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• CAREER COLUMN
• 15 March 2019

A student’s guide to undergraduate research

• Shiwei Wang 0

Shiwei Wang is a junior undergraduate student studying Integrated Science and Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Twitter: @W_Shiwei

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience working in a materials-chemistry laboratory at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for the past two years. Being able to mix an undergraduate education with original research in a proper laboratory has been a fantastic opportunity.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00871-x

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged. You can get in touch with the editor at [email protected].

Wang, S. et al. Preprint at ChemRxiv https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.7824707.v2 (2019).

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This introductory program was created by  JSTOR  to help you get familiar with basic research concepts needed for success in school. The course contains three modules, each made up of three short lessons and three sets of practice quizzes. The topics covered are subjects that will help you prepare for college-level research. Each module ends with an assessment to test your knowledge.

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How to Do College Research Right: Step-by-Step Guide

College Admissions , College Info

College research can be an overwhelming task, and it's not easy to know where to begin. In this article, I'll help you sort through your options and find your dream college.

If you work through the following four steps, you'll be well on your way to compiling a list of schools that fulfill all your most important criteria:

• Identify your priorities
• Search with an online college finder
• Consider your chances of admission
• Finalize your list

In the next few sections, we'll cover how to research colleges in a straightforward and effective way.

Step 1: Identify Your Priorities and Preferences

The first step in tackling the college search process involves thinking about what you want out of your college experience. There are some essential qualities that differentiate colleges from one another that you should consider first, such as location, size, cost, and academic programs. You should also contemplate what you want out of the social scene and academic climate at your college. Then, you can search for schools that fit your needs across a variety of different dimensions.

Primary Factors

Here's a list of the first four factors you should consider when searching for colleges:

#1: Location

Do you want to be far away or close to home? Attending an in-state school can mean a lower tuition price, but it may stunt your college experience if you continue to rely on your family and old friends. You should also consider whether you're interested in a rural, urban, or small town college environment. The surrounding area can have a big impact on your happiness and comfort level.

Large and small colleges often have very different vibes. You're more likely to get personalized attention at small colleges , but they might have fewer resources and less diversity amongst students. You should research each college individually, but there are certain characteristics shared by most large or small colleges that might lead you to prefer one type over the other.

#3: Academics

You're going to college primarily to learn stuff, so academics should be up there on your priority list. Just how serious of an academic environment are you looking for? Do you want a school that focuses on undergraduate teaching or research? What types of programs interest you? If you have any ideas about your potential major, keep that in mind as you search for schools so you can apply to places that offer the best programs for you.

Selectivity and reputation also come into play here. Based on your test scores and GPA, you can predict your admissions chances at different schools (more about this later). It's advantageous for you to attend the most competitive school possible based on your stats. This will provide you with the greatest number of opportunities both in college and in your post-graduate endeavors.

Tuition prices are something you should think about in your college search, but don't let a high price prevent you from applying if you really love a school. Right now, you should just work on determining whether cost is an issue for you. If so, focus your search on schools that offer generous financial aid and merit scholarships . You can also investigate colleges with no application fees.

Secondary Factors

This list goes into some other factors to think about in your college search that are less fundamental but can still have a really strong influence on your experience.

#1: Social Scene

This is a vague term, but you should have some idea of what type of social environment you're looking for in college. Do you want to be at a party school? Or are you more of a library-all-day-every-day type? Are you at all interested in Greek life? Do you want to be able to go out to bars and clubs? Make sure the environment at the school you choose will be a fun place for you to spend four years.

#2: Housing

Is it important to you to have a really nice dorm? Do you want to be able to live off campus at some point? Schools may offer more or less variety in housing, so this is definitely worth considering. Universities located in rural areas may have fewer options for living off campus.

Are you looking for a school with lots of dining options? This is important to consider especially if you have special dietary preferences or requirements. Whatever accommodations you need, make sure the schools you choose have the ability to provide them.

#4: Extracurriculars

Think of any extracurricular activities you want to pursue in college. If these are priorities for you, you should ensure that any schools that you're considering have the appropriate resources. Extracurriculars are a huge part of the college experience for most students, and they provide a great social outlet outside of the party scene and classes.

#5: Athletics

If you're hoping to play a sport in college for fun, you should make sure that anywhere you apply will give you that opportunity. Are you planning to work out in college? If this is a priority for you, look for schools that have high-quality athletic facilities and give students full gym access. Many schools offer exercise classes for students at their gyms, which is a really nice perk.

As you consider these factors, you can continue to customize the priority order to fit your needs. Some of the factors I listed as "secondary" might actually be of primary concern to you. If you feel that something is a priority, don't discount it just because other things are "supposed" to be more important. You may even be totally indifferent to some of the factors I've listed (for example, "athletics" are a foreign concept to us hardcore nerds). That's fine too! You can choose to ignore these factors in the next step.

Now that you're armed with your preferences and priorities, it's time to start your college search for realz.

Step 2: Search for Schools Using an Online College Finder

After you've figured out your preferences, the easiest way to find schools that you like is to use an online college finder tool to search based on your criteria.

One option that you might consider initially is College Navigator . You can specify location, size, major program, public or private, tuition, test scores, and more in your search. This tool will give you all the statistics on different schools and help you locate options that seem like the right fit. As you investigate the results of your search, add schools to your "favorites" and compare them side by side to see how they differ. This might eliminate some options based on factors like cost and admissions rate.

Another site to investigate is Cappex . Cappex is a college matchmaking site where you can fill out a profile and get matched up with schools that align with your preferences. The site provides suggestions for schools that you might like after you complete your profile. It has a pretty complete overview of each school including student reviews and information about campus life that might not be included in the College Navigator statistics.

If you find schools that you like, you can add them to your running list and compare them against each other. Cappex also links directly to the application pages for schools on your list of favorites, so you can check out what materials you're expected to submit.

There are also a number of other sites you can use at this stage. The link at the beginning of this section will take you to my reviews of the ten best college search websites. Feel free to use whichever one seems most accessible to you!

Step 3: Consider Admissions Chances and Reputation

Once you've figured out what you want from a college and have gotten some solid suggestions from search sites, you should step back and take an objective look at your results. It's important to maintain realistic expectations in the college application process, so you should choose schools where you have reasonable chances of admission.

Though the sites I mentioned above may give you statistics for a school's average test scores and GPA, it's difficult to understand your chances of admission just by looking at statistics. I would recommend that you Google "(name of school) PrepScholar admissions requirements" to access our database pages about each school. Use the tools on these pages to enter in your GPA and SAT scores and calculate your chances of admission.

In general, if your chances are below 30 percent the school qualifies as a reach school . A school with an admissions rate that's below 15 percent is a reach school for all students regardless of scores and GPA. If all or most of the schools you're interested in are reach schools, it's time to adjust some of your criteria to allow for other options. Only a third of the colleges where you apply should be reaches.

This is also a good time to check ranking lists like US News and Forbes to see whether the colleges that interest you have decent reputations. However, be careful when considering these rankings! If two schools are within ten or so ranks of each other, there probably isn't much of a difference in quality between them.

Rankings are a tool to be used after you've already picked out schools based on other factors. If you're trying to decide between two schools and the lower ranked school is a much better fit for you, then you should still apply to that one. Rankings are more of a tie-breaker to be used when all other measurements are equal. Prestige can be important because it generally means a more intellectual student community and greater academic opportunities, but you should put your personal goals and priorities above the prestige of the school.

After consulting these resources, you'll end up with a better sense of the quality of your preliminary list of schools. This leads to the next step, making your final college list!

Step 4: Make a Final List

Now that you've gathered all of this information, it's time to tweak your list of schools so that it has a nice balance of different options. As I mentioned in the previous section, it's important to have reach schools, but they should only make up about a third of your list. Another third of the schools should be likely options, and the last third should be safety schools .

You can use the same process as above to look up potential likely and safety schools and check your admissions chances. Safety schools are schools where you have at least an 80 percent chance of admission. Likely schools are schools where you have a 30 to 80 percent chance of admission. These can be further divided into "possible" and "probable" options. Possible options will be in the 30-50 percent range, and probable options are between 50 and 80%.

Most students end up applying to around 5-8 colleges in total. Start out with three schools in the reach category, three in the likely category (two probable and one possible), and three in the safety category. Then, if you find that you're overwhelmed by the application fees or the supplementary essays, you can always cut out 2-3 schools. Be honest about whether you can realistically see yourself attending all of the schools on your list.

You should also do some research to check whether the schools on your list use the Common Application or if they require you to fill out separate applications. This can have a big impact on the time you spend on the process. You might decide to eliminate a school from your list if you're not super attached to it and it's the only option that requires an individual application.

Once you've balanced your list, begin brainstorming your application essays and deciding which accomplishments and activities you want to highlight for colleges. Read this article about how to create a versatile application for some more tips!

What's Next?

Now that you know how to do research colleges, you should also be able to put it into practice. Learn more about the application deadlines that will be most critical for you.

College ranking lists can be helpful tools if you use them in the right way. Find out about all the college ranking lists you should read and how much you should rely on them.

Looking to attend a top-notch liberal arts school? Here's a list of the 28 best liberal arts colleges in the country.

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Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar.

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• Starting the research process

A Beginner's Guide to Starting the Research Process

When you have to write a thesis or dissertation , it can be hard to know where to begin, but there are some clear steps you can follow.

The research process often begins with a very broad idea for a topic you’d like to know more about. You do some preliminary research to identify a  problem . After refining your research questions , you can lay out the foundations of your research design , leading to a proposal that outlines your ideas and plans.

This article takes you through the first steps of the research process, helping you narrow down your ideas and build up a strong foundation for your research project.

Table of contents

Step 1: choose your topic, step 2: identify a problem, step 3: formulate research questions, step 4: create a research design, step 5: write a research proposal, other interesting articles.

First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out very broad. Think about the general area or field you’re interested in—maybe you already have specific research interests based on classes you’ve taken, or maybe you had to consider your topic when applying to graduate school and writing a statement of purpose .

Even if you already have a good sense of your topic, you’ll need to read widely to build background knowledge and begin narrowing down your ideas. Conduct an initial literature review to begin gathering relevant sources. As you read, take notes and try to identify problems, questions, debates, contradictions and gaps. Your aim is to narrow down from a broad area of interest to a specific niche.

Make sure to consider the practicalities: the requirements of your programme, the amount of time you have to complete the research, and how difficult it will be to access sources and data on the topic. Before moving onto the next stage, it’s a good idea to discuss the topic with your thesis supervisor.

>>Read more about narrowing down a research topic

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So you’ve settled on a topic and found a niche—but what exactly will your research investigate, and why does it matter? To give your project focus and purpose, you have to define a research problem .

The problem might be a practical issue—for example, a process or practice that isn’t working well, an area of concern in an organization’s performance, or a difficulty faced by a specific group of people in society.

Alternatively, you might choose to investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored phenomenon or relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved debate among scholars.

To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a problem statement . This describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and how your research project will contribute to solving it.

>>Read more about defining a research problem

Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions . These target exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing, evaluating, or explaining the research problem.

A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly using appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods. It should also be complex enough to require in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. Questions that can be answered with “yes/no” or with easily available facts are not complex enough for a thesis or dissertation.

In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses .

>>See research question examples

The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It involves making decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you’ll use to collect and analyze it, and the location and timescale of your research.

There are often many possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make will partly be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context?

You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or quantitative methods . You also need to determine the specific tools, procedures, and materials you’ll use to collect and analyze your data, as well as your criteria for selecting participants or sources.

>>Read more about creating a research design

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Finally, after completing these steps, you are ready to complete a research proposal . The proposal outlines the context, relevance, purpose, and plan of your research.

As well as outlining the background, problem statement, and research questions, the proposal should also include a literature review that shows how your project will fit into existing work on the topic. The research design section describes your approach and explains exactly what you will do.

You might have to get the proposal approved by your supervisor before you get started, and it will guide the process of writing your thesis or dissertation.

>>Read more about writing a research proposal

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

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• Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

What Is a Research Design | Types, Guide & Examples

• How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

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• 10 Research Question Examples to Guide Your Research Project
• How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow
• How to Define a Research Problem | Ideas & Examples
• How to Write a Problem Statement | Guide & Examples
• Relevance of Your Dissertation Topic | Criteria & Tips
• Research Objectives | Definition & Examples
• What Is a Fishbone Diagram? | Templates & Examples
• What Is Root Cause Analysis? | Definition & Examples

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From laboratory study to archival research to investigations in the field, Harvard students engage in world-class research across all disciplines and make groundbreaking contributions to their fields.

