Hehe, well it sounds like you've got good reasons. Like I said before it really depends on the dean, some just rubber stamp the application.
Also, I think I've only had about 4-5 classes in my entire college career that assign regular homework, so homework really isn't what builds up! 😛 And watch out for research, some PI's can be totally awesome, and others can be total nazis, but I find research overall to be very enjoyable, and it's great that you're getting into research so early!