Chemistry Applications Fall 2014

[loginofpscl]

Suppose you want to go to that school specifically for that one person. What would be the point if that one person rejects you but someone else in the department accepts? You can't just enter the PI's lab and tell him, yeah you didn't pick me out during admissions but I'm joining your lab anyway!

 

Indeed, what's the point of going into a school if you won't get accepted by your top choice at that school?

Edited November 21, 2013 by loginofpscl

[asaprocky]

Mentioning one prof is fine if u only want to work with him.However u ll be restricting ur chance of acceptance to availability of space in that certain prof's Lab. For instance, I know that in  a certain top 10 school,instead of admission committee taking decision,they will pass on ur application to the prof if u strongly focus him/her in ur SOP . Thus chances of acceptance can decrease.

 

That's a fair statement, but I feel as if the person you mention is probably the best qualified to view your application due to overlapping research interests. Also, I doubt they'll reject you due to the sole fact that they alone don't have space in their lab. If they don't but still feel as if you're qualified, I feel as if they'd either accept you knowing that you can't enter their lab or pass on your application to someone you mentioned in your application (most of mine asked for a list of possible PI's). Correct me if my logic if flawed

[Cookie]

Area of interest : Theoretical chemistry.

GRE-314. Quant-159, Verbal-155.

Subject GRE - 800 (76%)

TOEFL - 109 (26 in speaking)

Research experience : 4 summer research projects, all in theoretical chemistry. Year long project on modeling small molecule encapsulation inside CNT.

Posters presented : 2, one in theoretical chemistry symposium, got special appreciation for that. One in international conference on electronic structure and dynamics of molecules and clusters.

Have one great recommendation form a big shot in theoretical chemistry.

Planning to apply to : U. Florida, Ohio state U., U. Colorado at Boulder, UC Irvine.

 

What are my chances of getting through. I am planning to take my GRE again to improve my score.

will i get through UW Madison, UIUC and U Texas at Austin if I apply? 

 

My GRE was slightly better than yours, and I got in Austin (I'm not going there though). These theoretical programs you applied for are in the top 10 in the country, so maybe higher GRE would help a bit. How is your GPA? Are your projects significant, or just running routine calculations?

For theoretical chemistry applications, during the visits they mentioned to me that they look for particular skill sets (coding, theory, math). What specialty are you going for? electronic structure? Molecular dynamics? biophysical? Be sure to elaborate what you have learnt and how your background overlaps with your POIs'.

If your app can show that, and your rec letters are good, I wouldnt worry about the GRE scores.

Edited November 22, 2013 by heartshapedcookie

[DropTheBase]

That's a fair statement, but I feel as if the person you mention is probably the best qualified to view your application due to overlapping research interests. Also, I doubt they'll reject you due to the sole fact that they alone don't have space in their lab. If they don't but still feel as if you're qualified, I feel as if they'd either accept you knowing that you can't enter their lab or pass on your application to someone you mentioned in your application (most of mine asked for a list of possible PI's). Correct me if my logic if flawed

 

If you decide to mention only one professor, make sure you've spoken to this professor before and make sure he/she has space. If this professor does not have space, it can look like you didn't do your homework. You should be contacting POI's right now anyway.

 

The idea of mentioning multiple professors is to build a case for why the department, as a whole, is a good fit. That's why mentioning ~3 professors is usually a good idea. As a new graduate student, it's important to be flexible. Admissions committees admire students that are open to new ideas. 

 

Full disclosure: I was heavily set on the research I wanted to do in graduate school, but I made no indication of this on any of my applications. Even though I'm doing that research right now, I honestly could imagine myself doing something completely different. The admissions committees (supposedly) chose me partly because they believed I would perform well regardless of my project.

 

DTB

[YaBoyAR]

With SOPs it's a mixed bag. I know people who only mentioned one prof and stated clearly "if this prof won't take me, I don't want to go here" - but in a less douchier way.

Others didn't mention profs at all and still got in great places. Many schools have a specific section for this also. Berkeley comes to mind. So do what feels right. I chose to focus on me more than them in my Personal Statement and just contacted professors via email that I was interested in.

But again, I don't think there's a 'right' way to do it.

[cornerstone]

Faith is what it takes

 

applying: UC,berkeley  Upenn, minnesota, Duke, Arizona State University, URochester

[loginofpscl]

If you decide to mention only one professor, make sure you've spoken to this professor before and make sure he/she has space. If this professor does not have space, it can look like you didn't do your homework. You should be contacting POI's right now anyway.

 

The idea of mentioning multiple professors is to build a case for why the department, as a whole, is a good fit. That's why mentioning ~3 professors is usually a good idea. As a new graduate student, it's important to be flexible. Admissions committees admire students that are open to new ideas. 

 

Full disclosure: I was heavily set on the research I wanted to do in graduate school, but I made no indication of this on any of my applications. Even though I'm doing that research right now, I honestly could imagine myself doing something completely different. The admissions committees (supposedly) chose me partly because they believed I would perform well regardless of my project.

