<p>Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Berkeley, etc. are all about equal in science and engineering.</p>
<p>Starting research as a freshman is not difficult. Just pluck up the courage to ask a prof - they won’t bite, and they’re usually really nice. Some professors will want you to get more background before starting; others are willing to do on-the-fly mentorship while you do research. You’re ready to do research once you get past the intro classes for the various subfields (i.e. once you get past the intro classes and some of the more specific intro classes that focus on a specific subfield; you should be able to do this freshman year) - by that point, you can study specific topics on your own and hone in on a research project.</p>
<p>Like you, I knew I wanted to do research freshman year, and I started winter quarter (it’s better to go easy autumn quarter as you adjust to Stanford and college life). You can “shop around” and ask different professors, go to the meetings for professors’ research groups, talk to people who run the various research centers/institutes/labs, etc. If the professor wants you to get more background before he/she takes you on for research, ask the postdocs/researchers/grad students (if the prof doesn’t direct you to them already) - they’re usually more than willing to have an extra set of hands, and if you prove yourself to them, you’ll find yourself working directly with the prof much faster.</p>
<p>As for funding, yes Stanford funds undergraduate research separately. Stanford hands out more in undergraduate research grants than any other university, and the typical research grant is $6,000 either for summer research (and such positions are plentiful) or for research during the year. There are also smaller grants available, as well as grants for field projects, study abroad, public service, arts projects, and a lot more.</p>
<p>[Student</a> Grants for Research and Creative Projects | Undergraduate Academic Life](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_Grants.html]Student”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_Grants.html)
[Other</a> Research Funding | Undergraduate Academic Life](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_ResearchOtherFunding.html]Other”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_ResearchOtherFunding.html)
[Research</a> Opportunities | Undergraduate Academic Life](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_ResearchOpportunities.html]Research”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_research_opps_ResearchOpportunities.html)</p>