Fall 2013 Chemistry and Biochemistry

[brusselsprouted]

For Scripps they said to dress business casual: "A combination of collared shirt (such as a dress shirt or polo shirt), cotton trousers (such as khakis) with a belt, and shoes (such as loafers) with socks is generally acceptable."

 

But I don't know how it is for other schools. But business casual is probably how I would dress regardless of how Scripps does it.

 

When I was visiting schools last year (decided to work abroad for a year, now going through the application process again) people mostly dressed like this. I (female) wore gray cords, a nice shirt + cardigan and flats for the day spent meeting professors and jeans for the second day (normally spent on a campus/city tour). There were definitely people pushing the casual side that didn't look completely out of place but it's always better to look nicer than too sloppy, in my opinion.

[synorg]

also worth noting is that after you rsvp for a visit date, you'll likely get some sort of itinerary before you actually make your trip. so go through the list of events and be mindful of "dinner with faculty" or "outdoor activities" to make sure that you've got the right attire for the whole weekend. it won't be all fun and it won't be all business so be prepared for some of each.

[paperandstaples]

what would you guys say is the best next step if you got a waitlist letter? anyone else get any? i feel like everyone in this thread is getting acceptance letters except me.
what would be the best way to contact them to let them know we are still interested? email? phone? i suck at phone calls tho.

Edited January 15, 2013 by paperandstaples

[cleverfool]

Hi everyone! I mostly hang out in the biology forum, but I have a question you guys might be able to answer.

I was just admitted to UWisc chem (to my great surprise). In my application I selected Chemical Biology as my first choice, with no second choice. However, I was accepted into the Analytical pathway. The prof. who sent the email was one I named in my application, and he does bioanalytical work. So, I guess I am assuming that this professor liked my app. and then I was admitted into his primary specialty. Does that make sense? Why else would they admit me to analytical?

Honestly, analytical chem. was my worst chem grade in undergrad. I absolutely hated that class and the professor wasn't too fond of me, either. So, it would be a bit of irony if I were to end up doing my PhD work in it.

[AJak]

For those of you who also got into Stanford - I received my invitation through mail but never got an email from a specific faculty. Is this something I should expect, or do candidates receive emails based upon subfield or contact preference of the professors?

 

Also, has anyone heard back from Columbia yet?

[Usmivka]

Honestly, analytical chem. was my worst chem grade in undergrad. I absolutely hated that class and the professor wasn't too fond of me, either. So, it would be a bit of irony if I were to end up doing my PhD work in it.

Also worth considering, do you really want to be in a chem PhD, with the coursework and tropes of the field that might entail? I think chem departments are very different environments from biology departments, even when the lab work is the same. I'm not saying its a bad choice, I'm just wondering if it is the best choice for you, given that you weren't applying to chem programs. If you have the option of working with the same lab/adviser but being in another department (not uncommon), would you prefer that?

Edited January 15, 2013 by Usmivka

[bskaplan]

So a lot of people on this forum and the results section have gotten into MIT, and its making me anxious that I haven't heard anything.  Is it a bad sign that I haven't heard yet, because I haven't seen any rejections on here?

[Usmivka]

So a lot of people on this forum and the results section have gotten into MIT, and its making me anxious that I haven't heard anything.  Is it a bad sign that I haven't heard yet, because I haven't seen any rejections on here?

you might check the results postings side of the website, but in general the order goes something like top picks>second round picks~=rejections>waitlisted. The amount of time between each step varies by department (mine tends to be faster since it is a smaller applicant pool and there is greater applicant diversity/it is easier to differentiate candidates).

 

But the logic is that you decide who you really really want to have in the class, then who you would be ok with to fill out the class plus those you definitely don't want, and then the few middle of the pack leftovers get hashed over forever to decide who will get a waitlist spot (or offered a place as the 1st choice picks decline) vs who just wasn't quite there (plus if you are on the waitlist, you have to wait for a lot of people to decline first, so you may not hear anything until after April 15).

 

Long story short, if you aren't at the very top or very bottom, you are going to have to stew awhile. It isn't because the adcoms are sadistic, it just takes time to carefully go through the materials to differentiate a "just made it" candidate from a "barely didn't" and for the top picks to make up their minds. I mentioned this in another thread, but if you are one of those lucky folks accepted all over the place, be polite and decline quickly at the places you definitely won't decide on--it is really unlikely you are equally torn between more than 2 or three schools!

Edited January 15, 2013 by Usmivka

[cleverfool]

Also worth considering, do you really want to be in a chem PhD, with the coursework and tropes of the field that might entail? I think chem departments are very different environments from biology departments, even when the lab work is the same. I'm not saying its a bad choice, I'm just wondering if it is the best choice for you, given that you weren't applying to chem programs. If you have the option of working with the same lab/adviser but being in another department (not uncommon), would you prefer that?

Yeah, it's definitely something to think about. My undergrad degree was very chem-heavy, but was actually administered through the school of pharmacy, so I think biology/biochemistry and chemistry departments will both be a bit of a change. Something I guess I will need to get a feel for during the visits.

