Preparing for graduate admissions - some general questions and inquiries

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am a high school senior planning on attending the University of Washington, Seattle. I would like to go to a high ranked PhD program for some subfield of chemistry or biochemistry. So as to ensure that I can maximize the strength of my application in the three years that I will be staying at UW, I have some questions and general inquiries about graduate admissions as well as what I should pursue during my undergraduate studies.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do graduate schools notice whether or not a course is 'honors'? I was considering taking the more rigorous 'honors' version of organic and physical chemistry my first year at UW; however, I am not sure if doing so would be a wise idea. While it would be more interesting and intellectually stimulating, at the same time, it would require a larger investment of time into problem sets and exams and would certainly decrease the amount of time I could spend doing research. I would appreciate comments regarding both the value of an 'honors' class over the non-'honors' version on my transcript as well as whether or not I should take the 'honors' version if it means that I will be spending more time on academics and less time on research. It is, of course, possible that taking the 'honors' version of organic and physical chemistry may yield lower GPAs than the normal versions of those courses - another consideration which I find is pushing me towards taking the non-'honors' versions even though I had initially planned on taking the 'honors' courses.</p></li>
<li><p>What is the best, most effective way to find out what branch of chemistry or biochemistry I enjoy the most? Based on past experience with organic chemistry, I was considering pursuing organic synthesis; however, I would like to be exposed to more fields of chemistry, and I am unsure how to do so.</p></li>
<li><p>What fields of chemistry are most likely to have opportunities for an undergraduate to participate in research, that is, what fields have the lowest 'entry barrier' in terms of both knowledge and lab experience for a person to be able to make useful, nontrivial contributions?</p></li>
<li><p>I am planning on going into the industry after my PhD. What can I do now to prepare myself for that goal?</p></li>
<li><p>I intend to self-study organic chemistry and physical chemistry over the summer. I am planning on using, respectively, Wade's text and McQuarrie's text. Are these the best undergraduate level texts available for those subjects or are there better textbooks that I could use? Moreover, I intend to study linear algebra - would it be advisable to begin with Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right? It seems quite difficult.</p></li>
<li><p>How can I maximize the number of publications I can get my name on through undergraduate research and how can I maximize the efficacy of my undergraduate research in general with regards to boosting the strength of my graduate school application?</p></li>
<li><p>How many of the GRE Subject Tests should I take? I was thinking about taking four: Chemistry, Biology, 'Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology', and Mathematics. For those that I should take, what textbooks and review guides should I be using to prepare for them? Is it true that Campbell's Biology text suffices for GRE Biology? That is what I have heard, and if that is indeed the case, then I will study it over the summer.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you,</p>

<p>Hua-Ching Ni</p>

2

<p>Dude, relax your not even a freshman and already worried about when you graduate college.</p>

3

<p>I believe that preparation is the key to success, and I plan on succeeding.</p>

4

<p>I think it’s fair that someone wants to be prepared for the future. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I don’t know if it’s a big deal taking honors or not, but there are other things to consider. Honors classes tend to be smaller, so that may help if you’re looking for recommendations or if you want to talk to the professor more. I found that the transition from high school to college may be jolting, so maybe you want to take one honors sequence instead of two unless you’re confident about the subjects. </p></li>
<li><p>You can try out different research labs, and see what interests you the most. It’s good if you find one that fits, but honestly a lot of people switch to something completely different in graduate school. There are definitely people who work at more than one lab, but I just stuck to the same one the whole way through. I wouldn’t say it 100% fit me, but I think it was worth it for the recommendations and experience I got. </p></li>
<li><p>Well, I think pretty much all branches have opportunities, but it always takes a lot of time and effort to do anything worthwhile. How you can contribute kind of depends on your strengths and the quality of the new ideas you bring.</p></li>
<li><p>You could find some internships to see if you enjoy industry. </p></li>
<li><p>Not too sure, but it probably doesn’t make too much of a difference.</p></li>
<li><p>I would say make sure you have a good relationship with your PI, and talk to your PI a lot especially about your goals and what you want to get out of the experience. To get a paper, make sure your project is not too long term. </p></li>
<li><p>I took none, but if you want to go to chemistry grad school, then I guess you should take chemistry. I really have no idea why you would need to or want to take 4…</p></li>
</ol>