With support from a variety of funding sources, students collaborate with renowned faculty researchers whose work has been featured in top journals and awarded prestigious grants. Whether you assist your professor or lead your own project, you'll receive guidance, support, and the benefit of their expertise.

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Are there research opportunities for undergraduates.

Yes - available to students as early as their freshman year. You may find research projects through individual inquiries with departments and professors, through the  Harvard College Research Program  (HCRP), or through the  Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program  (MMUF). The  Faculty Aide Program , run by the Student Employment Office, links professors to undergraduates interested in becoming research assistants. Read more about HCRP and MMUF on the  Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships website , and find additional opportunities on the  Student Employment Office website . 

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During the academic year, you can conduct research for credit, as determined by the director of undergraduate study in each department.

Students can also receive funding from one of many sources. Additionally, many faculty members across academic departments hire students directly to serve as research assistants.

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The  Harvard College Research Program  (HCRP) provides term-time and summer grants for students conducting independent research in collaboration with a faculty mentor.

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The  Faculty Aide Program  (FAP) provides half of a student’s total wages when working for an approved faculty member as a research assistant.

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The  Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program  (MMUF) provides a term-time stipend, as well as the option for summer research funds, to a group of approximately 20 juniors and seniors, selected in the spring of their sophomore years.

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Harvard offers many residential research programs for students staying on campus during the summer. In addition, funding is available to support independent research locally, domestically, and internationally.

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Building Learning through Inquiry in the Social Sciences  (BLISS) is a 10-week program for students working with Harvard faculty on research projects in the social sciences. BLISS provides a stimulating, collegial, and diverse residential community in which students conduct substantive summer research.

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Summer Program for Undergraduates in Data Science

The Summer Program for Undergraduates in Data Science (SPUDS) is a 10-week summer data science research experience that encourages community, creativity, and scholarship through applications across the arts, humanities, sciences and more fields. Students interested in mathematics, statistics, and computer science collaborate on projects with a Harvard faculty host.

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Online and remote research, online & remote research opportunities .

Ground-breaking research is being done everywhere across the world, with much of the work being done from remote locations. Many academic departments offer both in-person and remote research opportunities for undergraduates either through working directly with faculty in a mentored project, through  Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs), or through  Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). As the university and faculty members adapt to an increasingly flexible workplace, online and remote research opportunities continue to increase. This page provides resources for undergraduate students seeking to find and be involved in remote and online research experiences during both the school year and the summer. 

Where do I find online and remote research?

The sections below share different avenues to find online, virtual, and remote research experiences for both the academic year and over the summer. These opportunities are available for any undergraduate student interested in remote research.

Check out Handshake , which can be used to find research positions, internships, employment opportunities, and networking events that are currently accepting applications!

What is Handshake?

• Handshake is a free-to-use online platform that undergraduates can use to find on-campus and/or off-campus workshops, jobs, internships, research experiences, and events.
• Students must use their UA NetID to create and log into your Handshake account.
• For more tips and tricks on how to utilize Handshake in your research journey, please visit here .

How can I use Handshake to find online and remote opportunities? 

• Log in Handshake  with your UA NetID in order to access the main home page.
• On the left-hand side bar, click on  Jobs .
• Go to  All Filters  and scroll down to the bottom until you see the heading  Labeled by your school .
• In the search bar that is below the Labeled by your school  heading, search  undergraduate research  in order to see the research opportunities that the URA staff has tagged.
• On the top bar, go to the  on-site/remote drop-down heading and filter by  remote - work from home.

ura online work.png

The UA Researchers Database  is   an online list of UA faculty from every academic department that welcome undergraduates students into their research projects. The database is updated regularly with new faculty who are interested in welcoming undergraduate students into their research projects on- or off-campus. Faculty can now indicate their ability to offer remote and online opportunities.

We recommend using our Faculty Profiles resource in conjunction with the UA Researchers Database. While the UA Researcher Database provides brief descriptions of current projects, profiles.arizona.edu  provides a convenient and extensive platform for learning more about a faculty member's research interest, current and past projects, publications, classes, and much more. 

How do I use the UA Researchers Database to find online and remote research?

• Go to our UA Researchers Database , which can be found under our  Find Research  drop-down heading.
• You will be able to set your preferences at the top of the database list, such as your preferred College ,  Department , and  Types of Opportunities  (e.g. for course credit, paid, volunteer, and/or not given). 
• You can also type a certain research interest you may have in the Keyword Search  area.
• You can also set your preferred location! In the  Research Location  menu, choose the  Online  option. This option was recently added to the database, so not many researchers have responded yet. Please Check again regularly for more online opportunities!
• Click the Apply option   when you have set all your preferences to see the list of faculty that best fits with your own interests and preferences!

How do I use the Faculty Profiles resource to find online and remote research?

There are two ways that you can use the profiles.arizona.edu to find online and remote research opportunities; we will be showing you both!

In Conjunction with the UA Researchers Database:

• Once you have found a faculty member that you are interested in from the UA Researchers Database, type their name name in the search bar below the  Search UA Faculty, Educators, Scholars, and Researchers  heading. Sometimes, it takes a long time for the profile to load, so please be patient!
• After the page has loaded, the faculty member's profile will appear below the search bar. Feel free to explore this informtion, which will include their  Biography , Interests  in teaching and research,  Courses , and  Scholarly Contributions , which includes their journals and publications.
• Before reaching out to the faculty member, we encourage you to read through their research interests as well as explore their publications , such as reading the abstract of their publication, in order to gain a better understanding of their research. If you need help in emailing and reaching out to faculty about research opportunities, please go to this helpful resource .

Only Using the Faculty Profiles:

• In the search bar below the  Search UA Faculty, Educators, Scholars, and Researchers  heading, you can search up certain key words that will lead you to faculty profiles that best matches it!
• Try searching up  online  and/or  remote  in the search bar to find faculty profiles that either teach courses or conduct research remotely and/or offer research opportunities that can be done remotely.

There are many online, remote, and virtual research programs available for undergraduate students across a broad variety of research interests. These programs can be summer or academic year and are offered by a number of universities. Please read each program carefully for their description, application requirements, and program dates. This section will be updated regularly as more online programs become available for the summer.

Online Programs for 2024-25

For other online summer research programs, please visit the AAMC's list of Summer Undergraduate Research and the NSF's list of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) .

Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) Scholars

Description :   The Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) offers an immersive online course in Asian Health for undergraduate and graduate students, featuring a 9-week summer focus on Data Science and Vulnerable Populations. The program trains scholars in population science research, equipping them with skills in database analysis, healthcare research, and problem-solving in vulnerable populations. It emphasizes collaboration with various stakeholders and covers topics like Asian health, medical technology, AI, global health, research essentials, innovation, leadership, scholarship, presentation skills, and career development. Students will also be able to build valuable connections within Stanford CARE's global network and present their research at the annual Stanford's CARE Summer Research Symposium .

Application Requirements :   $75 application fee

Deadline :   January 14th, 2024

Program Dates : June 2024-August 2024

Texas A&M University Department of Material Sciences & Engineering Online Research Experience for Undergraduates (O-REU)

Description : The Texas A&M University is pleased to offer an online REU (O-REU) program in partnership with  Los Alamos National Laboratory . During the summer, students are expected to participate ( 40 hours/week ) and are remunerated $5000 for the summer. All activities are carried out fully remotely: there are no in-person meetings and no residency requirement. Travel support for one site visit will also be made available. O-REU is open to US citizens and permanent residents currently pursuing bachelor's degrees.

Application Requirements :   1 page resume, recent electronic transcript, list of preferred mentors (please consult the faculty interests list), and contact information (name, professional affiliation, email address) of two professional references

Deadline : Friday, April 28th, 2024 at 5:00 PM CST

Program Dates : May 24 to August 4, 2024

Please email the application required materials and/or any inquiries to  Ms. Isabel Cantu .

Neoscholar CIS Online Research Program

Description : The CIS online research program is offered throughout the year. A CIS program course usually hosts fifteen students, who are divided into small research groups. The program is generally 24 hours with our professors across ten weeks , including 2 hours of lectures in each of the first six weeks and 3 hours of research seminars in each of the last four weeks. Each course will be assigned an experienced instructor to provide academic instruction sessions and research guidance to students. 

Application Requirements : Please access the application form  and be able to answer its secondary questions.

Deadline : N/A

Program Dates : N/A

Please email any questions or request a brochure from [email protected] .

Description : CrowdMath is an online, open project that gives all college students the opportunity to collaborate on a large research project with top-tier research mentors and an exceptional peer group. MIT PRIMES and Art of Problem Solving are working together to create a place for students to experience research mathematics and discover ideas that did not exist before.

Application Requirements : Please create a free account to participate.

Please email any questions to  [email protected] .

Pembroke College of Cambridge Online Summer Research Programme

Description :  The Online Summer Research Programme offers you the unique opportunity to experience the renowned Cambridge style of teaching from anywhere in the world. It’s a real opportunity to challenge yourself academically and develop deep subject knowledge, working one-to-one with an expert in the field. From cyber warfare to the economic viability of Obamacare, we almost cover it all on our Subject Stream and for everything we don’t, you’re able to propose your own research topics on our Open Stream. Outside of supervisions, you’ll also connect and make friendships with other students on the programme through online networking events.  

Application Requirements : Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2, have finished your first-year of college, and have high level of English Fluency. Please visit the application site to see what other application materials are required (e.g. transcript, project form).

Deadline : TBA

Program Dates : July 1st-28th, 2024

Please email any questions to  [email protected].

BeMo ®  4-Month & 1-Year Research Programs

Description :   BeMo ® offers many different types of online research projects   for all undergraduate students that will best prepare them for their application to medical school.

• Online Independent Research Program : You can get research experience that makes your application stand out from the comfort of your home and have weekly meetings online via video conference with your team of research committee members. You can choose between the 4-months or the 1-year research program to conduct a literature review research project on a high impact topic hand selected by the PhDs.
• Step-by-Step Guided Research : The BeMo® team of research experts will help you each step of the way from choosing the best research topic to scientific research methodology to presentation and publication. Each week you'll meet for private one-on-one consultations to go over your research and get specific guidance and feedback as your progress.
• High-Impact Research Projects : You can research high-impact topics, such as Psychiatric, COVID-19, Substance-abuse, Vaccines, COPD, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, Stroke, Heart Attack, Asthma, Obesity, Women’s Health, Cancer, and more.
• Master Scientific Research Methodology : You will attend 6 guided workshops and complete 5 exercises to learn research methodology, literature search, data analysis, scientific communication, research manuscript creation, and research presentation. In the 4-months program you'll attend 15 sessions and in the 1-year program you'll receive 48 sessions to guide you at every step of the way.
• Gain Experience Writing Research Papers:  BeMo®  team of research experts will help you complete a research summary paper on your research topic to help you learn the essential principles of scientific inquiry and publication. Your research summary will be published on the BeMo®  website, so you can use it as a reference on your applications and CV.

Application Requirements :  You can schedule a free 15-minute initial consultation , where you will be able to talk about what option of research is the best fit for you. Prices for these research projects are listed on their website .

Program Dates: N/A

The University of Arizona Library  is available online for all UA undergraduate students. Students will be able to find wide variety of online resources, such as research journals, course guides, tutorials for library research, and much more. This section will provide a brief overview of resources that are available and important for online and remote researchers. Please also explore the UA Library Online & Distance Students site , which provides information on research resources, on how to develop your research skill. 

How can I find online research resources?

There are many different ways on how to find online research through the UA Library site. You will be able to access these online resources for free with your NetID and password.

• Use the library search engine to find both print and online content, including articles, books, ebooks, films, and more. You can type any keywords that may aid you in your search in the search bar at the top of the screen.
• You can also search through the online A-Z database  to find a specific resource based on subject, database type, vendor/provider, and keyword (e.g. description or title). 
• If you are unable to find what you need through the website, you can also receive a free library card at your local library, such as at Pima County Public Library , if you are a local resident.
• Finally, you can search for academic resources that are tailored to your discipline . This site features many guides that are categorized by course number (e.g. ENG 101), subject (e.g. General Chemistry), and topic (e.g. AI literacy). You can also search for a specific guide using the search bar near the bottom of the webpage. 

