FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS Answers by Daniel J. Jacob represent personal views and not necessarily the official Harvard policy!

• Will you be taking any new students into the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group next year?

  Yes. I typically take 2 new students each year.

• Should I apply to the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) or to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS)?

  It makes essentially no difference as far as the research you'll do, the admissions process, the stipend you'll get, the office you'll be in, the students you'll hang out with, or the general requirements for the Ph.D. The only differences are in (1) the courses you'll be asked to take (even there the difference is slight), (2) the teaching requirement (see question on teaching requirement below), and (3) the label of your Ph.D. EPS requires you to take eight semester courses of which four have to be in your area of concentration ( Atmospheric Science), two have to be Applied Math or Statistics at the 100 level or higher, and two have to be in another area of EPS (such as geophysics, geochemistry, geodesy...). SEAS requires ten semester courses of which six have to be in your major and four have to be in a minor; you get to define your major and minor as you wish, and to tailor your course curriculum accordingly, but the courses have to represent a coherent ensemble and all but three have to be at the 200 level. Both SEAS and EPS can bend their rules upon petition (for example as to what defines "breadth" in EPS). SEAS is more flexible at granting credit for graduate courses taken elsewhere. EPS will give you a Ph.D. in Earth & Planetary Sciences while SEAS will give you a Ph.D. in the major you have chosen (for example Environmental Engineering, Atmospheric Science...). The current graduate students in the group are split almost 50/50 between SEAS and EPS. It's also fairly easy to switch once you're here. I suggest that you browse through the SEAS and EPS web pages and decide where you'd feel most at home.

• I don't have chemistry in my background (or I don't have much physics, or meteorology...). Is that a problem?

  Not necessarily. Atmospheric chemistry is an interdisciplinary science. Our graduate students come from a diversity of backgrounds from applied math to chemistry and everything in between. Some students come in with zero chemistry; others come in with little physics. Many have had little or no exposure to atmospheric science, while others have had quite a bit. All that's OK. There's no "ideal" preparation. Gaps are expected, and the purpose of your courses at Harvard will be to fill these gaps. A common denominator is that we expect applicants to have had at least two years of college math.

• I don't have much programming experience. Is that a problem for entering the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group?

  No. Most incoming students have little or no scientific programming experience. This is readily learned on the job, just like laboratory skills.

• When is the application deadline? When will I hear about admission?

  The application deadline is around the end of December for admission to the following fall semester starting in September. Check the departmental web sites (see links above) for the exact date. The application folders get to the faculty by late January (I don't see them before then!). Decisions on admissions are made in mid-February and applicants are contacted immediately after the decision.

• What are the most important criteria for admission?

  A letter of recommendation from someone we know is extremely useful, but of course most applicants do not have that kind of connection. GRE scores are important - weak scores have to be offset by strong letters, strong grades, demonstrated talent in research, or other information. A statement of purpose clearly defining what you want out of grad school, and providing a good indication of your interests, is important. If there are specific professors whose research interests you particularly, by all means say so - it doesn't commit you, but it allows us to get a sense of how you would fit in our program. If there are weaknesses in your course record such as a low grade in an important course, or inadequate math preparation, address them in your statement to the extent that you can.

• When should I come visit Harvard?

  You are always welcome to visit Harvard - if you would like to visit me, just drop me an email and I'll arrange for you to also meet with some students in my group and with the graduate study office. To meet with other professors, contact them directly. Visiting prior to admission is really not needed - however, an email to a professor expressing your interest and alerting her/him to your application is useful. The important time to visit is when you are admitted, at which point we will invite you to visit and cover your travel expenses. And if we're unsure about admitting you we will invite you for an interview.

• What kind of research projects will I be able to get involved in the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group? How soon will I be able to start my research?

