What Is a Ripple in the Pond?

So you’re excited to start your first year at Grand Canyon University, and whether you’re a transferring university student or a fresh high school graduate, you are full of excitement and apprehension. Your stack of college dorm essentials has grown to engulf half of your room and you somehow already have four free GCU shirts in your closet. Your friends start ecstatically talking about their classes and their fields of studies are. Curious yourself, you go to the GCU app and see your fall schedule… but what in the world is UNV-106HN?

A Ripple in the Pond – the Honors College equivalent of University Success. It’s a course designed to equip students with the skills they need to adapt to the college setting and be successful at GCU. Core topics include ethics, beliefs and philosophy. Okay, that seems like common sense, right? So why is this class necessary?

The skills you gain in this class go beyond the classroom and the content is geared towards application in the real world. The professors ask tough questions and make you think a little deeper about your worldviews. Are the conflicts we experience – whether political, social, familial or relational – truly black and white? This class focuses on issues we face daily and pushes us to consider other peoples’ viewpoints as well. It's the perfect way to help young students begin to think deeper about ethical ideas, morality and individuality as they try to grasp the changes they are experiencing.

One pivotal point in the course was the Ethical Position paper and presentation we completed as groups. It's great to get out of the routine of sitting in lectures to get into teams with your fellow honors students (be nice, you’ll probably be seeing them more than once on your journey here at GCU!) and really discuss hot-topic issues from different points of view.

So remember: this class is important, but not scary! Don’t worry, this is a fun and hands-on learning environment that can help you develop more confidence in your new independence and ability to reason. So finish stressing about how to match your decorations perfectly in your dorm, put on that bright purple GCU t-shirt and get excited about your first year at Grand Canyon University!

To learn more about how you can join a community of likeminded honors students in making change in the world, visit our website or click the Request More Information button on this page.