How can I learn and/or improve my research skills?

The UA Library has made quick video tutorials, articles, and quizzes that can teach you skills on how to be a better researcher, through both academics and research. These videos are meant to build your foundation in research, such as how to cite empirical articles, how to evaluate online information, how to find a research interest/topic, etc! Please explore the Learn with Tutorials webpage from the UA Library in order to delve deeper into the resources our online library has to offer! The UA Library also offer support for any researchers , such as funding & networking opportunities, research proposal plans, management of citations, publishing opportunities, and much more!

Not sure how to find an online research opportunity that suits your interests? Need help reaching out to faculty?

The Undergraduate Research Ambassador (URA) Team is here to support you on any step of your research journey. The URA Team URAs are able to provide one-on-one support to students who would like individualized help in exploring possibilities, communicating with a research mentor, sharing their research ideas, or preparing an application for a research program.

How can I individually meet with an URA?

There are many ways for undergraduate students, who are online and/or remote, to receive  one-and-one support  from URAs at any step of their research journey:

• Sign up for a 1:1 meeting!  Schedule your appointment through  Handshake . Meetings are available through zoom and usually last 30 minutes! Appointments can be made throughout the week, including weekends!
• Send an email!  Write any questions, thoughts, or concerns to  [email protected] . You can also send us email drafts, research program applications, resumes, etc for us to review for you!
• Check out other SECD resources!  The  Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD)  also provides individualized support on preparing your resume, CV, or cover letter for any applications through  Lifelab , which appointments can also be made through Handshake  with a  Career Educator  or  Career Peer Coach . 

What academic departments at the UA offer online and remote research?

Each academic department manages their own undergraduate research program and may have specific steps for how to become involved, even for online and remote research opportunities. The list below will provide links and information on the different types of online research, such as VIPs, CUREs, research teams, or faculty projects that are unique to the academic department or college. The full list of all of the academic departments and colleges, with links to their websites, can be found here . 

This sections lists online Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) for the  academic year of 2023-24  and other online research opportunities by online UA Faculty . This site will be updated regularly, so check in with us!

Online Course-Based Research Experiences for Fall 2024

APCV361: Data Analysis and Visualization

Description :   Data Analysis and Visualization will lay a foundation for students to understand how to process, analyze, and visualize data.  Topics include data collection and integration, exploratory data analysis, statistical inference and modeling, machine learning, and data visualization.  The emphasis of the course topics will be placed on integration and synthesis of concepts and their application to solving problems.  Students will explore these topics using software tools.

Prerequisites :   College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) student, APCV 302 and APCV 320, Prior Python programming

Credits :  3 credits

Other Information : Asynchronous online, optional weekly meetings

Instructor :   Dr. Li Xu , College of Applied Science & Technology

BAT/ENGR/CALS 102 | Data Science Heroes: An Undergraduate Research Experience in Open Data Science Practices

Description :   Despite a growing demand for data scientists, university training in science ethics, code licensing and best reproducibility practices are not generalized for undergraduates. In this Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), students will conduct an assessment of the current landscape and the evolution of accessibility, documentation and reproducibility practices in bioinformatics. The CURE will be a two-credit course in the Department of Biosystems Engineering accessible to students from any college. Students will learn and reflect upon best practices for open science and science reproducibility. Several practical skills will also be developed such as science communication, as well as the use of computational tools for code versioning and documentation.

Prerequisites :   None

Credits : 3  credits

Other Information : Asynchronous online

Instructor : Dr. Bonnie Hurwitz , Dr. Alise Ponsero, College of Engineering

HWRS 349A&B/350 | Principles of Hydrology

Description : Students in this course will work to answer the question: “Do monsoon storms start later in the day than they did decades ago?” This question has been raised by numerous long-time Tucson citizens, who insist that monsoon storms start in the late evening (after sunset) rather than 3-5pm. While this started as a pedestrian question, it also has meteorological and practical implications if it is in fact true. The in-person class is a hands-on Collaborative Learning course, and there is a practical, applied lab with several field trips, many of which involve interaction with hydrology & atmospheric science professionals. Some examples of field trips for the lab include: Stream gaging with the US Geological Survey; A tour of the National Weather Survey office and a weather balloon launch; A tour of Biosphere2's Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) Project; and more! This is an excellent course to gain a broad, applied understanding of virtually every subdiscipline in hydrology!

Prerequisites :   Calculus I (MATH 113 or MATH 122A&B)

Credits : 3 Credits

Other Information : Online

Instructor : Dr. Martha Whitaker , College of Science

LING 2/3/499: Community-led Language Technology Development

Description : Students will join a community-based language technology development project, the Coeur d’Alene Online Language Resource Center (COLRC), as an example of a community lead language technology development project that focuses on the needs of a low-resource, minoritized language community. Depending on their skills and interests, participating students will enroll for 1 to 3 credits, at a course level (299, 399, 499) appropriate to their experience, and be assigned to assist in the development and deployment process. The project supports students who wish to develop skills in linguistic analysis and language activism, along with at least one of the following technical skills: coding for frontend, backend, rest interfaces, and scripting (javascript, python); database development (postgres, graphQL); and/or natural language processing (ingest, tokenization, annotation tasks using lum.ai/odinson libraries). Interested students should have at least some familiarity with and enjoyment of coding, but need not have significant experience or expertise in these areas. Students who are members of minoritized or low resource language communities will bring particularly valuable experience and expertise to this work, but any undergraduate student is welcome to participate

Credits : 1-3 credits

Other Information : Asynchronous Online

Instructor :  Amy V Fountain ,  College of Humanities

Online Course-Based Research Experiences for Spring 2024

PAH 420 | Innovation and the Human Condition: Learning How to Improve Life in the Community and Beyond

Description :   This course will equip students with the skills to use the humanities intellectual and analytical traditions to identify and pursue strategic responses to opportunities for innovation in the human condition. Over the course of the semester, students will draw on a range of humanities-based ways of seeing and doing to: 1) identify opportunities for improving the human condition at the community level and beyond; 2) analyze the cultural, political, and economic conditions that influence such opportunities; 3) design technological, industrial, and socio-cultural innovations that are directly responsive to these opportunities; and 4) develop strategic storylines that effectively convey the merits of these innovations to relevant stakeholders.

We will begin by forming small teams of student innovators. Each team will engage, experience, and internalize the course content through a series of activities and tasks that include: 1) identifying a community-based issue or opportunity that warrants an intervention; 2) analyzing the issue or opportunity through secondary research; 3) formulating an innovative strategy that is data-driven and based in the principles and concepts central to the humanities intellectual and analytical traditions; 4) refining and enhancing said innovative strategy through primary research; and 4) developing and delivering a multi-faceted presentation (visual, oral, written) of the strategy to a panel of experts.

Other Information : Asynchronous online, mandatory team weekly meetings, final research project showcase

Instructor :   TBA

HNRS 195J-101: Tasting Tomorrow: Portraying Culture and Futurity through the Culinary World

Description :   The course focuses on a few key areas that center of the relationship we all have with food: examining how food operates in defining culture and discussions around cultural heritage; how specific restaurants and figures have informed the growth of Tucson into a City of Gastronomy; and, how different modalities of food media (food writing, poetry, television, film, web content, art, etc.) shape a variety of discourses on contemporary issues ranging from food scarcity to the politics of eating meat/plants to the treatment of laborers within the broader scope of the food industry. By the end of the semester, students have read and viewed materials to foster robust in-class (or online, or both) discussions of these concerns and themes while producing several research-based small-scale projects using a variety of composing strategies and multimodal mediums (such as using Instagram, developing newsletters/web pages, and executing in-person/digital presentations).

Prerequisites :   Honors College

Credits : 1 credit

Instructor :   Joseph Nardinelli , College of Humanities

HNRS 195H-102: Speaking for Yourself: Understanding Your Linguistic Identity

Description :   We apply methods and concepts from the study of linguistics, with a focus on acoustic and articulatory phonetics for spoken and signed languages, in order to investigate the patterns of language that give each of us our own 'voice'. We share our findings with each other, and in doing so begin to develop an understanding and appreciation of the linguistic diversity around us.

Online UA Research Labs & Projects for Spring 2024

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, you will need to contact the faculty member in charge of the project. Please read our tips on  writing an email to faculty  or schedule a 1:1 Handshake appointment with an URA for personal support on drafting emails.

For other online research opportunities by UA faculty, please visit our extensive database of professors conducting online research and welcoming undergraduate students.

Dr. Dalal Alharthi - Cybersecurity and related fields

Description :   Preferred interest in Cloud Security; Penetration Testing; Incident Response; Human-Computer Interaction (HCI); Privacy; and Cybersecurity Education. I nterdisciplinary Research opportunities are available in the intersection between the area of Cybersecurity and several areas such as Computer Science; Public Administration; Business Administration; and Education.

Prerequisites : None

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit

Commitment :  If volunteering, you should commit to 6 hours or more per week. For credit, you may enroll in an Independent Study course.

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Dalal Alharthi , Computer Science

Alicja Babst-Kostecka - Plant Environmental & Genomic Adaptation

Description : My research combines genetic, phenotypic, and environmental information in an integrated framework to study plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms that allow certain plant species to colonize industrially contaminated habitats at former mining sites. These species thereby undergo rapid genetic and physiological adaptation. Specifically, they have evolved the ability to tolerate and sometimes accumulate remarkable amounts of metal trace elements – traits that I am studying in both field and controlled laboratory experiments. My interdisciplinary work sets the stage for mitigating the legacies of industrial exploitation. By advancing the molecular basis of phytoremediation and biofortification efforts, I strive to contribute to improving environmental and human health.

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit, Paid

Commitment : N/A

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Alicja Babst-Kosetecka , Environmental Science

Mixed Augmented ViRtual eXtended Reality Laboratory - MA[VR]X

Description : The Mixed Augmented ViRtual eXtended (Reality) Laboratory in the College of Applied Science & Technology is the University of Arizona’s home for research, exploration, and development for alternative and extended reality media and training in southeastern Arizona. We take a very broad view of “extended reality” to include everything from head-mounted display Topics include: Posthuman inquiry, applied post-phenomenology, extended reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, Web3, metaverse, educational technology, instructional technology, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, cyber operations, digital identity.

Prerequisites : Preferred interested in extended reality and comfortable with fully remote research. Enrollment in APCV 399 (1-3 credit hours) required.

Types of Opportunities : For Credit

Commitment : 3-9 Hours per week

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Ryan Straight ,  College of Applied Sciences & Technology

Purnima Madhivanan   - Public Health & Health Promotional Sciences

Description : Purnima Madhivananis an Associate Professor in Health Promotion Sciences at the Mel & Enid College of Public Health at University of Arizona. A physician by training from Government Medical College in Mysore, she has a MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. She completed her post-doctoral training in 2010. She is the Director of Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) and is also the Director of the Global Health Equity Scholars (GHES) Training Program in collaboration with Stanford, Yale and University of California, Berkeley. For the past 20 years, her work has focused on disadvantaged populations, elucidating the dynamics of poverty, gender, and the environmental determinants of health, in particular the impact on women and children living in rural communities. She established a clinic in Mysore, India in 2005 while completing her PhD dissertation. For over a decade, the PHRII/Prerana Women’s Health Initiative has delivered low-cost, high-quality reproductive health services to 44,000 low-income women living in Mysore District. Offering a full-service clinic, molecular laboratory and active affiliations with several major tertiary care hospitals, the site is recognized as a research and training site for Global Health. The Saving Children Improving Lives Program focused on increasing integrated antenatal care and HIV testing services for women in rural and tribal communities using mobile clinics with the help of women’s self-help groups to mobilize and follow-up women. This program model was then adapted to provide cervical cancer screening services in the community in India, which is the only community based cervical cancer screening program in India. Dr. Madhivanan’s work focuses on addressing the systemic inequities that put India’s tribal and rural women at-risk for poor health and birth outcomes. Her current work is at the intersection of infectious and chronic diseases with a special focus on cancer. Dr. Madhivanan serves as an advisor to a number of state departments of Public Health, non-profit as well as governmental research organizations. In 2007, she received the prestigious International Leadership Award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation for her work on HIV prevention. She has received several awards and honors for mentoring. Dr. Madhivanan’s global health credentials and clinical service has brought unique opportunities for collaboration; most recently benefiting students and faculty interested in learning about Global Health and service in a developing world setting.

