brooksja5 Posted October 4, 2013 Posted October 4, 2013 Hello all! I'm currently looking for some advice from you guys. I'm at the point where I need to start narrowing down where I plan to apply. With the following credentials, what do you guys think my odds are for getting into certain programs (also following!)? GPA: 3.96/4.0 @ a small liberal arts college in south central MN GRE: 153V/159Q/4AW Chem GRE: Have not taken yet, Oct 19 Research: Spent summer @ Northwestern synthesizing nanoparticles (REU Program), Will have 1 full year of "in-semester" research once I graduate. Schools I plan on applying to: University of Minnesota University of Illinois, Urbana Purdue UW Madison Iowa State UNC Chapel Hill Indiana U What do you guys think? Thanks!!
loginofpscl Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 You have a good chance at all of those schools but your minimal research experience will hurt you. To make up for it, speak well of what motivated you to pursue a Ph. D and prove to them you can excel in a research environment. Having a rec from your adviser at NW will help. An additional rec letter related to outreach, or teaching, will also be good as it shows your passion towards chemistry. brooksja5 1
Arrowfletch Posted October 9, 2013 Posted October 9, 2013 I responded to this in another thread, I believe, but other than what I said there: I wouldn't say that a full year of undergrad research plus an internship is minimal, especially considering that a lot of internships and even opportunities within a university might expect junior and senior level students. I had about the equivalent--two internships and only 1 semester at my university--and it certainly didn't seem to hurt me--I only applied to three places, largely based on location, but that includes two on your list and all three gave competitive offers. There will definitely be people with more, but there will be people with less, too. If your research advisor writes a strong letter for you, I'd say that goes a very long way to convincing them that you can manage research well. brooksja5 1
brooksja5 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Posted October 10, 2013 Thanks guys, I appreciate it! Anyone else have an opinion???
Eigen Posted October 10, 2013 Posted October 10, 2013 I'd say low on the research experience, but you can counter balance by showing that you have a very defined interest, and showing how your research relates to what you want to do in grad school.
Quantum Buckyball Posted November 8, 2013 Posted November 8, 2013 Hello all! I'm currently looking for some advice from you guys. I'm at the point where I need to start narrowing down where I plan to apply. With the following credentials, what do you guys think my odds are for getting into certain programs (also following!)?GPA: 3.96/4.0 @ a small liberal arts college in south central MN GRE: 153V/159Q/4AWChem GRE: Have not taken yet, Oct 19Research: Spent summer @ Northwestern synthesizing nanoparticles (REU Program), Will have 1 full year of "in-semester" research once I graduate.Schools I plan on applying to:University of MinnesotaUniversity of Illinois, UrbanaPurdueUW MadisonIowa StateUNC Chapel HillIndiana UWhat do you guys think? Thanks!!You could talk about the potential analytical projects of interest in your personal statement.Also, you want to get LoRs from analytical faculty, I had 3 LoRs from full tenured analytical professors (separation, spectroscopy, mass spec) when I applied two years ago.
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