University of Illinois Merit Program for Emerging Scholars

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I was wondering what this program was for? Is it for students who need help in academics/are below average or is it like an Honors Program/excelling students looking to challenge themselves. If you can tell me any more information about this program, please let me know. Thanks.</p>

<p>I asked my daughter who is just completing her Freshman year as part of the merit program for feedback and she would recommend it overall. First of all it’s not a program if you’re looking for extra help, most of the people she knew in the program were top students in high school majoring in the sciences or engineering looking to med or dent school. When you’re invited to join the merit program you can take any of the sciences and calc as part of it, so she toke her chemistry and biology classes as merit this year and while she said the biology part was more like a long discussion group (she did like the credit which was an easy A), the chemistry was “great.” You worked in small groups with a TA on problems that went beyond what you learned in class so when it came to the test you were well preprared. She said the professor that does the merit chemistry is amazing. She is actually considering switching to Chemistry after her experience. For instance she had Prof. Hummel first semester who while a great professor has exams that can be tricky, but she said with merit she never felt they were tricky and she did great in his class. The merit professor would show the exam curve and the merit kids were at the top overall. She will be taking it for organic in the Fall. So, she said to take it for Chemistry for sure (and take Hummel). I do have to tell you many of her friends in Chemistry wished they had been in merit.</p>