Prerequisites : Proficient in Social Media, Website, Technology, MS Office

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Purmina Madhivanan ,  Public Health

Noshene Ranjbar - Cultural & Trauma Psychiatry

Description : Interested in integrative medicine; integrative psychiatry; culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed work with underserved, particularly American Indian community and refugees; mind-body medicine; physician wellness and burnout; medical student wellness and burnout; integration of indigenous and modern medicine and healing practices; PTSD and trauma-spectrum disorders

Prerequisites : Pre-Med

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit, Paid

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Noshene Ranjbar ,  Integrative Psychiatry Program

Undergraduate Research Experience: A Roadmap to Guide Your Journey

• Conducting Research

Students usually get pretty good guidance on which courses they need to complete to fulfill their major and graduation requirements. Course catalogues detail the general curricular path and advisors are typically available to help students build their semester schedules. 

But coursework is only one piece of the career preparation puzzle. Both employers and graduate programs highly value the real-world training students get when they take advantage of experiential learning opportunities like internships and research assistantships. Unfortunately, the path into these experiences can be challenging to navigate. The goal of this article is to provide you with a roadmap to help you get started on this journey. 

Why is research experience valuable?   

Research experience can help you: 

• hone the skills that all employers seek in college graduates such as the ability to work effectively in teams, engage in critical thinking, and analyze and interpret data (Finley, 2021)
• delve more deeply into the areas within psychology that interest you the most
• cultivate a closer relationship with your professors and gain mentorship
• prepare for a job after graduation as a social science research assistant
• bolster your competitiveness as an applicant for graduate school in psychology or other STEM fields  

Psychology alumni who gain research experience during college rate themselves higher on the skills needed to succeed in the job market, perceive their psychology training to be more useful to them in their current job, and report more satisfaction with their undergraduate education than those without research experience, regardless of the career path they follow (Budesheim et al., 2021).

What is research experience? 

What students actually do when they gain “research experience” can vary widely depending on the nature and setting of the experience. 

From start to finish, the psychology research projects you learn about in your classes involve a lot of complex steps, completed by a team of researchers, over a period of time that can last several years.  

Some of those steps can include:

• conducting a literature review to identify what we already know about a particular psychological phenomenon
• identifying a knowledge gap that a new research project can fill
• designing a study – choosing the participants, methods, and measures
• considering ethical issues related to designing, conducting, and reporting on research
• applying for approval from the Institutional Review Board
• conducting the study, collecting data, etc.
• coding, managing, and analyzing data
• preparing posters and/or manuscripts to share the results with others
• presenting at local, regional, or national conferences

Contributing to ongoing research as a team member.

Most students gain research experience by joining a team that is already in the process of conducting a research study and helping out with one or more of these steps. For example, you might spend a semester helping to run participants through a research study. Or devote part of your summer to coding data that has already been collected. If you join a team at the start of a project, you might be asked to find, read, and summarize research articles that could stimulate the design of a new study. And if your research team is busy juggling multiple projects at one time, you might get the chance to do a little bit of all of the above on different projects.

Designing and conducting your own research project.

Working on specific tasks as one member of a research team is a valuable way to learn more about the field, hone your skills, and gain mentorship. But it is not always what students envision when they imagine gaining research experience. Some students hope to design and conduct their own independent research project. Although that is certainly possible, it can be extremely time intensive, and it requires finding a faculty member or researcher who is willing to provide intensive supervision. Students who’ve developed research skills earlier in their academic journey by working with teams will be better prepared to take on this challenge.  At many institutions, these opportunities are only available to students who are approved to complete an undergraduate thesis and there may be GPA or other requirements. 

Deepening your research experience.

Although it can be rewarding to design and conduct one’s own research project, there are definitely other paths one can follow to deepen their research experience. For example, many students who work on research teams get the opportunity to present a piece of their work at a local, regional, or national conference. Some get the opportunity to contribute to a paper that is published in an academic journal. Authorship on presentations and papers can definitely bolster the application of those looking to pursue a graduate degree in psychology. 

How do I find a research experience and get started on this journey?    

• Take coursework early . Ideally, you should consider completing coursework in research methods and statistics as early as you can in your program of study. Taking these classes early will prepare you to take advantage of opportunities to gain research experience within your college or university. 
• Find out about opportunities within your institution. You can always volunteer to work on a faculty members’ research team, but many departments also offer research experience for academic credit. Check your program manual and ask your academic advisor about research opportunities within your program. Use these resources to figure out if your program offers students the opportunity to conduct a thesis (and if so, if there are any GPA or other eligibility criteria). 
• Use your research skills to find a potential research mentor. Faculty members often have webpages where they describe their research interests and current projects. Once you identify a few faculty members doing research in an area that interests you, reach out and ask if you can set up a meeting or drop in to their office hours to learn more about their research. 
• Don’t start the meeting by asking, “Tell me about your research.”
• Do start the meeting by saying something like “I was fascinated by the paper you recently published on XX, especially the finding that XXXX, and I was wondering if you were working on a follow-up to that study.” 
• Look for research opportunities outside of your institution. Researchers work in a variety of settings including academic institutions, medical centers, research institutes, community-based organizations, and in private industry. Look for opportunities to volunteer, complete an internship, or find a part or full-time paid position in these settings. Some of these opportunities are advertised on the APA webpage , but it can also be helpful to go directly to an organization’s website to search for employment listings. For example, research positions with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can be found at the USA Jobs Website. Exploring the employment websites of large research-oriented medical centers such as Massachusetts General Hospital , the Mayo Clinic or John’s Hopkins can yield research opportunities. Keep in mind that you will be more competitive for these external experiences if you first gain research experience at your institution.   

Although I recommend this path into research for psychology majors who are just starting their journey, there are many roads that lead to research experience. So, if you are a senior or recent graduate who is just now looking for research experience, don’t be discouraged. It is definitely possible to enter the research experience pathways at different points in the journey, although you may need to put in some extra work to secure a position. For example, if you are struggling to secure   a paid research position, you might consider looking for volunteer opportunities. Reach out to faculty members from your undergraduate institution, as well as researchers in your local community to express your interest and ask for help. 

Finley, A. (2021). How College Contributes" to" Workforce Success: Employer Views on What Matters Most.  Association of American Colleges and Universities .

Budesheim, T. L., Khanna, M. M., Klanecky Earl, A. K., & Guenther, C. L. (2021). The Long-Term Impact of Undergraduate Internships and Research Experiences in Psychology: An Alumni Survey Study.  Teaching of Psychology .  https://doi.org/10.1177/009862832110410

About the author:

Sue is also a licensed clinical psychologist, whose clinical research focuses how acceptance-based behavioral therapy–informed strategies can help buffer against contextual stressors, build resilience, improve psychosocial functioning, and enhance quality of life among students and individuals struggling with anxiety and related disorders.

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How To Research Colleges: 4 Steps To Finding the Perfect School

Researching colleges, while incredibly exciting, is no simple task. There are thousands of colleges and universities in the US and hundreds in the UK. While the vast array of options means you will be spoiled for choice — and that you can definitely build an application list that aligns with your goals and passions — it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to navigating the often complex college research landscape.

We’ve come up with 4 steps you can follow to kick start your college research journey, each of which will help you narrow down on the best fit colleges and universities for you! But before we dive into the 4 steps, let’s first consider why college research is such an important part of your application process!

Why should you do College Research?

Every high school student knows that you should research different schools before applying. But why is it so important to conduct thorough college research? Put simply, it is because every college applicant is different . It is important to consider multiple factors when researching schools and what may be important to you when you finally decide upon your future college.

Since college research is integral to deciding where to apply, you should start researching schools as early as possible . Ideally, you should try and start this process at least one year before application deadlines (the earlier the better) to give you ample time to refine your list of preferred colleges .

Additionally, your interests in high school should help guide you in figuring out what to look for when researching colleges. Before even beginning your college research, you should take time to think about the classes and extracurriculars you currently enjoy, and may want to continue in college and beyond.

Finally, you should also start thinking about a way to structure your college research. After looking at some statistics, such as acceptance rates , and taking stock of your own academic profile, consider categorizing potential schools as either “safety”, “target”, “reach” or even “extreme reach”. Our college admissions calculator can help you classify your favorite schools into the above groups.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Performing College Research

Now that we have actually established the importance of college research, next we must tackle exactly how to research colleges. This step-by-step guide will set you on the right path to discovering which college is the right fit for you !

1. Figure out your Preferences and/or Priorities

Before even beginning your college research, you should try to identify what exactly you are looking for in your ideal college . This will help you filter out the colleges that don’t interest you and to narrow down your research list.

Our college admissions calculator can help with this and may help you initially get an idea of what universities might be best suited for you. After checking out our admissions calculator, start considering a list of different factors that may help you determine what you are looking for in your ideal college and what you consider to be important while researching schools.

Some important factors include:

• Location: would you rather study somewhere rural, urban, or suburban? Would you prefer to live somewhere similar to where you grew up, or are you looking for an entirely new environment?
• Size: would you prefer a smaller or larger school? Are you looking to be a part of a large campus crowd or a close-knit community?
• Academics: are you looking for a university that is more focused on undergraduate teaching or research opportunities? What do you want to study? It is common for high school students to not be entirely sure what they want to study in college, but if you do happen to have a major in mind, make sure to research the best schools within your chosen field of study.
• Cost: is cost an issue for you? If so, are you eligible for any scholarships or for financial aid? While cost can be an important factor, do not necessarily let high tuition costs prevent you from applying to a school you really like.

Once considering these key factors, it may also help to start thinking about other minor considerations, such as:

• Social aspects
• Food and dining options
• Extracurricular interests
• Athletic opportunities

In regards to the athletic factor, if you are interested in pursuing sport at a varsity level in college, make sure to familiarize yourself with the recruiting process. Maybe even book a consultation with our team, who can help you leverage both your athletics and your academics to gain acceptance into your dream school.

Of course, the above lists and suggestions are far from exhaustive, but it is important to start considering your preferences in regards to these major factors before beginning your college research. Having an idea of what is important to you in your ideal college will help you narrow down your search before you even start.

 2. Prepare a List and Begin your College Research

After figuring out your priorities and preferences, the next step is to actually start researching colleges. Keep track of each college you research and make notes of what you liked and disliked about that school.

If you know a current student at a college you are researching, consider reaching out to them to ask about their experience so far. As you complete your research, keep in mind your preferences and consider giving each school a rating out of five or ten for each factor.

Make a note of any special features you come across while researching each school, as this may help you remember what set that college apart from others as you review your list later down the road.

Don’t forget that there are many online resources at your disposal that can help you with your college research. Make sure to check out our website for university profiles, which cover a number of top US and UK universities.

You can also peruse our blog , which regularly publishes in-depth guides to help you apply to different schools. We also offer a number of eBooks that offer insights into some of the most prestigious schools in the US and the UK.

You could also venture over to our YouTube channel and take a look at our videos covering different universities and following a day in the life of current students.

Finally you can attend one of our webinars , during which our admissions experts and Former Admissions Officers offer tips and inside knowledge as to what top schools are looking for.

3. Refine your List and Consider Acceptance Rates

After performing your college research, it is time to narrow down your list. Once again, categorize your favorite schools into either “safety”, “target”, “reach” or “extreme reach”. Make sure to check out the US News or QS World Rankings to find out more about the reputation of each school.

Also ensure that you research acceptance rates in order to get an idea of how difficult it will be to gain admission. Remove any schools from your list that do not fit your needs as you conclude the college research process. At the end of this stage, you should ideally have a list of anywhere between ten and fifteen schools that fit your criteria.

4. Speak to a College Admissions Consultant

Now that you have your ideal colleges in mind, this would be the perfect time to book a free consultation with one of our expert Academic Advisors ! Not only can they look over your list to make sure that you haven’t missed any universities that might be a good fit for you, they can also provide a clearer picture of what you may need to do to increase your chances of admission to each of the schools on your list.

Researching universities is no easy task. However, if you start with these steps you will be on your way to figuring out your ideal colleges in no time!

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Final Thoughts

In the journey of researching colleges, we have delved into a world of possibilities, choices, and self-discovery. Navigating through the myriad of options, from campus cultures to academic programs, has been both exhilarating and daunting. As we conclude our exploration, it's evident that this process is not just about finding the right institution; it's about finding the right fit for our aspirations, values, and ambitions.

