UW–Madison vs. University of Rochester: Which is better for undergraduate neuroscience research?

The University of Rochester is the more favorable choice for most students whose top priority is getting into a neuroscience lab early and developing close faculty relationships. Its undergraduate neuroscience major sits near the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, while the University of Rochester Medical Center gives students access to clinically connected neuroscience research. Rochester’s smaller undergraduate environment also tends to make direct outreach to faculty and repeated involvement in one lab more manageable.

Rochester is especially compelling for students interested in cognitive neuroscience, perception, brain imaging, neuropsychiatry, neurodegeneration, or translational work. The Del Monte Institute brings together neuroscience-related researchers across the medical center, including neurology, psychiatry, imaging sciences, and the Center for Visual Science.

UW–Madison has the broader overall research ecosystem and some unusually distinctive resources. Its Neuroscience Training Program, the Waisman Center, and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center support work in developmental neuroscience, genetics, aging, neuroimaging, behavior, and animal models. A student drawn to a very large research university, or to a specialized area such as primate neuroscience or developmental disabilities research, may find Madison’s scale valuable.

At either school, research access will depend heavily on contacting several faculty members, reading their recent work, and being willing to start with basic lab tasks.