hamilton1

Finally I've found a chemistry thread! My applications: MIT Chemistry, rejected Caltech Biochemistry, rejected Harvard Systems Biology, interviewed and rejected Yale Chemistry, admitted with 26k Oxford Medicinal Chemistry (MSc+PhD), admitted with 31k :grad: ; I'm going there!!! Some stats: GRE chemistry: 950 (99%) GRE general: V600, Q800, AWA 6.0 TOEFL iBT: 114/120 GPA 4.00, unknown university Significant achievements at nat.&intl. chemistry competitions, minimal research experience, no publications Would be nice to hear from some other chemistry people (apps, profiles...)! Can anyone give me some advice on how to get a publication? Any suggestions on how to best spend the summer before my MSc course?

At an Ivy League interview, a professor asked me if I had applied to other schools as well:rolleyes:. I told the truth (of course I had applied to several schools), but didn't give names. What do you think of the question? What do they want to test? Does it mean they want to reject me? Thanks for your comments!

Does anyone know when CalTech usually sends out acceptances for the PhD program in chemistry? Has anyone been admitted yet? I'm getting nervous as their websites mentions a visiting weekend in the beginning of march.

Hi there, I've just been admitted to the Yale Program in Chemistry (Biophysical). Does anyone know about MIT Chemistry PhD decisions? Applied: MIT, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Oxford Accepted: Oxford, Yale Interviews: Harvard (2 Feb), Oxford (18 Dec) Denied: let's hope for none...

patricia, I recommend you to take as many practice tests as possible; you can download POWERPRER for free from ETS. Also, use the testmagic site to prepare for retaking the test. Get you your own preparation book (e.g. Princeton or Kaplan) and learn all the vocabulary (~300). Then you will know the most important words and will score much better the next time. Also, check out the GRE basic diagnostic service: enter your registration number etc. and get a list of your correct and incorrect answers shown by question type. All the best, hamilton1

Sorry, Harvard has already sent out the invitations for the Systems Biology Program (received an e-mail on Jan 11). I'm sure you'll get admission at a different great school. Best regards, hamilton1

Hi, I have recently been invited to an interview at Harvard (Systems Biology), which includes a "dinner party". I have been told to dress casually; what exactly does that mean? Do you have some general tips for such dinner parties? I've never been to one before... Does anyone know if interviews are more personality-focussed or more knowledge/skill-focussed there? Thanks for your info and good look for your admissions, hamilton1

Hi there, I'd just like to know if anyone has been admitted to the MIT PhD program in chemistry yet. The website states that "decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in December" and "we hope to have all offers made by mid February" as well as "declines will be mailed by end of February"; so I'm getting more and more nervous... Looking forward to your opinion, hamilton1

I just know that Harvard interviews international students in the HILS systems biology program, as I recently got an interview invitation for Jan 26 or Feb 2; they pay for the flights and accommodation. I'm really looking forward to the interview. I don't have any info on interviews in other life science programs at Harvard.

I have sent you an e-mail. Best regards, hamilton1

Hi there, I just wanted to tell you that I have received an interview invitation from Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (Systems Biology). However, bear in mind that other programs might send out their invitations at a different time. My stats: GRE chem 950 (99%), GRE V: 600 (85%), Q: 800 (94%), AWA: 6.0 (96%), GPA 4.00, international student, some research experience Applied: MIT, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Oxford Accepted: Oxford Interviews: Harvard (26 Jan or 2 Feb), Oxford (18 Dec) Denied: let's hope for none...

Hi everyone, nice to meet some other bioscience people. My stats: GRE chem 950 (99%), GRE V: 600 (85%), Q: 800 (94%), AWA: 6.0 (96%), GPA 4.00, international student, some research experience I'd like to give you some advice concerning interviews: You might be asked to give a short presentation, say between 5 and 15 minutes. Always have a suitable topic ready. Learn the presentation by heart in order to keep the time limit. Find out who will be interviewing you. Read a paper (e.g. Nature, Science etc) by one of the main interviewers to get an idea of their field, the techniques they apply etc. Find out what the interviewers are looking for. If you apply to a Medicinal Chemistry for Cancer program, as I did, you will have to demonstrate strong skills in practical organic chemistry, theoretical chemistry, molecular modelling, pharmacology, cancer biology etc. Be prepared to write a short essay on your motivation for the program (e.g. within a 10 minute time limit). Do not be intimidated by large applicant numbers. (MedChem: ~140 apps for ~15 interviews for ~2 places) All the best for your interviews. Does anyone know how Oxford compares to the other schools I'm applying to? Is anyone familiar with the college system at Oxford? Applied: MIT, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Oxford Accepted: Oxford (Medicinal Chemistry for Cancer Studentship) Interviews: Oxford (18 Dec) Denied: let's hope for none...