So, whether you're finalizing your application list or narrowing down your options, approach this journey with confidence in the research you've conducted, faith in your abilities, and a genuine eagerness to embark on a transformative educational endeavor. Your college years will undoubtedly become a chapter of rich experiences, lasting friendships, and unparalleled growth — all stemming from the foundation you've built through diligent research.

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What does undergraduate research really look like?

When people say, “research”, what do they mean? A quick search on the internet, usually. But in college, research takes on a whole new meaning.

Jason Keller February 22, 2019

When people say “research,” what do they mean? A quick search on the internet, usually. But in college, research takes on a whole new meaning. At its core, research is looking for the answer to a question that someone else hasn't already answered, building on the body of human knowledge. It's a key part of graduate programs and many career fields — so it's especially valuable to start getting research experience as an undergraduate.

Undergraduate research experience can look like a number of things, according to Janice Dickensheets, faculty fellow in the Office of Undergraduate Research at UNC. It can range from formal, clinical studies, to helping run a publication (like UNC's PUGS or UAP ), to creative works and beyond.

Research seeks to answer questions you can’t look up on your own or to develop things not yet created.

Research should present falsifiable claims and findings that haven't been uncovered yet. A falsifiable claim is a claim that can be disproven by countering studies or statements. As the blog Explorable puts it:

Falsifiability is the assertion that for any hypothesis to have credence, it must be inherently disprovable before it can become accepted as a scientific hypothesis or theory.

Basically, the more a piece of research can stand up to scholarly critiques, the more compelling the research. It should have some mechanism which might allow others to disprove it. This is an important part of the scientific method. Creative work, naturally, is an original piece, and might not be falsifiable.

Every research topic looks different.

The research approach for undergraduates differs depending on the field and focus of research, Dickensheets says. Some common types include working with faculty on their research, enrolling in a research program and conducting your own studies, or even creative endeavors. The actual nature of your research could carry you to the lab to conduct experiments and dissections or across the world to study poaching of endangered animals.

A lot of the time, it’s interdisciplinary.

Undergraduate research can cross disciplines. A student studying cello techniques of the 19th and 20th century might also need to conduct statistical analyses to understand which notes appear most often. Or a doctor trying to figure out if a medicine works could not only take detailed blood samples, but also ask the subjects how the medicine made them feel and then write up a paper on it.

Research can be artistic.

In some institutions, research might look like a manuscript, a book of poems or a sculpture. More traditional types of research include qualitative research (finding answers about the quality of something, such as by interviewing someone about their experience being raised by their grandparents) and quantitative research (using numbers to find answers, such as by conducting a survey where people answer questions about being raised by their grandparents "on a scale of 1-7").

It’s possible to get grants or even get paid.

Some research institutions, such as UNC, provide funds to help facilitate research, fund studies and present at conferences. In some institutions, it might even be possible for undergraduate researchers to take a paid research position in lieu of a job, earning them research experience and also payment. UNC offers stipends and grants to its undergraduate researchers.

Research can be a great way to improve critical thinking…

According to both Dickensheets and a paper written at Samford University by John K. Petrella and Alan P. Jung, undergraduate research can help students understand how the scientific method works or aid them in their ability to answer difficult or abstract questions.

“I think the biggest benefit to undergraduate research is the ability to be a critical thinker. It is one of the places where a student can’t just get away with memorizing and regurgitating answers. They have to think about the question at hand. Figure out what research the world has already done, and posit a solution, interpretation or summarization (generally) of that research, often providing answers or other questions that can become the impetus for additional research.” – Janice Dickensheets

Meet mentors…

Undergraduate research likely will require you to have a faculty member standing by to help you conduct and refine your research or answer any questions you might have. Often times the student will be asked to go and find their own faculty mentor, so it’s important to find one that aligns with your research interests. 

…or position yourself well for graduate school.

“You go to graduate school to do research, so they want to know that you can do research and that you’ll be good at it,” says Matthew Paoletti, then a graduate student studying for his doctorate in physics, in a 2007 Sciencemag.org article . According to the article, 74 percent of graduate students in chemistry had some research experience prior to grad school. A good GPA isn’t nearly as impressive to admissions counselors as a published paper is, according to the University of Illinois press . 

Interested in researching at the undergraduate level? Come visit UNC, and visit the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Honors Program .

• Jason Keller
• College Prep
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How To Do College Research

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 6/27/24

How do you find your best-fit college? And when should you start researching and applying to colleges? Read on to have all your college research questions answered! 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are nearly 6,000 U.S. colleges and universities . Needless to say, picking the perfect college isn’t as easy as choosing what you’re having for dinner! 

Every university has something unique to offer, but there is much to consider when choosing the right college for you. Without further adieu, let’s talk about how to do college research!

How to Research Colleges: A Step-by-Step Process

So, how do you start researching colleges? Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to do college research. 

Step 1: Identify Your Priorities

Before beginning your research, you’ll narrow your list by identifying your priorities and determining factors. These are the factors you should consider first: 

• Programs offered 
• Your budget

Knowing what you’re looking for helps eliminate what you don’t want. For example, if you’ve decided you want to go to college far away from your hometown, you can rule out colleges in your home state. 

Focusing on what’s most important to you is the first step in beginning your college research. 

Marina, a former member of the admissions committee at UChicago, talks about the importance of self-reflection in our webinar on college research . 

"I think the whole college consideration application process involves a lot of self-reflection. It might sound kind of cheesy or silly, but really that's such a beneficial part of this experience is really figuring out what is interesting to you, what are your goals… A great place to start is through self-reflection and thinking about what works for you, what makes you happy, and what doesn’t.”

Step 2: Begin Looking Up Colleges and Preparing a List

A great way to begin researching colleges is by attending college fairs: many high schools offer them annually.

Once you’ve identified your preferences, your search will become much more manageable. Talking to people who work for different colleges will provide the relevant insights you need to determine possible options. 

Go into your college fairs with your preliminary list and a pad of paper. Take notes as you learn more about each school, such as: 

• What did you like?
• What didn’t you like?
• What did you find interesting? 
• Did the school meet your preferences? 

If your high school doesn’t hold college fairs, you can do research from home. If you want more help than searching on your own, consider contacting an admissions consultant to help navigate your search. 

Step 3: Narrow Down Your List

You’re now ready to narrow your list to the colleges you’re sure you want to apply to.

The colleges you’ll apply to should be places where you can see yourself thrive and should meet your preferences. Remember, this is where you’ll spend the next four years of your life! 

What to Look For When Researching Colleges

You’re not alone if you’re unsure what to look for when researching colleges. Before starting your college research, consider these factors: 

• Career goals 
• Financial limitations
• Geographical preferences

Before beginning your search, do some self-reflection. Here are some questions to ask when researching colleges.

What Do You Want to Study?

It’s challenging to determine what you want to do with the rest of your life so early. And it’s okay if you don’t know yet! But if you have some general ideas, they can help direct your search. 

Consider what classes, hobbies, and extracurriculars you enjoy most. Then, you can try to align a major with your interest areas. Remember, you generally don’t have to choose a major until your second year of college, but identifying your interests can help you find programs you’d love to attend. 

Admissions expert Jennifer gives the following advice about researching programs and majors: 

"For the majors, minors, concentrations that you might be interested in, we do encourage you to read up on the faculty who are doing research in the areas that you're interested in. Look at the curriculum for each major as kind of a roadmap for your next four years of education after high school."

Do You Want to Stay Close to Home or Move Far Away?

Some people are reluctant to move away from home, and some can’t wait to explore and live independently in a brand-new place. Going to a college in a new place can be intimidating, whether you’re a three-hour drive or a plane ride away from home. 

Think about how often you want to visit home and potential travel time and expenses. For example, if you live in New York and want to stay close to home, you can search for in-state schools like Columbia or NYU. 

What Extracurriculars Are Important to You?

Colleges offer many extracurricular opportunities that could help you make your decision. Some extracurricular programs can even help you pay for college or stand out in your application . 

For example, are you interested in sports? Many colleges have excellent athletic opportunities, from simply participating on a team to earning athletic scholarships. 

From theater clubs to hockey teams, you should play into your interests and strengths.

Extracurriculars are a great way to make new friends and fit into your new community!

Do You Want to Attend a Small or Large College?

This is an important question for many reasons. If you want to attend a large school like the University of Florida, your introductory classes may be in a spacious hall with a few hundred students, and your teacher most likely won’t recognize you or your name throughout the semester.

On the other hand, a small campus is easier to navigate, and class sizes will be significantly smaller. But smaller campuses may feel like a high school setting, where everyone knows everyone. 

There’s no right or wrong choice here. Once again, it’s based on your preferences. Consider the relationships you want with students and teachers: do you value a close-knit community, or do you prefer some anonymity?

To help make this an easier decision for you, you can try out our quiz down below! This interactive tool will help you decide whether a big or small college is for you . 

What is Your Budget?

Having a general idea of your financial limitations for college is a huge help. Sit down with your parents or a school counselor to discuss your budget. If you’re financially limited, it isn’t the end of the world.

FAFSA and other financial aid programs can significantly cut your costs. However, remember that you’ll have to repay these loans after graduation. Your GPA, ACT, and SAT scores may also qualify you for scholarships that you don’t have to repay,

You may also be able to make college more affordable by studying in-state: some schools offer reduced rates for in-state students. 

Do You Want to Attend College in a Rural or Urban Setting?

Since you’ll spend four years or more in college, it’s essential to consider the city or town you’ll be living in. Do you prefer the hustle and bustle of a busy city? Or do you prefer the quiet, peaceful aura of a rural town? 

Big cities tend to be more expensive compared to rural settings. These additional costs add up in many big-city college towns in terms of: 

• Transportation 

It’s also essential to think about opportunities to explore your interests and hobbies. Obtaining a college degree is hard work, but you should still be able to have fun where you live!

What Social Factors Are Important to You? 

It’s important to consider how you want to spend your time outside of the classroom. College is largely a social experience, so think about how your chosen college might fulfill your social expectations. 

Consider housing, for instance. How are the dorms set up on campus? How many roommates might you have? Would you need to share a bedroom? 

Meals and dining are also important. Are you required to participate in a meal plan? Will you cook meals in your dorm? Where do students typically eat their meals? 

You may also want to think about things like Greek life, on-campus clubs, regular school events, and the local community of the city. 

What Do Your High School Stats Look Like?

Honestly, evaluating your stats can help you choose colleges. While many colleges don’t have SAT/ACT or GPA cutoffs, comparing your stats to past admitted students can help gauge your competitiveness. 

Here is an example of a class profile from Emory University:

Source: Emory University

When Should You Start Your College Research?

You should start your college research as early as possible. Your junior year of high school is a good time to begin your college research. Your junior/senior years of high school are when you’ll take the ACT or SAT , which is important for college applications. Your scores and GPA can help you determine safety, target, and reach schools. 

Junior year is your time to explore, ask questions, and learn about colleges. Senior year is the time to finalize your college list and apply: it takes time to find the right college!

Where to Look For Information About Colleges? 

The first place you should start when researching a college is its website. You can find plenty of helpful information there, including available programs and departments, information on student life, and admission requirements. 

Another good resource, especially when you’re putting together an application, is the Common Data Set. This will tell you average SAT/ACT scores, GPA ranges, number of admitted students, factors in the selection process, class demographics, and more. 

Outside sources are also helpful. You can look up reviews of certain colleges or even read ratings of professors that you might take classes with. You can also talk to alumni or admissions counselors as well as visit campuses to get a better feel of what life is like at a particular college. 

For more in-depth information on various top colleges, you can also check out our college guides ! These downloadable guides will help you conduct college research easily and quickly. 

Which Schools Should You Apply To? How To Decide

Finalizing your college list is no simple feat. It takes reflection, preparation, and research. If you’re struggling to make decisions, planning college visits can help. Sometimes, a physical visit can help you determine if the school is a good fit for you. 

When you go on these college visits, take notes and ask lots of questions. As a bonus, talking to the person leading a college tour is an excellent opportunity for you to see the college through a current student’s eyes. 

Looking for some quick ideas on which schools you should apply to? Our College Selection Quiz can help you find your ideal school! 

College Research FAQs

Do you still have questions about school research and how to find your best-fit college? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions. 

1. How Many Colleges Should I Be Applying To?

There’s no specific number that you need to be shooting for. However, most students typically apply to 7-12 schools . 

