<p>You won’t be at a disadvantage if you don’t take perspectives on science in the long run. The difference is that most classes are taught along with a text book, meaning that you have to cover certain material (ie organic chemistry) and you may talk about some of the experiments used as key discoveries of the topic, but you won’t spend an hour and a half hearing about research that is going on right now.
also, don’t worry about being chosen. If you aren’t chosen and still want to take the class, if you go to the first meeting and talk to the professor you should be able to get in. </p>
<p>another great thing about this class is that the summer after your freshmen year you have a stipend to do research in a lab at yale. So you just have to email a professor and meet with them and [from what i’ve heard, i’m still in this process now] lab’s would love to have you (especially since they don’t need to pay you themselves). </p>
<p>there are other ways to get research over the summer (STARS for example is another freshman program at yale) but it is a good way to make it into a lab early in your studies.</p>