Throughout the undergraduate experience, students have countless opportunities to enhance classroom learning. One notable way to engage in these opportunities is by participating in undergraduate research, which offers a valuable chance to expand their knowledge and skills in their chosen fields beyond the classroom. Although conducting research can be an insightful experience, students indicate it can seem like a daunting task. To optimize students’ undergraduate research experiences, researchers at two U.S. institutions purposively interviewed 10 participants who either have participated or will participate in social science-based undergraduate research. We aimed to understand the students’ motivations, barriers, and needs surrounding undergraduate research. The use of qualitative methods allowed us to understand the complex phenomenon associated with perceptions, uncovering emergent themes and patterns related to their thoughts on undergraduate research. We audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed the semi-structured interviews for emergent themes via the constant comparative method. Interviews suggested students believe research itself is complex, dynamic, and beneficial. Students said their main motivation in pursuing research was providing a foundation for their interest in graduate school. They believed research could help them to develop a variety of skills, specifically writing and collaboration. When considering research experiences, participants said they desired to know how their efforts could be applied practically. They also said the research process, key terminology, and the scientific method should be translated into understandable terms. Participants said they needed a mentor who is personable, flexible, understanding, and shares similar interests. Based on these findings, we recommend establishing a curriculum to help students achieve their needs as described above. To minimize the daunting perceptions, instructors should serve as a mentor to the students and provide structure, collaboration, discussion, and feedback between instructors, students, and their peers to enhance the research experience. Finally, instructors should seek to connect research to practical applications.