2. How Do I Know If a College Is a Good “Fit” for Me?

Keep your preferences as a “checklist” while researching colleges. If you’re researching a college that meets your criteria, it’s a great fit! If you’re still unsure, try to visit the school so you can see it and learn more in person.

3. How Do You Do College Research? 

College research can take many forms: for example, you can research school websites, attend college fairs, and visit schools. 

4. Why Is College Research Important?

College research ensures that the colleges you apply to are schools you’d actually like to attend. You’ll spend at least four years at the college you choose: you want to ensure you’ll enjoy yourself!

5. What Is the Best Source for Researching Colleges?

Some of the best online college search resources include the College Navigator and application portals like the Common and Coalition Apps. 

6. What Do You Look for When Researching Colleges?

When you research colleges, you should consider: 

• Interest areas/potential majors 
• Location preferences 
• Campus/class sizepreferences 

You should also consider the college’s extracurricular activities or other opportunities and the school’s culture. 

7. How Do I Start a College Search?

Starting your research can feel daunting, but once you determine your preferences, you can start wherever you like. Look at school websites, compare schools, and use your stats to build a varied school list. 

8. What Is the Biggest Mistake Students Make When Choosing a College?

The biggest mistake you could make when choosing a college is picking a college for the wrong reasons. When conducting college research, ensure you keep your wants and needs in mind.

How to Do College Research: Start Now and Don’t Give Up

Finding the right school isn’t easy, and it’s not something you decide overnight! Doing the necessary research is essential to making the right choice. 

Identifying what’s most important to you in a school is crucial. If you’ve identified your preferences and make the time to perform the necessary research, you’re sure to find the right school for you.

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How to Research a College Effectively

By Eric Eng

As you approach your sophomore and junior year of college, you begin to start seriously considering which colleges you want to apply to. You might have considered different options in the past but without much in-depth research.

With # colleges and universities throughout the US, the thought of finding even a few colleges to submit applications to can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Researching college options thoroughly is one of the best ways you can ensure you’re choosing the right schools.

When you have a better understanding of what colleges offer, how they differ, and how they fit into your overall academic and professional goals, you can more confidently choose excellent schools worthy of your time and energy.

Here, we’re going to look at practical tips for researching college options effectively so you can better

Why is researching college options important?

Researching college is a must for any high schooler before beginning the college admissions process. Here are just a few of the advantages that come with this additional preparation:

It saves you time and energy.

Applying to college is an involved process requiring a lot of time, energy, and financial commitments from students. Depending on what your college requires, the college admissions process can easily take a few months to complete.

Plus, you have to pay a non-refundable fee for each application you submit. With all of your other high school responsibilities still on your shoulders, researching college choices extensively can ensure you’re using your resources valuably. In other words, you’ll know you’re applying to schools you actually plan on attending if accepted.

It improves the quality of your college choices.

As a high schooler, you’re strapped for time already. The thought of having to set aside more time for something as crucial as applying to college can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety.

The last thing you want is to waste your time by applying to a college or university which isn’t a good match for you. When researching college choices, you’re essentially filtering out all of the bad options. What you’re left with is a list of well-researched, viable, and good-fit college options that you would be happy to attend.

It gives you valuable information to use.

Researching college is the best way to help narrow down your list of top college choices, but that’s not the only advantage. When you start completing your application, you can use the research uncovered during your research to improve the quality of your submissions.

Admissions officers love to see applicants who are knowledgeable about their university and what it offers. With quality research, you’ll know exactly how to personalize your application and explain why you’re a great fit for the school and vice versa.

When should you start researching college possibilities?

Some high schoolers start thinking about college before their freshman year begins while others tend to wait until the last minute. So, when is the right time to start researching college options in-depth. We generally advise students to start developing a list of potential colleges during their sophomore year.

Earlier is always an option although you’ll have a better idea of what kind of what major you want to pursue and what kind of college you would enjoy the closer you are to graduation. However, you don’t want to end up waiting too long as you want sufficient time to pick good-fit schools where you’d actually want to attend if accepted.

Questions to ask yourself when researching college choices.

The most important factor to consider when researching colleges is something you’re an expert in: you! Just because a school looks perfect on paper, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a good match for you.

That’s why it’s important to ask yourself some key questions at the beginning of your research so you know what to look for in a college to ensure it’s good for you. Here are just a few of the key questions you should be asking yourself regularly to further limit your options effectively.

What do you want to study in college?

We know, we know. These words are enough to induce an anxiety attack for any high schooler who doesn’t have a clear idea of what they want to study. Don’t worry! When you’re researching college possibilities, it’s not necessary to know exactly what major you’ll choose.

But it is helpful to have a general idea. For example, if you know you’d prefer to choose a subject in science, you can narrow down your search to schools that offer robust science programs.

Where do you want to go to school?

Location is another major factor to consider when researching college possibilities. If you can eliminate an entire region of the country where you don’t want to attend or single out a state where you dream of going to school, you’ll have a much easier time narrowing down your options.

Although geography is an important factor in the college experience, we advise students not to overemphasize location as it might possibly keep you from looking at some good-fit schools.

What size school do you want to attend?

Colleges vary greatly in size from a few thousand students to tens of thousands. The size of the student body can impact the feel of the campus, the intimacy of the classroom setting, the social life outside of the classroom, and nearly all other aspects of the college experience. Deciding the size of school you prefer can make it easier to fine-tune your research so you find exactly what you’re looking for quicker.

How much are you willing to spend on education?

Cost is another major factor to think about before researching universities. Most colleges have transparent tuition costs clearly outlined on their official websites, giving high schoolers an accurate idea of how much they would need to spend if accepted.

But you also need to take into account any tuition assistance, scholarships, or grants you could receive. Subtracting this amount from the overall tuition cost can give you an accurate idea of how much it would cost to attend. Schools that fall outside of your projected range can be taken off your research list.

6 Steps for Researching College Options Effectively

Once you have a general idea of what kind of college you want to attend, you can begin your actual research. Again, you don’t need to have a perfectly clear idea of your ideal school. During your research, you’ll gain a better understanding of what you want to find in a university. Here are some steps you can follow to improve your research for colleges:

1. Consult official college and university websites.

The most accurate resource for researching college options is the official websites of the universities. Once you come across a potential university or when you simply want to research one in more depth, these websites are one of the best places to start. You’ll find a plethora of information on these sites including:

• Tuition costs
• Application requirements
• Submission deadlines
• Early Action/Early Decision information 
• Information for international students
• Major and minors
• Extracurricular activities
• Sports and intramurals
• Student body size and demographics
• And much, much more.

There’s no doubt you can find this information elsewhere, but you can’t always rely on its validity. When you visit the official website of a college, you can rest assured you’re getting updated and accurate information because it’s curated by the college itself. Many schools even offer some helpful tips for students when applying to the university which can give you some helpful pointers if you were to end up applying in the future.

2. Dive deep into academic offerings.

Academics aren’t the only consideration to make when researching colleges, but it is one of the most important. After all, the primary point of a college education is just that…to receive a world-class education. But it’s not only the quality of the education you’re looking for. The school’s academic offerings also need to line up with your interests, strengths, and goals.

Start off by gaining a better understanding of a school’s academic landscape overall by answering some of the following questions:

• How many majors and minors are offered?
• How many departments or schools is the college divided into?
• Is the school known for its rigorous courses?
• How big are the classes?
• What’s the faculty-to-student ratio?

Once you have a strong understanding of the general academic make-up of the school, you can start narrowing down your research pertaining to what you want to study. Here are some helpful questions to consider:

• What courses are required for your major?
• Do these courses pique your interest?
• How much funding does the department receive?
• What internship or research opportunities are there?
• Can you design your own major?

Wherever you end up applying, this information will come in handy. Admissions officers will want to know why you chose their university out of all the other viable options. You’ll need to mention specific courses, majors, research opportunities, and other academic (or non-academic) offerings that motivated you to apply.

When you can clearly explain to admissions officers why you’re a good match for the school, it’ll make it easier for them to see you as a viable candidate to attend.

3. Look for reviews from students.

What do you do before purchasing anything online or before going to any restaurant? Check reviews online! So, why should going to college be any different? Yes, researching college options is way more in-depth and important than choosing a tasty lunch place but the point about reviews rings true all the same.

No matter how impressive a school sounds on official websites, the experience of attending the school could be completely different than you’d expect. Fortunately, there are more than enough resources online to learn about the direct experiences of previous students. Reddit forums, Quora pages, and Facebook pages dedicated to certain universities are great places to start.

It’s important to take each student’s explanation with a grain of salt either positive or negative because everybody’s experience is different. However, this information can help you identify patterns that all students seem to mention.

Maybe you notice that most students mentioned the academic rigor or competitiveness of the university. Or perhaps you see most people talking about how enjoyable the extracurricular culture is at the school. Identifying these trends can give you a better idea of what it’s like to actually attend school.

4. Consult other resources.

We’ve already mentioned a few high-quality resources students can consult when researching college options, but there’s no way to include all of the possible resources here. There are just too many which is good news for you! In addition to official school websites, here are just a few other highly informative and helpful resources you can consider using when researching college options:

• School newspapers
• College-specific brochures
• College guides
• College books
• Personal blogs
• Newsletters

Consulting more than one source exposes you to more information, improving your research overall. Limiting your research to a single resource, no matter how high-quality or accurate limits the amount of information you

While researching, keep in mind that all sources or materials could be flawed in some way. You should not trust any single reference to guide you in your research.

Instead, familiarize yourself with as many sources as possible to gain an objective and broad understanding of the data and choices facing you. Of course, one of the best ways to research a school is to experience it firsthand through a campus visit. Check out our article on tips for a successful college visit.

5. Keep an ongoing list of potential colleges.

Researching colleges effectively isn’t just about how you look for information and where you look for information. It’s also about how you apply that knowledge to further narrow down your choices of potential colleges.

With thousands of colleges and universities across the US, it’s impossible to research all of them. The best way to narrow down your options is to pick some non-negotiable factors that a school must-have for you to want to attend.

This could be the location of the school, the size of the campus, its proximity to a city, its academic offerings, and any other strong preferences you have. These characteristics can help you create a filter through which you can funnel all of the potential schools that you come across during your research.

The ultimate goal is to end with a list of around 10 colleges and universities which she would be more than happy to attend. This doesn’t mean that you’ll apply to all of those universities. This list is just a strategy for organizing all of the knowledge you gain and putting it to use by actively narrowing down your college options.

6. Consult a college admissions professional.

College admissions experts are your secret weapon when researching college effectively. These professionals are an excellent resource for determining which colleges and universities are worth applying to. What’s a college entrance expert and how do they assist in your college research?

A college admissions professional specializes in helping students get into the college of their choice. They’re highly experienced experts with vast knowledge of colleges and universities across the country, making these professionals an excellent resource for high schoolers embarking on the college research journey.

Instead of simply providing you with general information that you can find online about schools, a college entrance expert will work with you individually to determine the best colleges and universities based on your specific circumstances.

They’ll take into account your unique academic strengths, preferences, and goals to provide meaningful and personalized suggestions. Most college students aren’t aware of these experts and miss out on the opportunity as a result. You won’t want to pass up this choice when researching college options.

Applying for college doesn’t have to be difficult!

Every year, millions of students start preparing for college applications. For many, this exciting process is marred by a sense of uncertainty, confusion, and stress. Without a clear sense of direction, high schoolers often feel stuck.

That’s where AdmissionSight can help! For the past 10 years, we’ve been helping students just like you gain a better understanding of the college admissions process and improve their chances of getting into the school of their dreams.

We offer a range of services specifically catered to the academic strengths, goals, and preferences of all students we work with. These services are designed to improve your application with the ultimate goal of increasing your chances of getting into your first-choice school.

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There is a lot to consider when conducting your college research. How does someone narrow down one college to attend? Make sure you have your application in line with transcripts, letters of recommendation, and essays. Look at the qualities of each college you are considering and see if they align with everything that you want to achieve during your college years. In this article, we break down a guide to researching colleges to help you determine which college is right for you.  

What to Look for When Researching Colleges?

You may be asking yourself “What is College research ?”. Well, it is something that is not only beneficial to you but colleges expect it from you as well. How will you know what college you want to go to without researching what they offer beforehand? Understand what each college that interests you offers and how that can benefit you and your goals. 

The reason colleges are expecting you to do this research is that it’ll help you understand what that particular college values. You will be able to confidently complete admission essays with the knowledge of what your desired college values are. 

