*Program-specific thread* UW Madison

[ghostar]

I thought that having a program-specific thread would make it much easier to keep track of all the information said regarding a particular program, so here is one for UW Madison! I'm just curious about the following:

1. Is anyone planning on visiting? 
2. What do you see as pros and cons of the program?

Feel free to chime in with any additional thoughts or questions, folks!

Edited January 19, 2015 by ghostar

[ghostar]

I thought that having a program-specific thread would make it much easier to keep track of all the information said regarding a particular program, so here is one for UW Madison! I'm just curious about the following:

1. Is anyone planning on visiting? 
2. What do you see as pros and cons of the program?

Feel free to chime in with any additional thoughts or questions, folks!

 

Here are my responses to the questions.

 

1. Yes - I will be visiting the March 27-29 weekend.

2. Pros:

       * Well-respected chemistry program

       * Great science, strong representation of synthetic chemists and chemical biologists

       * Strong recommendation from alumni from my undergrad who are really happy there

 

    Cons:

       * Everything is way too big - the school, the department, and even the labs I am interested in

       * Location & weather - 

 

These are the big ones I can think of for now. 

[apestar]

Hi, I am planning to visit the program in early March. I am currently conducting research in the field biological chemistry / bioorganic chemistry (I have no idea how I should name my research interest.) and UW-Madison is one of the best places to do this type of research other than Scripps, Harvard, and some other top schools. UW-Madison has a designated chemical biology path for my intended research areas, and it also provides alternatives since there are some quantitative biology PIs in this particular path. Even though I am going to work in one lab probably after your first year, I think I will have a good list of professors to choose from. 

 

I would suggest you to ask your PI for information about this campus and see what his/her opinion about this school. When I got accepted the other day, I talked to my PI and he said this was the place to bioorganic research if I was not accepted to Scripps. In addition, he could name a few PIs on top of his head, indicating that this program was of some significance.

Edited January 19, 2015 by apestar

[ghostar]

Hi, I am planning to visit the program in early March. I am currently conducting research in the field biological chemistry / bioorganic chemistry (I have no idea how I should name my research interest.) and UW-Madison is one of the best places to do this type of research other than Scripps, Harvard, and some other top schools. UW-Madison has a designated chemical biology path for my intended research areas, and it also provides alternatives since there are some quantitative biology PIs in this particular path. Even though I am going to work in one lab probably after your first year, I think I will have a good list of professors to choose from. 

 

I would suggest you to ask your PI for information about this campus and see what his/her opinion about this school. When I got accepted the other day, I talked to my PI and he said this was the place to bioorganic research if I was not accepted to Scripps. In addition, he could name a few PIs on top of his head, indicating that this program was of some significance.

 

Your case sounds a lot like my own. I definitely plan on joining the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training program if I do attend. I'm mostly interested in Laura Kiessling at UW Madison--one of former labmates is now a grad student in her lab, and he had lots of great things to say about her research, the lab (people, environment), and Kiessling as an exemplary female scientist and mentor. 

Edited January 19, 2015 by ghostar

[ChemPlasmonics]

Your case sounds a lot like my own. I definitely plan on joining the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training program if I do attend. I'm mostly interested in Laura Kiessling at UW Madison--one of former labmates is now a grad student in her lab, and he had lots of great things to say about her research, the lab (people, environment), and Kiessling as an exemplary female scientist and mentor.

That is very coincidental, one of my former lab mates is also in her lab! I don't have have too much interest in the bio-side of things so I am not considering her, but he seems to be very content in this lab as well.

[chemblah]

I did an REU at UW Madison and I am from MN, so I can confirm the winters suck.  However, the summers are absolutely gorgeous.  The student center on Lake Mendota is the best and there is always great live music there.  They also have a lot of fun outdoor clubs including a sailing club. Also the city is super bike friendly and there are 3 lakes within biking distance of the campus. 

 

As far as the campus, yes it is huge, but when you are in one department it doesn't feel too big. The city of Madison isn't actually too big, but there are always lots of cool things going on. The Farmer's Market is AMAZING and the largest in the country too.

 

I was in a fairly big group for my REU and I honestly didn't like how big it was either. My prof was more hands off style approach and some people prefer that.  However, I shared an office space with a smaller group and the professor wasn't tenured yet so he was more involved with everyone's projects and was in the office almost daily.  He was super nice, it actually took me a few weeks to realize he was the PI and not a post doc, whoops. 

