programs, however one is more than enough IMHO. Rough Stats (if anyone's curious):

General GRE: 95/71/73 (bonus points for guessing what chemistry I do)

Chem GRE: 87

GPA: 78.5 (~3.6)

three solid LORs, three summers of research experience and third author on a major publication

Best of luck to everyone.

[MadScience]

Hello! Thought I would join in on the fun and post my stats too

I am applying to programs with a focus in renewable energy research, mainly looking at labs with an interdisciplinary approach to the field, incorporating aspects of inorganic, physical, organic, and polymer chemistry.

Undergrad: B.S. Chemistry, ACS accredited

Overall GPA: 3.99. Major GPA: 3.97

Summa cum laude

Masters Degree: M.S. Immunology

Overall GPA: 3.87 Major GPA: Guess this is the same? 3.87

GRE: V/Q/W 500/760/3, Chem GRE 680 (yeah, not sure what happened with my GREs..I swear I can write! And do chemistry! )

Experience

-2 semesters chemistry education research, NSF funded project

-4 semesters total synthesis research

-2 years immunology research

-2 first author publications, 1 more first author pub in progress

-10 academic awards (including organic chemistry research award, undergraduate fellowships, various merit based scholarships, and also received my university's most distinguished award given to one student per year, etc)

-Vice President of an honors society at my undergraduate institute

-Developed and implemented a mentoring program for high school students at my university's honor's society chapter

-1st place in a poster competition

-Several community service awards (youth volunteer of the year, most hours in a nursing home award, etc)

-Served on committee for various functions at my undergraduate institute (i.e., student representative for academic irregularity council, student representative for college of science to elect teacher of the year, etc)

3 stellar letters (1 from chemistry education research mentor, 1 from organic synthesis research mentor, and 1 from immunology research mentor)

Applying to 13 schools: MIT, Harvard, UNC-Chapel Hill, UVA, NC State, Wake Forest, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, Brown, Duke, Tufts, Notre Dame, Purdue (all finished in Mid November). Only submitted chem GRE where it is required, not if it is only recommended.

I've already been accepted to UVA and NC State so I am super relieved now that I am guaranteed to go somewhere!

[MadScience]

To the other person that posted that they got accepted to NC state on the results board, did you get any information about a visitation weekend or funding?

[theoretician]

Hey just a quick question I was wondering about, if anyone knows the answer: If you can't make it to a school's visiting weekend because of a conflict, will the school still fly you out to visit another time or if you want to visit, will it be on your own dime?

Thanks.

[MadScience]

Hey just a quick question I was wondering about, if anyone knows the answer: If you can't make it to a school's visiting weekend because of a conflict, will the school still fly you out to visit another time or if you want to visit, will it be on your own dime?

Thanks.

According to the response I've received from a few schools, they should still reimburse you in these cases. There is usually a limit to how much they will reimburse though, so make sure you check with the school before planning your trip to make sure you don't get stuck with a fraction of the tab.

[ScienceGiraffe]

To the other person that posted that they got accepted to NC state on the results board, did you get any information about a visitation weekend or funding?

i recieved a letter today. visiting weekend in March and a stipend package. did you get the same letter?

[aphextriplet]

Stats:

Attended a top-30 university (public), graduated May 2012

GPA: 3.91

GRE: V-167 Q-163 A-4.5

Experience:

1 year (three semesters) in analytical research lab

1 summer in research lab at German university

7 months in analytical lab at Dow Chemical (current position)

Two solid LORs and an okay one

Seeking a PhD in analytical (electroanalytical or separations)

Schools: Washington, UT Austin, Arizona, Utah, Virginia, Colorado State, and Oregon State

How's everyone holdin' up? My nerves are racked - been checking my emails every couple of hours. Man oh man.

[theoretician]

To the person who got the interview invite from UCSD, would you mind sharing the interview weekends?

 

Thanks.

[Looking to the horizon]

Did anybody hear from Princeton Chemistry? (Or the subsets of Chemistry?) I applied to Environmental Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, and Molecular Biology.

[theoretician]

Just got my first acceptance today: UCSD!!  So psyched to get one before the holidays.

[Looking to the horizon]

Yay! Congrats, theoretician! Btw what dept(s) did you apply for at Princeton?

[theoretician]

I applied to Chemistry departments everywhere and then Columbia and Harvard were Chemical Physics PhDs (but are still under the Chemistry department).