<p>Has anyone found that pursuing the ACS certified BS degree was worth it in regards to applying to grad schools? Does having it put you at an advantage in the admissions process compared to students who don't have it? Any info would be great...thank you!</p>
<p>I would say no from my experience but you have to consider what you will be doing with your degree. Here is my experience....</p>
<p>I graduated with a BS in biochemistry and attempted to go the ACS certification route which is much more intense, and time consuming as opposed to a BS without the certificate. I had to take 3 additional courses : Inorgaic chemistry, Physical Chemistry 2, and a senior or graduate chemistry course elective. Given that my goal was (and still is) to go to graduate school for a biomedical science, the ACS certification wasn't a huge plus. The main reason I went for it was simply I had nothing else to "shoot" for... basically I wanted a challenge since I had nearly completed all my major and gen ed requirements before my 4th year. To make a long story short, I didn't do too well in the extra courses causing my gpa to suffer.</p>
<p>My adviser even warned me of this, yet I didn't listen. So in the long run, it will most likely not be worth the extra time and stress to go for the certificate. Most chemistry graduates are not ACS certified whether their chemistry program was or was not. Considering that, it's definitely not a determinate on whether you will or won't get into graduate school.</p>
<p>By looking at the requirements for the certificate and reading the handbook (on ACS's website), it seems the certificate would be more beneficial for those going into industry right after graduation.</p>
<p>I mostly agree with creolan, but I think it also depends on how much extra work it is at your school. At my school, we don't have a biochemistry major so maybe that's where the difference is; the closest we have is chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry. Anyone who takes that route automatically qualifies for certification. And even chemistry majors just have to take two extra classes (biochemistry and another elective).</p>
<p>my degree in chemistry/biochemistry was ACS-certified, but i never saw any indication of this on my transcript or diploma, and none of my grad schools were interested in that fact either. i think the classwork and research is far more valuable than whether your major has a stamp of approval from ACS.</p>
<p>FWIW, and your own experience may vary, D, a senior now and beginning grad school app. process was counseled this way by her mentors/professors/advisors regarding the ACS track. ACS requires a certain set of courses. Grad admissions committees/departments will see that you have taken more stringent courses and can judge how you have performed with this material. They don't need the "ACS stamp", they'll know by your courses completed. With this advice in hand, she chose to pursue the ACS track (some additional courses + research). The additional courses and research also gave her more opportunities to get to know the professors well, a big plus when it is time to request letters or recommendation.</p>