Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Time Whizzed By

At the end of this semester, I find myself reflecting on everything that has happened since August. I arrived at BYU for summer semester, and had a pretty good handle of what I thought college was like. But when I came into the fall semester those perceptions were erased and were in need of re-building.
The amount of new students was staggering. Not only was this the first time I had ever seen a line for the Cannon Center, but instead of 3 summer wards, there were close to 30. I was seeing faces I had never seen before and meeting new people left and right. Forgetting everybody's names became standard procedure to me, and I swear over 60% of the people I met one time, I have never seen again.
Classes were a different story. Instead of taking 7.0 credits, I was taking 14.5. I had to actually do homework, and sometimes had to consider doing homework instead of going out on a Tuesday night. Things had taken a huge turn and I seemed to be jumping on to a moving train.
Of course, I got in the groove, and now am very comfortable with my classes, schedule, and group of friends. What I am not used to however, is the fact that this could happen in such a short period of time. I have learned so much material, typed tens of thousands of words, and spent countless hours studying and taking tests. The academic learning curve is almost as steep as the social situation learning curve. Living with a bunch of boys and girls my age, two to a room, hundreds to a building, and thousands to a complex, is mind-boggling. Going to church in a classroom, living at my school's campus, and navigating a brand new city. I can't believe this year is half way over, and I can't believe my freshman year will be over in just the same amount of time since I began. And so ends one chapter, as another one begins.

Giving Thanks

Going home for Thanksgiving is something that I have been looking forward to all semester. Ever since I have been here, I have slowly come to appreciate all the things about home. Not only is the weather miles better, but I miss my friends, my parents, my cat, my favorite restaurants, and of course the beach! As I reflected on all the things I missed, I came to find that these were all the things I was thankful for. I always found it hard to count my blessings and give thanks during the season because I had a hard time discerning between blessings and things that I had brought upon myself. But when I look at it now, its obvious that everything around me is a blessing. My clothes, my bed, the opportunity to attend a University, the laptop I am typing on, the ability to type, and even access to the internet. The hymn Count Your Blessings is one of my favorites around this time of year. I wish I could count them all, but I don't think I can count that high!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Helpful Habits

There are many habits to gain while at college that can and will assist in the future:

1. Read Your Scriptures Daily- There is a lot of power in the scriptures. Reading them daily will
increase knowledge in them and help in the daily fight against
temptation.

2. Pray Often- Pray often and you will see miracles happen in your life.

3. Do Work in Advance- When work is done in advance, there will be more time to review and
revise your work.
- You will also not have to deal with points off your grade for late work.

4. Make a Daily Planner- It becomes easier to not miss things and prepare for them when a
daily planner is kept.

5. Stress Relieving Activities- College builds up stress. It is a given fact. While doing work and
studying is important, regularly participating in stress relieving
activities helps keep the mind and body healthy.

6. School Comes First- There are many different activities that can be very distracting .
- To help prepare for the future, make sure schoolwork is done before
engaging in distracting activities.

7. Healthy Eating Habits- Eating healthy foods will allow for a good inside and keep your energy
levels up to stay on top of work.
- Only eating junk food will burn you out

8. Regular Exercise- Also adds to a healthy inside and will prolong life/relieve stress.
- Can help build confidence for classes and help attract a mate