Is a 3.4 GPA enough for a PhD in Organic Chemistry?

[DrSteve]

Hi all,

I know that some you have chemistry backgrounds (mine is in nuclear physics), so wanted to pose a question for a friend who is a chemist and is thus not on this site.

He has a degree in biology, with emphasis on synthetic organic chemistry. His overall GPA was ~ 3.2 (3.4 in major). He did some unpaid research in one of his professor's lab for about a year. He applied to five organic chemistry programs (3 PhD; 2 MS) last fall, including UT and Purdue, and was turned away from all of them. His only feedback was from UT, where one committee member (harshly) wrote that his application had no merit. He was even rejected from his alam mater, which is a Tier II university in South Florida.

I don't think a 3.4 ought to rule out PhD possibilities. My friend is smart - he got solid A's in two graduate courses he took as a junior) - but has some social issues (Aspergers). One area of obvious concern is that he has taken no Pchem classes. So my first question is Pchem a prerequisite for a PhD in organic chemistry? (He didn't need it for his major and claims it would have required him to take a total of five additional courses outside his major to finish the pchem series.) My second question is whether there exists a more appropriate forum in which to pose this question (e.g., something akin to Chemistry Forums)?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[DrSteve]

I knew it was a long shot to post here, since we are (almost all) physicists. I eventually posted the question to http://www.chemicalforums.com/ (who woulda thunk?) and got some great replies. This thread is close.