<p>Hi everyone at CC,</p>
<p>I've recently committed to LU for the upcoming year. I was accepted into the Eckardt Scholars Program, but I'm not sure if I should do it. I wanted to get the opinions of anyone who has either heard about the program or is in it themselves.</p>
<p>I think I could handle the difficulty of the program. The main thing I'm considering is the Seminar that's required for the first semester. I'd love to be free of the normal distribution requirements, but a "reading/writing intensive" seminar isn't really for me either. (I'm majoring in Biochemistry -- I'm fine with English though I'd rather spend my time elsewhere).</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Should I just go with the normal route and take English 1/2 and some humanities classes, or should I go with the honors program and take the seminar? Thanks!</p>
<p>My son accepted the Eckardt program, he is a Bioengineering major and loves to read great literature and write, so it is right up his alley. The thing he really liked about it was that he is able to waive so many core classes! I recommend e mailing any questions or concerns to the Dean who sent you the letter of invitation to the program. </p>
<p>Also, there are other aspects to the program aside from the freshman seminar and significant benefits Junior and Senior year that you should take into account. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>A major theme of most seminar-type programs is the development of out-of-the-box/critical-thinking skills. Even in the hard sciences, like biochem, these skills can help transform you from just a student to a true scholar. </p>
<p>Take for example the critical-thinking skills that Barry Marshall and Robin Warren exhibited with their discovery that the Helicobacter pylori bacterium contributes to gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. There was [a</a> lot of skepticism from the scientific community](<a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1283743/]a”>23 years of the discovery of Helicobacter pylori: Is the debate over? - PMC) that any linkage existed between the bacterium and cancer. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, Marshall and Warren used their out-of-the-box thinking and went on to [win</a> the Nobel Prize](<a href=“http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2005/index.html]win”>http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2005/index.html).</p>
<p>Yes, you should absolutely do it. I’ve posted about it before and it is definitely worth it.</p>