I really am a tard, no, seriously I am.
I give up!
If it helps...that's how I read it too... 
As did I :-).
Upon reading the post, I now get that he meant area of concentration!
My experience is that if you do not do research that you have a personal interest in, you will find very little satisfaction in it. Also, when choosing faculty to work with and/or your PhD advisers, make sure that you can identify with them. Bear in mind that you'll be spending quite some time with them both in the lab, in meetings, at conferences, and the "grant accepted" parties!
My best advice is to try out various types of chemistry and self-assess. You need to recall which courses you liked most: if you're into mathematics, perhaps analytical, physical, or computational chemistry, if you prefer synthesis, maybe organic/inorganic chemistry, if you like biology as a mixer, then biochemistry could be right. Think: would I like to be in the lab synthesizing new compounds, or would I rather use equipment and analyze and characterize these compounds? Do I like to do organic chemistry and smell all of those solvents, or would I prefer to stick with inorganic chemistry and salts? Do I want to work on basic research (theory) or applied research that has more immediate use(s)? In my eyes, your lack of interest in any one field could mean several things: first, that maybe you did not get enough laboratory experience in your undergraduate career and you never attended any practicals, second, that perhaps you like too many different aspects of chemistry and cannot find anyone one type that you like more than the other, or perhaps the opposite: you don't really like any of it.
If you are a strong candidate that has good scores on the GRE and a good GPA with good recommendations, you'll likely have few problems getting into a good program. I think it would be ridiculous to expect a new grad student to have a very specific interest picked out. I should mention that another factor that many professors look for is the amount of research a prospective candidate has; for me, I would prefer someone with more laboratory experience than and perhaps weaker academically because there is less of a learning curve and they can be put into the laboratory right away. If you go to graduate school and then chase the PhD, you'll find that class is less and less of a component in your studies--it is present, but time invested in class dwindles as the years go by and more is spent on research and working toward your thesis and dissertation.
Good luck whatever betide!
Fleaker
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Topic: PhD without knowing concentration? (Read 15916 times)