5

<p>It’s okay to think ahead, but keep an open mind - your interests may change as you progress in your discipline. You will learn more about various subtopics in chemistry as you complete your major requirements. You will not need a list of specific graduate programs/focus areas narrowed down until mid or late junior year. I also think that more than 1 GRE subject test is unnecessary; you will probably take them late junior year or early senior year, when you will already know your area of interest. No need to take additional tests once you know what you want to study at the graduate level.</p>

<p>You can become involved in your professors’ research around sophomore year once you start to get to know them and what kind of work they’re doing. Just be honest about your graduate school plans and they will probably find something for you to help with. Let your academic advisor know of your grad plans ASAP as well for guidance on course selection and grad school preparation/timelines.</p>

<p>Internships will give you hands-on experience in most fields; if you’re looking at highly ranked PhD programs then your research experience will give you more of an edge, unless your internships are in research labs or something of the sort.</p>

6

<p>I second the remark on the GREs. Honestly, they’re just not that important beyond a certain threshold. Should you try to get good scores? Definitely. But having four subject test scores isn’t going to make you a more attractive candidate.</p>

7

<p>I am sure you know this already, but the grading system at UW is unique. I would try to wean yourself onto it by starting your first quarters with a lighter course load. I would shy away from honors courses. You will not gain any less from the regular series courses. Also at UW the honors classes are saturated with premeds who will kick butt. If you haven’t already, start your search for undergrad research as this is difficult to find. Once you find your lab, I would stick with it and apply for the Mary Gates Research Fellowship. Also participate in the Undergrad Research Symposium.</p>

8

<p>I don’t think you should necessarily start off with a light course load. I say this because I did a couple of honors sequences with some other classes at first, and it was probably my worst time ever in terms of stress, but long term I think it was the right thing to do because I learned a lot more than my peers about doing things more efficiently. I think my grades were also better as a consequence. Also, if you don’t challenge yourself near the beginning, your grades might dip down after your first year rather than during your first year, which I think looks worse because it’s better to have a less than stellar start and then improve.</p>

<p>Premed kids sure worry a lot about their grades → they study extra hard, but I kind of like the extra competition (IMO they weren’t really that amazing though…)</p>

9

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</p>

<p>Just gonna say don’t lead off working in a lab with asking will the work lead to a paper. No better way to get the grad student volunteering their time to train you to roll their eyes and instantly prefer your work doesn’t lead to a paper.</p>

10

<ol>
<li><p>Yes. As for whether it’s worth it, this depends on the class, but I would say yes. And it’s not because it looks better on your transcript (although it does); it’s because the rigor of the classes will strengthen you as a student and prepare you for graduate school, as well as for research. Remember that everything is not about what “looks good;” it’s also about what will prepare you best for where you want to go. However, you don’t want to do more than you can handle. It won’t necessarily translate into less time for research; you are unlikely to be doing any very time-intensive research as a freshman anyway (maybe 10-15 hours a week in a lab).</p></li>
<li><p>Taking classes in the different branches and trying your hand at research of different kinds. Also, talking to professors in the different branches.</p></li>
<li><p>Not sure, since this is not my field.</p></li>
<li><p>Right now, you can do pretty much the same things as any academic-minded PhD student does. Do well in your classes, and get research experience. Develop relationships with professors, and do a summer research experience or two. There are two differences: one, the breadth of knowledge required in industry would be bigger. Academia focuses on depth; you dig a hole into a particular topic, and you know a lot about that particular thing. Industry is going to want you to have broader knowledge, so perhaps learning about several different interesting branches of chemistry should be your goal. And two, perhaps make one of your summer research internships at a company/industry firm instead of a university. (This is not as important at this stage, though. What’s most important is just getting the experience.)</p></li>
<li><p>Not sure about this either.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t worry so much about publications. You may be able to get on one, if you are lucky and exceptional, but even the best applicants to PhD programs often don’t have publications. That’s because in order to get one, you have to make a substantial contribution to the article, and often you don’t know enough or aren’t in the lab long enough to do that. I agree with RacinReaver that an undergrad telling me in our first convo that his goal is “will this lead to a paper” would make me roll my eyes. Your goal is to learn how to do research, and to decide whether you really want this as a career, not just to churn out a paper.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>But the best way to do that is to 1) stay in the same lab for a long time and 2) ask for progressively more responsible tasks. You may start out cleaning beakers and feeding the rats. (Well, chemists don’t use rats - but you get the idea.) Then you may move up to do literature searches and maybe sit in on data analysis with the grad students and postdocs. If you prove yourself there, you can move up to assisting with the analysis and perhaps even some writing, and present a poster at a conference. Mind you even doing this does not guarantee a paper. MOST undergrads do not have a single publication when they graduate, even the top ones. I got an NSF without having a publication.</p>

