<p>I'm very interested in applying to Berkeley; however, I would like to know whether undergraduates have good opportunities in doing research (for publication).</p>
<p>Secondly, I'm from Florida and the whole west coast idea seems very intimidating from what I've heard. Are the living expenses, social life fees, and price for a dorm ridiculously expensive? Are there any scholarships that actually cover boarding costs?</p>
<p>What kind of research do you want to do? Biological? Archival? Chemical?</p>
<p>My daughter is currently a junior at Berkeley and has been doing undergraduate research in the stem cell biology field for three years. When she was a freshman, she approached a new professor who had just come to Berkeley from Stanford and was just setting up her lab. She asked the prof if she had any openings for undergrads, and the prof enthusiastically said yes! My daughter has since become one of the key researchers in this woman's lab and has even worked on papers for publication.</p>
<p>I can't speak to whether this is common at Berkeley, but I believe that if you seek out opportunities for undergraduate research in your field(s) of interest, you will find them. There are also "formal" ways to find research opportunities, one of them being the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program. Check it out:
<a href="http://research.berkeley.edu/urap/%5B/url%5D">http://research.berkeley.edu/urap/</a>
Good luck. Berkeley is an incredible university (I'm a little biased as an alum and Berkeley mom)...Go Bears!</p>
<p>There seems to be plenty of workshops around...sign up during Welcome Week and they send you emails of times and such. There are many opportunities but often, many students trying to get them so yes research is out there but you really have to take the initiative and seek them out.</p>
<p>wow! thanks for the link and all this wonderful information.
all if very much appreciated. :P</p>
<p>You're very welcome! Like "vicissitudes" I can't emphasize enough that, at Berkeley, you have to take initiative if you're looking for undergrad research opportunities. They are not going to come to you! In fact, Berkeley has a wealth of ALL KINDS of terrific resources for students, but because it's a big, public university, they don't come to you. You have to be assertive and make it happen; no one is going to watch over you.</p>