Hi everyone, nice to meet some other bioscience people. My stats: GRE chem 950 (99%), GRE V: 600 (85%), Q: 800 (94%), AWA: 6.0 (96%), GPA 4.00, international student, some research experience I'd like to give you some advice concerning interviews: You might be asked to give a short presentation, say between 5 and 15 minutes. Always have a suitable topic ready. Learn the presentation by heart in order to keep the time limit. Find out who will be interviewing you. Read a paper (e.g. Nature, Science etc) by one of the main interviewers to get an idea of their field, the techniques they apply etc. Find out what the interviewers are looking for. If you apply to a Medicinal Chemistry for Cancer program, as I did, you will have to demonstrate strong skills in practical organic chemistry, theoretical chemistry, molecular modelling, pharmacology, cancer biology etc. Be prepared to write a short essay on your motivation for the program (e.g. within a 10 minute time limit). Do not be intimidated by large applicant numbers. (MedChem: ~140 apps for ~15 interviews for ~2 places) All the best for your interviews. Does anyone know how Oxford compares to the other schools I'm applying to? Is anyone familiar with the college system at Oxford? Applied: MIT, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Oxford Accepted: Oxford (Medicinal Chemistry for Cancer Studentship) Interviews: Oxford (18 Dec) Denied: let's hope for none...

No, I don't have any papers yet, but I've done 2 unpublished volontary research projects. A third one will be ready in February (but that is too late for the application) and will most likely result in publication. (btw. I'm 18 now, so I don't think grad schools will expect a paper at this time).

As far as I know, we are not allowed to disclose any test-related content to the public, however, the topics are on the internet anyway. The one I chose was "Research should be funded anyway, even if the results are controversial". The other one was something about comparing individual work to teamwork. The AWA went very well, except for the keyboard layout, which was set to US, while the keyboard was a German one and I took the test in Germany...I always got y and z mixed up! Keep that in mind when taking your GRE outside the US!

Concerning your first question: During the test, you can just try some numbers and check which choice is correct. However, the following proof can be given: It it evident that any 5 digit-integer int1 = abcde can be written as int1 = 10000*a + 1000*b + 100*c +10*d+1*e The reflection is obviously int2 = edcba and can be written as int2 = 1*a+10*b + 100*c + 1000*d + 10000*e Thus, int1 - int2 = 9999*a + 9090*b - 900*d - 9999*e, every part of which is divisible by 9. Therefore, the difference is divisible by 9.

Hi! I just got my scores: V 600 Q 800 AWA 6.0 I am an international student and would like to apply to a top biochemistry program (MIT, Harvard, Caltech,...). Does anyone know: -how important the general GRE is for such a program? -how good my scores are compared to others? Of course I know that other factors play an important role in the admissions process, too, but I would like an evaluation based on GRE scores only. Thanks!

Hi! Please give me some hints on where to apply: desired program: PhD in biochemistry or chemistry in the US with full financial support Stats (international student, Austria): GPA: 4.00 GRE General: V 600 (85%) Q 800 (95%) GRE Chemistry: 950 (99+%) TOEFL iBT 114/120 (29/28/27/30, 99.3%)) Degree anticipated: BSci in chemistry EC's: 3 gold & 1 silver medal from International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 3fold winner of National Chemistry Olympiad national finalist in English olympiad speed: skipped 1 grade in high school and 1 grade at university research: 1 national highschool research prize; 2 major practical projects (1 being published soon) recs: not disclosed for privacy reasons Can I apply to schools before reaching my bachelor's degree in Austria? Many thanks for your kind evaluation!

