Premed questions? Ask here.

celestial605
Mon, 21 May 2007 01:36:12 +0000

I agree with jwj that you probably shouldn’t try to hop into research right away, though if your heart is set on it, go for it. I got into research with no prior experience simply by emailing lots of faculty members and asking to meet with them to discuss their work. Several of them liked that I had no previous experience because it meant that they could train me from the ground up in the style of their lab and that I might stay for a long time (in contrast to a senior having experience but planning to stay in the lab for less than a year). Like jwj, I have not heard that it’s easier to get into research as a bio major, though there are a lot of research opportunities in biology-related fields (ranging from biochemistry to plant biology to genetics to brain tumors to clinical research). I actually got involved in my neurosurgery lab while I was a psychology major (I have since switched to biology).

I know many people who participate in research, including freshmen, so it’s totally doable and I feel that Stanford has many wonderful research opportunities. The UAR can help, and so can the professors of your classes.

I don’t think you’re even allowed to take the bio core as a freshman…