Making the jump in chemistry: PhD application consulting

admissions coaching chemistry College graduate admissions

Let’s take a closer look that what constitutes an application, and what you’ll want to focus on as you get your applications together. While some schools have slightly different variations on this theme, generally, your application for a graduate degree in chemistry will consist of, in order from most to least important:

  1. Research/work experiences
  2. Letters of recommendation
  3. College transcript/academic record
  4. GRE/other test scores
  5. Personal statement

That’s right: the standardized test scores and personal statement that were a huge source of stress during the college application process are now among the least important parts of your grad school app. This is largely due to the fact that most programs are focused on admitting the best chemists they can – not the best creative writers or even the most broadly educated people. While these are definitely very important parts of the college experience and will certainly help you later on in life, there’s essentially no space on the application to indicate that you were captain of the soccer team or starred in three musicals. These PhD programs just want to know that you’re a capable, motivated student.

So, what does matter on the application?

1. Research and work experiences directly in the field of chemistry

The most important thing is your record of activities in your field.  Any research, no matter how insignificant or how long ago, should be included. It's great if you’ve been working in a lab for three years and have multiple papers to show for it, but you won’t be rejected because you’ve only worked on a series of summer projects. Unfortunately, this also means that if you’re just sitting down to write your applications in the fall of your senior year and you don’t have any research experiences to write about, there’s not a lot you can do to improve your odds. But hopefully, if graduate school is your ultimate goal, you’ve realized the importance of research before you’ve reached that point. There are also post-baccalaureate programs available if you've decided to switch tracks after completing your undergraduate course of study.

2. Letters of recommendation

Almost as important is what your professors/supervisors can say for you. Again, it’d be great if you could have a Nobel Laureate writing about how great you are, but most likely that’s not the case. But as long as your professors can attest to your willingness to work hard and learn new skills, you’ll be fine. Do consider, however, that recommendations coming from chemistry professors, and even more specifically, professors in your field, will carry much more weight than other recommendations. So while you may have a great relationship with your freshman year art history professor, chances are there’s probably a better person to ask to write on your behalf.

3. College transcript/academic record

Obviously, the higher your grades/scores, and the more challenging the nature of your courses, the stronger your application will be. But grad school is not like med school, so even if your GPA isn’t perfect, there’s no reason not to apply to your preferred schools. Again, grad schools are looking primarily at your potential to be a great researcher, and this may not be represented in your ability to take standardized tests or handle out of major courses. Most schools will specifically ask you for your chemistry GPA as well as your overall GPA, so you will have a clear opening to highlight your strengths.

4. GRE/other test scores

For standardized tests, the two main ones you’ll need to take are the GRE and the Chemistry GRE. If English isn’t your first language, you will also need to demonstrate proficiency in English. For the standard GRE, the quantitative section is much more important than the verbal section–again, this simply reflects what you will need most in your research. Surprisingly, however, the Chemistry GRE itself isn’t as important as the quantitative section of the GRE. Even some top-tier graduate programs don’t require it (although it is usually “recommended”). This is because the test is far more general than your research will be-and there is no “Organic Chemistry GRE” or “Physical Chemistry GRE”. So while you should definitely take (and prepare for) the Chemistry GRE, it most likely isn’t going to make or break your application.

 

5. Personal statement.

This brings us to the personal statement. How is it possible that this has fallen to the bottom of the list? The answer is that here, it’s completely okay to be formulaic. Your personal statement can essentially consist of two paragraphs – one talking in broad terms about your interests and experiences, and a second relating these to the particular school you’re applying to. Again, grad schools aren’t looking for the best creative writers – they need the best chemists. And that’s going to come through much better in the other areas of your application – if it hasn’t, then you’re probably not going to change a committee’s opinion of you with a brilliant essay. 

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that most of the top-tier programs will not even consider applications for masters degrees, so make sure you’re fairly certain about your decision to pursue a PhD before you begin the process.

So there you have it. On the whole, the grad school application process for chemistry is much simpler and much more straightforward than the college application process. Like chemistry itself, your application will generally based on “fact”—in other words it should be less of a story and more of a documentation of your accomplishments.

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