<p>I'm really trying to get into some of the top 10 chem grad schools for analytical/physical chem.
I think these are the 8 I'm applying to: Berkeley, Stanford, Caltech(my #1), Arizona (safety), Texas, Georgia Tech(safety & in-state costs), Harvard, and Columbia.
I'm graduating from Northwestern w/ a major in chem, minor in math in 3 years total with an overall GPA of 3.89, as well as major GPA of 3.89.
General GRE scores are 690V, 800Q, 5.5A and taking chem GRE in October.
Getting letters of recommendation from PI, who was inducted into NAS this past year, director of undergrad studies in chem (took analytical classes w/), and an assistant prof in biochem I worked as an aide for for a year (she just came from postdoc at Caltech).</p>
<p>My worry is that, because I'm graduating early, I only started doing research this past January, though I did research over the summer so that'd be 1 full year when I submit apps. There is almost no chance of getting published at this point, and I'll have to see if I have enough work done for an honors thesis.
Will my scores/grades be enough to offset my relative lack of experience? Will an honors thesis help me out much?
If I don't get into one of my tops, I think I'd get a job in industry for a year and try again next fall rather than spend a lot more $$$ to stay at NU.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read/learned, I don’t think it’s the length of the research that’s important. What’s important is the quality of work that you’ve done. Have you done any interesting/important/new stuff in your research? Were you working on an independent project or were you assisting a graduate student? Did you get any awards? I personally don’t think it’s an absolute must to have published a paper (though of course it helps) but you basically have to be able to convince the admissions committees that you have the ability to do substantial research.</p>
<p>Your profile sounds good, the comment above sounds good - but “Will an honors thesis help me out much?” - the answer is YES - this will make up for not having as much research experience (in terms of years) as some of the other applicants. An h. thesis is good because it’s like paper - you had your own project, you did background research (know the field), carried out the experiments to completion, analyzed the results and presented/communicated it in written and perhaps oral form (the last part is really important - showing that you can communicate/present your research is a big plus to your app and interviewers will like this) So, if you can do an honors thesis - I strongly urge you to go for it. It will likely be worth it.</p>