<p>It's a word that many colleges throw around. "We're a medium-sized research university." "You'll have lots of research opportunities here." "By the time they graduate, X% of the class will have done some sort of research."</p>
<p>The reason that I ask is that I'm currently debating between SIRing to Berkeley and Wash U. In asking for other people's opinions, the word "research" always crops up. As expected, people always point out that "funding for research is limited at large public schools," and that "at Berkeley, it will be much more difficult to do any undergraduate research."</p>
<p>But seriously, how much does it matter when you're choosing your college? While I can understand it's certainly a boost for graduate/medical school, does having research experience carry that much significance?</p>
<p>Research is more than a “boost” for graduate schools. In fact, research experience is probably the single most important thing you can have on your application, with LoRs following close behind (which will hopefully mention your research abilities).</p>
<p>I agree with neltharion, I’d say research looks good for grad school (if you are considering further education), but I also think it depends upon the person. If you want to do biology research or something of that sort, it could be a great experience for you as a person, or it could show you that research isn’t really your thing. Therefore, I’d probably go to a school that has some research opportunities because then 1. I could really get more experience in my given major, 2. I could have a new perspective on my major (do I ACTUALLY want to continue with this route), and/or 3. I could have something nice to put it on an application for graduate school.</p>
<p>Would it outweigh getting a better (or at least arguably so) education in the specific field that you’re going to major in, though? As a prospective chem major, I know that Berkeley has a fantastic reputation in the field, but I also recognize that it might be slightly more difficult to establish relationships with professors. While I’m unsure, med school is still definitely a possibility for me, so…well, yeah.</p>
<p>I realize I’m semi-derailing this thread, but can either of you offer opinions on Berkeley vs. Wash U for research/future studies? I noticed [URL=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1133375-ucberkeley-vs-wash-u.html]this[/URL”>UCBerkeley VS Wash U - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums]this[/URL</a>] thread, but seeing that it’s for CS, it might be slightly different.</p>
<p>
Why? Large public universities are among the ones with the largest annual research budget. For example, the University of Michigan’s research spending for 2008-09 exceeded $1 billion, second only to Johns Hopkins. There are plenty of opportunities to do undergraduate research if you take the initiative.</p>
<p>You will only have problem with funding if you want to get paid for doing research.</p>
<p>Actually GoBlue, at Michigan you do not have to take much initiative to get a research opportunity. Virtually 100% of entering Freshmen who apply for the Michigan Research Community or the Undergraduate Research Opportunity are granted a placement of some sort, pairing those Freshmen with faculty for one-on-one research. I am fairly certain that Cal and Wisconsin have similar programs.</p>
<p>Below are links to the two research programs intended for entering Freshmen</p>
<p>[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>[Michigan</a> Research Community](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mrc]Michigan”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mrc)</p>
<p>Many of the myths surounding public universities on CC (that they have larger classes, fewer research opportunities, poorer corporate and graduate school placement opportunities etc…) are plain incorrect. Of course, a third rate public university is not going to match Harvard, but most of the top public universities will offer similar experiences and opportunities as top private universities.</p>
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</p>
<p>… is not a myth, but an observation supported by easily available data.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/708190-avg-class-size-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/708190-avg-class-size-4.html</a>
(see post #50 for a summary; note the relative positions of public v. private peer schools; for more recent data, Google for the most recent Common Data Set document for any school that interets you). Be aware that class sizes vary according to majors, levels, and subject popularity (at ANY school.) </p>
<p>Otherwise, I agree with Alexandre’s main point, that most of the top public universities will offer similar experiences and opportunities as top private universities.</p>
<p>As for the OP’s main question, research matters to an undergraduate in several ways:
- it creates opportunities to apply what you are learning, to acquire new skills, or to earn a little money
- it creates opportunities to discover and test new knowledge
- high quality research is a sign of creative, productive faculty (and tends to attract more of the same) </p>
<p>The downside is that research interests sometimes compete with attention to undergraduate teaching. The best universities try hard to keep these activities in balance (by keeping average class sizes small, by using TAs appropriately, by setting up awards and mentoring to encourage high quality undergraduate teaching, etc.) </p>
<p>A good system of academic advising can help undergraduates get the attention they need in a mid-sized to large research university. WUSTL’s “advising” page points to 3 pages of undergraduate advisors for a population of 6K undergraduates. Berkeley’s “Undergraduate Advising” page points to just 15 L&S advisers for a population of ~17K students, with waiting times of up to 2 weeks for appointments during busy periods.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://college.artsci.wustl.edu/advising]Advising”>http://college.artsci.wustl.edu/advising]Advising</a> | The College of Arts & Sciences<a href=“WUSTL”>/url</a>
[url=<a href=“http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/]Office”>http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/]Office</a> of Undergraduate Advising<a href=“Cal”>/url</a></p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that Wash U wins out in terms of advising, though I heard advising (or rather, lack thereof) at Berkeley’s College of Chemistry is not quite as bad as it is for Letters and Sciences…</p>
<p>So now, I guess I’m still completely undecided and without a preference for either school. ):</p>