[Khearts]

WashU Biochem invitation received.

[Usmivka]

I just got an alum letter from the department talking about how they are in the middle of a hiring spree and really upping the TA slots. So $$, yay, hopefully these means more admissions for you folks after a couple really rough years of downsizing.

[Khearts]

Sounds great! $_$

[flat_rhino]

Khearts: Biochemistry or BPSD?

[gps]

Got into Caltech yesterday - phone call from a professor. Visit dates are February 28-March 2 and March 14-16.

[bskaplan]

you might check the results postings side of the website, but in general the order goes something like top picks>second round picks~=rejections>waitlisted. The amount of time between each step varies by department (mine tends to be faster since it is a smaller applicant pool and there is greater applicant diversity/it is easier to differentiate candidates).

 

But the logic is that you decide who you really really want to have in the class, then who you would be ok with to fill out the class plus those you definitely don't want, and then the few middle of the pack leftovers get hashed over forever to decide who will get a waitlist spot (or offered a place as the 1st choice picks decline) vs who just wasn't quite there (plus if you are on the waitlist, you have to wait for a lot of people to decline first, so you may not hear anything until after April 15).

 

Long story short, if you aren't at the very top or very bottom, you are going to have to stew awhile. It isn't because the adcoms are sadistic, it just takes time to carefully go through the materials to differentiate a "just made it" candidate from a "barely didn't" and for the top picks to make up their minds. I mentioned this in another thread, but if you are one of those lucky folks accepted all over the place, be polite and decline quickly at the places you definitely won't decide on--it is really unlikely you are equally torn between more than 2 or three schools!

Thanks for all the info! Much appreciated

[Cookie]

Hi all,

Congrats to all early admissions!

 

Questions:

1. i received an unofficial acceptance email (Jan 11) from a faculty from NDame with visit weekends, but nothing about stipend etc... Should I wait? Should I call? Am I expecting something in the mail?

2. Also received official acceptance email (Jan 14) from UT, saying I will receive a small fellowship "in addition to the salary and benefits you would receive as a graduate student". Does this mean full stipend, and how much is it exactly?

 

Thank you! and good luck to all of us!

 

Congrats! I just got accepted today too, for Chemistry PhD. Visiting weekends are March 1-2 and 29-30 for me. How about you?

Applied to:
UT, Rice, UPenn, Carnegie,  UCSD.  WashU. Notre Dame.

[Faraday]

 

2. Also received official acceptance email (Jan 14) from UT, saying I will receive a small fellowship "in addition to the salary and benefits you would receive as a graduate student". Does this mean full stipend, and how much is it exactly?

 

Assuming this works like some of the offers I have received, you will get the basic stipend plus an additional amount (a few thousand) for the first year (usually). They do this for very strong applicants as a way of persuading you attend that school.

Edited January 16, 2013 by Faraday

[Cookie]

Thanks Faraday... I was hoping to know the definite amount for UT stipend.

Received official acceptance email today from ND: full stipend of 26k + medical insurance.

 

Applied to:
UT, Rice, UPenn, Carnegie,  UCSD.  WashU. Notre Dame.

[Usmivka]

Thanks Faraday... I was hoping to know the definite amount for UT stipend.

Received official acceptance email today from ND: full stipend of 26k + medical insurance.

A standard stipend in chemistry (or more generally the physical sciences) will be in the ballpark of 22-33k. Depends on the area's cost of living and the competitiveness of the program, but it is rarely more than what big national fellowships like NSF give (~31k). Princeton gives a butt ton (a highly specific and scientifically determined amount that I don't know but was closer to 40k than 30k at one point) to all their grad students, I guess because the undergrads subsidize them.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Usmivka

[UBackwardsChemistry]

Apparently UC Irvine's admissions committee met yesterday; best of luck to everyone else who applied!

[Khearts]

Khearts: Biochemistry or BPSD?

Biochemistry, not BPSD.

[Cookie]

Thanks guys!

 

Applied to:
UT, Rice, UPenn, Carnegie,  UCSD.  WashU. Notre Dame.

[paperandstaples]

what would you guys say is the best next step if you got a waitlist letter? anyone else get any? i feel like everyone in this thread is getting acceptance letters except me.

what would be the best way to contact them to let them know we are still interested? email? phone? i suck at phone calls tho.

quoting myself lol...anyone?

[Cookie]

Hi @paperandstaples, if it were my top choice, i'd call or email them that if I'm very interested and if offered, I would definitely take it. Unless it is a very small program, it is likely that some of the accepted would decline the offer.

The rest is just a waiting game. Good luck!

[paperandstaples]

well they did say they'd assume i was still interested unless I said otherwise...
a phone call seems too over the top...like a phone call would require a conversation when I really just want to let them now I'm interested which is like two sentences on my part
dont know if an email would be too informal ...

Edited January 17, 2013 by paperandstaples