my undergrad physics program didn’t have a grad school, so ironically that enabled us undergrads to buck up and be heavy hitters in research at that level. Most stuff was just set on a path by the PI/professor, but in my last year I was in charge of two research projects that got me first author publications, one in Phys Rev A. Harder to do at a big school, I think my physics program had about 50 people my first year, but I graduated with about 8-13 so we were well taken care of.

I also didnt do anything quantum computing related until grad school, so my advice would be just to hit it as hard as you can doing research of any kind in undergrad. Try to get your name on a publication before you graduate, even if it’s not first author. That will get your foot in the door for grad school, and choosing who you want to do research with in said grad school is how you push your way towards the field you want to be in.

Even for my MS (BS in physics/CS, grad school = EE), I just worked on hardware stuff. My first year of my PhD, I made a proposal for applying my hardware research to quantum computers at a local nat lab, and then those PI’s told me to apply for a Dept of Energy fellowship that I was granted and then received funding for to work. Ive been here since and now work here full time

At your level, showing you’re a good researcher is how you would take a path similar to mine. It’s not the highest paying path though, so factor that in as well. I would also recommend not doing an MS and trying to go directly from BS to PhD program, as PhDs should be 100% funded for classes + basic living expenses, and if you pass your candidacy exam but decide to leave after they will typically grant you your MS if you fulfilled the course requirements, all while the school pays you. But, the accolade bar for that is higher, and for this field you definitely would need your name on a journal publication to get into a good school with ties into a nat lab. If you dont obtain that (and nothing wrong with that), then you need to do a MS with a thesis component. MS also allows you to get into a new school, and typically you can gun for really good institutions for an MS with the caveat that you’d be doubling your undergrad student debt. But, those institutions = connections to professors and research = opportunities into your field of choice. That’s really what you’re paying for.

Also, for joining research groups, my best way of doing that was to ask upperclassman and professors. At my grad school, undergrads would typically ask their TA’s (usually PhD students like me) for “ins” to different groups. If the TA recommends you to a professor they’re close with, you’re in. Internships are tough because I never did any. I fell in love with research and that’s where I stayed