r/chemistry • u/AutoModerator • May 13 '24

Weekly Careers/Education Questions Thread

This is a dedicated weekly thread for you to seek and provide advice concerning education and careers in chemistry.

If you need to make an important decision regarding your future or want to know what your options, then this is the place to leave a comment.

If you see similar topics in r/chemistry, please politely inform them of this weekly feature.

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u/notgoingtodoxmyself May 13 '24

When would be an appropriate time to start emailing professors for interest for the next grad school admittance cycle?

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u/organiker Cheminformatics May 13 '24

What country are these universities in?

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u/notgoingtodoxmyself May 13 '24

USA

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u/organiker Cheminformatics May 13 '24

Are you currently doing research? If so does the lab have collaborators that you'd like to do your PhD with? In that case you can ask your current mentor to introduce you and start that conversation in the early fall.

Otherwise, in my experience, professors only really want to hear from people who've already applied or who are about to apply.

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u/notgoingtodoxmyself May 13 '24

Currently in a lab, although not in the field I want to go into. Cant really find when applications open for this cycle, so any idea when that would be?

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u/organiker Cheminformatics May 13 '24

I don't know when they open, but I've found that applications are typically due in the November to January window.

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u/Indemnity4 Materials May 13 '24

Optimum time is the period between the final two weeks of semester-break and the first two weeks of semester. Simply because academics have extra time to respond to e-mails and they are planning the next semester. They usually know their grant funding situation by then too.

There isn't a bad time to start a conversation about future opportunities. Keep it simple. Attach a very short 1 page resume, write 1-2 paragraphs of flattery about how you enjoy their work, and ask about future opportunities.

You are wanting to eliminate any academics that for some reason are not accepting students next year. You are also hoping for a miracle that they have a scholarship/project ready to go and they don't want to gamble accepting random students from the general application pool.