  You will have a lot of freedom to choose your own project within the general sphere of activity of the group. The group web site should give you a good idea of our research directions. Check out in particular our current research web page. I generally encourage students in their first year to take just 3 regular courses a semester (a full load is 4 courses) plus a "reading and research" course with me which is an opportunity to start thinking about research. The summer after the first year is an important time in which to get started on what will become your Ph.D. research project. In the second year you typically take 0-2 courses a semester and can begin to really sink your teeth into your research, and after that you're 100% research.

• The current research web page describes ongoing projects. What about new projects for me to get involved in?

  Honestly, it's not very productive to discuss future projects with much specificity at the time of your application, because I generally don't have projects "on ice" - if something is interesting we get moving on it right away, we don't wait! I recommend that you peruse the current research web page to get a sense of the general research areas that we are engaged in, as it is likely that your future project will build on those. We'll get serious about defining your project when you actually start. That being said, if you need to discuss specifics of future projects for a fellowship application or for your own agenda then sure, let's talk.

• What financial support can I expect?

  All Ph.D. students admitted to SEAS or EPS are guaranteed tuition and stipend, i.e., a graduate fellowship, for the normal duration of their time at Harvard. During the first academic year the funding comes from internal Harvard funds, so you don't have to commit to an adviser. After that the funding comes from your adviser's research grants, although if the bottom falls out of these grants Harvard will step in to make sure you get paid. I encourage my students once at Harvard to apply for external fellowships, because they look good on your CV and of course it brings some relief to my research grants. But I fully expect to support my graduate students out of my research grants and have never had a problem doing so.

• Can I apply for a Master of Science or Engineering instead of for a Ph.D.?

  If you want to work with me you need to apply to the Ph.D. program. SEAS has a ismall 1-year MS program (courses only - no thesis expected) and a ME program requiring in addition a small research thesis. However, there are no fellowships available for MS/ME students and we don't consider these programs as conduits for the Ph.D. Ph.D. students can pick up their MS degree at the end of their coursework if they so wish. Students who enroll in the Ph.D. program and decide after 1-2 years that this is not for them have the opportunity to leave with a MS or ME degree.

• Are there opportunities or requirements to teach?

  A requirement of your graduate fellowship is that you serve as Teaching Fellow (TF) during your time at Harvard. SEAS requires that you do it for one semester, EPS for two. TFing a class means teaching a section, grading homeworks, and having office hours. It is expected to take no more than 10h/wk. You can satisfy the requirement by TFing one of the undergraduate atmospheric classes, for example EPS133 which I teach. Once you've fulfilled your requirement you can teach more classes if you wish and get paid for this (on top of your stipend). Most of my students do the requirement and no more, but a few have taught for a number of semesters because they liked it and liked the money. This is not a problem with me as long as you maintain productivity in your research and that's always worked out fine.

• Is there a qualifying exam on the road to the Ph.D.? When can I expect to graduate?

  You have to take a qualifying exam in the spring of your second year (at which point you'll typically have completed all or almost all your coursework). This exam consists in an oral presentation of your Ph.D. research proposal (EPS also requires a 10-page written version of the proposal). This is an excellent opportunity for you to get feedback on your research direction from a faculty committee. Just betweeen you and me, I have never seen anyone fail the exam - sometimes a student may be asked to take an additional course to address an apparent gap, and in rare cases a student may be asked to retake the exam. So it is really more an opportunity for the student than a selection tool for the faculty. We can afford not to be selective at the qualifying exam level because we are highly selective at the admission level. The duration of the Ph.D. is typically 5-6 years. We shoot for five.

• What is the typical career path of alumni from the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group?

  I have graduated 16 Ph.D. students over the course of my career as of June 2008. Of these, seven are now professors at research universities, four are research scientists in national labs, two are staff scientists in non-research organizations, and three are postdocs. You can get more detailed information by clicking on their names on my alumni page (former Ph.D. students are identified by red circles).

• Can I contact graduate students in the group for more information?

  They'll be happy to help. See the group list. I encourage you to check out their web pages to see what they're working on.

Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group Home Page