<p>I am a junior in biochem at Clemson University. I tolerate the school, but it honestly is a bad fit for me, its full of greeks and jocks and is in the country in the south, which is not like me at all. It was my safety school and was far from ideal. I don’t want to make the same mistake with a graduate school. I want to do a Ph.D. in biochemistry, specifically structural biology, but I want to enjoy the atmosphere of the school too. I would really rather not go to school in the south, unless its in a small urban environment with charm and character (like my hometown Charleston! ^-^). I would also prefer not to go to school in a giant city where life is very stressful (grad school is enough stress, tyvm) like NYC or Chicago, but not in the middle of nowhere (boooooooring!). Being originally from the south, I’d be a plus if the place also wasn’t freezing cold like wisconsin or the northeast, but I could deal with it if it was a good fit. So where should I be looking for a school in a small city outside the south that has a decent biochem program? know any schools in particular?</p>
<p>When you are a graduate student, the atmosphere of the school will matter a lot less to you. In a lot of ways, “atmosphere of the school” really pertains more to undergraduates than grads; grads are more concerned with the atmosphere of their department or of their college/school within the larger university. So for example, while my larger university is described as a very stressful place, my school and department are very collegial places where people collaborate and chat and grab coffee together in the middle of the day just to catch up. I only felt the normal stress of grad school, not the stress of extremely competitive colleagues because that really only applies to the undergrads here (and maybe some other departments, but not mine).</p>
<p>Location will also be a bit less important to you. My advice to you is not to rule any place out at the front end. Apply to PhD programs that are a good fit regardless of where they are, unless they are in a place that you know you absolutely could not live. I sympathize with you because I am also from a smaller urban environment in the South (Atlanta) and I long to return home to a city like that again (I’d love to end up in Charleston). I’m currently a grad in NYC and I have mixed feelings about the city. BUT, it’s for a limited time in your life, and sometimes sacrificing some things on the front end (like going to the #1 program in an okay city rather than the #25 in a great city) can help you out when you’re actually on the market. You’ll have a wider range of places to choose from.</p>
<p>While I definitely understand what you are saying about the department mattering over the atmosphere of school (something I’ve heard from friends now in grad school), I still want to feel happy there. Again, I’m not ruling anything out on the basis of the location and atmosphere not being perfect, and don’t expect to find a school that meets all these criteria, but I’d rather not end up in the same situation I’m in now, where I feel like a square peg in a round hole. </p>
<p>P.S. and yeah Charleston is a lovely place you WOULD love it!</p>
<p>Having an advisor you get along with and see eye to eye on projects will go a long longer of a way towards making you happy versus the weather or accent most of the people speak with.</p>