Chemistry Applications Fall 2014

[HERDERRCHEMISTRY]

This actually isn't the first I heard of this. One of my profs. at my undergrad institution last year told me Scripps was having budget cuts and something like this could happen. 

 

Oh, I'm not doubting that funding is an issue - just seems like they would have been more selective initially i.e. invited fewer people back to interview if they knew funding were going to be tight.

[coldplay32]

got the email from North Carolina today. I didn't make it...

[loginofpscl]

Rejected from UNC

[brooksja5]

Yupp.. UNC rejecting like crazy today.

[Furan]

So this may have been discussed already, but has anybody been accepted (or heard from) Caltech? 

[asaprocky]

It seems like there are other schools with monetary problems, but 10% for interview is a small amount. Do you know how many ppl have been invited for interview? Rejecting students with that reason is understandable, inviting so many for interview is also understandable because they want to maximize the chances of getting the best students. Does this have to do with cutting NSF ?

 

Have to admit, the previous post by MOchemist123 has a point, it is unbelievably sm amt of students to admit, considering they have already given out offers to ppl w/o interviewing.

 

 

Oh, I'm not doubting that funding is an issue - just seems like they would have been more selective initially i.e. invited fewer people back to interview if they knew funding were going to be tight.

 

I'll be visiting Scripps this weekend and in the email there are 60 interviewees. I'm guessing another 60 for the next weekend? One thing I have a hard time grasping is why they wouldn't make the interviewing pool smaller if they really didn't want to accept so many students, basically agreeing with MOchemist123. Because quite honestly, they could cut the more "iffy" students right off the bat and they would still get some top notch recruits. Also, I feel like this is research-focus dependent. The groups who's funding is more gov't based (for example, cancer) are going to have to cut back on how many students they take. On the other hand, the groups who are well funded (for example, chemical biology) are going to fine with getting whatever students they want and can accept the normal amount. Obviously my examples aren't backed with information, just for conversation sake. 10% is a ridiculously small amount of students to take and is quite scary when thinking about the future of funding if this is actually true.

 

Does anyone know how early they let interviewees know whether or not they were accepted after the weekend?

[tcommander315]

are you notified by Yale or MIT? 

Both, actually.

Yale: Accepted

MIT: Rejected

[reactiontime]

So this may have been discussed already, but has anybody been accepted (or heard from) Caltech? 

Yeah, I've been officially accepted.  There will be two visiting weekends in 2014, Feb 27 - March 1 and March 20-22.

[MaudDib]

I'm really hoping that no news is good news for UNC applicants today.

 

*fingers crossed*

[brooksja5]

I'm really hoping that no news is good news for UNC applicants today.

 

*fingers crossed*

Good Luck!!  I'm sure it's a good thing that you weren't rejected with the rest of us today

[chemistrylvl]

Any U of Florida acceptances?

[H Bond]

Rejected by MIT! The uncertainty is over lesser. Let the decision-making begin!

[Chemisto]

Seems many univ celebrated "Rejection day" yday..

[YaBoyAR]

Has anyone made any decisions on where they'll be attending yet? I know it's still a little early but was just curious if I was the only one.

[reactiontime]

Has anyone made any decisions on where they'll be attending yet? I know it's still a little early but was just curious if I was the only one.

I still need to visit Columbia and Caltech to firmly decide...but after this midwestern winter, Southern California looks pretty good...   

[schlenkline]

So I have not heard anything yet from UT-Austin, Texas A&M, Colorado State, and Colorado School of Mines. Are they just taking their sweet time with rejection notices or what? Thoughts?

[loginofpscl]

Has anyone made any decisions on where they'll be attending yet? I know it's still a little early but was just curious if I was the only one.

 

I'm leaning very strongly towards one school but I don't want to commit myself yet just in case they're not so bueno in person.

[Alchemist921]

Has anyone made any decisions on where they'll be attending yet? I know it's still a little early but was just curious if I was the only one.

