<p>I'll be a freshman in bioengineering in the fall. I know this is the field I want to stay in probably through grad school and I want to pursue a career in research, but I don't know whether I want it to be in industry or academia. Any opinions? And will it make a difference when I'm choosing co-ops vs. research and looking at grad schools/programs?</p>
<p>If you are definitely going to grad school, academic research trumps all.</p>
<p>If you want to do research, then getting research experience is key - even if you go into industry, they still like to see research experience, especially if you are trying for research jobs. Getting a graduate degree is also important, as research generally requires at least an MS if not a PhD.</p>
<p>For graduate school, doing research is definitely the way to go. However, it isn’t a bad idea to try and do some internships over at least one summer just to get a taste. You can do that and still get research experience over the semesters.</p>
<p>As for industry vs. academia, that is a very personal question. I am 2 years into a Ph.D. program and still don’t know which of those I prefer. It is something you will likely have to feel out over the course of a graduate program.</p>
<p>Just curious: does “going to grad school” in this context mean getting a PhD? If one’s goal is just a masters, is research still preferable over internships?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In most cases, yes. The exception would be if you are getting a non-thesis masters, in which case they don’t really care because they are using you for your cash (or your company’s cash).</p>