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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If your daughter is interested in majoring in a lab science (e.g., chemistry or biology) then she needs to start doing research in a lab ASAP, preferably as a freshman (if not before).  This can be hard to do at big state schools where faculty are less engaged with undergrads. [b]It's impossible to do at small liberal arts colleges without research faculty.[/b]  Look for a school in the middle--big enough for [b]real research opportunities[/b], but which emphasizes undergrad education.

Signed, organic chemistry PhD who mentored plenty of premeds[/quote]

http://nsse.indiana.edu/2017_institutional_report/pdf/HIPTables/HIP.pdf

Percent of seniors at "Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus" (the classification for LACs) who did research with faculty: 48%
Percent of seniors at "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest research activity" who did research with faculty: 26%

https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-research/Doct%20Rates%20Rankings%20by%20Broad%20Disc%20Field-Summary%20to%202015.pdf

LACs in the top 30 for producing life science PhDs: Reed, Swarthmore, Grinnell, Carleton, Haverford, Harvey Mudd, Pomona (former all in the top 10), Earlham, Allegheny, College of the Atlantic, Bowdoin, Bard, Kalamazoo, Mount Holyoke

LACs in the top 30 for producing physical science PhDs: Harvey Mudd, Reed, Carleton, Swarthmore, Grinnell, Haverford (former all in the top 10), College of Wooster, Lawrence, Allegheny, Wabash, Williams, Bryn Mawr, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Franklin & Marshall, Knox, Juniata, Centre

[/quote]Cite whatever statistics you'd like.  It doesn't change my recommendation.  If you want to major in a lab science like chem or bio, you will have a huge leg up in grad school admissions, med school admissions or job opportunities if you have spent significant time in a lab doing research.  You will do even better if you have several publications in peer reviewed journals.  These opportunities don't exist ar non-research universities.  Those students usually get any research experience they can by doing a single NSF REU (National Science Foundation Research Experience For Undergraduates) or the equivalent the summer between their junior and senior year.  This isn't enough.  Those students don't have the publications or connections to get into top grad programs.  They don't have enough experience to know what sort of research they ultimately want to study.  My guess is most of them go to med school (though publications really help with that admission too) or move into other fields.    I don't recall a single student from any of those LAC schools in my grad program.

The students who did the best in grad school were those with tons of research experience from places like Carnegie Mellon or Case Western.  Mid sized schools with research faculty.  Look there.[/quote]

The plural of your anecdotes is not data.[/quote]

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