How do USC and Harvard compare for undergraduate research opportunities?

Harvard offers the broader and more research-intensive ecosystem for a student who wants to explore biology and public health across many fields, including labs connected to Harvard Medical School and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health. USC can provide more personal access to faculty and a strong health-sciences setting, especially through Dornsife, Keck School of Medicine, and its public-health-related programs. At either school, meaningful undergraduate research is attainable, but it is not automatically assigned; students who contact faculty thoughtfully and begin early tend to gain the most.

Harvard suits a student who wants maximum academic breadth, a large concentration of biomedical and population-health researchers, and formal entry points such as the Harvard College Research Program and summer research opportunities. Its scale creates unusual possibilities to move among molecular biology, epidemiology, global health, policy, and clinical research. The tradeoff is that popular labs can be competitive, and first-years may need persistence before finding a position that fits.

USC may appeal more to a student who values a collaborative campus culture and wants to build relationships with professors in a somewhat more contained undergraduate environment. Programs such as the Undergraduate Research Associates Program and research opportunities within Dornsife can help students get started, while proximity to Keck and Los Angeles health systems can support clinical, community-health, and translational projects. USC’s location is particularly useful for public-health interests tied to health disparities, urban communities, and local organizations.