<p>I’ve been on these boards for awhile, adn stories like ER’s are really inspiring. But kids like ER and others that earn the full rides to highly selective colleges are extremely special to begin with; for one, they’ll have top test scores and grades, not too mention an impressive resume. Thus, I’ve always wondered about the “regular” kids and how they fare. (“Regular” is just the average kid at Vandy who was a star in HS.) Kids on the full ride have automatic entre into research, but what about the regular kids? </p>
<p>Vandy’s population is nearly 50% grad students on campus; contrast to Cornell, a major research Uni, which has <33% grad students. How can/do undergrads compete for a prof’s time? How can do “regular” kids compete for research opportunities?</p>