My BYU Experience Thus Far:

Well, before ever even coming to BYU I heard many horror stories about the rigor and intensity of classes at BYU. So, I was definitely expecting the worst, as far as difficulty of my classes and such. Since I haven't really had any tests yet or received any grades, I still don't really know how hard my classes are and how well I will succeed in each of them. On a lighter note, it has been easier to get around campus than I have anticipated. I was extremely worried about getting lost and not being able to find my way to each of my classes. Actually, it has not been that difficult and I have figured out my way better than I expected. Furthermore, aside from lots of reading assignments, I have not had too many rigorous or too challenging assignments- yet. So, I guess one could say that the classes have not been are hard as I thought they were going to be- this opinion might change after a few failing grades on tests, but as of right now, things seem do-able.

What is actually more difficult than I assumed it would be is managing my time efficiently and actually studying regularly for each of my courses. I am used to having only 4 classes in high school, so 6 college level courses, for me, is a lot to keep up with. It is hard for me to remember all of my assignments and manage my time in such a way that I can complete each of them. It is also hard for me to monitor how well I am doing in each of my classes, as I cannot just ask the teacher or take a quiz and see my results. As I result, I feel kind of "in the dark" as to how I am progressing in each of my classes. In addition, it is hard for me to be self-motivated, which is surprising to me. I used to consider myself a very self-motivated person and often times people have described me as such, but lately- I am feeling very unmotivated. Hopefully, I can improve each of these problems and work on time management. Actually, right now I am using my time wisely to do this instead of surf facebook during my two hour break between classes.

It is hard for me to decide what I would change with my BYU experience thus far, as one I am not too far into the experience and two, it has not been a bad experience at all. However, I guess I would have changed my attitude coming into school. I could have been friendlier to people and reached out more to get to know people- I know it is definitely not too late for that and I am working on that now. Furthermore, I think I could have researched more things before I got here- such as clubs, classes, and majors- so that I could have known more fully what I want to be involved in and what I want to get out of my BYU education. I think I have a better grasp on what I want now than when I got here though, so that too is improving. For the most part, I have loved my experience at BYU and I am happy for the growing experiences that being "on my own" encompasses.