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Last Friday, I was in Cerritos with third-year psychology student Jier Dong and was surprised at how the sky had changed from an industrial gray to a picturesque blue. Barely an hour away, but what a contrast. As he stepped out of the car, Dong inhaled deeply and simply said, “This is a nice change.”

We were at a public elementary school where Dong was about to interact with children for a study by UCLA psychology Professor Anna Lau. As he began his interview with a first grader, both seated in miniscule red chairs, an even more amazing contrast appeared.

As students of a densely populated public university short on funds, the type of learning we are accustomed to involves sitting on the ground of the always jam-packed Haines 39, taking multiple choice exams in most lower division classes, and sitting through an entire quarter without ever speaking with the professor. Instead, Dong was participating in a channel of learning which he described as “alive and interactive.” It was a nice change.

But before you curse our school and begin wishing you had gone to that small private college, consider this bit of irony. Sure, you can criticize UCLA for being large and impersonal. You can criticize professors for caring more about their research than for student learning. And you can criticize the obvious lack of regard for fire codes on the first day of class. But it’s only at a large research-oriented university that students find the most opportunities for hands-on learning.

It’s at a school like UCLA that you will find dozens of labs where you can really get to know the subjects you like beyond textbooks, scantrons and essays. And don’t be fooled by the connotatively science-y label. While most labs are in South Campus, there are some in North Campus as well, like the UCLA Phonetics Lab, which is part of the Linguistics Department. Even if you don’t plan on a career in research, work in a lab can be a helpful compass for the future.

Of course I had to ask Dong that anxiety-provoking question every college student loves: “What do you plan on doing after you graduate?” He said quite readily, “Having actually experienced what working with children is like from my time in the lab, I can now honestly say that I want to be a therapist who works with children.”

Dong was most thrilled with the intimate learning atmosphere he had been exposed to through his research experience. He said, “The lab is so much more personal. I seek advice from grad students and I can even talk one-on-one with Anna Lau, a professor.”

Smaller schools don’t have the facilities or faculty to provide students with ample opportunities for research experience. Of course there are still some prospects, but they are no match for UCLA’s breadth of research labs. In fact, in addition to working in Professor Lau’s lab, Dong also works at another lab in the Neuropsychiatric Institute.

Fourth-year psychology student Lisa Liu attends Loyola Marymount University, less than half the size of UCLA. Liu is a lot like Dong: She is one of those over-achievers with a high GPA and high expectations. And although she’s also determined to become a therapist, Dong has the upper hand. Because when it comes to graduate school, research experience is highly regarded in the admissions process. Due to the nature of her school, Liu would not have as impressive of an application as Dong.

Throughout her undergraduate career, Liu has tried to land research positions in the few psychology labs at LMU. But opportunities are very limited; most professors are practicing clinicians who do not engage in research. In fact, her first research experience was at UCLA, where she ran tests on subjects for a graduate student’s master’s thesis study.

Liu said, “I’m really worried that my application just won’t be as impressive as the application of someone who attended a university that’s more research-oriented because I’m sure they would have more hands-on experience to brag about.”

The student-to-faculty ratio at UCLA is 18-to-1. That figure may be lower at other schools where you wouldn’t find yourself in a class sitting among 300 other students and receiving no individual attention. On the other hand, UCLA’s research-oriented nature makes it possible for students to engage in active and applied avenues of learning, an advantage hard to find elsewhere.

Midterms, papers, finals, sometimes on shuffle but always stuck on repeat. On the surface, it may seem like that’s all UCLA has to offer. But scratch a little deeper and you’ll find a surprising study in contrast.

Research experience in a lab channels the kind of learning that is personal and alive. It can break the monotony and be different and invigorating, like a breath of fresh air.

Tao writes biweekly. If you want to send Tao into cardiac arrest, ask her “The Question” at atao@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.