Top Tips for Choosing a Graduate School in Chemistry

Everyone who has been through graduate chemistry has views on how to do it. I’m no different.

Here is my view: Advancement in academic chemistry requires a number of sequential situations that is advantageous to be a part of. First, your advanced chemistry degree should be done in the “right” subdiscipline. Everybody wants to attend a highly prestigious school where the faculty consult with the Gods of chemistry on Thursday afternoons. However, these schools are very competitive in their selection processes, and you may be denied admission for reasons that never become clear.

There is no doubt that if you want to become a professor at a major PhD granting institution, it’s best to have an ivy league pedigree in terms of schools and mentors. Having won a named fellowship as a grad student or postdoc is a good endorsement and always helpful. JACS publications are helpful as well.

Of course, there is more to it than that, but a top shelf pedigree can certainly help get an interview. A cutting-edge research proposal in 1 or 2 or 3 “hot” areas of science will be expected. Aim high for the big challenges in your field. Before any interviews, it is well worth reviewing the areas of research and general interest of the chemistry faculty at a prospective school. Examine the department for overall research productivity and balance. Is there a major player in or near your area of interest? Most chemistry departments are looking to staff up with specialists in up-and-coming areas of interest.

To stay alive a graduate chemistry program needs a constant flow of talented students parachuting in to fill the research groups and for TAs to teach undergraduate labs, proctor and grade exams, lead recitation sections between lecture sessions and hold office hours. Some schools will require at least 1 year of TA work and if your graduate mentor has money, he/she will hire you as a research assistant or RA.

Next, find a mentor/prof who is research-active in your area. How do you find them? In my opinion, a good way is to choose a graduate school with a prof/mentor who is well funded, tenured preferably, and has published numerous papers very recently. Put more emphasis on the profs available than the school. Such an individual situated thus has likely found a gold vein of opportunity that is fundable and at the leading edge of fundable science.

An important consequence of a well-funded mentor/prof is that you will likely be paid as a research assistant (RA) rather than as a teaching assistant (TA). A prof in this situation has a good chance of being well connected in academic space which will be very valuable in securing a plum industry, post-doc or academic position after graduation. Some chemistry profs consult for industry which may provide a valuable advantage for a good industrial job after graduation.

Your first job may not relate to your graduate work. Don’t worry, you’ll soon learn that your PhD is a union card that opens many doors. But never forget, there is a good bit of luck involved too. In an interview you never know what kind of faculty research a given school is looking for if any. Chemistry departments often want to swerve to a new area of expertise, or they may want to add to their present strengths. Coming from a renowned professor’s group may be the tipping point for you. Or they are looking for a good replacement candidate who they can also live with day to day. It’s good to know ahead of time.

I once interviewed at a public university chemistry department that wanted offering 22 contact hours from day 1 and a healthy, fundable research program, but with not even a square foot of bench space and no NMR. They had a large pharmacy program and needed warm bodies to teach organic chemistry and labs. Two organic faculty members advised independently behind closed doors that I should not take the job. I thanked the department for the interview and declined the offer.

In general, throw your shyness overboard and be more outgoing and sociable. Dress and groom respectably. Be quick to laugh with others but know when to be serious. Always be honest and kind with people. Advancement in the chemical science world is more than knowledge of reaction mechanisms. There is a large social component that may not get you a job but will make your career more fun. Enjoy it.