Chemistry Applications Fall 2015

[ChemiKyle]

That's awesome! Congratulations man . When did you complete your application? I haven't heard back from them yet, but it gives me some hope that our stats are within the same range.

Thanks, I'm so excited! I applied extremely early, like mid-September.

You seem like you really know what you wanna do (I wish I understood how theory couples with the experimental portion as well as you, but that's what the summer's for!) so if you put that in your SoP I think you'd stand a good shot!

 

 

Congrats! Just an FYI, Shiozaki WILL definitely get tenure. There has never been any doubt His BAGEL code is one of the most well written excited state codes, both in programming style and theory content. It is open-sourced so you can check it out yourself. The speed is mesmerizing!

Plus, working for an assistant professor has many advantages. There are a few threads here you can read about it.

I didn't know it was open-source, that's great! I assume I'll be doing some time-dependent DFT and NICS calculations so the material he based his recent PCCP paper on will probably play a role with regard to the latter.

Do you know how having two advisors is generally handled? I'm pretty convinced of who my primary would be, but I think I'd want time to build up my knowledge before taking up arms for a theorist.

[Hijojo]

Got accepted to UPenn today! It's one of my top choices, so I'm super excited.

 

Also, I have a phone call next week with a POI at University off Virginia to talk about the ongoing research there - has anyone else had this experience? What was it like? Since I've already been accepted there, I'm not too too nervous about it, but of course I want to make a good impression. I've read some of the relevant papers and am thinking of questions to ask (maybe about advising style or student outcomes), but I'm wondering if there's any other things I should do to prepare. 

[michelium]

Got accepted to UPenn today! It's one of my top choices, so I'm super excited.

 

Also, I have a phone call next week with a POI at University off Virginia to talk about the ongoing research there - has anyone else had this experience? What was it like? Since I've already been accepted there, I'm not too too nervous about it, but of course I want to make a good impression. I've read some of the relevant papers and am thinking of questions to ask (maybe about advising style or student outcomes), but I'm wondering if there's any other things I should do to prepare. 

 

I also got accepted to UPenn today. I was totally shocked- but very excited! Congratulations! 

Don't know much about that U of Virginia phone call business, but it sounds good. Probably just a lot of them talking and you being really excited, which is pretty much how it goes for a lot of these things. : )

[AnubisGate]

I assume I'll be doing some time-dependent DFT and NICS calculations so the material he based his recent PCCP paper on will probably play a role with regard to the latter.

 

Which paper deals with NICS, the 2015 one? I don't have access to PCCP, so I don't follow.

[ChemiKyle]

Which paper deals with NICS, the 2015 one? I don't have access to PCCP, so I don't follow.

I PM'd you regarding it, it's also on the nubakery site; it didn't exclusively mention NICS but it had to do with simulating electronic structures of big molecules with some heavy atoms under a magnetic field, so I figured it might have some applications. My minimal experience with NICS was using it in Gaussian to guess at the stability of some excited state aromatic molecules and I was going off that.

[Racemic Mixture]

I got into Maryland on Monday, about a week after I submitted the application (holy turnaround). It's not one of my top schools, but it's exciting to have gotten in somewhere. 

 

I've also been given an interview at UC-San Diego, the dates being sometime in February.  Does anyone know what to expect from these interviews/have any advice and guidance? I figure I should study up on the professors that I'm interested in working with (reading papers, knowing their research) and should be able to concisely describe my research experience, but is there anything I should know beyond that? 

 

Also, dress code...I'm guessing a suit? 

[Synthetic Happiness]

Got into Yale on the 22nd!! Organic chemistry!! Has anyone heard from Stanford or Berkeley for organic yet?

[ghostar]

Got into Yale on the 22nd!! Organic chemistry!! Has anyone heard from Stanford or Berkeley for organic yet?

Neither, still waiting for both.

[w0mbat]

Got into Yale on the 22nd!! Organic chemistry!! Has anyone heard from Stanford or Berkeley for organic yet?

 

Yeah some early acceptances have been sent out.

[Organometallics]

Got into Yale on the 22nd!! Organic chemistry!! Has anyone heard from Stanford or Berkeley for organic yet?

 

Congrats!  I was contacted by both Berkeley and Stanford about a week ago, but I believe I put inorganic chemistry for both programs.  I hope that helps.

[Synthetic Happiness]

Oh nice! Yeah, I know that some Chen bio people heard back but no one I know from organic has yet.

