raul.carmo Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hello everyone, I am applying to dozens of chemistry graduate programs in the US right now but I wonder if my application has any chance of being accepted by a top 50 program. My GRE scores are: V-160, Q-154, AW 3.0 TOEFL: 113/120 GPA: 3.1 general, 3.6 in chemistry I have been involved in research since sophomore year in college and I hold a MS degree in chemistry, but my home institution is small and unfortunately I couldn't make any publications out of it, only presentations in small symposia. I can also get 3 good letters of reference from faculty members and my advisor. Another plus in my application is that I have studied one year in the US as the recipient of a scholarship (studying abroad is really rare in my country) and receive other small scholarships throughout my 'career'. Is there anyone who have been in a similar situation and got in a decent PhD program? Do I stand a chance? ps.: my research interest is in the field of organometallic catalysis and new synthetic methodologies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aberrant Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Not sure why nobody is replying to your thread, OP. But if you are a international student, then I personally think that your profile is subpar for "top 20-30" programs. You may have a shot for the so-called "31-50", but I would focus more on your personal statement and emphasize what you are good at. You probably want to consider something that is outside of the "top 50" but really good at "organometallic catalysis and new synthetic methodologies" -- there can be big names in those fields who happened to not be in the "top 30" or even "top 50" programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harshal Jawale Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 I had a profile similar to yours. I got accepted in Purdue's PhD program though. Although, my institute's kind of recognized in the US (Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai) which I think does matter a lot. But I would say, go for the big guns too. You might hit the bulls eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmed.samy Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Harshal, I plan to apply to Purdue for fall 2018 and i want to ask you about my chances... my profile is as follow: - bachelor of Pharmacy in 2016 ( percentage 90% ) ( Gpa : 4 ) - 1 year teaching assistant in Chemistry and Biomedical science - english : ielts (7) - GRE : 320 (quantitative : 164 , verbal : 156) , AW : 2.5 - national chemistry Olympiad Winner in 2010 , participated in international chemistry Olympiad in 2011 - research experience : 1) Material science project on nanoparticles used for anticancer treatment ( 8 months and still working) 2) Drug design 2-month project on Discovery studio and MOE - many activities in college : student union scientific committee Co-head and other positions. 17 hours ago, Harshal Jawale said: I had a profile similar to yours. I got accepted in Purdue's PhD program though. Although, my institute's kind of recognized in the US (Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai) which I think does matter a lot. But I would say, go for the big guns too. You might hit the bulls eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raul.carmo Posted November 7, 2017 Author Share Posted November 7, 2017 On 10/9/2017 at 11:48 PM, aberrant said: Not sure why nobody is replying to your thread, OP. But if you are a international student, then I personally think that your profile is subpar for "top 20-30" programs. You may have a shot for the so-called "31-50", but I would focus more on your personal statement and emphasize what you are good at. You probably want to consider something that is outside of the "top 50" but really good at "organometallic catalysis and new synthetic methodologies" -- there can be big names in those fields who happened to not be in the "top 30" or even "top 50" programs. Sorry if it's dumb question, but where do you evaluate the ranking of an institution? I am used to QS Rankings, but I see a lot of people referring to the THE ranking, and there is definitely no match between them (there are top 20 programs in the QS ranking which doesn't even appear on the THE). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raul.carmo Posted November 8, 2017 Author Share Posted November 8, 2017 I have decided which institutions to apply based on the research faculty in my field, the numbers in the right are their position according the Chemistry Global QS Rankings 2017. New York University 151-200 The University of Iowa 401-450 Ohio State University 101-150 University of Illinois 151-200 Pittsburgh University 151-200 Georgia Institute of Technology 28 University of South Carolina 351-400 University of Pennsylvania 51-100 UC Davis 51-100 University of Southern California 151-200 Oregon State University / Iowa State University 201-250 University of Utah 301-350 Michigan State University 151-200 Princeton University 24 What do you think? Does anyone have any useful advice on these institutions and, maybe, suggest me others which have strong faculty in organometallic catalysis/organic synthesis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aberrant Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 8 hours ago, raul.carmo said: Sorry if it's dumb question, but where do you evaluate the ranking of an institution? I am used to QS Rankings, but I see a lot of people referring to the THE ranking, and there is definitely no match between them (there are top 20 programs in the QS ranking which doesn't even appear on the THE). 7 hours ago, raul.carmo said: I have decided which institutions to apply based on the research faculty in my field, the numbers in the right are their position according the Chemistry Global QS Rankings 2017. New York University 151-200 The University of Iowa 401-450 Ohio State University 101-150 University of Illinois 151-200 Pittsburgh University 151-200 Georgia Institute of Technology 28 University of South Carolina 351-400 University of Pennsylvania 51-100 UC Davis 51-100 University of Southern California 151-200 Oregon State University / Iowa State University 201-250 University of Utah 301-350 Michigan State University 151-200 Princeton University 24 What do you think? Does anyone have any useful advice on these institutions and, maybe, suggest me others which have strong faculty in organometallic catalysis/organic synthesis? I think for most people they use US News (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools) and determine ranking(s) in their specific field/program. PhD (http://www.phds.org) also has their own system for evaluation. Your list seems to have a good mix (if ranking really matters to you), so I think that's a good start (especially if money isn't an issue to you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raul.carmo Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 On 11/8/2017 at 5:58 AM, aberrant said: I think for most people they use US News (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools) and determine ranking(s) in their specific field/program. PhD (http://www.phds.org) also has their own system for evaluation. Your list seems to have a good mix (if ranking really matters to you), so I think that's a good start (especially if money isn't an issue to you). US News rankings are completely different from QS haha, Iowa State is ranked #200-#250 in QS and #31 in US News. Some institutions in this list have free applications, although I will spend about $700 with the paid ones. I am not primarily based on rankings, I just use them to have a hint on which programs I am most likely to have a successful application. Those were my programs of choice because they have active faculty members doing research in organometallic catalysis and development of synthetic methodologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raul.carmo Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 Just so you guys know, I have applied to 3 terminal MS programs in the US for this spring semester (I thought it would be easier to get into a Master's than a PhD program): Villanova University, Bucknell University and Illinois State University. I felt devastated that I was rejected by Villanova and Bucknell a few weeks ago, because they are really small programs (not even appear on rankings) and I thought I would stand a chance. Illinois State have not decided yet but I feel I am going to be rejected as well. Does that mean I won't stand a chance on a PhD program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now