Another thing to look at when you are researching colleges in the admissions process , what the campus life is like, and what extracurricular activities they offer are. Follow this guide to conduct a proper college search . 

How to Research Colleges and Universities: 6-Step Guide to Researching Schools

The best way to research different colleges is to know what you’re looking for in higher education . What are your goals for the next 4 years? During your research, it is important to take notes on everything that pertains to you. Keep in mind the program you are looking to enter, how hard the classes can be, what you are able to afford, and what extracurricular activities they have available for you.

Program Selection

This is one of the most important topics to cover while you are researching colleges . Now, right out of high school you may not know what career or field you want to study, but it is important to have a direction. What if there is a dream college you want to go to, but they don’t offer the field that you want to get into? You’ll have to find a college that offers the program you are interested in. 

When looking into the different programs that colleges provide, you should also consider the workload they require to achieve that education. All requirements vary, so choose what you will be able to handle.

Academic Rigor

Every college has a different expectation from its students. Looking at the school’s academic rigor will help you decide if you want to spend the money to be in a certain program. Based on how challenging the school is academically is how you will decide if it is the one for you. You can experience an easier transition from high school to college and choose a two-year community college , or you can choose a more competitive approach and apply to an ivy league that is generally known for its rigorous courses.

Student Support System

Whether you need a quiet place to study or a session with someone to talk about your mental health, most colleges will be there for you. There are a variety of systems put in place to help a student succeed at any campus. It is the student’s responsibility to research and utilize those opportunities offered to them. There are even programs that students can enter to help with networking while in college and can set up an early career path before they graduate. Internships are one of the most common things that a student can do while studying for higher education .

The Campus Life

Along with finding the right program for you, you need to make sure the campus life will also be beneficial for your mental health. There are always colleges participating in college fairs so you can get a better grasp of the dynamic. Not only that, but you should make it a point to make a campus visit out of your top 3 colleges. 

Will you be living on campus in the dorms or commuting to your desired college every day? These are more of the questions that you need to keep in mind when picking the best college for you.

Affordability

Regardless of your financial standing, college can get expensive. Not only are you looking for the best program for your intended career, but you also have to ensure that it is in your price range. We suggest contacting the college admissions for your desired college to get all the right information. 

We also recommend looking into alternative financial aid when applying to colleges. During the enrollment process, you’ll be able to ask for assisted aid from the college. Along with signing up for financial aid , you can apply for scholarships and grants that are applicable to you. This is something that can also cover the cost of books and college tuition.

Important Information for You

Ideally, you want to find the best college for you. Keep in mind what college will help you connect in a cultural and academic way. No two colleges are the same, so you need to find one that suits you. It is okay to be deterred from a college because of cultural indifference. Even if they have the right program for you. Find a college that you will be comfortable with both culturally and academically.

What Should You Look for in a College? 3 Factors to Take Into Consideration

What do you want out of going to college? That is one of the biggest questions you have to ask yourself. Based on your answer, is how you will find the right college for you. How is your GPA looking? Create a list of colleges and make sure that you have all of the right qualifications to attend the school. College websites are the best place to find all the right information that you are looking for. Let’s take a closer look at some factors to watch out for while you are doing college research .  

Application Process

Every college is different, but something that you need to watch out for is college application deadlines. The application process can take a bit of time so you need to plan out how long it will take you to submit it. The admissions requirements generally involve your transcripts, assessments, essay (if applicable, what the topic is), and whether or not you need to include letters of recommendation. All of this information is something to consider when you are looking at the application process for each desired college. 

Accreditation

You should also consider the college’s accreditation when looking at the right school for you. There are certain colleges that haven’t been accredited yet. Most colleges are either in the process of being accredited or didn’t pass and are working on making changes to gain accreditation. The reason that you want to get into an accredited school is so that you can earn a real degree. Browse the different programs that the college offers to make sure that yours is properly accredited.

Admission Rate

The admission is another thing to consider. The rate gives you an idea of the percentage of students that apply verse those who get into the college. A college that has a lower acceptance rate is harder to get into, so the higher the acceptance rate the more potential there is that you will be accepted too. There are a ton of factors that colleges consider when deciding which students to accept. Grades, SAT, ACT, and a diverse student body that come from various backgrounds, volunteer experience, and abilities are just some of the factors considered.

College Research Template

Find the perfect college for you with our college research template. They are organized by importance for when you are researching colleges .

Key Takeaways

• March 30, 2022
• 10th Grade , 11th Grade

6-Step Guide to Researching Colleges Effectively (with Template)

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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Researching Colleges

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Getting into college is perhaps the most important part of the admissions process. However, deciding where to apply and ultimately attend is also important. How do you research colleges to decide which school is right for you? Here’s our step-by-step guide to looking into colleges.

Step 1: Start Early

Step 2: spend time thinking about your needs and wants, step 3: look online, step 4: ask others for advice, step 5: visit campuses, step 6: demonstrate interest.

Freshman year is not too early to start think about your college list. If you start visiting schools early, you’ll get a better sense of what type of school you’re looking for. For instance, you may think you want a large urban setting, but may discover you actually prefer a small liberal arts school after visiting enough campuses.

Give yourself time to explore. That way, you won’t have to make decisions too quickly. You’ll also be able to research thoroughly , so you don’t come across any surprises senior year—like discovering that the school’s culture is too rowdy for you—or commit to a school about which you don’t know very much.

Don’t let anyone else, including your parents, tell you what you should want. Your personal goals are what really matter in the admissions process.

Make a preliminary list of what you’d like in a college. Check out Kick Off Your College Research This Summer with These 5 Tips for advice on coming up with your ideas. Consider factors such as location, your desired major, the size of the school, the activities it offers, and any other aspects that are important to you. Think about where you would fit in. Having fit—ensuring that your personality and values line up with the school’s—is extremely important. What kind of student body would you fit into? For instance: Are you an introvert? Do you want to be around other introverts, or would you prefer more extroverted peers?

Learn more about having fit in What Does It Mean to Fit with a College? .

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

Everything starts with Google. Looking online can help kick off your research. You’ll see the rankings, selectivity, and if you line up with the typical student statistics. You can also find out which schools have a good reputation for your intended major. For instance, you might search for “creative writing” to find out where you can study your art as an undergraduate.

This is a good starting point , though of course you will need to research schools on your preliminary list much more thoroughly.

One of your best sources of advice is older peers who are in college. They can tell you what it’s really like to go to school at a specific college. However, remember that your experience is going to be unique to you.

You should also talk to admissions reps when they come to your high school or local college fairs. They can tell you about the kinds of students that thrive in the atmosphere and what types of courses and activities are most popular—which can help you gauge if your interests align with those of typical students. Parents and friends can be good resources, too, but ultimately, your own instincts should matter more. For instance, your parents may want you to attend a large Ivy League university, while you might prefer a more intimate, liberal arts setting. Remember that it’s your college experience, so your goals and ideas should come first.

An ideal way to figure out if you mesh well with the culture, people, and environment of a college is by visiting the school. Go on a campus tour, attend an orientation, sit in on courses, and talk to current students to get a feel for what attending school there is really like. You can setting up most of these opportunities through the admissions office. Read How to Make the Most of a Campus Visit to find out about how visiting colleges can help you determine whether it’s a good fit.

If you can’t visit, look for other ways to research the school, such as talking to alumni, having an informational interview, and asking lots and lots of questions. Check out How Can I Figure Out a School’s Culture Without Visiting the Campus? for more ideas.

Show colleges you’re interested in them by going to college fairs, talking to admissions representatives, and signing up to receive information online and by mail.

Not only does this show colleges you’re interested in them, which is important for admissions, but it will allow you to learn more about the school. Even getting a brochure can help you learn about the school’s culture—you’ll find out what they prioritize by what they choose to highlight in the collateral. You can also gain access to admissions forums to ask current students what the school is like. (If you don’t know where to find them, ask an admissions representative or current student.)

Taking Action

Research is an important aspect of the admissions process. As much as it may feel like a college is choosing you, you also need to choose a college that’s right for you. Follow these steps to make sure you know what you want and are informed about your decision about where to apply—and eventually choose to attend school.

For more information about researching colleges, read:

Don’t Visit Any Colleges Without Reading This First

How Many Colleges Should I Apply to?

Seven Tips for Creating Your College List

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

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How to Research a College Effectively

One of the most important aspects of the college admissions process is identifying the schools that are good academic and social fits for you. To ensure that you are applying to a balanced list of reach, target, and likely schools where you will be happy and successful, extensively research each school before adding it to your list. In addition to helping you narrow down your choices now, down the road this research will also enable you to personalize your applications and communicate to an admissions committee why you want to attend that school. To aid you in your college search, the expert counselors at IvyWise have compiled the following tips on how to research a college effectively.

Focus on Academics First

Ultimately, the reason you are going to college is to get a good education, so first focus on what you will learn in the classroom. If you know what you want to study, make sure to visit that department’s web page and read about the courses offered and the professors who teach those classes. Look for answers to the following questions:

• What are the required courses for your intended major?
• Do the available classes sound interesting to you?
• Can you design your own major?
• How big is the department?
• What research or internship opportunities are students able to participate in?

Whether you have decided on a major or are still exploring options, there is lots of research to be done! Many students change majors at least once during college, so it’s important to get a sense of the overall academic environment and curriculum requirements at each school. Consider the following:

• Are there general education or core requirements?
• How are courses structured?
• Do courses emphasize hands-on experiences, lectures, or teamwork?
• What is the average class size and student-to-faculty ratio?

Consider the Social Factors

College is an academic but also a social experience. Next, create a list of questions about dining and housing, clubs and activities, social life and the surrounding community.

• Is a meal plan required? Where do students eat on and off campus?
• Which clubs would you join on campus and what type of events do they host?
• How do students give back to the college’s local community?
• Is there Greek life on campus? What percentage of students participate in fraternities and sororities?
• How is housing assigned? How many roommates might I have my first year?

Use Numbers, but Don’t Dwell on Them

There’s no shortage of statistics about colleges. Admissions rates can help you determine whether a school is a reach, target, or likely, but these numbers are often irrelevant in determining whether a college is a good fit for YOU. Here are some facts and figures that you might want to focus on instead:

• Retention Rates :  How many students return for their sophomore year? How many graduate in four years?
• Diversity:  What other nationalities and cultures are represented on campus? What percentage of the student body is international? What is the male to female ratio on campus? What initiatives has the school put in place to support such diversity?
• Housing:  How many students live on-campus versus those who live off-campus? Are students required to live on-campus for a specific number of years or are they allowed to move off-campus at any point? Is on-campus housing provided for all four years of study? Are special housing accommodations available (i.e. quiet, single-sex, learning communities etc.)?
• Career development:  What career services are available? How many students have internships during their time in college? How many students find a job within six months of graduation? How many students go onto business, law, medical, or graduate school?
• School size and location:  Will a smaller or larger school better suit your needs? Would you prefer to be in a bustling city, a small town, or somewhere in between? (Also consider the typical weather, transportation, both public and on-campus, and the distance to major cities or to/from home).

Also, take a look at the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which reports on how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending a particular college.

Use Multiple Sources

There is an abundance of college prep resources  out there, from school websites, brochures, and college newspapers, to current students and alumni, to college rankings, and independent college guides and books (for a list of some of our favorite resources, visit the IvyWise KnowledgeBase ). While researching, keep in mind that all sources or materials could be flawed in some way. You should not trust any single reference to guide you in your research. Instead, familiarize yourself with as many sources as possible to gain an objective and broad understanding of the data and choices facing you. Of course, one of the best ways to research a school is to experience it firsthand through a campus visit. Check out our  tips for a successful college visit .

Put Your Hard Work to Use!

The research you conduct will be essential when creating your college list, preparing for interviews, visiting campus, and writing essays. As you do your research, purge any schools from your list that do not meet your needs. Ideally, you will end up with a list of 13-15 best-fit colleges , each of which you would be happy to attend. There are many resources available to aid you in your research efforts. At IvyWise, we work directly with students to fully understand their goals and interests and can use this information to create detailed research reports for each school on a student’s college list. Conducting thorough research will be crucial to your success during the exciting process of finding your home for the next four years. Put these tips to use and find the schools where you will learn, grow, and thrive.

