<p>You should have the opportunity to do undergraduate research at any large research university. If you want to have access to the best research groups at the university, you might consider shooting a little lower in terms of “intellectual fit”… standing out in a crowd of peers is a good way to get professors to take you.</p>
<p>Are there any schools you are particularly interested in? Many schools have institutionalized programs to encourage undergraduate research, and when free money is involved, you should take advantage of that. Barring that, professors sometimes will pay students as undergraduate research assistants.</p>
<p>What kinds of schools are you interested in? Your profile says Calfornia; are we talking about UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, Berkely, Caltech, Stanford…?</p>