Visiting University of Wisconsin-Madison

The first few weeks of school felt interminable, but when September came, classes ramped up, labs started, and extracurricular commitments stacked on top of one another. I prioritized research over classes more often than not, which is a two-edged sword. It reassures my decision to pursue graduate school, but I still need to graduate. I don’t doubt myself in succeeding, but the process to the finish line can be overwhelming. Outlining my goals on this blog helps me evaluate my progress and plan for the future.
I have a list of the schools that I will apply to, but I can’t decide how many is too many. As it stands, I have 9 schools, located primarily in the Midwest and East Coast. I’m getting distracted by searching for more schools that offer an application fee waiver, instead of sticking to what I have. I’m selecting schools based on its location and my gut feeling for the chemistry department as a whole. My goal is to identify at least 3 professors that I want to work with before applying to the school.
Last week, I visited University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of the Chemistry Opportunity Program (CHOPS). CHOPS is similar to a graduate student recruitment weekend, but it occurs before formal acceptance to their program. Juniors and seniors can apply to participate in this all expenses paid program. They will also receive a fee waiver from UW to apply to the graduate school.
I arrived on a Thursday afternoon and explored downtown Madison on my own. I visited the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Capitol Building. After an hour, I dashed back to meet the rest of the CHOPS 2018 cohort. From our hotel, it was a 15 minute walk to the chemistry building for an informal dinner with a welcome presentation from the chemistry graduate program director and graduate student hosts.
Friday was packed with presentations from various faculty members, one-on-one meetings with professors, tours of the facilities, and a poster session. In the morning, we listened to different professors present about their research, UW, and Madison. The presentations showcased the professors’ personalities, which can’t be obtained from reading their lab’s website or biographies.
During the one-on-one meetings, I spoke with Dr. Daniel Weix and Dr. Ives Hermans. Dr. Weix and I talked about our research and shared our preferences for different pen brands. Dr. Hermans and I discussed our chemical engineering backgrounds and our lab safety concerns. During lunch, we mingled with professors from all research areas. Talking to faculty members can be intimidating, but all of the professors were friendly and excited to share their research.
In my free time, I met up with a friend who is a chemistry graduate student at UW. We grabbed a quick coffee at the Java Den. I asked her about her adjustment from undergrad to grad school. She currently works as a TA, helping undergrad students daily in discussion sections and lab. UW serves a large population of students in undergrad chemistry courses. In addition to lectures, students enroll in a discussion section where the TA gives worksheets and provides additional support. She will rotate in three labs before selecting a group to join by November. It was comforting to see a familiar face in a different city. Eventually I want to have a friend in every major U.S. city.
We toured the facilities for NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, and the cluster computing center. One of their selling points was that students can learn how to use the instruments, such as NMR, through hands-on, trial-and-error learning. This is unique because most institutions require extensive training or security clearance. The mass spectrometry center had a variety of instruments, including matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), which I have never encountered before. In the x-ray crystallography center, I attempted to cut a crystal, but was unsuccessful. All the facilities were well-equipped, clean, and organized.
In the late afternoon, we attended a poster session presented by graduate students representing their labs. I listened to presentations about solid state, catalysis, proteomics, chemical biology, and more. While I did not entirely understand every thing, I appreciated the presenters’ expertise and excitement to share their work. It astounds me how much there is for us to learn about the world!
After the poster session, we ate dinner at the Nitty Gritty. For dessert, we shared a gigantic ice cream sundae. It was supposed to be an eating contest, but our table opted out of the competition and enjoyed our dessert. Later, a graduate student took us to get cheese curds from The Old Fashioned. It was fun to explore downtown Madison with the group and talk to them in a casual setting.

On Saturday, we started our morning with a presentation about the graduate school application process. This information was helpful to me, as a first generation college student. We discussed the do’s and don’ts for resumes, criteria for selecting a school, and received advice from the graduate students about their visitation experiences.
Afterwards, we went on a walking tour of UW and a bus tour of Madison. We visited iconic UW buildings such as Bascom Hall and the infamous Lincoln Statue. There is a rumor that climbing on the Lincoln Statue and sitting on his lap will give you good luck after graduation. Naturally, some people in the CHOPS cohort did it. I am somewhat superstitious, so I didn’t, but I will return to do it if I graduate from UW!

We had some free time scheduled in the afternoon, so I took the opportunity to visit one of my friends who currently lives in Madison. She introduced me to her parents and her dog, helped me pick fresh raspberries from their garden, and went to Target together.
Saturday’s dinner was catered at the chemistry building and included a game night. The program officially ended after dinner, but many of us did not want to end the night yet. We took a group photo before splitting up and wished one another good luck. A small group of us walked to the Student Union to do a photo shoot with the mascot, Bucky. We went back to The Old Fashioned and watched the Badgers win against the Hawkeyes in the last five minutes.

I woke up early the next morning to catch my flight back to Houston. Overall, I enjoyed meeting faculty and future colleagues at CHOPS. Visiting the city and campus helped me envision my future as a graduate student. I will definitely apply to Wisconsin and hope that they’ll invite me back for the official recruitment weekend!
When I returned, I applied for University of Michigan’s Chemistry Opportunities for Research and Education (MCORE). I’ll be hearing back within the next week, so hopefully I can start packing my winter clothes for Ann Arbor. I recommend applying to CHOPS, MCORE, or searching for similar programs in your field. The applications may seem long, but it is an opportunity to draft personal statements and get a head start on obtaining letters of recommendation. The essay prompts help you reflect on your research experiences and identify your future goals. Self-reflection is not something we do often, but it is essential, especially before embarking on a long and hard path. Giving yourself the time to think about your purpose will guide you in accomplishing the stepping stones to your goal.