Brigham Young University-Provo Top Questions

College is a fantastic thing. Coming here, I have realized what I really want to do with my life. By keeping an open mind I learned more about myself and my long term interests that I could not discover when I was at home. I now have a purpose and a plan for my life and I am happy with my decisions. College has provided me with this chance to discover myself, and to mold my future self into whoever I want it to be. This has been a great experience for me and I hope that most people will take advantage of the opportunities available here.

BYU is a wonderful college experience. I have strong values that are encouraged here. I can have fun without drinking or doing drugs. To replace these usual college experience BYU emphasizes unique activities like llama caroling at Christmas, playing in blue foam to welcome back the football team, and many fun dances throughout the year. This is only my second year, but already I feel like I have grown spiritually, mentally, and socially. Every day is an adventure! This school emphazies church activities which lead to spiritual growth. The classes are titillating, and my apartment complex is like a giant family. I am entering the broadcast journalism major. BYU is one of the few schools that offer this specific emphasis (most colleges only offer "communications" or "journalism"). It has state of the art facilities and the staff is very open to incoming students. I love it here and I often forget how priviledged I am to be apart of this school.

I was once attending community college until I realized that college is not just about receiving a degree; it is about laying the groundwork for my future. A college education will open doors for me the rest of my life but I need to attend the schools that supply me the best education possible. When I decided to postpone my education to try and attend an arts conservatory it was so I could attend a program I believed would surround myself with students and teachers who would support my goals and facilitate my ambitions. I wish more than anything for the chance to go to a prestigious art school like MICA or SAIC because of how they challenge and educate their students. I know it is a big risk financially because as of now I do not have the money for an arts conservatory tuition but it is a risk that not only I but others like me should take to obtain their dreams while we are still young. I am willing to take a leap of faith because from my short collegiate experience I realize that no one should waste the opportunity to learn what they dream about.

So far my college experince has been filled with ups and downs. I have learned how important a college education is and how insignificant the late night movies, drama with friends, and parties truely are. College introduced me to so many different types of people and opened my eyes to the real world. College has allowed me to learn so much about myself. I've been allowed to explore many different interests and discover my true inspirations.

It has been a goal of mine to graduate college since before I can remember. However, I don't think I really understood how important accomplishing that goal would be. My college experience literally has made me who I am today. I believe there is so much more to be gained from college than academic knowledge. A major part of my college experience was figuring out who I am and what is important to me. I learned how to help others as well as accept help when needed. I learned that accomplishing something worth while takes sacrifice and commitment. I learned to take pride in my work while acknowledging and learning from my mistakes. Learned facts are important but I think the most beneficial part of college is the development of character.

College has taught me to be my own person. Despite how independent I thought I was at home, I wasn't. At BYU, 2,000 miles from home, I was forced to live by my own morals, not my parents. I had to rely on myself and not my parents. I had to feed, clothe, cook for, and regulate myself. The friends of my childhood were all back East, so I had to make a whole new group of friends. The classes were challenging beyond anything high school could offer. The professors were more demanding and less compromising than I could have imagined. My rugby coaches expected perfection, and my teammates demanded it. But because of the demands and the pressure, I became stronger as a person, as a student, and as an athlete. I've only improved because of my experience at BYU.

Diligence and the correct use of independence are two valuable and vital attributes that are necessary for achievement in the modern competitive society. Using the power from independence to be diligent to the significant things in life makes the individual invincible to any obstacle that may present itself. College life provides the opportunity to develop these two essential skills. In the slew of tests, quizzes, papers and expectations of a college student, they must be diligent in fulfilling all those requirements to be successful in their respective fields. Also, being at college allows complete independence of the student in their decisions. If the individual wants to succeed, they must use their independence to utilize the obtaining of the desired goal. By doing this, they take control of their destiny, making their future as bright as they make it be. Since the correct application of these attributes produces success in the future, it is vital to attend college where an individual will utilize, practice and strengthen these skills through the experiences there. Nothing is impossible to the college student who diligently and correctly applies their free will to causes that they deem worthy.

I have gained experience with difficulty that leads to success, hardship that leads to growth, and challenges that make me stronger. At Brigham Young University I have developed character and inner strength as much as I have gained knowledge for career. I know that I will not be just another graduate of the school, but a better member of society. College gets you ready for life because you see that if you strive and excell, you will be rewarded, but if you slack off at all then you won't receive what you hope for. By going to college, I receive all of this and good education and experience to be competetive in my field.

My college experience has taught me the value of perserverance and self-reliance. I think that attending has made me a more reliable person overall (at home and in work settings). Not only has it made me more independant, it has also afforded me the opportunity to hone my social skills and learn to interact with others in unfamiliar settings. Exposing me to varying viewpoints, college has enlightened me to issues that I would have otherwise been ignorant to. Overall, it has been a very positive and life affirming experience.

My college experience, thus far, has taught me that I should have come back to school long ago to finish my degree...exactly 20 years ago. It is so very important to just get my Associates and my Bachelors degrees under my belt for my personal growth as a person, to invest in my future to provide for my family and to have a sense of accomplishment. I need to do this for me and for my family. I have two boys to support, get through school and with my oldest just starting college... to set an example that it is so very important to stay on track and just FINISH the education I started years ago after graduating from high school. I have also realized that no matter how difficult it is to stay on track, no matter what challenges are thrown at me and, right now...there seem to be quite a few. Which is why I'm applying for every scholorship I can! I was laid off August 2009 and have not found work YET! This scholorship means finishing my degree that much sooner, because as of right now...I need all the help I can get.

