<p>I'm an incoming sophomore and plan on going to a top 10 mechanical engineering graduate school. Is sophomore year too early to look for research/internships? I haven't learned much my freshman year that I can see benefiting research/internships. The only classes I would consider useful were differential equations and physics. Also what is the difference between research and internships? Does internships include research? Can you do research with professors? If my go is to go to a top 10 should I start now?</p>
<p>Yes, you should be looking for research and internships (especially if you want to go for a PhD). The most common route to get research experience is by working with a professor at your school. You can also do research at other schools through REUs, then there is also industrial research in the R&D arm of a company. An internship can include research, but it generally doesn’t. When you first start doing research you generally don’t make large intellectual contributions to the projects, so lack of classwork and background doesn’t make a big difference. As you get more experience and learn more through coursework and also through doing research itself you may be able to become more independent in your research.</p>
<p>Alright thanks. I can’t do research at other schools because I’d have to travel 2 hours there and back. And how do I get involved with research with professors? I emailed one, but he didn’t reply. Should I talk to them in person? Should I only talk to professors that are professors for my incoming classes or maybe future professors too?</p>