<p>Does anyone know how easy or difficult it is to do research as an undergraduate?</p>
<p>I am not sure if would be wise to spend my summer doing research when it is readily available at the college that I am going to. Would I be better off taking some classes at a local college instead?</p>
<p>Getting involved in undergrad research can be a hard thing to do because there can be a few positions with hundreds of students interested in it. You just have to be the first to take the initiative. I knew some freshmen who got involved in very good projects because they had good technical experience from high school and they approached their professors. I got my project through a scholarship that I was nominated for and other students in my class got hired to do projects in conjunction with some companies who are using my college's computing facilities to design new products. They just happened to be the first to ask the professors about the jobs.</p>
<p>Taking classes vs. research: That depends on what you want to do. As an engineeering student, I don't bother with summer research programs because the pay sucks. Since I pay for my college expenses myself I need internships that pay well. My research is done during the Fall and Spring semesters.</p>
<p>Justin, do you recommend students to do primary research during the school year instead of the summer? I'm having a hard time finding a job in my home state (Michigan). The best positions available are clerical positions and public relations internships (Politics is my major!). My school is offering undergraduate research grants for $4000. The deadline is April 15th. I would have to pay for my own living expenses (this is Illinois).</p>
<p>What do you think I should do? Go for the grant or get a job at home with free room and board?</p>
<p>(There is also an option to do summer school for local students in Illinois. They will provide room and board for me. However, it's not the same when you can earn money at home w/o additional expenses.)</p>
<p>I dont recommend any particular thing. I dont do research in the summer because I dont want a research-oriented job after college and the pay is too low. I chose internships that involved engineering project work in manufacturing plants, which is what I like to do. The added bonus is that the internships pay pretty well, depending on the company and the location. But I know some students whose primary source of income are research internships in the summer and projects in the fall and spring semesters. But they plan on going to grad school or getting jobs that require lots of research. They are willing to take the lower pay for something they like to do, while I am willing to take the higher pay for something that I like to do. It works out well.</p>
<p>Politics major? I dont know what kind of good internships you can get with that. $4000 for a summer research grant? That wouldnt be enough for me because I dont work during the fall and spring semesters. Although I do get a research stipend for the fall and spring semesters most of my income comes from full-time summer internships.</p>