Brigham Young University-Provo Top Questions

What my experience over the last year and a half has taught me is that I have the ability to take who I am, and where I came from, and decide what to do with that person. I can take the good, improve upon it, develop new strengths, and discard the things that hold me back from being and doing what I know I'm capable of. I can acheive excellence if I have the courage to do so. I've also learned that people are good, and surrounding yourself with those very good people allows you to know yourself better and create who you want to be. And, I've learned humility - and that our greatest strength and progress comes when we focus on being a learner, rather than pretending we know anything. My goal is to be always learning.

We had a forum with Condoleezza Rice a couple of weeks ago where she said that we "are fortunate that you are in a place here at Brigham Young University that believes that faith and reason go together, that does not see your intellect and your faith as enemies of each other, but sees them as integrally related in what you are." My faith and my beliefs are inseparable from each other, so studying here allows me to amplify my knowledge in areas both spiritual and secular. It's good to be at a place where I am not surrounded by alcohol or drugs, a place where I can do what I came here for, learn, and have fun and make long-lasting friendships in a good, safe environment.

I think the better questions is what have I not gotten out of my college experience? I have not only gained knowledge while attending school, but I have made life-long friends, gained valuable life experience, and become a more independent and vibrant person. I have realized that I have potential and that with a little hard work and ambition, I can accomplish anything. I don't know where I would be without having attended college and I have an increase of self-worth because I know that I am of worth. I am not just a little girl that doesn't know anything anymore, but I am a smart, talented, and important woman. I am also happier because I have hope for the future. I am not going to be bound down by ignorance, but I will reach my potential with wisdom. I can also better help those around me with service. What a great thing colleges provide for students!

I have learned a lot in all my classes and met a bunch of great new people, as well as experiencing life without my family.

I have made a lot of new friends here at BYU. I've taken fun classes that hold my interest, and also some really hard ones, but that's understandable Being away from home I've learned the value of having my family near by when I was in High School. It has been valuable to attend BYU because there is the religous atmosphere that at times can be helpful. There is no swearing and modest dress. It takes away from a lot of distractions and it helps me concentrate on school work. I think it is a blessing to be able to go to BYU at such a low tuition.

I have made some truly inspiring and unforgettable friends here and have found an environment where I can explore everything I love about the arts without having my moral standards challenged on every side. I love being in an environment where people laugh long and hard without relying on substances to provide the party.

My college experience was the springborad for professional development for the rest of my life. I was able to leve BYU straight for the University of Oxford in England to read for a Masters, and I feel that I could have never had the oportunity without the careful and organized academic develpoment I received at BYU.

I have gotten hands on training during my college experience and it have taught me what to expext in the future and in my career.

The first and most important facet I've gained at college thus far is an increased knowledge. I am only in my third semester but I have learned so much in my GE classes and also in my major classes. I learn a lot more than I ever did in high school. That is the reason I am in college is to gain a higher education so I am pleased that I am accomplishing that. Secondly I am gaining a lot of experience in the Illustration field. I am not yet working in the field yet but I am given many opportunities that are preparing me for the Illustration Industry. Next I have made lifelong friends here at BYU that have made my college so much fun. I also have gained a stronger testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have become more independent living out on my own. I am beginning to know exactly the direction I want to take in my career as I'm getting farther into my program. BYU has been a great transition for me from high school to knowing what I want to do with my education and career.

I have learned so much from college so far. I'm only in my second semester and already I feel light-years ahead of where I was when I graduated from high school. I find myself talking with my friends and making an analogy to the chemical bonds in a covalently bonded molecule, or comparing the nature of the life as we see it to the Himba tribe in Africa. Not that these things are what makes a college education valuable--it's the chemical bonds we make with our classmates, professors, and texts, and the nature of life experiences we have as we grow up away from home. It's discovering who we are in this world--how our experienced past pushes us, and limitless future pulls us. Every class, lecture, and lab gives me another piece to the ever-expanding jigsaw puzzle that is my life. Living with no parents here to hold my hand has truly taught me to live. College has taught me how to solve a problem on my own--but also taught me that parents aren't the losers I once thought they were. They actually know quite a lot!