barbarr Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 I'm applying to grad schools next year and I'm going to be the first in my family to pursue a PhD so this is honestly kind of nerve wracking. The reason why I am posting here is because I have good academics but mediocre research and recs. Here's my stats: Major: ChemE (top 4 of ~25 students) GPA: 4.1/4.3 Rank: Top ~12 out of ~240 students GRE: 167V/170Q/4.5W Research No peer-reviewed publications in refereed journals. Freshman year research published in school journal Sophomore year research in new lab wasn't very good or productive Junior year research in same lab presented at an AIChE conference Working towards a publication in same lab (but I don't know whether I will be done by grad school applications) Did work study in a psychology lab sophomore year as a work-study student, nothing really came of it Recs Probably will not be great. Not sure what to do about this. Freshman year research adviser expects us to write our own recs, it usually never works out for undergrads because we don't know how to write recs Sophomore + Junior research adviser barely knows me, other than the research I've produced (which only recently started working out) Most profs only know me from class Awards Large institutional scholarships (financial aid) Two summer research grants at university Speaking prize at AIChE conference Orgs AIChE Tau Beta Pi Teaching Teaching assistant for two undergrad courses and one grad level course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neurotic_Jay Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I can only say rec letters matter A LOT so you probably want to talk with your sophomore+junior research advisor about that. It's not hard to write your own recs, just brag (no don't do that), maybe ask your freshman year advisor for a template or a previous sample rec letter? Other than that I think your profile is really strong, but there's no telling about someone's chance to schools like Stanford or MIT. Sometimes you need more than a strong profile, such as luck (PI in your area happens to need a new PhD student or something). If you are a domestic student, also try NSF GRFP. barbarr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbarr Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 In case someone stumbles across this in the future - I got into all the programs I applied to. Kingoflimbs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaibear Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 @barbarr Congratulations! Where will you be attending this Fall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbarr Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 @thaibear MIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victorious Secret Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I was curious about your home institution... Small ChemE class (25), very small overall class (240 students). High ChemE to overall ratio; sounds like a tech/engineering school. Your test scores are stellar. And your school has a research journal... Is it Caltech? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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