<p>At some large state universities (UC's, U. Washington, etc. West coast state schools) how difficult is it to find research opportunities?</p>
<p>Undergraduate research is rather common. Some make it easier for you with programs like UROP and you can start doing research as a freshman; for other you just have to take the first initiative to look for it.</p>
<p>At the University of Washington:
- 7000 undergraduate participate in research every year (that is about 25% of the student body)
- 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
- All undergraduates majoring in Women Studies complete a yearlong senior thesis</p>
<p>I can't speak to the Univ of Washington, but at the Univ of Wisconsin, undergrad research was very common. Most labs had one to three undergrad employees and more doing independent projects. The jobs can be found on departmental bulletin boards (or whatever the more high tech version is now) or by word of mouth through the dept. The formal programs can be great but so can getting paid. Something that I wish I had taken advantage of as an undergrad were those summer research programs at different institutions.<br>
Links</a> to Institutions Offering Undergraduate summer Research Programs</p>
<p>At large state schools there are plenty of opportunities, but its going to be up to YOU to take the initiative to find them (and pick the right one). If you're going to be reluctant to approach profs, or if brusque rejections are going to sting and discourage you, then a large public can be an uncomfortable experience.</p>