<p>Question: Does Caltech allow freshman to do research immediately after matriculation? If so, will the adjustment and rigor of first year schedule make it impractical? How about paid research as a freshman? The area of interest is biology/genetics.</p>
<p>Yes, Yes, Difficult because freshmen have little time and usually little skill.</p>
<p>Does the pass/fail system for the first two quarters give freshmen some slack for research work? If freshmen don’t have time, when do undergrads start to do research on average?</p>
<p>P/F system is so that the frosh can adjust to the MASSIVE increase in workload and difficulty from high school (or so I’ve been told), not so that frosh can do research. I suppose if a frosh wants to do research they should apply for a SURF and do the work in the summer between frosh and sophomore years.</p>
<p>TYIL has the right idea. </p>
<p>Undergrads can feasibly start researching the summer after freshman year, but I have no idea when an “average” start time is.</p>