<p>I've been accepted to Princeton RD for the class of 2016. Right now, my decision is between Princeton and Columbia. I'm probably going to be a physics major, although math and biology are alternate options.
In addition to acceptance, Columbia offered me a "Science Research Fellowship" as one of around 10 applicants for the class of 2016. That Fellowship means I will have $10,000 of research funding while I'm there, 2 guaranteed summer research opportunities with a Columbia scientist, easy access to other research opportunities starting freshman year, special science faculty advising, and a freshmen research seminar led by senior faculty.
I prefer Princeton overall as a school: They match my ideal campus atmosphere, student body, and intellectual spirit, and I believe their programs in the sciences are generally stronger. Does anyone know if Princeton offers similar undergraduate research opportunities? Do they have any similar programs to the Columbia Fellowship? Can any undergraduate at Princeton have access to the same resources Columbia is offering?
Any help/advice/input would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>If you like Princeton, go to Princeton. It is certainly not difficult to conduct independent research here even as a freshman, many people do it. Don’t be fooled by 10k of research money - any lab with a tenured professor most likely has grants that supply the lab with much more funding than that. As a undergraduate in the lab, your advisor’s grants will provide you with whatever money you might need to conduct research. For junior papers and senior thesis, most departments supply funding for the work (~3k) for which I’m sure professor’s are grateful, but being unable to conduct research because of inadequate funding is not a problem I have heard of.</p>
<p>I spent one summer at Princeton working in a lab. Generally, there are a huge amount of science majors who stay the summer after junior year to begin thesis work, and they are given a stipend (read: paycheck) for the summer either by their department or lab. There are also many programs in place for freshmen/sophomores to stay over the summer, although these sometimes require an application and can be competitive.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! In your knowledge, do most Princeton science students work with faculty when doing research for their theses and junior papers? How difficult is it to qualify for a stipend for summer research, especially for freshman or sophomore year? Do you know where I could find more details about these programs?</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Princeton has a great undergraduate focus, and is also a top research university. The research opportunities would probably be better than anywhere else for an undergrad.</p>