"Gaps" in my education, spend an extra year in undergrad?

[chrisshyi13]

Hey guys,

 

I apologize for the long post.

 

I'm about to graduate in June with a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (undergrad). My program is a collaboration between chemistry and pharmacy and focuses on the chemical aspects of drug development (drug delivery, discovery, etc), and is basically tailored to work in pharma and pharmaceutical research. 

 

I have discovered that drug research actually doesn't appeal to me as much as "pure" chemistry does, and have subsequently decided that I will apply for chemistry Ph.D programs instead on continuing on in my field. The thing is, there's many holes within my chemistry education, I've never taken an inorganic chemistry course before, and have not taken physical or organic chemistry beyond the 2nd year level. The only chemistry courses I've taken at the 4th year level are polymer chemistry (which I intend on specializing in) and analytical chemistry.

 

So my question is this: I know I can finish a degree in chemistry if I stay in undergrad for an extra year and make up for all the chemistry courses I missed, but that will require an extra year of tuition and my family's financial situation is not very ideal. On the other hand, I can just apply to grad school in chemistry and make up for those courses in grad school, while getting paid a stipend and not having to worry about tuition. Would you guys suggest staying for another year or should I make up for the stuff I missed out on in grad school?

[memyselfandcoffee]

Grad school is hard and a massive commitment ( long hours, poor pay and 5-7 years is very long time at times), so make sure you know what you want, and what you are getting yourself in for before you leap. 

 

Also to consider it will be a large extra burden to carry around if you know you are putting your parents under financial pressure-- I am not saying you shouldn't do it if needs really be-- its part of being a parent to do these things, but just consider how you will cope this added pressure.

Edited February 28, 2014 by elise123

[St Andrews Lynx]

I think that a "pure" chemistry BSc will look a bit better on your application than a pharmacy one if you're applying to a pure PhD program, because of the aforementioned gaps. But it will also depend on what kind of chemistry research you wish to do. If you're strong on your polymer chemistry courses and you have relevant research experience in that area...it might be worth the risk of applying this year.

[alkylholic]

Hey guys,

 

I apologize for the long post.

 

I'm about to graduate in June with a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (undergrad). My program is a collaboration between chemistry and pharmacy and focuses on the chemical aspects of drug development (drug delivery, discovery, etc), and is basically tailored to work in pharma and pharmaceutical research. 

 

I have discovered that drug research actually doesn't appeal to me as much as "pure" chemistry does, and have subsequently decided that I will apply for chemistry Ph.D programs instead on continuing on in my field. The thing is, there's many holes within my chemistry education, I've never taken an inorganic chemistry course before, and have not taken physical or organic chemistry beyond the 2nd year level. The only chemistry courses I've taken at the 4th year level are polymer chemistry (which I intend on specializing in) and analytical chemistry.

 

So my question is this: I know I can finish a degree in chemistry if I stay in undergrad for an extra year and make up for all the chemistry courses I missed, but that will require an extra year of tuition and my family's financial situation is not very ideal. On the other hand, I can just apply to grad school in chemistry and make up for those courses in grad school, while getting paid a stipend and not having to worry about tuition. Would you guys suggest staying for another year or should I make up for the stuff I missed out on in grad school?

 

I wouldn't worry about not having inorganic or pchem knowledge. Having a solid basic organic and analytical chem background is good enough for polymer chemistry. 

Edited February 28, 2014 by alkylholic

[Quantum Buckyball]

Hey guys,

 

I apologize for the long post.

 

I'm about to graduate in June with a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (undergrad). My program is a collaboration between chemistry and pharmacy and focuses on the chemical aspects of drug development (drug delivery, discovery, etc), and is basically tailored to work in pharma and pharmaceutical research. 

 

I have discovered that drug research actually doesn't appeal to me as much as "pure" chemistry does, and have subsequently decided that I will apply for chemistry Ph.D programs instead on continuing on in my field. The thing is, there's many holes within my chemistry education, I've never taken an inorganic chemistry course before, and have not taken physical or organic chemistry beyond the 2nd year level. The only chemistry courses I've taken at the 4th year level are polymer chemistry (which I intend on specializing in) and analytical chemistry.

 

So my question is this: I know I can finish a degree in chemistry if I stay in undergrad for an extra year and make up for all the chemistry courses I missed, but that will require an extra year of tuition and my family's financial situation is not very ideal. On the other hand, I can just apply to grad school in chemistry and make up for those courses in grad school, while getting paid a stipend and not having to worry about tuition. Would you guys suggest staying for another year or should I make up for the stuff I missed out on in grad school?

 

It's always easier said than done. You need to be able to convince the admission committee why they should accept you and not the other applicants with a very strong education background and GRE/GPAs, especially the ones are already in the industry and have years of industrial experience.

 

You could do some volunteer work in a polymer lab at a local university to see if you enjoy the field or not. This will help you determine what kind of projects you want to pursuit in the future, and allow you to write a more focused personal statement when applying for PhDs or Masters.