Do I have any chance of getting in to a grad program for chemistry?

[iammaxhailme]

I finished my undergrad at Stony Brook at the end of last fall (9 total semesters). I doubled majored in Chem & Applied Math and Stats. My total undergrad cum GPA is 2.97, however if you discount my first year when I was having serious personal problems, it's about 3.2. I was on dean's list my final two semesters (A little bit above 3.5), so my GPA trend is always increasing (I only ever had one semester which had a lower GPA than any of my previous ones). My major GPAs follow the same trend (they're a little higher). I hear grad school admissions notice these trends, which I hope is true. I did research with a prof for a year, and I think I did everything he asked me to do well, although he didn't ask for that much. It was all computational, no actual labwork. I did an internship at the NYC department of environmental protection one summer. I got a good employee evaluation. My GRE scores (percentiles) are 97th% verbal, 78th% quant, and 78th% writing (raw scores are 167V/160Q/4.5W). I'm taking the chemistry GRE in a few weeks.

 

My GPA is a bit of a problem, but I don't think it's low enough to stop me from getting in to at least a halfway decent program. My real problem is letters of rec. I'm definitely getting one from the prof I did research with, but the way things are going, I don't think I'm going to be able to get any more. I've emailed about six professors, only one or two of whom I had even the slightest hope could write me one, but nobody replied. Besides the prof I did research with, I hardly ever talked to anyone, which I sorely regret now... I can't go to campus and ask, it's far and I've moved away. The people I did my internship with are stonewalling me (saying they're too busy, etc) for months and it doesn't look like I'll get anything else. I'm worried that having only one LOR and a mediocre GPA will stop me from getting in to anything at all...

 

I'm not 100% sure what I want to do, but I think my goal is to get a masters in chemistry and do much better there (I think I can do much better, judging on how much better I did at the end of undergrad than the beginning, and more importantly, I'll network more). This will probably strengthen my eventual PhD app. Is this a common route? Mediocre masters --> do better in masters program to show you're capable --> to PhD?

 

Anyway, thanks for reading all that stuff, if you did.

[iammaxhailme]

I should add that I live about 45 minutes north of NYC and am hoping to not have to move unless I really need to.

[justinmcummings]

I wouldn't worry about your GPA too much, it sounds like you trended upwards and that's good. However, having said that, you must find a way to get a min of 3 letters of recommendation. For my program at least, an application was considered incomplete if you did not have at least 3. Incomplete meaning they would not even look at it. I think some ways you can make it easier for the LOR writers is to send along your resume, paragraph about your goals and interests in school and after you graduate with xyz degree, and if they are not familiar with you possibly some unofficial transcripts? What year/semester are you apply for? If it's not till Fall of 2015 you have a decent amount of time to keep asking and figuring out how to get those LORs. Best of luck to you!

[Vene]

Can you get your supervisor from your internship to write you a letter? It sounds at least somewhat relevant and if it's combined with two letters from academics shouldn't be detract. Also, for the research you did for the professor, did you work with a post-doc? They may be able to write you a LOR as well.

It also may not be the worst idea to look at both PhD programs as well as MS programs. With your grades showing an upward trend you may be able to get into a "better" PhD program if you put more distance from your undergrad performance than if you enter immediately into a PhD.

[iammaxhailme]

Thanks for the replies. 

 

I have been trying to get my supervisor from the internship to write me a letter for months, but first he wasn't replying, then I had to email the intern program coordinator who emailed him, and neither of them emailed me back for like a month so I had to remind the coordinator, who then talked to him on the phone and said he was too busy, and that's how it's been for a while. I asked some of the other people I worked with as well, but no replies. The supervisor is the lab director and he was almost never actually in the lab. The people I actually worked alongside were the chemists, not the lab director, and I'm hoping they are willing to write a letter. I only just emailed them this morning so I still have a little hope, but not much. 

 

For the research I did I didn't work with a postdoc. The prof gave me some of his computational chemistry programs and I ran loads of calcs and showed him the results (directly to the prof, not through anybody). That's it. For all I know I'm the only person he was working with at all (although I'm sure there were other people, I just have no idea who they are)

 

I guess I should look for some phone numbers for other profs, becuase maybe they get swamped with emails? I hope the other profs I emailed aren't just ignoring me. I doubt any of them remember me, even though I got an A or A- from everyone I emailed. I was a chem major at stony brook, so the classes were all big enough so that if you don't go out of your way to talk to a prof, it won't ever happen. I wish I had realized that beforehand...

[iammaxhailme]

Oh and also, yeah I'm probably applying for fall 2015, becuase most places don't seem like they start in the spring. I'm sure it's too late for fall 2014.

 

I'm trying to find a lab tech job or something in the meantime. Maybe that experience will look good (although it'll probably only be a few months of experience when it comes time to apply)

[iammaxhailme]

One more thing to add, I have also emailed a few grad programs around where I live to ask if my ambitions are reasonable (While I am obviously not going to get into Columbia or Cornell, I can probably get into CUNY or something if I can just get over this Letters problem). No replies from them yet either... It seems you have to do things on the phone if you want anything done.

[bsharpe269]

I think that a masters is a good route to go to improve your gpa, get some more research experience, and get some great LORs. Mediocre ones will stop you from getting into a great program. Do you have a local university near you that you can sign up for a class or two to get recommendation letters if you really cant come up with a couple more? That could be an option. With your stats, I think that if you can find the other recommendation letters then even if they are mediocre, you can get into a masters program at your closest state school and then apply to phd programs from there. Good luck!

[iammaxhailme]

Do you mean take a class non-matriculated and ask those profs for letters? I'm not against that idea if it comes to that.

 

Does it look very bad if a letter of rec comes from a prof at a 2-year local community college? 

Edited March 20, 2014 by iammaxhailme

[justinmcummings]

Do you mean take a class non-matriculated and ask those profs for letters? I'm not against that idea if it comes to that.

 

Does it look very bad if a letter of rec comes from a prof at a 2-year local community college? 

 

its better than not having one at all

[iammaxhailme]

I guess that's true.

 

Is it common to be allowed to take a graduate level course unmatriculated, though? (obviously I don't mean at the 2 year CC)

[hj2012]

I think it depends on the institution whether or not graduate courses are open to non-matriculated students. You should be able to find upper-level undergrad courses, though.