[Jd1828]

I recently accepted an offer for a MS in chemistry and I am starting to consider my options for after I finish my degree. Ive been told by faculty that with an MS I can pretty much expect to be accepted to almost any PhD program. Is this true or are they just telling me what I want to hear?

[lemonoman]

I wouldn't count on getting into ANY Ph.D. program, but you definitely have your pick.  You've still gotta be damn good to get into say, Princeton.  But people with M.Sc.'s have shown they can research, and they can write a thesis.  That's what they look for when they accept people to the Ph.D. program somewhere, so you will definitely fit the requirements.

Other thing is, if you work your connections, you can get in somewhere.  I've seen some pretty dim people get positions, because some profs are desssssssperate for students!

[constant thinker]

But people with M.Sc.'s have shown they can research, and they can write a thesis.  That's what they look for when they accept people to the Ph.D. program somewhere, so you will definitely fit the requirements.

Hmmmm. Now I'm starting to think that when I eventually do pick a university, I should look for someplace that offers undergraduate research.

[Yggdrasil]

Hmmmm. Now I'm starting to think that when I eventually do pick a university, I should look for someplace that offers undergraduate research.

Yes.  If you want to get a PhD, you should definitely do your undergrad at a university with a decently good graduate program.  Undergraduate research is probably one of the most important things that a grad school admissions committee looks at.  In fact, for this type of career path a larger public university would probably be better then a smaller liberal arts college because the larger state university would have more resources for undergraduate research and more faculty doing good research.  For example, there would be no way that I could be doing the type of research I do now if I were at a small liberal arts college instead of a large public university because a smaller college wouldn't have the facilities and equipment (e.g. 800MHz NMR spectrometer, x-ray crystallography facility, and other expensive instrumentation).

Aside from those benefits, I find that doing research as an undergrad helps me to understand the classes related to my research.

[Ψ×Ψ]

Hmmmm. Now I'm starting to think that when I eventually do pick a university, I should look for someplace that offers undergraduate research.

Yes yes yes.  Better if you can get paid for it, but this is harder to arrange. 

[Berettagtz]

I just started doing some research this past spring.  I have been pretty busy the whole summer working on research for my professor, and I will continue working throughout my undergraduate career.   I believe professors are willing to help students who want to do research and who are serious about it.  You just have to make sure you talk to your professors, because a lot of times students think research is only for "smarter" students.  
I think it will pay off in my chemistry career, especially when I start applying for grad school.