Hi everyone
I’m currently studying chemistry at the University of Basel in Switzerland. In more or less two years I will hopefully have my master’s degree and then I want to make a Ph.D probably in the US.
As I don’t know how the system in your country works, I have a few questions.
The difference between a college and an university is already clear (I asked that one in the wrong section). But I have more questions.
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I know that your universities cost a lot compared to Switzerland. But in Switzerland you het payed during your Ph.D. Is this also like this in the US?
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I want to specialize on physikal respectively theoretical chemistry. What is, in your opinion, the best institution for making my Ph.D in this field?
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To get accepted at a good university, do I have to have great marks? I mean, do I have to be one of the best students in Switzerland to get to MIT or something like that? Or do they also look on your application (how interested you are and the reasons you want to go to exactly this university)?
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Is there an exam to get accepted at a college or university?
I hope you guys can help me a little 
Best wishes,
straumle
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Yes, in STEM disciplines, you generally receive a stipend while working on a PhD. This funding may come from a number of sources such as the professor/advisor you’re working with, the department, teaching and research assistantships, grants, and fellowships.
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Grades and GPA are part of the equation, but your research experience and GRE scores are also important. I’m not as familiar with chemistry graduate studies, but essays like your statement of purpose and personal statement (in which you write about your interests/research interests, motivations, etc.) are valuable as well. It probably varies from school to school.
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Pretty much all graduate programs require you to take the GRE. It’s a broad, standardized test used for graduate school admission.
You should also check out TheGradCafe. It’s a useful forum similar to CollegeConfidential whose focus is entirely on graduate school.
Ok, thanks for the quick answer.
I will check out TheGradCafe, maybe I can gain more information there 
But you guys helped me already a lot!
Best wishes,
straumle
When you receive an acceptance, they will also send you a letter of the financial offer. This will vary by university. Usually for PhD the tuition is waived/dismissed. Also you often get university health insurance, but some places you have to pay for it out of your other funds. Then there are ways to get living expenses.
Fellowship - means you are a top candidate and they award a fixed monetary award per year with no obligation
T.A. - teaching assistant, perhaps you will run a lab section, grade papers, keep office hours for student to get help
R.A. - research assistant, you assist one of the professors in his lab
G.A. - graduate assistantship, various
The award letter will give you the dollar amount and tell you how many years this is guaranteed for. The guarantee may be shorter than the time needed and this is solved in various ways. Ideally, you would be expected to be paid out of your PI’s funding and not university funding after the initial period. Sometimes you have to continue to get the RA or TA duties to get the funds.
Applicants are evaluated greatly on research experience and potential. And you get selected based on how your research interests match the faculty members interests and needs. As you can imagine, MIT has a great deal more applicants than available space. So they will be able to pick exactly who they want to make an offer to. You don’t have to have the highest grades, but it is expected that you will be very strong. However if you have done something notable that can have more influence. They will count on your letters of recommendation.
In Chemistry you will also need to take the Chemistry GRE in addition to the General GRE. Many of the most selective programs have that as a required examination. The other important test that you will need to take is the TOEFL or IELTS to establish your English proficiency. Getting a good score on that will make you eligible for a Teaching Assistantship (TA). Most programs have a minimum for admission but a higher minimum for eligibility to be a TA.
Your marks in university are important as well as the test scores but because you will be doing a Masters in Switzerland, then your research experience (are you writing a dissertation?) and the letters of recommendation will be critical. Make sure that your letter writers write more than a few sentences and that they can really describe your qualities as a student and a researcher. I have been doing graduate admissions for my department (Physics) for many years and I ran the entire office of Graduate Admissions for my university (Illinois Institute of Technology) for 3 years and I have seen some very poor letters come from professors outside the United States simply because they do not know the kind of letter that programs expect to see and how important those letters are to the admissions process.
Your personal statement is also very important. When I advice our own undergraduates as they apply to graduate school, I tell them to customize each statement for the program you are applying to. Do your research and find out the professors who are there and what kind of research they do. Find out and mention the strengths in the program and which professors you might wish to work with. This makes a difference.
Apply to the top universities if you have outstanding GRE scores and very good marks at your current university but do not apply to just those schools. They are highly selective and you are not guaranteed to be admitted to any of them as the competition is very high. Find a few schools who have top faculty in your area of interest but might not be the usual “top ranked” ones. Your advisor will be very important in helping you get your first position after graduation and so you can do very well even if it is not MIT or another such school. If you are doing research ask your advisor or other professors what universities have strengths in your area of interest. They should have contacts and might even be able to help you get in touch with professor who might want to take you on immediately as a Research Assistant, thus helping you gain admission by smoothing the process. Believe me, it happens all the time. My colleagues will fast-track an applicant who they really want in the program and I have been able to place our undergraduates in programs, even late in the cycle, with a phone call to other faculty I know.
You need to start preparing your application in the Fall of the year before you plan to start. many of the most selective programs have deadlines in December and you need to have all your test scores, transcripts, and letters in by then. Basically, this means you have to start looking into the tests next academic year and take them before the Fall of 2016 so that the scores are available in time.