<p>I wanted to know how much imp does under graduation research have in grad school admissions.I mean if I go to a small coll instead of a huge research university for my undergraduation will it be detrimental for my grad school? moreover when ug students assist prof in research what is their role in that? do they start their own original research or simply record observations or operate the instruments or wat?</p>
<p>Research experience in undergrad is really important because basically what you do at grad school IS research. Also there’s a thing called “Summer REU” program that lets you have a research experience during summer at a college.</p>
<p>@yg7s7-thnx so much for the prompt reply.ok so research is indeed important for grad school. but what kind of role do undergrads play in the research?</p>
<p>moreover I think the REU is funded by NSF and it only allows US citizens to participate in it. what are the options for international undergrads?</p>
<p>anyone else plz help</p>
<p>Well if you’re a freshman you’ll probably do basic stuff and whatever your PI tells you to do. You’ll also get help from graduate students. If you’re more qualified I think you get to do cooler stuff.</p>
<p>I’m not too sure about your second question.</p>
<p>One question I have for OP is
Where and when are you planning on doing research. during the academic school year or during the summer breaks. Are you a student in your home country or are you attending school in the US as an international student?</p>
<p>As an international student in the US, summer research options are more limited. If you’re lucky enough to get a position on campus, then things are fine, since it counts as on campus employment and you can work full time during the summer (that’s what I did summer after freshman year) Alternatively, while probably the majority of summer undergrad research programs are restricted to US citizens/PR, there are still some that are open to internationals; it just requires some more digging. In those cases you’ll probably need to apply either for CPT or OPT authorization (note: if you’re applying for OPT, keep in mind it can take up to 3 months to process…I’m kind of in limbo right now because I applied for OPT late, and now I’m not sure when I’ll be able to start working…so don’t make my mistake =P) What area of study are you looking at?</p>
<p>@ParAlum-I don’t have any specific time period in mind for research. both summer and academic year would work as long as I get research experience. well I am a student in my home country.
@CDN_dancer-thnx I was looking for an international student for the answer. I will try to find those summer research projects and if selected discuss all the formalities with my international student adviser. i will keep the processing time in mind also. im planning to study elec engg and physics. also does going to small uni like wpi as opposed to a huge research one like ohio state, considering that wpi has given me lots of aid, make that much of a diff for an undergrad?</p>
<p>The most important part of your application if you have it, and not necessarily a mark against you if you do not. That’s what I hear, anyway.</p>
<p>I take it that you are applying to a funded graduate program. If that is so, I don’t have much information on that but from what I hear, research plays an important role.</p>
<p>Now if you are applying to a professional and/or distance graduate program (which I DO know about), having prior research does not mean much.</p>
<p>@globaltraveller-Basically right now im deciding on my coll for undergraduation. I just want to know the reason why everyone is so behind huge research uni like ohio state or purdue even though the sat scores of students attending wpi(a smaller research uni) is more or equal to those attending osu. moreover if it really makes that much of diff then I just want to be aware of availing such opportunities in wpi. I hope I have explained my situation. and btw as of now when I think about my grad school im looking for funded masters in physics</p>
<p>in fact to add on to my previous post,most of the wpi students end up getting amazing jobs and many of them get into top graduate schools.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it would matter; perhaps at a larger university it will be easier to find research opportunities within your school (which, as an international student, makes life SOO much easier in terms of getting work authorization) However, here at Penn for instance, I have met numerous PhD students who did their undergrad at relatively small or less-known universities (off the top of my head, I know people who went to Marquette and Ithaca College)</p>
<p>@CDN_dancer-you are right but at larger uni there are many ppl behind the opportunities also. many research powerhouses focus mostly on research of prof and grad students. very few % of ug get the opportunity.btw i dont think Penn is really one of the larger uni i was talking abt.ivy league institutions are completely diff as they take care of their kids because most of them have worked their ass off to get there :)</p>
<p>
If they have the same percentage of high-achieving students, then OSU should have a much greater number of talented students than WPI due to the sheer size difference. That could translate into several tangible advantages for motivated students: a bigger peer group, more advanced courses, etc.</p>
<p>
Why do people ask questions if they don’t want to hear the answers? I don’t know, maybe I do this too in my threads. But it really is odd. Are they looking for validation? Acceptance?</p>
<p>Anyway, many colleges have undergraduate research programs. Communicate with the coordinators and see what’s available. Get to know your professors.</p>
<p>Smaller universities will have fewer research opportunities than larger ones. This is a fact. In a sense it would be in your best interest to go to a larger university with relatively less qualified students if you want to get into research. More opportunities, less competition.</p>