What Chemistry Majors can do after Skidmore (and how to get there)
Chemistry students should start thinking about their next step after Skidmore during their junior year. Some students will decide to attend graduate school for a MS or PhD. Some will go to medical school or professional school for a health career. Some will go into any of a number of different careers at companies or labs.
- Information on applying to graduate school
- Information on job searching
- What recent chemistry graduates have done after Skidmore
Applying to Graduate School
Advice
- ACS Planning for graduate work
- ASBMB Becoming a graduate student
- For Health Professions see the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC).
- General Advice from Cientifico Latino
Funding
Typically for Ph.D. programs, graduate students do not pay for tuition costs/fees and are paid a stipend. Funding typically comes from the institution, a training grant, or individual grants earned by faculty. Graduate students serve as research assistants in faculty 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 decrease the expectations for serving as a teaching assistant, depending on the program. Fellowships are prestigious to obtain. Fellowship appplication deadlines are typically between October and January and can be applied for the year before you start graduate school.
- Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship
- Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship
- NRC Graduate Research Awards
- Other Federal Opportunities
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 principle investigators
- Spring Continue reading articles, start review of programs
Summer before Senior Year
- Research at Skidmore, REU, or an internship
- Start preparing graduate school essay (Cientifico Latino Sample Statements)
- Prepare for the both the GRE General and Subject Exams
- Start reaching out to potential writers for letters of recommendation
- Prepare CV (Cientfico Latino Sample CV)
Senior Year
- Aug/Sept. Take the GRE General Exam
- Sept./Oct. Take the GRE Subject Exam (Typically the Chemistry 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
- US News Top Analytical Chemistry
- US News Top Biochemistry/Biophysics/Structural Biology
- US News Top Inorganic Chemistry
- US News Top Organic Chemistry
- US News Top Physical Chemistry
- US News Top Theoretical Chemistry
Fields of Chemistry to Consider
Careers
What can you do with a degree in Chemistry? Biochemistry?
Resume/CV and Cover Letter
- Undergraduate CV Example
- ACS Preparing a Resume
- Skidmore Career Development Center Guide (pdf)
- UCSD Triton Career Guide
- The Do’s of Writing a Spectacular Cover Letter
- Example Cover Letter Bachelor’s Level Analytical Chemistry
Job Search
- ACS Find a Job
- Skidmore Handshake
- Skidmore CDC Search
- Federal Government USAJOBS
- Looksharp Biochemistry Internships & Entry-level Jobs
- Looksharp Chemistry Internships & Entry-level Jobs
- Albany Molecular Research Inc. Job Openings
- Global Foundries
- GE Job Openings
- NYU Openings
- Careers Mount Sinai
- Careers Cornell Medicine
- Careers at The Rockefeller University
- Career Opportunities Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Employment Lincoln Laboratory
- Job Openings Harvard Medical School
- Careers MIT
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital Job Openings
- Regeneron Careers
Additional Resources
- ACS College to Career: Next Steps
- ACS Land the Job
- ASBMB Exploring careers in biochemistry & molecular biology (pdf)
- ASBMB Today Careers
- Skidmore Career Development Center
- Looksharp Internship Search
- Chemistry World: Looking Good on LinkedIn
- LinkedIN: The Basics
- On Being a Lab Technician
- Post-baccalaureate (Prep) Programs
What do Chemistry Majors do After Skidmore?
Ph.D. Programs
- Allison Catizone ’14, Graduate Student, Genetics & Molecular Biology Ph.D. Program, Univesity at Albany
- Anna Chiarella ’14, Graduate Student, Biological Sciences Ph.D. Program, University of North Carolina
- Ariel Alperstein ’14, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Wisconsin
- Alexandra Dillon ’19, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, New York University
- Asher Siegel ‘16, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Missouri; Formerly Microfluidic Applications Intern, Perkin Elmer, Inc.
- Christopher Ostaszewski ‘18, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Pennsylvania
- David Remillard ’12, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Harvard University
- Daniel Manson ’15, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Wisconsin
- Daniel Lesko ’17, Graduate Student, Chemical-Physics Ph.D. Program, University of Colorado
- Daniel Schwarz ’13, Graduate Student, Chemical Biology Ph.D. Program, University of California-San Francisco, formerly Research Scientist I, Albany Molecular Research Inc.
