<p>Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of good schools where it's relatively easy to get in to undergraduate research. For example, I know a lot of undergrads get to do research at USF. What are some other schools like that?</p>
<p>The University of Texas in Austin has a program called the Freshman Research Initiative which is designed specifically to get undergrads into research beginning their freshman year.</p>
<p>Oh that’s cool. I’ll look in to that. Thanks!</p>
<p>Rice has a huge amount of research opportunities for undergrads.</p>
<p>What about schools in the east/ southeast?</p>
<p>The best answer to this question is this: Small research intensive private universities. Generally the ones that belong in the AAU. Most people look at the research money that big public schools spend and automatically assume that those opportunities are easily available to undergrads (especially as early as freshman year). For the most part this is not quite true. In most big state research colleges(of course there are exceptions but the trend still holds), if you are just average, you will be competing against 25,000 to 30,000+ kids for positions. However at small or medium size private college who spend comparable amount of money in research, it is much more easier to find something.</p>
<p>Lafayette College, an all-undergrad LAC in Easton, PA, offers this program: [Lafayette</a> College - Excel Scholars](<a href=“http://www.lafayette.edu/academics/excel.html]Lafayette”>http://www.lafayette.edu/academics/excel.html)</p>
<p>Here are some examples of the kind of research Lafayette students get involved in: [Students</a> Present Research at 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research](<a href=“http://lafayette.edu/news.php/view/10092/]Students”>http://lafayette.edu/news.php/view/10092/)</p>
<p>At Caltech it is really easy to get research opportunities but it is certainly not easy to get in…</p>
<p>The U of Miami has great research opportunities and really encourages students to get involved from the start. My daughter is a freshmen there and they send her emails all the time with new research options.</p>
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This is not true at all. Undergraduate research is very common. For example, the University of Michigan has UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) specifically designed for freshman/sophomore students to get involve with research. It is open to all admitted students. All you have to do is sign up for it and you can do research in your first term. [Undergraduate</a> Research Opportunity Program | The University of Michigan](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/urop/]Undergraduate”>Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) | U-M LSA)</p>
<p>At UC-Berkeley, “a 2008 student survey found that 52% of Berkeley seniors have assisted faculty with research or creative projects.” [Facts</a> at a glance - UC Berkeley](<a href=“By the numbers - University of California, Berkeley”>By the numbers - University of California, Berkeley)</p>
<p>At the University of Washington:
"Every year, >4500 undergraduates participate in research.
"One hundred percent of Materials Science & Engineering majors are involved in undergraduate research.
“More than 160 undergraduates currently participate in research with the Department of Physics…” [UW</a> By The Numbers — University of Washington](<a href=“http://admit.washington.edu/Numbers]UW”>http://admit.washington.edu/Numbers)</p>
<p>Many universities have “Undergraduate Research Program” set up like the one mentioned in post #2.</p>
<p>JHU - Spends $1.8 billion dollars in research every year (compared to MIT’s $300 million (excluding Lincoln lab) and Harvard’s $250 million).</p>
<p>80% of Hopkins students conduct some sort of independent research project during their four years - equal to if not more than MIT’s UROP program… probably the highest percentage in the nation.</p>
<p>Plus, JHU’s research budget has been the largest (by far) for the past 28 years in the row. That’s excluding APL, JHU rivals UCSF and large state campuses with 19,000 students…</p>
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<p>No doubt JHU has an impressive amount of research output, but let’s not forget how much of JHU is devoted to medical things. The NIH has an order of magnitude more funding than the NSF, and it’s only for medical-related things!</p>
<p>OP, pretty much any good school is going to have research opportunities. I would find it very difficult to pick a school in this way.</p>
<p>MIT also have a program called UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program)
As a prefrosh, obviously I can’t tell first-hand. But from my impression, all that is required is contacting the professor whose work you are interested in (there’s a list on the website) and most of the time it is easy to get one. Even as a freshman you can do research.</p>
<p>Emory has wonderful opportunities with research with world-class professors. Emory also has excellent ties with the CDC and other research centers so finding research projects will not be a problem.</p>
<p>gthopeful–While you are correct that Hopkins does a tremendous amount of medical reseach, its huge research budget is by no means limited to medicine. For example, Hopkins gets more funding from NASA than any other university.</p>
<p>Essentially, at Hopkins any undergraduate who wishes to be involved in research can be. There are also significant funds available for undergraduate research, including the Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Provost research awards.</p>
<p>Great opportunities at UW Madison for undergraduate research at the university with the largest research budget (without classified reseach dollars thrown in).</p>
<p>Undergrad symposium:</p>
<p>[More</a> than 500 students to present at Undergraduate Symposium (April 13, 2010)](<a href=“http://www.news.wisc.edu/17947]More”>More than 500 students to present at Undergraduate Symposium)</p>
<p>Undergrad Research Scholars Program:</p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> Research Scholars](<a href=“http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/urs/]Undergraduate”>http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/urs/)</p>
<p>Anecdotes are a dime a dozen. Google any school and you will probably find a list of undergrad researchers. The question here is whether some schools have strong organizational commitment to undergrad research.</p>
<p>University of Iowa have great opportunities for undergraduate research, another suggestion would be CalTech and Princeton.</p>
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<p>Ahh, exactly! Thank you noimagination!</p>
<p>Also, whoever suggested JHU, thanks. I didn’t know they were that much of a research school. I will be going into medicine, so I don’t mind if theirs is all med research. I actually had previously been considering that school because it is known for medicine.</p>
<p>William & Mary is known for the accessability of the faculty for undergrad research.</p>