<p>Just out of curiosity, is it possible for a freshmen to participate in a research at UCSD?</p>
<p>I got paid $13 to take part in a study.</p>
<p>i think the OP meant whether freshmen can do undergraduate research (and not just function as the guinea pig). the answer is still yes, but with caveats. remember that research labs are like little companies that place a LOT of emphasis on productivity. you presumably won’t know a lot of the background/science, so a lot of stuff won’t make sense to you. you probably won’t know a lot of the “common sense” things that come with working in a lab, so that doesn’t help them out either. of course, every new job comes with some new training, but if you know absolutely nothing, then the learning process is all that much harder.</p>
<p>i can only recall one or two people who started as freshmen. i think 6BL is the minimum prerequisite a student should have completed before even thinking about approaching professors about research opportunities. i started the summer after my sophomore year, and had done 6BL, 143AH and 143B by then.</p>
<p>It is possible. There is a class/lab called Phage Genomics Research Initiative. [<a href=“http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/phagegenomics.html][/url”>http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/phagegenomics.html][/url</a>] It is a freshman-only class and you have to apply to be accepted. I applied and got in, but had to decline because it conflicted with my scholars seminar.</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible.</p>
<p>If you are fine with doing labrat work and washing dishes for the upper classmen/grad students… sure.</p>
<p>If you’re a regents scholar, you can do regents scholar research initiative.</p>
<p>You can try this if you’re eligible</p>
<p>[Initiative</a> for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD)](<a href=“http://ogsrweb2.ucsd.edu/imsd/]Initiative”>http://ogsrweb2.ucsd.edu/imsd/)</p>
<p>You gotta apply as well but I’ve heard good things about it.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the link to IMSD! 
I want to try applying.</p>
<p>The IMSD program is only for underrepresented minorities. It’s somewhat ironic that they have programs for the extremes of the spectrum but not for the vast majorities in the middle.</p>
<p>^ Oh, I didn’t see that part. Darn, sucks being Asian sometimes. :/</p>