| Yes, just for freshman I don't recommend it. There will be enough on your plate class wise, friends wise, life wise-- enjoy yourself, spend your time exploring things you're less sure about being interested in, give yourself time to settle and time to look around and different subjects and to read and to talk to people, etc. Research it's great-- my interest and experience is what got me into Brown-- but you're not going to be that far ahead of the game by going in as a freshman (even if you have experience the difference between what you can do and what you know in just one year will have a huge effect on the kind of research you'll be capable of doing on your own) rather than a sophomore and it's a huge time commitment that I wouldn't jump to so quickly. Worry about your classes, adjusting to college, challenging yourself, having a great time, taking advantage of a ton of other thigns being offered that you may not experience if your spending your time in lab. You'll have plenty of time in labs over the next 4 years and beyond. There is just too much going on, too much to do, too much worth experiencing before jumping into a lab for the sake of doing research as a freshman and even for the love of tackling a research problem. If you take a solid course load, believe me, you won't be bored. |