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What Chemistry/Biochemistry Majors can do after Skidmore (and how to get there)

Chemistry and biochemistry students should start thinking as early as possible about their next steps after graduating Skidmore - no later than during their junior year. There are multiple options to consider. Over a third of our majors will decide to attend graduate school for a Ph.D. or Masters degree after Skidmore.  91¶¶Òù another third of graduates from the Department will go onto programs in the health professions such as medicine (M.D. or D.O.), veterinary medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, or public health. The other third are successful in starting careers in industry (e.g., materials, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, diagnostics, biomedicine, environmental, energy, or manufacturing); clinical, governmental, academic, and environmental research laboratories; health care; teaching; science communication; science policy/outreach; and data science.

• Information on applying to graduate school
• Information on job searching
  
• What recent chemistry and biochemistry graduates have done after Skidmore

Applying to Graduate School

Advice

• For Health Professions see the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC).

Funding

Typically for Ph.D. programs, graduate students do not pay for tuition costs/fees and are paid a stipend.  Funding usually comes from training grants, research grants, or internal funding at the institution.  Graduate students serve as research assistants in faculty research laboratories and as teaching assistants in undergraduate classes.  Many programs will increase the stipend for a graduate student who obtains their own external fellowship.  A fellowship may also enable a graduate student to focus on research rather than serving as a teaching assistant, depending on the program. Fellowships are prestigious to obtain. Fellowship appplication deadlines are typically between October and January.  There are competitive fellowships that you can apply to the year before you start graduate school.

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Timeline

Start research as early as possible

Junior year

• Fall  Discuss with advisor/research mentor, start reviewing literature, think about areas interested in, institutions, and principal investigators
• Spring  Continue reading articles, start the review of programs

Summer before Senior Year

• Research at Skidmore, REU, or an internship
• Start preparing graduate school essay ()
• Prepare for the both the
• Start reaching out to potential writers for letters of recommendation
• Prepare CV ()

Senior Year

• Aug/Sept.  Take the
• Sept./Oct.  Take the  (Typically the  Exam)
• Oct.  Confirm letter writers, provide drafts of materials to them
• Oct./Nov.  Tailor application materials to programs
  Update recommenders with final list of deadlines & latest drafts
• Nov.-Feb.  Apply, programs vary as to deadlines
• Jan.-April  Interviews/Visits and acceptances
• By April 15  Decide on program and formally accept offer

Rankings

US News & World Report

Fields of Chemistry to Consider

Careers

What can you do with a degree in ? ?

Resume/CV and Cover Letter

• Skidmore Career Development Center Guide (pdf)

Job Search

• Skidmore CDC Search

Additional Resources

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• Skidmore Career Development Center 
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What Recent Chemistry & BioChemistry Graduates Have done After Skidmore

Ph.D. Programs Recent Graduates Matriculated Into

• Harvard University, Chemical Biology Ph.D. Program
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of California-San Francisco, Biophysics Ph.D. Program
• Yale University, Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Ph.D. Program
• Yale University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Princeton University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Johns Hopkins University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program (x4)
• Johns Hopkins University, Cell/Molecular/Developmental Biology & Biophysics Ph.D. Program
• University of Pennsylvania, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Carnegie Mellon University-University Pittsburgh, Joint Computational Biology Ph.D. Program
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Biophysics Ph.D. Program
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of Michigan, Biological Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of Michigan, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of Colorado-Boulder, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of California-Los Angeles, Chemistry & Biochemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of California-San Diego, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of California-Davis, Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of California-Merced, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Material Science Ph.D. Program
• Ohio State University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Arizona State University, Astrobiology & Complex Systems Ph.D. Program
• Tufts University, Biology Ph.D. Program
• Stony Brook University, Computational Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Stony Brook University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Northeastern University, Molecular Microbiology Ph.D. Program
• Northeastern University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Northeastern University, Chemical Biology Ph.D. Program
• New York University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of North Carolina, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• North Carolina State University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• University of Massachusetts, Cellular and Molecular Biology Ph.D. Program
• University of Arizona, Biochemistry Ph.D. Program
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Chemistry Ph.D. Program
• Drexel University, Chemistry Ph.D. Program

Advanced Degree Programs iN THE Health Professions REcent Graduates Matriculated Into

Medical Programs (M.D. and D.O.)

• Stanford University, M.D. Program
• Tufts University, M.D. Program
• Albert Einstein School of Medicine, M.D. Program
• University of California Los Angeles, M.D. Program
• Drexel University, M.D. Program
• Albany Medical College, M.D. Program
• Georgetown, M.D. Program
• Brown University, M.D. Program
• Temple University, M.D. Program
• University of Massachusetts, M.D. Program
• New York Medical College, M.D. Program
• Central Michigan University, M.D. Program
• Thomas Jefferson University, M.D. Program
• University of Illinois, M.D. Program
• SUNY-Upstate, M.D. Program
• Stony Brook University, M.D. Program
• Stony Brook University, M.D./M.P.H. Program
• Ross University, M.D. Program
• St. George's University, M.D. Program
• Touro College, D.O. Program
• University of New England, D.O. Program
• New York Institute of Technology, D.O Program
• Western University, D.O. Program

Veterinary Programs

• University of Pennsylvania, D.V.M. Program
• Ontario Veterinary College (University of Guelph), D.V.M. Program
• University of Wisconsin, D.V.M. Program
• Royal Veterinary College, D.V.M. Program

Dental Programs

• New York University, D.D.S. Program
• Stony Brook University, D.D.S. Program
• Touro College of Dental Medicine, D.D.S. Program (x2)

Pharmacy Programs

• Washington State University, PharmD Program
• University of North Carolina, PharmD Program

Nursing Programs

• Johns Hopkins University, Master of Nursing Program
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Master of Nursing Program

Public Health and Other Programs

• Yale University, Master of Public Health Program
• Mount Sinai, Master of Public Health Program
• Boston University, Master of Public Health Program
• SUNY Downstate, Master of Public Health Program
• Thomas Jefferson University, Master of Public Health Program
• University of Vermont, Master of Science Mental Health Counseling

Other Advanced Degree PROGRAMs REcent Graduates Matriculated Into

• Georgetown, Master of Science in Bioinformatics Program
• Brown University, Master of Science in Biostatistics Program
• Yale University, Master of Science in Biostatistics Program
• Florida State University, Master of Science in Chemical Oceanography Program
• Pratt Institute-School of Design, Master in Industrial Design Program
• Sorbonne Université, Master in Management Innovation Program
• New England Conservatory of Music, Master in Music Theory Program
• Johns Hopkins University, M.B.A. Program
• University of Pennsylvania, Master in Chemical Sciences Program
• University of Kentucky, Master in Animal & Food Science Program
• University of Wollongong (Australia), Fulbright Scholar

Institutions, Programs, and Companies Recent Graduates Have Been Employed AT

• Broad Institute
• Novartis
• Verdox Electric 
• Blueprint Medicine
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• UConn Health
• Yale University
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Penn Medicine
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Brewster Academy
• BioLegend
• Abcam
• GreenLight Biosciences
• C16 Biosciences
• Pfizer
• Korro Bio
• Ignite Biosciences
• Living Carbon
• Beam Therapeutics
• Tome Biosciences
• Premier Medical Group
• Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center
• World Wide Technology
• Corning Incorporated
• Guthrie
• Teach for America
• Children’s National Hospital
• Wooster School
• University of California, San Francisco
• Northeast Document Conservation Center
• New England Biolabs
• Tata Harper Skincare
• Honeywell
• BASF Chemetall
• Weill Cornell Medicine
• Selleck Chemicals