 

DTB

 

How do you mention multiple profs and why they are a good fit? Like this perhaps, albeit with more elaboration?

 

I am interested in working with Professors X, Y, and Z, who have a common theme of working in the ____ chemistry of _____ systems. I feel that their research overlaps closely to my experience and skillset in ______. Therefore, I believe that upon admission to _____ University, I will excel with any of the three professors outlined. 

 

As opposed to:

 

I am primarily interested in Professor X. I have followed his work for a while, especially on ______ chemistry of ____. I feel that my experience overlaps with the required expertise to pursue future avenues in Professor X's work on _____ chemistry, and I am excited at the prospect of learning new skills in ______. Therefore, I believe that ____ University is a good fit because of Professor X's closet fit with my credentials and intentions for pursuing graduate study.

 

I am just a little confused on how to word this. Furthermore, how do you incorporate the schools' culture into your SOP? Or do you not do that at all? 

Edited November 24, 2013 by loginofpscl

[DropTheBase]

I am interested in working with Professors X, Y, and Z, who have a common theme of working in the ____ chemistry of _____ systems. I feel that their research overlaps closely to my experience and skillset in ______. Therefore, I believe that upon admission to _____ University, I will excel with any of the three professors outlined. 

 

 

This, in my opinion, is a lot better than the 1-professors paragraph for reasons I mentioned previously. The 1-professor paragraph spends a lot of real estate on something that's not at all a sure thing. It's almost like saying that you won't choose to go to that university if you don't get to work with that one professor. Most universities seek a high attendance:acceptance ratio.  

 

How about combining your two paragraphs? That way you can show them that you've done your homework, but you'd also be happy either way. 

 

As for culture, it's difficult to include because how much do you really know about the culture having not attended there? So in my opinion it's best to leave it out unless a school is very well-known for something. For example, one of the schools I applied to had a very strong interdisciplinary culture, so I mentioned it because the research I wanted to purse was interdisciplinary. 

 

But I'm sure there are other things to mention. Some schools have very practical research applications and others focus deeply on the fundamental science. Things like that. Again, if you're not certain about these things, it's best to leave it out.

 

DTB

[loginofpscl]

Good points, thank you. It is clear from the work of some professors that they choose more fundamental aspects than the application side of things-- I think I can address that in depth for the PIs I will mention-- thank you again!

[MassAppeal]

How I felt as I submitted my last app for my top-choice program, after agonizing over every word and punctuation point for the past week:

 

 

But now that I have nothing to do but wait:

[YaBoyAR]

Lol. Nice.

I just want 1 acceptance quickly. I think that would ease the suffering a little.

[asaprocky]

The key thing to remember is, all you need is one acceptance...

[MassAppeal]

To quote a great scientist in my current lab, "You don't have to beat the best. You just have to beat the average."

[alkylholic]

To quote a great scientist in my current lab, "You don't have to beat the best. You just have to beat the average."

 

Fortunately, most of us seem well above average. 

[MaudDib]

Organic synthesis/Transition metal catalysis

 

GPA: 3.67, 3.87 in chemistry, at a big public university.

GRE: 168V, 161Q, 750 chemistry

Lab experience:
* One year plus a summer in a natural products lab

* One year plus a summer in a synthetic lab, studying TM catalysis. I'll have another year in here by the time I start grad school, so that would be three years of research.

* A summer internship at a pharmaceutical company

 

Awards/Accomplishments:

* One institutional award for "outstanding undergraduate research"

* One institutional summer research internship with a substantial stipend

* Poster presentation at a regional meeting

* Honors thesis

 

No publications It's not for lack of trying, though.

 

I'm applying to: U CA Santa Cruz, U CO Boulder, Purdue, U-Mich, U NC Chapel Hill, Princeton, CalTech, UT-Austin.

 

I think that all of my rec letters should be good. I like, and have a good relationship with, all of the professors who I asked. One of the letters will be from someone who is fairly well known in the field I intend to study. It's crazy to see people in here with 3.9+ GPAs. What the hell? I worked my ass off for my almost-3.7. Maybe I'm just not as smart as you guys I'm assuming that I probably won't get in to Princeton or CalTech with my low GPA, but I would love to go to Austin or Purdue. There are groups at all four of those institutions that I have had my eye on.

Edited November 28, 2013 by MaudDib

[Cookie]

Fortunately, most of us seem well above average. 

 

Statistically unlikely... It's called superiority illusion

 

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/02/15/1221681110.abstract

[clickclick]

Statistically unlikely... It's called superiority illusion

 

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/02/15/1221681110.abstract

You would have to post the statistics for average GPA, GRE scores, years of research, etc. of a large population of applicants to chemistry graduate programs to make this a legitimate argument. Not saying its not true, but its not relevant to the argument without the minimum data to make it relevant. Even still, its a bit of a poke at egos/condifence considering if you had all that data you wouldn't need that article to prove your point. We are future scientists here, lets act that way . For the record, compared to most people who post on here, I am not above average in GPA and GRE scores, it just irks me to see misused citing.

