Start as early as possible. Ofcourse time is very appropriate, as you have full fledged 1.75yrs. Plan your studies from exam and competition point of view. all the best.
The Scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, & he delights in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, life would not be worth living. Ofcourse I do not here speak of that beauty that strikes the senses, the beauty of qualities & appearances; not that I undervalue such beauty, far from it, but it has nothing to do with science; I mean that profounder beauty which comes from the harmoniuos order of the parts, & which a pure intelligence can grasp.