 

I am stuck between Princeton and Columbia university. I'd say that at this point I'm 50.5% Princeton and 49.5% Columbia. But still, I could go either way. I'm waiting to visit them. Princeton I'll visit next week for the first time. As for Columbia, I've visited them multiple times, but looking forward to their visitation weekends to know more about the department. 

[chemist242]

I'll be visiting Scripps this weekend and in the email there are 60 interviewees. I'm guessing another 60 for the next weekend? One thing I have a hard time grasping is why they wouldn't make the interviewing pool smaller if they really didn't want to accept so many students, basically agreeing with MOchemist123. Because quite honestly, they could cut the more "iffy" students right off the bat and they would still get some top notch recruits. Also, I feel like this is research-focus dependent. The groups who's funding is more gov't based (for example, cancer) are going to have to cut back on how many students they take. On the other hand, the groups who are well funded (for example, chemical biology) are going to fine with getting whatever students they want and can accept the normal amount. Obviously my examples aren't backed with information, just for conversation sake. 10% is a ridiculously small amount of students to take and is quite scary when thinking about the future of funding if this is actually true.

 

Does anyone know how early they let interviewees know whether or not they were accepted after the weekend?

 

Hey everybody, sorry for not being more clear. They still want to offer the interviewees the opportunity to visit. This issue has come up more recently after most of the invitations were sent out. The graduate program has had some funding sources fall through (most of TSRI is privately funded and TSRI has no endowment unlike most research institutions). At TSRI, the graduate program funds all graduate students through their first year and then the PIs must pay their students or the students will have a fellowship. This is where the problem lies. Each year there are about 30-40 new graduate students that come to Scripps (~32,000 X 40 students = 1.28 million dollars), but because of budget concerns the class size will have to be more like 10-15 students (~10% of ~120 interviewees). Again, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I thought it wasn't fair for the interviewees not to know ahead of time.

 

Best of luck with your grad school visists.

 

Chemist242

[Chemcki]

Hey everybody, sorry for not being more clear. They still want to offer the interviewees the opportunity to visit. This issue has come up more recently after most of the invitations were sent out. The graduate program has had some funding sources fall through (most of TSRI is privately funded and TSRI has no endowment unlike most research institutions). At TSRI, the graduate program funds all graduate students through their first year and then the PIs must pay their students or the students will have a fellowship. This is where the problem lies. Each year there are about 30-40 new graduate students that come to Scripps (~32,000 X 40 students = 1.28 million dollars), but because of budget concerns the class size will have to be more like 10-15 students (~10% of ~120 interviewees). Again, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I thought it wasn't fair for the interviewees not to know ahead of time.

 

Best of luck with your grad school visists.

 

Chemist242

 

Thanks for sharing the info., 10-15 probably means slim chances for me. Best luck for the rest of the applicants....

 

In response to asaprocky's earlier question. From my communication with the scripps admission, I was told it would probably be April... but that was probably before this situation came up as Chemist242 mentioned...

Edited February 19, 2014 by Chemcki

[rubethecube]

Hey everybody, sorry for not being more clear. They still want to offer the interviewees the opportunity to visit. This issue has come up more recently after most of the invitations were sent out. The graduate program has had some funding sources fall through (most of TSRI is privately funded and TSRI has no endowment unlike most research institutions). At TSRI, the graduate program funds all graduate students through their first year and then the PIs must pay their students or the students will have a fellowship. This is where the problem lies. Each year there are about 30-40 new graduate students that come to Scripps (~32,000 X 40 students = 1.28 million dollars), but because of budget concerns the class size will have to be more like 10-15 students (~10% of ~120 interviewees). Again, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I thought it wasn't fair for the interviewees not to know ahead of time.

 

Best of luck with your grad school visists.

 

Chemist242

 

Hi everyone,

 

I'd like to nip this rumor in the bud -- I am an ACTUAL grad student at Scripps CA, on the grad student committee no less, and I would like to respond to this by assuring you that we are recruiting no differently than we have in previous years (i.e. the vast majority of interviewees accepted). The above post contains factual flaws, such as a mysterious budget shortfall magically appearing within the last 2 weeks and the approximation of stipends -- I can tell you that the stipend at Scripps CA is $30k this year (we just got a bump up 1k! woooo). Additionally, it doesn't make any sense to fly out so many students (think 120 students @ ~$500 each for flights to Scripps CA alone, I can't speak for how many visit Florida because I don't go there!) and put them up in hotels just to later reject them.

