<p>I want to be able to do research as soon as I get in with professors (If I end up going here in 2014). I am planning on majoring in Electrical engineering and physics. How welcoming are they to take freshmen? Is it relatively easy or is there a lot of competition. How difficult is it to get into Aresty summer science program?</p>
<p>Seriously anyone? I was planning on contacting the professors over the summer before my freshmen year.</p>
<p>Getting research as a freshman ANYWHERE is difficult. Most students would not be able to offer the skills necessary to do meaningful research without at least a year of college instruction. However, if you do offer something and find a professor who has openings, then it is definitely possible. I have personally known a few people who were doing research before they actually started freshman year and others who started in the spring of freshman year. It all comes down to constantly emailing profs, reading their research to get a good understanding of what they do, and continually trying. Rutgers is a huge university, so there are lots of research opportunities. For EE, I would look into Winlab. </p>
<p>Aresty Summer Science is an awesome program and very competitive. Once again, they are looking for students who have something special that they can bring to the table. So in general, you need to be advanced in your course work to get one of those spots. For example, there was a chemistry project this summer that you needed to have taken organic chemistry (typically a sophomore or junior level class) already to even be considered. There are only around 70 projects across the various STEM fields and about 10% of applicants get one.</p>
<p>So would you say using AP credits to advance classes such as physics and calculus is helpful to get these positions? I really want to take the classes to improve my understanding of these fundamentals. I also know C, and C++ programming. Is there anything else I can possibly offer?</p>