If you want to be level 3 when you pick up the companions, AND still see the henchmen's dialogue for the various quests and story checks, it's possible, but requires careful planning (and a bit of luck).
It's good to know I'm not the only one trying to navigate that particularly annoying dance. Between wanting my companions to be my level and wanting them to join my group before I do any quests/events that will cause me to miss out on their commentary, the first hour in Cyseal feels more like a job to get the game in a "ready to be played" state than actual fun.
I wish the developers would just lower the companions level down to 2 (since they scale up to match your level, but not down).