 

I hope this clears things up! If anyone has any lingering doubt, feel free to contact me directly. My name is Ruben, and I don't need to hide behind the anonymity of a psuedonym, and my picture and email address is publicly available on my group webpage (the Shenvi lab) here: http://www.scripps.edu/shenvi/Members.html

 

-Ruben

[reactiontime]

Hi everyone,

 

I'd like to nip this rumor in the bud -- I am an ACTUAL grad student at Scripps CA, on the grad student committee no less, and I would like to respond to this by assuring you that we are recruiting no differently than we have in previous years (i.e. the vast majority of interviewees accepted). The above post contains factual flaws, such as a mysterious budget shortfall magically appearing within the last 2 weeks and the approximation of stipends -- I can tell you that the stipend at Scripps CA is $30k this year (we just got a bump up 1k! woooo). Additionally, it doesn't make any sense to fly out so many students (think 120 students @ ~$500 each for flights to Scripps CA alone, I can't speak for how many visit Florida because I don't go there!) and put them up in hotels just to later reject them.

 

I hope this clears things up! If anyone has any lingering doubt, feel free to contact me directly. My name is Ruben, and I don't need to hide behind the anonymity of a psuedonym, and my picture and email address is publicly available on my group webpage (the Shenvi lab) here: http://www.scripps.edu/shenvi/Members.html

 

-Ruben

Thanks for posting.  Really makes you wonder about the motive of the previous poster... 

[justjen]

So I have not heard anything yet from UT-Austin, Texas A&M, Colorado State, and Colorado School of Mines. Are they just taking their sweet time with rejection notices or what? Thoughts?

 

I applied to UT Austin, Colorado State, and Colorado School of Mines (among others). I am still waiting to hear from the 1st and got accepted to the others. I don't know if it is necessarily true the CSU and CSM have sent out all acceptances, though. I contacted UT Austin last week and they said that they had sent out a majority of acceptances, and official denials will be sent out mid to late March.

[Chemcki]

Hi everyone,

 

I'd like to nip this rumor in the bud -- I am an ACTUAL grad student at Scripps CA, on the grad student committee no less, and I would like to respond to this by assuring you that we are recruiting no differently than we have in previous years (i.e. the vast majority of interviewees accepted). The above post contains factual flaws, such as a mysterious budget shortfall magically appearing within the last 2 weeks and the approximation of stipends -- I can tell you that the stipend at Scripps CA is $30k this year (we just got a bump up 1k! woooo). Additionally, it doesn't make any sense to fly out so many students (think 120 students @ ~$500 each for flights to Scripps CA alone, I can't speak for how many visit Florida because I don't go there!) and put them up in hotels just to later reject them.

 

I hope this clears things up! If anyone has any lingering doubt, feel free to contact me directly. My name is Ruben, and I don't need to hide behind the anonymity of a psuedonym, and my picture and email address is publicly available on my group webpage (the Shenvi lab) here: http://www.scripps.edu/shenvi/Members.html

 

-Ruben

 

 

I spent a few minutes reading TSRI's financial report of Sep 2012, it seems like two things Chemist242 described in the previous post were inaccurate, 1: Scripps has ~68 endowment funds (where Chemist242 said TSRI none). 2. While contracts exist, Scripps's revenue primarily comes from federal agencies such as NIH. (where Chemist242 said TSRI is privately funded).

 

It seems like TSRI does has some increasing debt to pay off each year, and some fair increase of benefit costs but I don't see obvious projections of problems for 2014, although I cannot access their financial health right now, based on their cash/liability ratio one would have expected healthy growth if it is a private company. 

 

Again, thanks Ruben for the clarification. 

Edited February 20, 2014 by Chemcki

[alkylholic]

Hah, check it out: 

 

http://openflask.blogspot.com/2014/02/believe-everything-you-read-on-internet.html