Integrative Biology Merit Program
The Merit Program for Emerging Scholars is a challenging program for high-achieving undergraduate students with high potential who are planning careers in science. We especially encourage the participation of students who are ethnic minorities, women, or students from small high schools, all of whom tend to be underrepresented in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering. You should think about applying for the program if you are interested in biology, even if you are undecided about your major. You can learn more about the Merit Program on the main Merit web page.
In IB, the Program centers around small group sessions where students work together on challenging problems. Class problems are based on the same material covered in the lectures. They focus heavily on problem solving and are designed to stretch your abilities to the fullest. The group activities and the selected problems introduce both concepts and academic practices that will be important in IB 150 and later in future classes and career settings. Merit students also spend time learning how to reason through conceptual multiple choice exam questions. Furthermore, students in Merit have a lot of fun in discussion while learning biology (yes, it is possible). Merit students also establish strong positive relationships with their Merit peers.
Some Benefits of Merit participation:
- All merit activities are designed to give you practice solving conceptual problems and exam questions based on lecture topics. Because IB 150 is a very conceptual course that requires students to have excellent analytical skills to reason through the questions, this approach will help you not only throughout this course but in future courses as well.
- You enroll in and receive a separate course grade for IB 199 for the extra time you spend in class. This credit counts as an elective towards your graduation hour requirement for an LAS degree. This usually helps your GPA because you will receive additional academic credit for your study efforts and because your IB 199 grade is based on participation.
- There is a 40 student to 1 TA ratio compared to 60 to 1 if you enroll in a regular discussion section. The Merit TAs are selected because they are excellent instructors, so you will have a great TA to help you in and out of class.
- IB 150 Merit sections may help you prepare for admission into the highly competitive IB Honors Concentration. Several Merit students from recent classes were accepted into this option.
To learn more about what to expect in the merit workshops in different classes (IB 150, IB IB 202, IB 203, or IB 204), please follow this link.
If you are interested in registering for Merit in one of these classes, please contact Tracey Hickox, IB Merit Director as soon as possible. You must have her approval before you can register.
Tracey Hickox
| Phone: | 265-8073 (on-campus) 265-8073 (off-campus) |
| Email: | hickox@life.illinois.edu |
IB 150 - You will need to sign up for lecture, one workshop (your choice) and IB 199 MRT. ***IB 150 Workshop replaces the regular IB 150 discussion:
Integrative Biology Merit Program Schedule-Spring 2010
IB 150 -You will need to sign up for lecture, one workshop (your choice) and IB 199 MRT. ***IB 150 Workshop replaces the regular IB 150 discussion.
| CRN | Course | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34480 | IB 150 Lecture-AL1 | MWF 10-10:50 | Smith Memorial Hall-RM 114 |
| 34621 | IB 150 Merit Workshop-AD2 | MW 3-4:50 | 306 NHB |
| 43445 | IB 150 Merit Workshop-AD3 | TR 1-2:50 | 306 NHB |
| 48175 | IB 150 Merit Workshop-AD4 | TR 3-4:50 | 306 NHB |
| 40244 | IB 199 MRT | Extra course credit for participating in Merit workshop. Time is not listed because the time is included in your IB 150 workshop choice above. | 306 NHB |
IB 202 Merit Workshop
| CRN | Course | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50019 | IB 199 Merit Workshop for IB 202-Anatomy and Physiology | R 3-4:50 | 304 NHB |
If you would like to enroll in IB Merit or if you have any questions please contact:
Tracey Hickox
Merit Program Director
School of Integrative Biology
303 Natural History Building
217-265-8073
hickox@life.illinois.edu