[ghostar]

This doesn't have anything to do with the application cycle, but I saw this photo just now on Facebook and wanted to share: http://goo.gl/NmtULe Taken at what happens to be my top choice school (for organic) XD

 

Looks like the PI wasn't too enthused about their students being gone for so long, haha. Happy Holidays everyone! Wish you all good news in the next coming weeks. 

[ChanEvansLam]

I've been a long time lurker and I decided to register and post that as an organic applicant I have received acceptances from Berkeley (phone call + email), Stanford (email), and Yale (phone call).

Edited December 25, 2014 by ChanEvansLam

[ChanEvansLam]

Oh nice! Yeah, I know that some Chen bio people heard back but no one I know from organic has yet.

As an organic applicant I've heard from Berkeley, Stanford, and Yale. My materials and inorganic friends have not heard anything yet. It seems to be that organic is increasingly less competitive and yet there is stll a demand for organic PhD students.

[Synthetic Happiness]

Congrats! What were your stats?

[xchemz]

Big week for me....accepted to both Stanford and UC Berkeley.  Wooohoo!  Two of my top choices, nonetheless.  Now I can actually relax over the holidays 

Best of luck to everyone else!

Congrats and well done!

[xchemz]

anyone heard anything from Harvard yet?

[ghostar]

anyone heard anything from Harvard yet?

Nothing from Chemical Biology.

[Kinetic Isotope Defect]

From what I've heard Harvard tends to send out decisions starting in mid-January and most come in early February.

 

In other news someone from Scripps looked at my LinkedIn profile last week, so it looks like they've started reviewing applications (I submitted mine on December 1st, for reference).

[ghostar]

In other news someone from Scripps looked at my LinkedIn profile last week, so it looks like they've started reviewing applications (I submitted mine on December 1st, for reference).

 

Haha, this made me go check my own Linkedin profile views. Yeah, apparently someone from TSRI has checked my profile ~1 week ago. I also got more than average # of views from Anonymous members all throughout December.. 

Edited December 26, 2014 by ghostar

[dllll]

I am a bit confused and would like some input:
I applied to both the Chemistry and Biochemistry programs at UT Austin, and have gotten two emails. One email was an official interview invitation from the Biochemistry program. The second one was an email from one of my top-choice PIs regarding my application to the Chemistry program, though he is also in the Biochemistry program. He said that my application had been directed to him since I had listed interests relevant to his lab and I'd specifically listed his name in my letter. In the email he went into greater detail about his research, and then said that he hopes the information will help me make my decision and that he hopes I join his group in the fall. But I have not received any official letter from the Department. What does this mean? I am confused. Thoughts?

[ghostar]

I am a bit confused and would like some input:

I applied to both the Chemistry and Biochemistry programs at UT Austin, and have gotten two emails. One email was an official interview invitation from the Biochemistry program. The second one was an email from one of my top-choice PIs regarding my application to the Chemistry program, though he is also in the Biochemistry program. He said that my application had been directed to him since I had listed interests relevant to his lab and I'd specifically listed his name in my letter. In the email he went into greater detail about his research, and then said that he hopes the information will help me make my decision and that he hopes I join his group in the fall. But I have not received any official letter from the Department. What does this mean? I am confused. Thoughts?

I would direct this question to the PI himself.

[Whisky-with-a-Y]

I recieved the same news. First I got the email from the professor, stating the same type of information (research interests and what-not). I received the informal admission a few days later, maybe 2-3 days, from the department discussing travel days, stipend, etc. The formal admission will not come until after the visitation weekend, so if you are expecting that it will require your attendance; or at least that is what my email has stated. Although, you should recieve some informal admission, so I would follow the previous advice and contact the professor who emailed you. Although, with the holiday and everything it might just be held up a little.

[Whisky-with-a-Y]

Side note: this is for the chemistry department and requires no interview on my part.

[fancyfeast]

Alright guys we have good news and bad news.

 

The good news: Admitted to Berkeley! Yay!

 

The bad news: I just looked at my submitted apps and I feel so, so stupid but I just noticed that my UCSF application was marked as complete (like checkmarks by each portion of the app) but apparently I didn't truly complete the application because I uploaded my transcript last thing (remember this very clearly) but I didn't press "Save" on that page so it didn't upload The deadline was December 1st and I submitted like a week before then ugh so sad because UCSF was really one of my top choices... Such a stupid mistake! Do you think I should bother contacting the program or not? They were really my first choice, even over the schools I applied to with better names just because I really liked a lot of the groups there.