<p>I want to add a caveat about #1, which is to say, don’t stay in the same lab if you are miserable just to get a pub. What I mean is, let’s say you start doing theoretical chemistry and you realize that you are really in love with biochem in your second year, and there’s a biochemist doing what you really love in a different lab with a spot for you. You can make that switch. While you do want to show some longevity in a specific lab, there’s nothing wrong with shifting your interests and really digging into what you love. The closer you are to what you want to study in grad school, the better, although you don’t have to do anything related in your first lab (my first lab was a developmental psychology one with children and I study health psychology now with adults).</p>

<ol>
<li> Just one. The one in your field, that the PhD programs to which you are applying require. They aren’t like the SAT Subject Tests. Most likely you will be required to take the chemistry on unless you apply to biochemistry or biomedical sciences programs. No program will require you to take two.</li>
</ol>

<p>I’m also going to agree that while it’s great to plan ahead, slow down a little. You haven’t even started college. Graduate school is important, but you may decide you want to do something else, or at least that you want to take some time off in between your BS and PhD. Keep an open and mind and explore other interests - take a history class for the hell of it, or do an extracurricular that has nothing to do with chemistry, or whatever. Go to parties. Have fun. Yes, do your work and get your research in, but that’s not all college is about.</p>

11

<p>OK, so I did undergrad at UW and I was an honors student. So, here’s my Sage Advice:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I don’t think grad schools care if it’s an honors course, however, I would strongly recommend the math/science honors tracks at UW. It’s counter-intuitive, but the truly annoying UW-premies don’t tend to be in honors and stick to the larger weed-out courses. Additionally, the large courses are required to curve to 2.7-2.9 averages. The honors program has more flexibility and often works around 3.0-3.2. They’re also much smaller classes and you stick with them for the whole track. It’s much easier to get to know your professors/other students, and make solid connections that can help you out later. </p></li>
<li><p>Have you ever worked in a chemistry lab before? If not, don’t but the cart before the horse. You’ll have required labs for both inorganic and organic chemistry. Once you’ve gotten your ears wet, start asking around for a PI in need of a dishware washer. Shadow grad students and post docs and eventually they’ll let you get in on the action. UW is a really excellent place to get lab experience as an undergrad, especially if you start early. My boyfriend started his freshman year, but he had previously had experience. I waited until the summer after sophomore and it worked just fine for me.</p></li>
<li><p>None of them? It’s just like any other science, really. Non-trivial research tends not to come from undergrads, but it does, of course, happen! None of them are particularly suited to little/no experience, though.</p></li>
<li><p>Once you have a ph.d from a solid program, you’ll have no trouble getting a cushy job in industry. Focus on getting into a good grad school.</p></li>
<li><p>I think you should take this time to instead do something not horrible.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t worry about papers - if you go into it with that mindset, everyone will hate you and not want to help you, leading to pretty much not opportunities or papers. The most important thing you can do is try to think like a scientist from the very beginning. Ask questions! If you’re doing a simple protocol, for instance, ask yourself what every step accomplishes and why you’re doing it one way but not another. How was the method developed in the first place? If you do that, you’ll come out with crazy skills and the papers will follow.</p></li>
<li><p>Only one, if you must. In general, you only need to take a subject test if you’ve done poorly in classes, to show that you are competent. Four would be very very strange and would probably make your life miserable. They aren’t exactly as easy as the SATs - just take a look at a practice test.</p></li>
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<p>Good luck, dude. I really encourage you to become a full honors student - I think it could pose interesting challenges to you.</p>

12

<p>Don’t worry too much. :slight_smile: You’re already awesome as it is.</p>