What types of research opportunities are available at the University of Alabama?
I’m deciding between this school, IU, and then some ivies. However, with these two state schools, does one offer more opportunities for a pre-med major?
Bama has a very good premed advising office.
As for research opps…it’s a research univ, so there are many opps.
You can also apply for CBH and/or Emerging Scholars, which both also offer add’l research opps.
There is also a medical center near campus for medically related ECs.
You can take research for credit in every science/engineering. The proffessors are really nice and like having you help them and if you stay with them for a while, you could even get your name in a paper. You don’t have to take research for credit, but that does introduce you to the proffessor. Sometimes the department of your major will send out emails with random news and if you read through it daily you can find some great oppurtunities, like professors needing undergraduate lab assistants–a path into research.
I must say one thing: you will have a tougher time getting into a research lab at an Ivy than at UA. They reserve their labs for grad students. UA is building a completely new facility that is to be completely research labs. Its huge. Add that to the rest of the labs and you have your pick of a couple hundred different lab groups you could get into, even as a freshman.
.^^ Helpful info.
@iamfuniswear where is that new building going in?
@natwhynot UA’s chemical engineering department is expanding a lot and has many opportunities for medical research. Other departments like biology and chemistry also have lots of relevant research.
We also have a great shadowing program at the University Medical Center. They have lots of specialties there, from family medicine to sports medicine and psychiatry. It has been a great experience for me to learn about caring for rural patients, since my previous shadowing was in Low Angeles.
I can’t speak to IU, however I chose Alabama and the Computer-Based Honors Program over Dartmouth, which had been my dream school since I was little. You can see my post in the thread about choosing Alabama over other schools, but in a nutshell I decided that the scholarship (rather than $250k of debt before med school even starts), the chance to be part of a family of similarly ambitious and nerdy students (in CBH), and the unparalleled access to research made Alabama the best place for me. Since then, I have had great experiences with classes and have gotten to do research in the physics department that I really love. Coming to CBH and UA has been the best decision of my life, hands down.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to help!
^^^ Great post!