<p>I am currently a high school student who is wondering if it would be easier to be published at a less prestigious university. For example, would I have a better chance at getting to be published at Boston University rather than Harvard? Thanks.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate? Not really.</p>
<p>Getting published as an undergraduate (at least in the lab sciences, where most of my experience is) is largely luck-based. You need to get in at the right time in the right project with the right people in the right lab. It doesn’t always work out, but that doesn’t mean that your experience is less important, less substantial, or less beneficial when applying to graduate school (if that’s what you want to do). Going to a school with a lot of research opportunities (lots of labs/research being done in your area of interest, opportunities for undergraduates to get involved, etc) and getting involved early and actively will give you your best shot at being published as an undergraduate. But don’t worry about getting published as an undergraduate. Most students aren’t, and that doesn’t really say anything about your abilities or promise as an academic, if that’s the route you want to go in.</p>