College can deal students some tricky cards as they head into the game of life.

Alexi Bulloch, a senior neuroscience major, surveyed students on the critical decisions and experiences of college life and used her findings to create an interactive board game. 

She will present her research project, along with more than 80 other graduating John V. Roach Honors College students, as part of the 49th annual Honors Week. 

The week showcases the active role the Honors Program played in the lives of students, and faculty were a part of it, Lauren Nixon, coordinator of the college, said. 

This is Bulloch’s fourth year in the program, and she said she enjoyed the community the program provided as well as the facilities and classes. 

She said she worked with Lindsey Ethington, a senior psychology major, and Pamela Stuntz, a former instructor in psychology, for several hours a week since starting her research project in spring 2010 until this past summer. She said Stuntz thought of creating the game after noticing a lack of critical thinking skills in her freshmen. 

They had planned on using the game in Stuntz’s Principles of Behavior lab before she left the university and as a possible activity for Connections, an introductory program for freshmen, Bulloch said.

The one-hour game required players to balance social opportunities, she said, while still having enough “academic chips” to graduate. 

Socioeconomic factors help made up the players’ characters, while they must choose to take opportunities to lie, cheat or help other players out. The game will be left as a prototype for other students or faculty to use, Bulloch said, as she planned to go to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in the fall.  

Although only honors seniors are required to present either a creative project or written thesis, other students often come for support, Nixon said.  

Some of the other research topics would include “To Nuke or Not: Reasons States Choose Not to Develop Nuclear Weapons,” “art + happiness = hARTiness” and “The Use of Mobile Devices Within the Work Environment: A Study of Productivity.”

A schedule of all the events of Honors Week including the Honors Convocation, Honors Banquet and TCU Debate Showcase can be found on the Honor’s Program website. 

Senior Honors Presentations 

When: Monday — Wednesday

Where: Debate Chamber and Valerie Neal Living Room in Scharbauer Hall

A full list of projects can be found at https://honors.tcu.edu/honors-presentations.asp

Classes will be canceled for the Honors Convocation from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday in Ed Landreth Auditorium.

Honors Banquet

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom

TCU Debate Showcase 

When: 2 p.m. Friday

Where: Debate Chamber