At IvyWise, our team of expert counselors works with students to find the colleges and universities that are the best fit for them — whether it’s a hyper-competitive research university or a small, liberal arts college. Your IvyWise counselor will work with you to find the best college list for your interest and goals, and ensure that you’re presenting your best self in your applications.  Contact us today  for more information on our  college counseling services .

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The declining value of a college education has multiple facets, but one of the biggest is the fact that many of the job openings in America today don’t even require a college degree. The result is that many of today’s college graduates are over-educated, and under-employed.

While pursuit of higher education is strongly correlated with a higher income, recent research shows that far too many college degrees and majors don't pay off in the long run .

A new study from the Burning Glass Institute and the Strada Institute for the Future of Work revealed this fact earlier in 2024, along with other troubling statistics that paint a bleak picture for future college students. While 52% of college graduates are working in jobs that don't require higher education, 75% of them remain in this situation for a full decade after college.

This is partly because "underemployment is sticky." At least, that's how the summary for the study describes this phenomenon. Apparently, individuals who find work outside of their degree fields find reason to stay there instead of pursuing employment related to their degree.

The study also reveals that some college majors result in a higher percentage of graduates finding work elsewhere. For example, those who study public safety and security, recreation and wellness studies, and general business fields like marketing tend to find themselves underemployed more often than not.

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Data aside, it's important to figure out why this is happening. There are myriad reasons college graduates end up working in jobs that don't require higher education.

According to Holistic Therapist Jenny Flora Wells, who has advanced training in trauma and young generations, lack of job opportunities is a major factor that comes into play here, especially in today's tight labor market.

Wells points out that some individuals spend months applying to thousands of jobs after graduation, get called back to a handful, but ultimately end up being "ghosted" in the end.

"This is devastating for young people in the workforce who have spent thousands of dollars on their degrees, only to find that there is limited opportunity or no opportunity awaiting them," she says. And ultimately, it means they may just wind up taking whatever job they can get at the time.

Wells also points out something most of us know is true and have seen with our own eyes — a rapid increase in available jobs that require bachelor's degrees , master's degrees or even doctoral degrees but barely pay over the minimum wage.

"Young professionals are realizing that working a job such as bartending, serving, or even pivoting to blue collar work often pays twice as much as the jobs that they went to school for," says Wells.

Robert Bird, who serves as Professor of Business Law at the University of Connecticut , points out some other reasons college graduates end up working in alternative fields. Some find a new interest late in their college career but finish out their current major because it is too difficult to switch, he says, whereas others find an employer-specific reason to take a different job.

"A strong corporate culture or sense of mission can attract graduates to new opportunities at an unexpected employer," says Bird.

Grads may work in a field that does not require a degree because of better compensation, particularly in industries that offer strong financial incentives. For example, top tier sales jobs can be lucrative in nearly any industry, and nearly any college degree (or no degree) may be enough to help applicants get their foot in the door.

"Many grads have to pay off debt, and working in a non-degree area may help recent graduates do just that," he says.

According to Katrina Wert of the Community College of Denver, the financial component really does play a huge role for workers when it comes to choosing a gig. Many young people experience financial strain after they graduate and student loan payments come due, thus they take any job and worry about their long-term career prospects later on. However, some college majors tend to create more graduates who live these experiences.

"We find this occurs most often with graduates who did not choose career-oriented majors such as nursing and criminal justice," says Wert. "Graduates often seek work outside their degree to earn higher wages and support their families."

Is Working Outside Your Field a Problem? Not Necessarily

While working in low-paying jobs (or jobs outside of a chosen field of study) post-graduation has its downsides, plenty of college graduates are happily employed in careers that require a college degree but not necessarily the one they have.

Colin David Pears, Ph.D., who serves as Chief Retention Officer and Associate Provost for Student Success at the University of New England, says that many people believe you need a specific degree to work in jobs that would seemingly require a very specific set of skills. However, most fields of study are set up to provide students with both knowledge and transferable skills, he said.

"So for example, it’s not uncommon to see a Psychology major with a passion for media deciding to pursue a career in marketing, or an English major who loves politics pursuing a career as a speechwriter."

Pears adds that employers are much more concerned with the set of core competencies students acquire than they are about exactly what they studied. Meanwhile, colleges and universities are committed to providing their students with the widest array of opportunities they can so that students can select the career option that best fits who they are, he says.

The bottom line is that winding up in a career that is outside of your major field of study isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could be "the recipe for an exciting professional life."

"If this is you, just be cognizant of how your path has deviated from where it might have gone, celebrate that fact, and look for ways you can continue to grow and develop your expertise, whether in a graduate program or through ongoing professional development," says Pears.

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Even in ‘Care Work,’ Women Face Lower Wages if They Have Kids

A new study that examined parenthood and “care work” found that mothers get paid less than either men or women without children, even in fields that are traditionally thought of as being “women’s work.” Men, on the other hand, generally received higher pay after becoming fathers – though white fathers benefited from this more than Black, Asian or Hispanic fathers.

“We know that there is a parenthood wage gap in professional work – in which women make less money after having children, while men do not,” says Anna Manzoni, co-author of the study and professor of sociology at North Carolina State University. “We were interested in exploring whether a parenthood wage gap occurs among care workers.”

The researchers defined care work as occupations that involve providing for someone’s needs and well-being who typically cannot provide for their own. This includes occupations such as nursing, health care aides, K-12 teachers, child-care workers, religious clergy, and social workers.

“We were interested in care workers because we thought employers may use stereotypes linked to parental identity to determine rewards, and care workers may leverage their parental identity to signal appropriateness for work, possibly leading to higher, rather than lower, earnings,” Manzoni says. “We were also interested in the role of race and gender, which may signal different levels of appropriateness to employers according to how they fulfill employer-held gender and racial stereotypes.”

To that end, the researchers drew on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which collects socio-demographic information, as well as data on work, pay, family status and related subjects – a nationally representative sample of more than 3 million people. The researchers used data from the years 1980, 1990, and then yearly from 2000 through 2018. Specifically, the researchers analyzed data from 805,786 care workers between the ages of 18 and 37.

“The findings were very straightforward,” Manzoni says. “Wages for women without children were more than 12% higher than wages for mothers, once all factors were accounted for. This penalty was more pronounced for white women than for Asian, Hispanic or Black women – though all of them saw their wages decline after parenthood. We think the difference between white women and women of color stems from the racialized belief that women of color are appropriate for caring labor.”

Meanwhile, the researchers also found that wages for fathers tended to be higher than wages for men without children. However, race comes into play here as well. Once other variables came into play, Black fathers actually saw a slight decline in wages after becoming parents.

“Put simply, our findings suggest that being seen as appropriate often does not result in wage advantages in care work,” Manzoni says. “Organizational practices and culture continue to disadvantage mothers and people of color, reinforcing inequality.

“In short, our results highlight the permanency of the belief that mothers are not compatible with paid work.”

The paper, “ The Effect of Parenthood on Care Workers’ Earnings: Exploring Identity Mobilization’s Applicability ,” is published in The Sociological Quarterly . First author of the paper is Alyssa Alexander, a Ph.D. graduate at NC State who is now at the University of British Columbia.

Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.

“The Effect of Parenthood on Care Workers’ Earnings: Exploring Identity Mobilization’s Applicability”

Authors : Alyssa Alexander, University of British Columbia; Anna Manzoni, North Carolina State University

Published : July 16, The Sociological Quarterly

DOI : 10.1080/00380253.2024.2371130

Abstract: The parenthood wage gap is well documented in professional work, but we know little about parenthood’s effects on earnings among care workers. As employers may use stereotypes linked to parental identity to determine rewards, care workers may leverage their parental identity to signal appropriateness for work, possibly leading to higher, rather than lower, earnings. At the same time, gender and racial identity may signal different levels of appropriateness to employers according to how they fulfill employer-held gender and racial stereotypes. Using data from the American Community Survey (ACS), we test the applicability of identity mobilization to show that mothers experience wage penalties compared to fathers and non-mothers, while fathers experience wage premiums. Additionally, mothers of color experience smaller penalties than white women, while fathers of color experience smaller premiums compared to white fathers. We also show differences across occupations. Overall, this study showcases the ways in which gender and racial inequality remain entrenched in society, rejecting identity mobilization’s applicability to care work wage gaps.

This post was originally published in NC State News.

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Researchers develop state-of-the-art device to make artificial intelligence more energy efficient

Energy consumption from artificial intelligence could be reduced by a factor of at least 1,000 with this device

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/25/2024) — Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated a state-of-the-art hardware device that could reduce energy consumption for artificial intelligent (AI) computing applications by a factor of at least 1,000.

The research is published in  npj Unconventional Computing , a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature. The researchers have multiple patents on the technology used in the device. 

With the growing demand of AI applications, researchers have been looking at ways to create a more energy efficient process, while keeping performance high and costs low. Commonly, machine or artificial intelligence processes transfer data between both logic (where information is processed within a system) and memory (where the data is stored), consuming a large amount of power and energy. 

A team of researchers in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering demonstrated a new model where the data never leaves the memory, called computational random-access memory (CRAM).  

“This work is the first experimental demonstration of CRAM, where the data can be processed entirely within the memory array without the need to leave the grid where a computer stores information,” said Yang Lv, a University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering postdoctoral researcher and first author of the paper.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a  global energy use forecast in March of 2024, forecasting that energy consumption for AI is likely to double from 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022 to 1,000 TWh in 2026. This is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of the entire country of Japan. 

According to the new paper’s authors, a CRAM-based machine learning inference accelerator is estimated to achieve an improvement on the order of 1,000. Another example showed an energy savings of 2,500 and 1,700 times compared to traditional methods.

This research has been more than two decades in the making,

“Our initial concept to use memory cells directly for computing 20 years ago was considered crazy” said Jian-Ping Wang, the senior author on the paper and a Distinguished McKnight Professor and Robert F. Hartmann Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. 

“With an evolving group of students since 2003 and a true interdisciplinary faculty team built at the University of Minnesota—from physics, materials science and engineering, computer science and engineering, to modeling and benchmarking, and hardware creation—we were able to obtain positive results and now have demonstrated that this kind of technology is feasible and is ready to be incorporated into technology,” Wang said.

This research is part of a coherent and long-standing effort building upon Wang’s and his collaborators’ groundbreaking, patented research into Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs) devices, which are nanostructured devices used to improve hard drives, sensors, and other microelectronics systems, including Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM), which has been used in embedded systems such as microcontrollers and smart watches. 

The CRAM architecture enables the true computation in and by memory and breaks down the wall between the computation and memory as the bottleneck in traditional von Neumann architecture, a theoretical design for a stored program computer that serves as the basis for almost all modern computers.

“As an extremely energy-efficient digital based in-memory computing substrate, CRAM is very flexible in that computation can be performed in any location in the memory array. Accordingly, we can reconfigure CRAM to best match the performance needs of a diverse set of AI algorithms,” said Ulya Karpuzcu, an expert on computing architecture, co-author on the paper, and Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. “It is more energy-efficient than traditional building blocks for today’s AI systems.”

CRAM performs computations directly within memory cells, utilizing the array structure efficiently, which eliminates the need for slow and energy-intensive data transfers, Karpuzcu explained.

The most efficient short-term random access memory, or RAM, device uses four or five transistors to code a one or a zero but one MTJ, a spintronic device, can perform the same function at a fraction of the energy, with higher speed, and is resilient to harsh environments. Spintronic devices leverage the spin of electrons rather than the electrical charge to store data, providing a more efficient alternative to traditional transistor-based chips.

Currently, the team has been planning to work with semiconductor industry leaders, including those in Minnesota, to provide large scale demonstrations and produce the hardware to advance AI functionality.

In addition to Lv, Wang, and Karpuzcu, the team included University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering researchers Robert Bloom and Husrev Cilasun; Distinguished McKnight Professor and Robert and Marjorie Henle Chair Sachin Sapatnekar; and former postdoctoral researchers Brandon Zink, Zamshed Chowdhury, and Salonik Resch; along with researchers from Arizona University: Pravin Khanal, Ali Habiboglu, and Professor Weigang Wang

This work was supported by grants from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Cisco Inc. Research including nanodevice patterning was conducted in collaboration with the Minnesota Nano Center and simulation/calculation work was done with the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute at the University of Minnesota.

To read the entire research paper entitled, “Experimental demonstration of magnetic tunnel junction-based computational random-access memory,” visit the  npj Unconventional Computing website.  

Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering,  [email protected]

University Public Relations,  [email protected]

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