If you are an undergraduate student that is interested in conducting research at your university, there is no right or wrong time for you to get started! The most important thing is that, if you decide to get involved in research during a given quarter/semester, that you are still able to balance your academics and not compromise your overall well-being. Working in a lab is a big commitment: Most labs will ask you to work for at least 10 hours/week and a protocol could require you to come into the lab anywhere from 2-5 days of the week. If you work with cells or animals, you may even need to come in multiple times in one day to feed or treat them, or come in over the weekend! A great lab will understand that being a student comes first and aim to give you a reasonable workload, but other labs might ask you to make personal sacrifices for their research. While that is a topic for another post, I bring this all up to say that you should carefully consider whether you actually have the time and energy to commit to a lab during a given school year. Some labs may be able to accommodate decreased hours, but the flip-side is that you might not have enough time to take ownership of an experiment and see a particular protocol the whole way through.
One misconception is that, as a freshman, you are unqualified to conduct research because you haven’t taken many, or possibly any, classes yet. Certainly, having classes under your belt with a solid GPA will help, but scientific curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn will take you much farther! For me, I started cold emailing labs in March of my freshman year, and ended up with several labs that were happy to take me on. One benefit of starting earlier is that, with more time in the lab, you may be able to progress further in a project and get more opportunities to present your work. Another is that, in the case that you discover research isn’t for you, you will have more time to pivot to something else. Ultimately, there is no harm in trying—if a lab turns you away, citing their preference for sophomores or juniors, you can always reach out to them again later!
Finally, I want to debunk the myth that if you are a senior or recent college graduate, then it is too late for you to get into research entirely. Yes, it may be too late to go through the same progression that an undergraduate with years of research experience may take, but it is never too late for you to volunteer in a lab or apply for research technician positions to obtain research experience and eventually do the same!
Aspiring PhD 