Looking to head off to university in the United States? Or have a child, friend, or relative making the post-secondary leap? According to a recent editorial in Deseret News, research universities are the perfect fit for undergraduate students.

In the article, Michael M. Crow and Derrick M. Anderson, both of Arizona State University, make the case that many prospective university students in America have trouble finding the right post-secondary school for their career goals, and, when there, they often “fail to take advantage of the unique platforms for discovery and inquiry to be found.”

The two go on to argue that while it’s important to think of the big-picture societal and economic benefits of research universities, it’s also important to think of their benefits to individual students as well.

Crow and Anderson go on to outline the benefits of research universities to undergraduates and stress that going forward, more needs to be done to support these institutions. They note that the roughly 200 research universities in the U.S. make up only about 3 million of 18 million U.S. university students. Partnerships and careful creation of plans are critical in helping research universities and their students achieve their full potential, they argue.

Click here to read their full editorial.

-       With files from Deseret News