[Chemisto]

Till when are u guys expecting the first decisions to come out? Going by previous records, I think UIUC is the only major univ which sends out some acceptances before Christmas.

[DropTheBase]

You would have to post the statistics for average GPA, GRE scores, years of research, etc. of a large population of applicants to chemistry graduate programs to make this a legitimate argument. Not saying its not true, but its not relevant to the argument without the minimum data to make it relevant. Even still, its a bit of a poke at egos/condifence considering if you had all that data you wouldn't need that article to prove your point. We are future scientists here, lets act that way . For the record, compared to most people who post on here, I am not above average in GPA and GRE scores, it just irks me to see misused citing.

 

 

Statistically unlikely... It's called superiority illusion

 

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/02/15/1221681110.abstract

 

 

It's okay. We can all forgive a theorist! 

 

@Chemisto

 

Northwestern and U-Chicago also tend to notify before Christmas.

 

DTB

[Chemisto]

What do u guys think about the diversity part in app of some univs (e.g Northwestern).It is optional...so is it worth writing?

[sreeIISER]

Area of interest : Theoretical chemistry.

International student.

GPA : 8.3/10 (Indian scale, Dont know how to convert it to the 4 point scale. If it is a direct conversion it should come to 3.3/4 i guess.)

GRE-319. Quant-164, Verbal-155.

Subject GRE - 800 (76%)

TOEFL - 109 (26 in speaking)

Research experience : 4 summer research projects, all in theoretical chemistry. Year long project on modeling small molecule encapsulation inside CNT (not quantum mechanical, just using the lennard-jones potential, more of a mathematical problem).

Posters presented : 2, one in theoretical chemistry symposium, got special appreciation for that. One in international conference on electronic structure and dynamics of molecules and clusters.

Have one great recommendation form a big shot in theoretical chemistry.

Have specific interest in coding. Haven't done any great deal of computation (running Softwares,etc.) 

Planning to apply to : U. Florida, Ohio state U., U. Colorado at Boulder, UC Irvine, Georgia tech., UT Texas, UC Merced, Purdue University.

 

What are my chances of getting through?

Should I write to professors and ask for PhD positions? Will that be of any help? Can anyone suggest me any other good universities where I can apply to with this score? 

[DropTheBase]

What do u guys think about the diversity part in app of some univs (e.g Northwestern).It is optional...so is it worth writing?

 

If you have something worth saying, then it's definitely worth writing about. Remember that it doesn't necessarily have to be about ethnicity.

 

DTB

[HERDERRCHEMISTRY]

Area of interest: Total Synthesis

Undergraduate institution: Public Big 10 University

GPA: 3.99

Chem GPA: 3.97

• Mathematics minor
• 2 years of undergrad research experience in synthesis by graduation (includes departmental fellowship for summer 2013 and grant to fund research during school year for one semester)
• NSF-REU at different Big 10 University for organic synthesis
• Honors thesis (Summa Cum Laude Honors)
• 2 departmental awards for academic performance
• 1 national acs poster presentation upcoming (Dallas)
• 2 graduate courses in advanced organic chemistry topics

2 LOR from research advisors (REU and home institution), 1 LOR from organic lab prof/graduate synthesis course

GRE: Verbal 95%, Quant. 91%, Writing 97%, Chemistry (Oct. 2013) 91%

 

Schools Applying to: Cal Tech, Scripps, Berkeley, Irvine, UCLA, Illinois, Wisconsin, UPenn

 

Shooting for Cal Tech and Scripps...we'll see how this goes.

[asaprocky]

 

Area of interest: Total Synthesis

Undergraduate institution: Public Big 10 University

GPA: 3.99

Chem GPA: 3.97

• Mathematics minor
• 2 years of undergrad research experience in synthesis by graduation (includes departmental fellowship for summer 2013 and grant to fund research during school year for one semester)
• NSF-REU at different Big 10 University for organic synthesis
• Honors thesis (Summa Cum Laude Honors)
• 2 departmental awards for academic performance
• 1 national acs poster presentation upcoming (Dallas)
• 2 graduate courses in advanced organic chemistry topics

2 LOR from research advisors (REU and home institution), 1 LOR from organic lab prof/graduate synthesis course

GRE: Verbal 95%, Quant. 91%, Writing 97%, Chemistry (Oct. 2013) 91%

 

Schools Applying to: Cal Tech, Scripps, Berkeley, Irvine, UCLA, Illinois, Wisconsin, UPenn

 

Shooting for Cal Tech and Scripps...we'll see how this goes.

 

 

Great stats. Good luck with your applications! Hopefully we'll all hear back soon. 

[MassAppeal]

I'm reading everyone's amazing stats and god damn I'm glad I didn't apply to many of the same schools that you all did because my app would probably be tossed at first sight. haaaa  It's December 1st, which is the first official due date for some of my apps, so ANY DAY NOWWW