It makes no difference as far as the criteria for admission, the research you'll do, 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), (3) the administrators you'll interact with, and (4) the label of your Ph.D. SEAS students generally apply in the Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) area, though I have had a...
Not necessarily. Atmospheric chemistry is an interdisciplinary science. My graduate students come from a diversity of backgrounds from applied math to engineering 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. Gaps are expected, and the purpose of your courses at Harvard will be to fill these gaps. I do expect applicants to have had at least two years of college math.
No. Most incoming students have little or no scientific programming experience. This is best learned on the job, like laboratory skills. It is important however that you feel enthusiastic about learning programming.
The application deadline is sometime in December for admission to the following fall semester. Check the departmental web sites (see links above) for the exact date. The application folders get to the faculty by mid-January - I don't see them before then. Decisions on admissions are made in early February and applicants are contacted immediately after the decision whether it is positive or negative.
The most important criterion is research experience. I will often take students with weaker grades if they have demonstrated talent for research. GRE scores (for EPS applicants) are a very minor consideration. Although the Harvard application form allows you to be ambivalent about which professor you wish to work with, in practice I get so many applications that I only look seriously at the ones that express a clear intent to work with me (your statement of purpose is important for this). I also look for students with clear interests in atmospheric chemistry modeling - if you think you...
Once you are admitted you will be officially invited by Harvard for a visit and Harvard will cover your travel expenses. Visiting prior to admission is not expected, do it only if convenient and useful for you. You can send me an email and if you seem like a promising applicant I will arrange a meeting and will also have you meet with some of my students.
Yes. If your admission letter identifies me as your adviser it's because I have expressed willingness and commitment to support you. You may decide during your first year that another adviser is a better fit to your interests and if so that's perfectly fine, all you need is for that other adviser to agree to commit to you. It gets a little more complicated after the first year because by then you should really be engaged in PhD research and preparing for your qualifying exam - it can be done, it's just more difficult. Another possibility is to have another professor as co-adviser - I...
Loretta and I co-lead the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group. We have complementary research interests and approaches, as you can see from our web pages and publications. You can decide which fits your interests best. In practice, Loretta and I talk all the time and often share students depending on projects, so you can very easily end up working with the two of us. We also share notes about applicants so you shouldn't worry about compromising your chances to work with one by applying to work with the other. Students working with either of us belong to the same group, share offices,...
