<p>I'm currently a sophomore at Duke, looking to go to graduate school in Organic Chemistry immediately out of college. I'm not looking to go to a top program or anything...just a small, quality program with good advising/professors and a strong department. </p>
<p>My question is, as a second semester sophomore I haven't currently started researching. I'm dying to, but because I came into school with NO science AP credit, I'm stuck taking intro courses in every subject with 3 hour labs, so it's been hard to find an accomodating lab position. I also dance, so there's 6 hours out of my week as well. </p>
<p>How much of a disadvantage would I be at if I did not start researching until my junior year/perhaps this summer? It's just been a very frustrating few weeks because I can't seem to find any big chunks of time to get work in.</p>
<p>Well, it's obviously better to start research earlier, but it's not unusual for students to start work in a lab during the summer after sophomore year.</p>
<p>Particularly if you're not shooting for a top program, starting this summer should be absolutely fine.</p>
<p>I didn't start research until my senior year, but you'll find a range at any school. </p>
<p>I'm taking inorgo this semester towards my PhD minor in chemistry. The professor had everyone tell him about their background. There were 4 graduate students in the class (including myself) and one of them was a chemistry grad student in the inorgo group! I don't know if he has research experience in inorgo, but he obviously hasn't taken the upper-level undergrad course in it and I'm at no slouch of a graduate school for chemistry!</p>
<p>It's required in my department to have 10 graduate-level credits (3.0+) in another department. No separate application except having to get the department's approval (which I haven't gotten officially yet, but it normally isn't an issue). I'm kinda worried about it, as I haven't taken a pure chemistry class in 5 years (have only taken gen chem and a few generic geochemistry classes) and have lots of undergrad chem majors in it...</p>
<p>alright, well that's good to know because I barely have time to breathe now. I just realize I'm going to have to sacrifice alot of the dance once I get to graduate school, so I want to keep up with that now because it keeps me sane.</p>
<p>I definitely hope to be in a lab pretty consistently once next fall starts up, and there's a summer program I'm really interested in at a school I'm looking at, so along those lines pre-senior year summer hopefully I can line something like that up...an NSF/REU sort of deal. That's the plan for now:)</p>