Edited January 19, 2015 by chemcece

[apestar]

Here are my responses to the questions.

 

1. Yes - I will be visiting the March 27-29 weekend.

2. Pros:

       * Well-respected chemistry program

       * Great science, strong representation of synthetic chemists and chemical biologists

       * Strong recommendation from alumni from my undergrad who are really happy there

 

    Cons:

       * Everything is way too big - the school, the department, and even the labs I am interested in

       * Location & weather - 

 

These are the big ones I can think of for now. 

Hmm... As far as I know, interdisciplinary labs in this type of interface program tend to have more people. Lab members do vastly different stuff: some are mostly concerned about synthesis while some do mostly biology. And the list of PIs are pretty well-known as well, which means their reputation has well established. One of the younger PIs my professor told me of is Professor Strieter. There are pros and cons about joining bigger labs in general. You may have a much easier time getting published if you join Professor Samuel Gellman for instance, but you may get less attention because of the size of the group. I think that's why we go to visitation weekend to gather some information =)

[ghostar]

Hmm... As far as I know, interdisciplinary labs in this type of interface program tend to have more people. Lab members do vastly different stuff: some are mostly concerned about synthesis while some do mostly biology. And the list of PIs are pretty well-known as well, which means their reputation has well established. One of the younger PIs my professor told me of is Professor Strieter. There are pros and cons about joining bigger labs in general. You may have a much easier time getting published if you join Professor Samuel Gellman for instance, but you may get less attention because of the size of the group. I think that's why we go to visitation weekend to gather some information =)

 

How funny, Gellman and Strieter are the two other PI's of interest I mentioned in my personal statement! The biggest lab I have worked in had 6 people, so I am clueless as to how labs with 10+ people operate. Not that I'm against big labs, it will just be an entirely new experience for me. The visitation weekend will be very helpful for getting an insight into the lab dynamic and management styles of various bigger labs I'm interested in.

[letsdothis]

1. the March 27-29 weekend.

2. Pros:

   - very strong program

   -heard great things about the city, and location in general (i know many people will say that the location doesnt matter because you'll be living in the lab,     but i can't really bring myself to live somewhere i hate none the less)

   -some very interesting work going on in my field there (physical/analytical chem)

 

    Cons:

    -i must agree with ghostar that everything seems huge (particularly coming from an undergrad with about 3000 students [9 chem majors in my year]) but      i am sure i will get a better feel for this when i visit

[Hijojo]

I like the idea of program specific threads quite a bit; thanks for starting one!

 

I'm not sure I'll be visiting - it's a bit farther down on my list and I'm not sure about many days I can get off from work in late February and March. But it's relatively close by and a good school, so I'd definitely like to see it if I have the chance.

 

Personally, the biggest draw to me is that they have a number of people working on stuff I'm interested in. I have fairly narrow research interests so I only have 2 or so POIs at each school, but there's a number I can see myself working with there. (Actually, letsdothis, we may have some POIs in common - I'm interested in spectroscopy, too, though from more of a physical and less of an analytical perspective). 

 

As for cons, I'll echo what others have said - I'm not sure I want a school that large. Also, as someone who's living in the midwest right now, I'm not particularly sure I want to stay here - I'm more of a coastal person. And for me, my top choice POIs are at different institutions (including both UPenn and UVA, which I've gotten into)

[doyouevenchop]

Which program did you all apply for? I went Chem Bio, but haven't heard back from UW yet. Wondering if they're done sending out notices or not

[fretting]

In response to all your questions:

 

I applied for organic chemistry, and unless I get accepted by both harvard and stanford, I should be visiting! 

 

pros:

1) there are a lot of people that I would like to work with from an organic chemistry standpoint, not exactly big names but people whose projects sound really interesting. and I actually enjoy a hands off approach when it comes to supervision. the main thing I need from my supervisor is that his/her door must always be open. i.e. I don't mind a big group, but i want a supervisor who is around most of the time. this would be what I would be trying to suss out about the faculty on visitation weekend.

