u/Annabird31

Why is it that even top programs like Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, etc. have a 3.0 GPA cut off but don’t admit a cohort that reflects this?

I’m applying to Chemistry PhD programs in the fall. I’ve heard that as long as you’re above a 3.5 you’re competitive but that just doesn’t seem to reflect reality. It seems like the majority of top 10 programs admit students with a 3.8-4.0 range. Is there a filtering system that they don’t tell us about? I’m so confused about what GPA actually does for you and no one has really given me a clear answer.

Honestly, it seems like the real minimum cutoff is a 3.7. Grade inflation has made GPA super weird so at least at my school getting below a 3.5 is unusual. Doesn’t a minimum cutoff of 3.0 just create more work for the adcoms if everyone under the sun can apply?

Edit: These are my observations for people applying to the tippy top of programs for Chem PhD

Title says it all. Basically, I am on my university’s student health insurance plan and it is ASS. I have a condition that causes my first rib to compress my nerves but it can be fixed with a first rib resection. I’ve been through it on my left side and it was life changing but my insurance won’t pay for the other side because it’s not severe enough yet. Bet you can’t guess what country I’m from!

I’m applying in the fall to Chemistry PhD programs.

Hi all, due to the state of things in the US, I am considering whether I should taking a gap year before applying to PhD programs. Among a few other things, I am considering the option of staying in my current lab to finish my research project (it’s likely I’d be able to get a 1st author pub if I had another year with no classes). Especially if I don’t end up getting into a PhD program.

Question:
Has anyone had experience with finding external funding for a post bac? I go to a primarily undergraduate liberal arts school so my research advisor doesn’t have a massive grant like he probably would at an R1.

An another note, would a post bac even help me? I’ve been unusually lucky with flashy awards, research opportunities, etc., so I recognize that I might be putting too much stock in the possibility of getting a publication.

Stats for context:

3.94 GPA
Goldwater scholarship
ACS DOC SURF
2 yrs of research in organic chemistry
Multiple posters at regional and national meetings
2 industry REUs (NIH and Pharma)
Middle author on a review in a med chem journal

Do PIs actually have a say during the admission process? How much does cold emailing and getting a response help you? I’ve started emailing a few PIs asking about certain projects and I’ve been getting a pretty good response ratio! One guy actually told me about a current project that is unpublished!

I’m applying to PhD programs for synthetic organic chemistry in the Fall. I *think* I would prefer to stay in academia, so I’ve been told that getting into a “top program” does matter somewhat more for organic chemistry.

So far my emails have been brief and to the point, assuming they must get hundreds of emails a day from interested students. Should I try to sell myself a bit more? Include my CV? A brief summery of my research experience? Also this might be dumb but how do I ask if they are taking students next cycle and have funding without it sounding so… transactional?

My department canceled the organometallics elective I was signed up for due to low enrollment, so I’m setting up an independent study with the instructor instead! She’s giving me a fair amount of flexibility in choosing the range of topics it covers and it’ll likely include some sort of glovebox work.

For those in grad school or who have been doing synthesis or catalysis, what do you wish you had learned before starting your PhD?

(For context)
I just finished my 3rd year as a chemistry major and will be applying to PhD programs for synthetic chemistry this fall. I have been doing independent research in synthetic organic chemistry for about 2 years at my university but I have had limited formal exposure to organometallics and catalysis. I was recently named a Goldwater Scholar, and will be doing a discovery/process chem internship at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine this summer.