My personal experience at BYU-I has been exception...

My personal experience at BYU-I has been exceptional. The Health Psychology program has been highly satisfying and challenging; I have grown a close professor-student relationship with a few of my teachers and I still have a year of my undergraduate program to go-I consider this possibility a great strength at this school. Several of my professors already know my name by the second day of class this semester, making me feel more comfortable in those awkward transitions into new classes. The learning model is applied by many teachers-again, be proactive and look on ratemyprofessor, ask other students in your major, and plan to join classes with the teacher whoa re spoken well about. That is a piece of advice you will hear at any University.

Spiritually, there are many opportunities at this school to find religious inspiration and to better oneself-that being said nobody has ever forced me to go to devotional, but it has often been a great experience when I have attended. Being judged my students based on religious attendance is highly relative. I did not have that experience. I enjoyed being in a ward which acted as a social network for me during school-there were numerous activities and bonding moments for me through church. My bishop tried very hard to understand individual situations and help those people with their struggles, never judging them. The temple is literally right next to my apartment building and even a non-religious person can appreciate the peace on the temple grounds and what that offers to a stressed out student.

My favorite part of this school was that I was able to explore my talents and do things that I REALLY love doing, giving me more of a diverse growth experience here. For example, I participated in swimming nearly every semester, largely improved my vocal training through choir and vocal classes I would take every now and then, and was able to pursue a Health Psychology emphasis where I could explore health science, nutrition, and personal fitness classes. I was able to join Psych Society, French club, and Volunteer Representatives; all organizations on campus that piqued my interest. I was able to enjoy the extensive outdoor activities program where I did hiking, caving, canoeing, ropes course, and countless other activities.

Location-wise, people complain all the time that there is not much to do in Rexburg-this is more a result of absolute laziness than being the truth. There are cool eating joints and shops on Main St. (You just have to ask around for which ones are best), there is a farmers market, there are city-run marathons, parades, and other activities. There are traditions like having bonfires at the Sand Dunes every weekend. There are endless possibilities in the surrounding nature-I visited Yellowstone, Star Valley, Jackson Hole, and several small trails, lakes, ponds, and pretty places-just in the last year alone. The school offers foreign film nights, a huge diversity of theatrical pieces, concerts and performances(like magic shows, even) with renowned guests, often from other countries. Honestly, there is a TON to do, and it is all the better if you're doing it with friends that you love.

I know that this is long-winded, but I could speak for hours about this place. I absolutely believe that you can make of your experience what you want here; Is this not the job a University- to give many opportunities but to leave students to customize their experience? From a research standpoint, the learning model is based upon optimized learning for our modern world, and yes, I do believe it has given me much of the tools I need to go on to the next part of my life. That goes beyond simply the intellectual, but also improved social skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills, personal spiritual growth, and a standard to live by the rest of my life-to serve and love those in my community as the mighty oak that I will hopefully have become.