 

2) as ghostar said, very well respected chemistry program in general

 

3) great city! i have not been there, but everything that I have read and heard about the city has been positive. do check out the Madison city guide on this forum! (link: )

 

 

cons:

 

1) it gets really cold in winter... (I hail from sunny Singapore and did my bachelors in London, so I am used to no winter or mild winters!!)

 

2) I feel like this shouldn't be a concern, but I know that some part of me is still a school snob and wants to go to a big name school, and UW madison isn't really that big a name. It just feels like something that I might look back on and regret, if I do reject a more famous school for UW madison. please do share your thoughts on this!!!

 

 

P.S. if there are any LGBT applicants out there, one of the Chemistry faculty, Tehshik Yoon, is on the LGBT committee. found out while sleuthing online as he's one of the PIs I am interested in working with!

Edited January 20, 2015 by fretting

[UWChemE]

I worked pretty closely with a number of the organic professors. I graded for one of Teshik's courses for example, and he's a great person and professor. The Schomaker group, though new, is really awesome! They are close knit and Jennifer is a very good mentor. Blackwell is another awesome professor, she was my intro to organic professor. Riessling will be a popular choice so keep that in mind. (Oh yeah, I really like Streiter, he's a really cool guy, started in organometallic work, and then switched to biochem. He's also pretty funny)

 

I think some of you worried about the size of UW don't realize how small each department ends up being. They don't let in so so many people each year. Organic is by far the largest pool of people and they maybe have 20-30 people, each split up into different groups. So if you're analytical, you might be added with 8-9 other people. Physical even less, chem bio (I think) is the smallest. 

 

As is always the case people group up, you make friends, the department becomes a lot smaller than it might seem at first. Just don't worry. The size of UW is actually a giant plus! There is a lot of cross-group collaboration. So many people (undergraduate and graduate) to meet and find a place with. 

 

And to the above poster, UW is extremely well known. We get speakers from all over the world, cross departmental collaboration( e.g. engineering and chemistry) We have a ton of research funding. I believe the chemistry department has rotations for the first semester so you can make sure the group you join is a fit for you. At smaller programs you won't be able to do something like this.

 

 

I hope I've quelled some fears. And if anyone has any questions about UW don't hesitate to ask, I will answer anything I have knowledge of.  

 

[ghostar]

Which program did you all apply for? I went Chem Bio, but haven't heard back from UW yet. Wondering if they're done sending out notices or not

There is only one application for all the different graduate tracks in the chemistry department, including chemical biology. You declare your track after you enroll. See here: http://chem.wisc.edu/content/graduate-paths

I got my acceptance email on Jan 7, FYI.

[ghostar]

I worked pretty closely with a number of the organic professors. I graded for one of Teshik's courses for example, and he's a great person and professor. The Schomaker group, though new, is really awesome! They are close knit and Jennifer is a very good mentor. Blackwell is another awesome professor, she was my intro to organic professor. Riessling will be a popular choice so keep that in mind. (Oh yeah, I really like Streiter, he's a really cool guy, started in organometallic work, and then switched to biochem. He's also pretty funny)

 

I think some of you worried about the size of UW don't realize how small each department ends up being. They don't let in so so many people each year. Organic is by far the largest pool of people and they maybe have 20-30 people, each split up into different groups. So if you're analytical, you might be added with 8-9 other people. Physical even less, chem bio (I think) is the smallest. 

 

As is always the case people group up, you make friends, the department becomes a lot smaller than it might seem at first. Just don't worry. The size of UW is actually a giant plus! There is a lot of cross-group collaboration. So many people (undergraduate and graduate) to meet and find a place with. 

 

And to the above poster, UW is extremely well known. We get speakers from all over the world, cross departmental collaboration( e.g. engineering and chemistry) We have a ton of research funding. I believe the chemistry department has rotations for the first semester so you can make sure the group you join is a fit for you. At smaller programs you won't be able to do something like this.

 

 

I hope I've quelled some fears. And if anyone has any questions about UW don't hesitate to ask, I will answer anything I have knowledge of.

Thanks for the information. Did you mean Kiessling?

Some additional questions: How is the public transportation system in Madison? Can you get around the city comfortably without a car? What are some options for graduate housing?

[UWChemE]

Yes German keyboard made a typo. Kiessling is correct.

