Thoughts on the CHP

The other day in class we discussed the CHP and whether or not the class requirements were a perq or a hindrance. Part of the discussion centered on the fact that, in general CHP classes are very interesting and cover a large range of topics, but due to limited availability can be hard to schedule around. For me this rang especially true when I registered for the CHP seminar course. With only about three to choose from, it was tricky to find a class which worked into my already busy engineering schedule and which also interested me.

Therefore, my mindset coming into this class was that it seemed to be the most interesting of the three. I don't say that as a negative, but rather as an honest assessment of the way the CHP seems to work. While students are given all of junior and senior year to fulfill the seminar requirement, it seems a bit risky to just wait until the "perfect class" comes along. (I should note that I am actually very pleased with and excited about this class, as I will discuss later, but since I have the opportunity, I will at least share some observations on the system.) Also, for students like me who are ahead of schedule, this method gives even less time to find a fitting seminar class to take.

I guess my gut feel is that, since they are given a special distinction, the seminar classes are a bit more challenging and involved than the other classes. Perhaps that it incorrect, but if it is the case, it would seem as though you would want this class to be one that you are interested in, not just one that you are taking to fulfill a requirement. I suppose the result of this is that I think it would be beneficial to the student if the CHP offered more seminar options every year, or at least gave information about the classes a semester or two in advance, so that students could make an educated decision on which one to take.

While this may be partly my fault, I feel that I don’t have a good concept for what gives a class the distinction of fulfilling the seminar requirement. This also partly affected my decision of what class to take. While I am a hard worker and am very motivated, I also didn’t want to register for a class, then find out after the fact that I was in way over my head in a class that I really didn’t enjoy, but also couldn’t easily switch out for another one. In a nutshell, I like to know what I am getting into, and while the course description for this class was very informative, I still wasn’t sure what exactly made it different from all of the other CHP classes.

That being said, I enrolled in the class “Designing for Effective Change” in a bit of a step of faith that the class would be interesting and applicable. After attending the first class session I believe that it will be both. Although it can be difficult for some people, myself included, change is something that we can’t get away from and which really is what springs us forward to newer and better things. Therefore, learning the causes behind what makes change effective and successful is very beneficial and relevant. By learning about the very roots of change I will be well prepared to handle, and maybe even initiate the change which will inevitably occur in the work place.

To summarize, I enrolled in this class because I believe it will contain inherently interesting and useful information. I also hope that this class will continue the CHP tradition of being primary being focused on learning and discussion rather than busy work and grades. I have also enjoyed the fact that my CHP classes give me a break from my core engineering classes. Basically, I have really enjoyed the small, Socratic-type setting which allows me to interact with fellow student with a wide variety of interests, but with the same motivation to learn. I hope that this class will be a continuation, and indeed a capstone to my positive CHP experience.