UNC Chapel Hill

[siggbottles]

Hey guys,

 

I am a Brazilian doing a MSc in organic chemistry (with a bachelor degree in pharmacy) and I want to apply for a org chem PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (I am also looking at some UK based universities).

 

My stats are:

 

GPA: we don't use a 4.0 scale in my university, so it is hard to say.. but I have really good grades and was ranked among the top five outstanding students that have graduated wth me.. And so far, I have got only straight A's in my Msc

 

TOEFL: 104

 

GRE: 161V; 162Q, 3.0AW

 

Experience: 5 years of undergrad and independent research experience in the field (organic synthesis, molecular modelling, pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry), 6-month internship in Switzerland in a R&D organization, 6-month internship in a pharma company.

 

Pubs: 2 published papers, both first author (one in portuguese and the other, in english, I wrote with great scientists in the field)

 

Scholarship: Science without Borders scholarship, provided by the Brazilian government.

 

So, my first question is if I am not aiming to high with UNC Chapel Hill, based solely on my stats.

The second question, that it is not a question to be frank, is if anyone can help me find more universities that I would have a chance to be admitted (I know, this is a very broad topic, but I would appreciate any advice)

 

Thanks

 

[DropTheBase]

You are not aiming too high. In any case, aim for the schools you want to attend and do not worry about the chances of getting in.

 

Read papers related to what you want to study. Find professors whose research interests match your own. Contact these professors to learn more. This will greatly help narrow down which schools you really want to apply to. If you have no idea where to start, you can always start by looking at a rankings website. However, you should only use rankings to begin your search, never as a deciding factor, in my opinion.

 

Good luck!

 

DTB

[siggbottles]

Thanks DTB

 

In fact, I am only applying to UNC because I really think that I have a chance due to mutual research interest (natural products or small molecules synthesis and new reaction discovery).

 

I am still struggling to find more programs though. Do you have any suggestion?

[Faraday]

Thanks DTB

 

In fact, I am only applying to UNC because I really think that I have a chance due to mutual research interest (natural products or small molecules synthesis and new reaction discovery).

 

I am still struggling to find more programs though. Do you have any suggestion?

I think you will find natural product synthesis and new reaction discovery are common research topics in a lot of synthetic groups. You can check out Organic Links for a comprehensive listing of all "Organic Chemistry" groups in the United States. Keep in mind some of these groups might be more physical organic or chemical biology-based in their direction as opposed to synthesis.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Faraday

[St Andrews Lynx]

You'd be hard-pushed to find a university that *doesn't* have at least one research group that works on natural products/developing new reactions.

 

Look through recent issues of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Any papers that catch your eye - look at which university the authors come from and the last name author (who is the head of that research group). 

[siggbottles]

I think you will find natural product synthesis and new reaction discovery are common research topics in a lot of synthetic groups. You can check out Organic Links for a comprehensive listing of all "Organic Chemistry" groups in the United States. Keep in mind some of these groups might be more physical organic or chemical biology-based in their direction as opposed to synthesis.

 Indeed, one of my problems is that a huge quantity of groups are focusing in chemical biology now and I really want to do synthesis..

Anyway, thanks guys!!

[Istoleart]

I am disturbed about one thing about UNC and that is their international students admission statistics. I noticed that out of 180 applications to the chemistry department, they only admit 8 international students. Compare that to other universities like University of Minnesota Twin Cities where some groups looks like chinatown (I'm also Chinese so that observation really stuck).

[siggbottles]

Indeed, I am a bit worried about that..

 

I have already applied for U Michigan, UNC, NYU and I am still wondering about Colorado State University.

 

Lets see how it goes..