I have learned how to study, cook for myself, live on my own, form close friendships with random strangers, and just how to be an all-around better person. I believe it has been valuable because I feel enlightened just being here. I have really begun making friendships here could last a lifetime, and then some, and that is the most valuable thing about attending college at BYU.

I don't know if I can accurately describe all that I have learned from my college experience. Being here has been a great blessing. I have learned to be more independent, Learned through trial and error what works and what does not, and learned to think critically and in a crunch. I think that the school I study at fostered these things and provided an enviroment that was safe for learning and that kept me from getting lost or forgotten about along the way. I wouldn't choose any other place to continue my undergraduate education.

My experience at Brigham Young University was pivotal to my intellectual and spiritual development. All of my courses were mentally stimulating and tied in, or at least attempted to tie in, religious and historical views. I loved being in close contact with the esteemed professors and the fact that there were all reachable, helpful and friendly. I've had many conversations with professors after lectures and believe that the professors are one of the best resources that Brigham Young had to offer. My experience at this university was comprehensive and in depth, socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually. I believe that BYU was and is a unique university and that any student will be enchanted with the experience. BYU is an intellectual crucible; students who've attended the university are stretched, tested and challenged, and leave the campus brighter, stronger, and with a new perspective on life.

I have learned the importance of acceptance here at BYU. While I love this school and am grateful for the opportunity to study here, more often than not I find myself feeling like an outsider compared to the other students. As a Mormon, I didn't expect to feel this way attending a prestigious Mormon school. I find that in Provo a lot of people take our religion to an extreme level. Because I watch PG-13 movies and wear skirts that show my knees, I am viewed somewhat of a radical. This has changed the way I view the outside world. I have become less judgemental of everyone I meet because I know the feeling of being judged, and it is not a pleasant one. I try to treat people with kindness and respect, the same way that I expect to be treated. Not only is this an important lesson, it's a universal and necessary lesson. It's one that could stop genocide, murder, and wars. With this lesson, I look at the big picture: it's not me wanting to be accepted by BYU. It's people wanting to be accepted by the world.

College has taught me many valuable things, but the most important thing I’ve learned since graduation is the value of true friendship. A true friend is someone who genuinely wants to spend time with you and will go out of their way to do so. If you have true friendship, the distance between your college and theirs will not harm your relationship. The people who are around just because you have that class together or just because you happen to be in the same clique, are not true friends. College has taught me that to have a friend, you must first be a friend. The girl that picks up your tab at lunch because she knows you’re between jobs, the person who will meet you at Waffle House in the middle of the night just because you need to talk, or the guy who texts you just to ask how your day went- they portray examples of what genuine friendship looks like. College is a difficult time for many young people, but less than pleasant circumstances often act as catalysts when it comes to finding true friendship.

My college experience is helping to define who I am and who I will become. By making the decision to continue my education, I am securing my future in this increasingly competitive world. I am learning skills that will transcend my chosen major. These skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and stress management will help me through out my life in and out of the classroom. I have made lifelong friends that share my values and have strengthened my beliefs. I feel like I'm part of a family that will help me achieve my professional goals and personal aspirations. Attending this university was the smartest decision of my life. It has given me the best college experience for the best price. I was blessed to be awarded scholarships each year, giving me the opportunity of study where, otherwise, I would have had none. Overall, I am extrememly pleased and grateful for this university and all I have been able to accomplish. I feel more prepared as a future career woman and more excited about what awaits me after graduation.

My college experience in the two semesters I've attended has so far been a blast. I started out this summer attending BYU and it turned out to be a great idea. I really allowed me to ease into to college life instead of having it all heaped upon me at once in the fall. I had only 8.5 hours and it really allowed me to establish good connections with the students there and make some good friendships. Now that I'm in fall having barrages of homework thrown at me every day, I realize how glad I am I went to summer and made some really good friends, because I wouldn't have met those people so easily since I have so much homework now. It has also taught me the value of money and how to use it wisely. I've always been kind of a frugal guy when it comes to my own hard-earned money, but college has just enhanced that even more. I'm applying for scholarships everywhere I can, since the university didn't give any to me, and have been working anywhere between 14-15 hours a week.

The thing that I've gotten out of my college experience is that it is extremely important for students, especially for incoming freshman, to study really hard in their classes. This university isn't for students who prefer more one-on-one time with their teachers. As long as the students pay attention in class and do their best to keep up with the homwork, they should do fairly well in school.

I feel I have gotten what is intended for college students to get out of their higher education experience and more. I have honed my communication skills, explored a wide range of subject areas, received quality training in my chosen field, and been given the tools necessary to succeed after graduation. Extracurricularly speaking, college is like high school, but better! I have been able to try so many new hobbies, make unique relationships with so many kinds of people, and experience so many new things. But even more important than these aspects – which are offered at every other decent college or university – is the development of self I have experienced at BYU. I have learned that the true value of an education is not merely to pad your own future pocketbook, but to use all your hard-earned wisdom, knowledge, and skills to serve the world at large. I have learned that people are more important than anything (money, power, fame, stuff, information) and without meaningful connections in life, all other rewards are empty. My college experience has not only increased my knowledge, but taught me how to develop the wisdom to best apply that knowledge for the greater good.

I remember my first semester at college, exiting the bookstore with arms loaded with textbooks. It hit me that, in a few months, I would know everything found in those books. I think that explains my college experience: knowledge. There is something exciting about signing up for your classes, reading your textbooks, etc. Learning is the most wonderful journey in life! I served a church mission in Budapest, Hungary and saw how schooling is only available to the wealthy. I am so blessed to be able to attend college and pursue the best life has to offer!