Hi! Does anyone know what average GRE subject test scores are for schools like MIT? On the GRE chemistry test, I scored a 950 (99+ percentile, 131 out of 136 correct). Is that "standard" for such universities or is it a definite advantage? Greetings, hamilton1 (I'm posting this here because it is related to my former post)

Hi! I'm an international student seeking admission to top biochemistry graduate programs at universities like Harvard, MIT, Caltech,...and have just finished my GRE (V 600 Q 800). Can that be considered a good score (I'm especially worried about the verbal part) or should I try to retest? Btw. TOEFL iBT 114/120+ Thanks for your evaluation!

Hi! Concerning GRE chemistry test prep, I can really recommend REA's test prep book. It contains 5 full sample tests with questions very similar to that on the real exam. I must warn you that there are lots of typographic errors and that some questions are not relevant, but all in all I got scores very similar to that on the real exam. I can also recommend to thoroughly study P.W. Atkins' "Physical Chemistry", which is a standard ugrad textbook, as well as some comprehensive organic chemistry textbook. Moreover, you should practice to do calculations quickly and reliably. Tasks from the chemistry olympiad (www.chemieolympiade.info) can be very helpful...I have participated in this olympiad for six full years and the GRE was easy then. Don't worry if you can't answer all the questions, some are really difficult. I got 4 wrong and left 1 out--->Scaled Score 950 (will be different on other editions of the test). Thanks for your evaluation and good luck for the test!

Hi everyone! I've just taken the GRE chem test and got a 950 (99%):grad: . Does anyone know if one can get a 990 or what the highest possible score is? ETS only says that some subject tests typically score in a smaller range than 200-990. How good is that score for admission to MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford considering that I'm an intl. student? Is such a score standard at those schools or could it be an advantage? Concerning the general test, I am worried about the verbal section. I currently score between 350 and 650 on practice tests, depending on the test prep company. Should I invest a lot of time into studying vocab or should I better try to take another subject test such as math? Would another subject test be an advantage? Does anyone know how strict MIT etc. are concerning degrees? I am from Austria and my university can't award me an official bachelor degree because we have a different degree system here, although they could attest that I have reached an equivalent level. How good are my overall chances of admission based on the following stats: PLUS: 3 gold medals & 1 silver medal from intl. chem olympiad triple winner of natl. chem olympiad 7 times winner of regional chem olympiad winner of regional english contest 4th place on national english contest skipped 11th grade at school, best of my class skipped 1 yr at university, class rank 1 of 100 special price for best student's research project recs by head of chem department, chem olympiad head mentor and perhaps head of the natl. science foundation GRE chem 950/99% GRE quant estimated 800, verbal estimated 400 MINUS: no official degree, although certification that equivalent level has been reached no financial resources at all Thanks in advance for your answers! Btw, don't hesitate to email me if you have questions about test prep etc.

Hi everyone! I've just taken the GRE chem test and got a 950 (99%):grad: . Does anyone know if one can get a 990 or what the highest possible score is? ETS only says that some subject tests typically score in a smaller range than 200-990. How good is that score for admission to MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford considering that I'm an intl. student? Is such a score standard at those schools or could it be an advantage? Concerning the general test, I am worried about the verbal section. I currently score between 350 and 650 on practice tests, depending on the test prep company. Should I invest a lot of time into studying vocab or should I better try to take another subject test such as math? Would another subject test be an advantage? Does anyone know how strict MIT etc. are concerning degrees? I am from Austria and my university can't award me an official bachelor degree because we have a different degree system here, although they could attest that I have reached an equivalent level. How good are my overall chances of admission based on the following stats: PLUS: 3 gold medals & 1 silver medal from intl. chem olympiad triple winner of natl. chem olympiad 7 times winner of regional chem olympiad winner of regional english contest 4th place on national english contest skipped 11th grade at school, best of my class skipped 1 yr at university, class rank 1 of 100 special price for best student's research project recs by head of chem department, chem olympiad head mentor and perhaps head of the natl. science foundation GRE chem 950/99% GRE quant estimated 800, verbal estimated 400 MINUS: no official degree, although certification that equivalent level has been reached no financial resources at all Thanks in advance for your answers! Btw, don't hesitate to email me if you have questions about test prep etc.