- Deborah Kim ’18, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of California-San Diego
- Erika Riederer ’14, Graduate Student, Physiology and Pharmacology Ph.D. Program, Oregon Health Sciences Center
- Gabriela Gerlach ‘19, Graduate Student, Computational Biology, Ph.D. Program, joint Carnegie Melon-University of Pittsburgh
- Giang Nguyen ’12, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Hannah Skipper ’17, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Boston University; Formerly, Research Scientist I, AMRI
- Israel Da Silva ’15, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Northwestern University; Formerly, Research Technician, Weill Cornell Medical College
- Jaya Borgatta ’16, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Wisconsin
- Jennifer Harfmann ’14, Graduate Student, Environmental Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of California Davis
- Mark Benhaim ’14, Graduate Student, Medicinal Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Washington
- Matthew Lueckheide, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Brown University
- Mohammed Tarek Islam ’15, Graduate Students, Cancer Biology Ph.D. Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Formerly, research Technician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Natalie Stuart ’18, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Drexel University
- Nilendra Nair ’15, Graduate student, Public Health-Biological Sciences Ph.D. Program, Harvard University; Formerly, Clinical Research Coordinator, Mount Sinai
- Roxanna Martinez ’19, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, Colorado State University
- Sibin Wang ’16, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Michigan
- William Miller ’15 Graduate Student, Biomedical Science Ph.D. Program, Penn State College of Medicine
- Yao Xiao ’19, Graduate Student, Chemistry Ph.D. Program, University of Michigan
Medical/Dental/Veterinary School
- AJ (Newell) Brown ’15, Physician Assistant Student, P.A. Program, Eastern Carolina University
- Andrei Tuluca ’18, Medical Student, M.D. Program, Central Michigan Medical College
- Andrew Loizides ’17, Dental Student, DDS Program, Touro College of Dental Medicine
- Brian Wollocko ’18, Medical Student, M.D. Program, SUNY-Stony Brook Medical School
- Denise Garofalo ’13, Medical Student, M.D. Program, Boston University; formerly Research Assistant, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
- Emily Williams ’18, Medical Student, M.D. Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Jesse Evensky ’16, Medical Student, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Former Equipment Coordinator & Liaison, Center for Development, Behavior, and Genetics, SUNY Upstate Medical University
- Jood Ani ’16, Medical Student, M.D. program, New York Medical College; Graduate Student, Nutritional Sciences Master’s Program, Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition
- Kurt Hanebrink ’17, Medical Student, M.D. Program, University of Illinois Medical School
- Nicholas Blair ’12, Medical Student, M.D. Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Nicholas Friedman ‘17, Medical Student, M.D. Program, Stanford University; Formerly, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, The Journal of Collegiate Emergency Medical Services
- Prince Moses ’13, Dental Student, Howard University
- Sanida Lukovic ’12, PGY-1 Resident, Jacobi/Montefiore Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Albert Einstein; M.D. Program, SUNY Stony Brook
- Sarah Bashaw ’11, M.D. from the Commonwealth Medical School; Currently Surgical Resident Geisinger Medical Center
- Sean Healton ’12, M.D./Ph.D. Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Shelby Hanlon ‘16, Veterinary Student, University of Vermont; Formerly, VNA, Vermont Medical Center
Master’s Programs
- Glenna Joyce ’16, Graduate Student, M.S. Food Science Program; Formerly, Assistant Distiller, Upstate Distilling Company
- Hillary Ramirez ’18, Graduate Student, M.S. Biomedical Program accepted to Tufts and Rutgers; Science Tutor, Harlem Children’s Zone; formerly Teaching Assistant, Envision Experience
- Hongwei Yu ’19, Graduate Student, MPH Biostatistics Program, Yale University
- Salvatore Fruciano, Graduate Student, M.S Chemistry Program, Colorado School of Mines
- Stephanie Zhen ’16, Graduate Student, MPH Program, Columbia University; Formerly, Research Associate, NYU School of Medicine
Employment-Industry
- David Sweezy ’17, Associate Scientist Bluebird Bio; Past Research Technician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Hannah Da Graff ’15, Technical Assistance Center Engineer at BioTek Instruments, M.S. Chemistry, University of Minnesota
- Hannah Knaul ’18, Research Associate, Charles River Laboratories
- Jennifer Hickey ’15, Research Associate, First Light Diagnostics
- Julie Douglas ’18 Research Technologist, Bloodworks Northwest
- Justin Gerard ‘17, Environmental Specialist II - ESol at Stericycle; Formerly, Research Scientist I, AMRI
- Karli Rasmussen ’18, Research Technician Ignite Biosciences
- Katherine Shi ’18, Associate Research Scientist, Pfizer
- Katrina Ellis ’15, Associate Scientist, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories
- Leland Martin ’14 Research Associate III, Living Proof, Inc.; M.S. Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- N Canada ’17, Junior R&D Professional – Chemist, GCP Applied Technologies; Formerly, Synthetic Chemist, Cambridge Isotope Laboratories
- Ruth Allard ’16, Scientist I, Brammer Bio
- Travers Ruel ’16, Scientist I, Thermo-Fischer
Employment-Health Care/Academia
- Arlene Hernandez ’17, Community Health Representative, NYU Langone Health
- Caitlin Schroeder ’18, Laboratory Technician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Claudia Bennett-Caso ’19, Medical Assistant, Saint Francis Health Center
- Matthew Walsh ’13, Bioengineer, Lincoln Laboratories
- Laura Swenson ’19, Research Assistant, North Short University Health System
- Rebecca Wales ’18, Clinical Research Coordinator, MGH Boston
- Sampriti Thapa ’18, Research Technician, Johns Hopkins
- Tenzin Gyalsten ‘19, Research Assistant-Biomaterials, NYU School of Dentistry
- William Gallopp ‘13 Clinical Research Coordinator, Asthma Research Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Employment-Communications/Teaching/Other
- Devon McLane ’19, Chemistry Teacher, Woodhall School
- Elissa Williams ’19, Internship, New England Aquarium
- Elizabeth Wylie ’12, Software Engineer, Integrity Payment Systems; Master’s of Science Engineering Program, Northwestern University
- Kristine Vorwerk ‘17, Inventory Planner and Analyst at The Annie Selke Companies
- Megan Labbate ’11, Science Instructor, Emma Willard School, Masters of Arts in Education, University of Michigan
- Stefani Mladenova ’14, Group Copy Supervisor at PIXACORE; Formerly, Copywriter, Concentric
- Talya Wolf ’13, Research Assistant & Prodcut Developer, New York Hall of Science; Former Editorial Assistant, JoVE
- Veronica Mierzejewski ’19, Intern, NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate
- Vinay Trivedi-Parmar ’12, Technical Specialist at Lathrop Gage; Ph.D. Chemistry, Yale University