<p>I was just wondering if there were any recommended labs for freshmen research.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>for certain: nope. gotta do the legwork on your own!</p>
<p>(read what i posted a few days ago re: the willingness of labs to take on freshmen/non-experienced students)</p>
<p>To be honest, it just isnt a good idea. When I was a rising freshman I too was eager to start research right away but in most cases it just doesnt work. I assume you are talking about scientific research (keep in might you could work with a prof in practically any humanities or social science as well), but you stilll need to be more specific. At least let us know very generally what you want to research. Bio, chem, phys, math, eng? Theoretical or experimental? The main reason it doesnt work is that you most likely won't have the basics needed to actually help a prof/lab. I am a rising second year who is majoring in physics and at the end of spring quarter i was talking to a bunch of profs about working with them, starting in the summer, and one even said to me that I didn't know anything about physics yet, and he's pretty much right. By the way, that prof was in experimental particle physics.
Now I am doing a 199 with a prof that does theoretical astrophysics and there is no way I could do even the most basic gravitational lensing stuff without Math 20E (vector calc). I will admit that getting a lab position in bio or chem is easier than in physics because in physics there is rarely anything to wash, autoclave, etc. Math is probably even harder. </p>
<p>But knowing ucsd as I do you are probably talking about bio or possibly some chem work. For chem you would probably need 6A-C, so unless you got a 5 on the AP chem exam you just won't know enough. In some cases you could probably get away with just 6A, but i defer to astrina since she would certainly know better than me as to exactly what you might need. </p>
<p>For bio you would probably need at least 2 of the 3 bild classes and 6A-B (bild 1 requires 6A and 6B and bild 2 requires bild 1) Of course, what you have credit for already will determine when you will have taken enough courses to be able to do research. If you got a 5 on ap chem and a 4 or 5 on ap bio then you will get credit for bild 1, 2 and chem 6A-C so you could maybe work with a prof. </p>
<p>But remember freshman year is a big transition year for most people so you may not want to take on the extra responsibility just yet. And if you are think about medical/graduate school they really dont expect poeple to do any research in freshman year and it may not be that much of an advantage if you did. Of course, if in the middle of your freshman year you feel you have made the transition to college and/or have completed more of the basic courses you can always start looking; maybe at the beginning of winter or spring quarter.</p>
<p>mathtastic_nerd typed out everything i was too lazy to put into words. :)</p>
<p>i think the most important point is that you are NOT expected to jump headfirst into research this early. freshman year is really a time to play around and DISCOVER what it is that keeps you happy and motivated, and when you've got the coursework/background to start some serious research, you'll be all the more prepared for it.</p>
<p>this is just a general question, but what kind of research is done in the humanities departments (english literature, specifically)?</p>
<p>thank you astrina and math nerd.</p>
<p><em>sigh of relief</em> :D</p>