 

 The public trans is great, not really necessary because of bikes and bike paths. But all students get a free transport pass at the start of the semester. 

 

Don't know a whole lot about graduate housing. I do know that many grad students live on the east side of town, further from campus. This area is very young and lively. Check out the "Wiley Street" neighborhood. It's really nice. Most grad students live off campus. I believe some live in Middleton as well. They could tell you more on your visit. 

[16777216]

This is so much good information! Anyone heard anything about Shannon Stahl? He's the other person I was thinking I might like to work with.

[LinusPauling]

Don't know much about the specifics of the program, but one big pro is the town itself. It's very fun. If you visit, make sure to visit Gumby's and order the pokey sticks.

[szxegz]

I received an offer yesterday. It's really a surprise for I hadn't heard anything from it before. I am conducting research in computational chemistry and appyling to the same subfield. I will probably join QC's lab.

I am wondering where do you know about information about the visitation weekends? The offer didn't mention it and I found nothing about specific open day for chemistry on the department website.

Besides, would the weather strongly influence life there? I was born in a warm city and have never stayed in any snowing place for a month. How long and how cold exactly is the winter there? Do students generally need to stay outdoor for a considerable time every day?

Edited January 21, 2015 by szxegz

[16777216]

I received an offer yesterday. It's really a surprise for I hadn't heard anything from it before. I am conducting research in computational chemistry and appyling to the same subfield. I will probably join QC's lab.

I am wondering where do you know about information about the visitation weekends? The offer didn't mention it and I found nothing about specific open day for chemistry on the department website.

Besides, would the weather strongly influence life there? I was born in a warm city and have never stayed in any snowing place for a month. How long and how cold exactly is the winter there? Do students generally need to stay outdoor for a considerable time every day?

Hey, with regards to visits, I got an email with a bunch of information (dates, schedule, how much money they put to your travel, etc.) a few days after my offer letter came. I'm sure yours will show up soon!

[ghostar]

Hey, with regards to visits, I got an email with a bunch of information (dates, schedule, how much money they put to your travel, etc.) a few days after my offer letter came. I'm sure yours will show up soon!

Yup, same. The follow-up email came 6 days later.

[fancyfeast]

Do you guys think it would be detrimental if i had to miss some (or all, depending on how late it goes) of the Friday night activities of the recruitment weekend? I have an exam that morning that I really can't afford to miss (prof won't let me take it earlier), but even if I leave right after I won't be able to catch a flight to arrive in Madison before maybe 7 pm.

[HAF9113]

Do you guys think it would be detrimental if i had to miss some (or all, depending on how late it goes) of the Friday night activities of the recruitment weekend? I have an exam that morning that I really can't afford to miss (prof won't let me take it earlier), but even if I leave right after I won't be able to catch a flight to arrive in Madison before maybe 7 pm.

I will definitely email the program. I have the same issue but with UMich. They said it's okay to only attend Saturday's activities or they can book me a personal visit.  I guess it depends on schools but I would email them anyway.    

[epinephrine]

I really really want to attend the visit weekend, but what they're paying me doesn't even cover half of the travel costs (international student).

 

I often feel like I made a hasty decision for my undergrad school- I picked the "obvious" choice, and have regretted it often- so I'm going to be very slow and careful with this one, but I can't afford it if they're the only ones paying me. :(

I am currently conducting research in, and planning to pursue theoretical chemistry, in particular molecular biophysics.

Edited January 24, 2015 by epinephrine

[UWChemE]

I really really want to attend the visit weekend, but what they're paying me doesn't even cover half of the travel costs (international student).

 

I often feel like I made a hasty decision for my undergrad school- I picked the "obvious" choice, and have regretted it often- so I'm going to be very slow and careful with this one, but I can't afford it if they're the only ones paying me. :(

I am currently conducting research in, and planning to pursue theoretical chemistry, in particular molecular biophysics.

 

 

You should try to arrange for 1 big trip where you can visit more than one school. I have read of other students doing this. (If you're able to take off more than a few days of classes)

 

The interstate travel will easily be covered by the schools, but you may have a rather large ticket cost to make it to the states. I think that seeing the school in person and actually meeting professors will play a large role in your decision. 

 

Also Madison is an awesome city! If it is cold/ grey try to look past that. It's really a beautiful city full of life and energy.