LANCE FRY / Scroll Illustrations

College life from freshman to senior year

by Megan Ransom RAN04008@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

College life is notorious for being carefree and somewhat irresponsible. With Mothers’ Weekend approaching, here’s the scoop of what really happens, whether the student is a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.

Shawn Blue is a 22-year- old freshman from Medford, Ore. At pretty much any other college this four-year break between high school and college may seem strange, but not at BYU-Idaho. With many guys having gone straight from high school to a mission, 21 is a socially acceptable age for a freshman.

With 12 credits Blue’s, classes are not too intense and the homework is manageable. He has also found some extracurricular things to do in his spare time. He is on the stunt team. Practicing about 10 hours a week, Blue has plenty of time for other things.

Socially speaking, he gets along great. He has already met a lot of friends on campus and is sure he will meet many more as he goes. Though there’s not much to do on the weekends, Blue can usually find something to do with his friends. Usually he just gets a big group together to do something like watch a movie or build a bonfire.

Without a job he has a lot more time to hang out with his friends or study. Though he may get a part-time job this summer, he usually just works for four months, up in Alaska, doing construction for his father. He saves up everything he earns during those four months to sustain him though the rest of the year.

Moving up in the world to sophomore status, Savanna Seaman from Twin Falls, Idaho, has become a busy person. Every day from about 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., Semean can be found in a variety of places on campus. As a music major she is required to practice at least 12 hours a week on her violin. To add to her busy schedule Seaman also has a job on campus.

Seaman finds some free time on her weekends though, only having to teach violin for about an hour on Saturday leaves her time to complete any other homework and find something to do. Rexburg has its limited entertainment, so Seaman isn’t too picky about what exactly she’s doing as long as it’s not homework.

“Take advantage of all the opportunities here, especially the spiritual ones. There are so many spiritual opportunities here, it’s easy to take them for granted, but I’d say they’ve been a great influence,” Seaman said.

Though Sunday is usually a day of rest, Seaman’s calling as Relief Society president for the 35th Ward takes up a lot of her day of rest. Though she doesn’t complain about her calling, it is obviously a lot of responsibility.

Somewhere in-between ready-to-graduate and underclassmen, there’s a junior. Shelly, Idaho, is the home of junior Randi Blake. Claiming this to be the hardest semester as of yet, Blake doesn’t feel too bad that she doesn’t have a steady job. She does however coach volleyball teams and camps when she has the opportunity.

Though Blue thinks Rexburg is boring with absolutely nothing to do, Blake has a different perspective.

“I like that it makes you be creative, but it’s not like you have time to do a lot anyways,” Blake said.

For the most part BYU-I students are friendly. It’s a common occurrence on campus for complete strangers to say “hello” as if they were the best of friends. Though this is shocking to most students, as well as to Blake at first, she doesn’t even notice it anymore. Because she now knows so many people it’s much easier to make friends than when she was a freshman. It’s more convenient to meet people through friends.

Announcing for Comic Frenzy is not the only way Grant Todd, a senior from Redding, Calif., uses his voice; he is also a singer for Vocal Union. Active in his extracurricular activities, Todd enjoys BYU-I to a great extent.

“When I tell people I’m a senior they usually say ‘Wow that’s pretty cool you’re almost graduated’ and most people would think that it’s great, but it just reminds me that I’m leaving and that I have to grow up,” Todd said.

When Todd was a freshman, Rexburg was a shock to him. He got here in the winter with no car and became extremely homesick. A few years and majors later, Grant is not ready to leave. He is not ready for the expected culture shock, nor is he married.

“The odds are probably a little better up here than most anywhere else for finding the right girl, but then again it only takes one,” Todd said.

Todd managed his schedule so that his last semester here would be nice and easy. With about 13-and-a-half credits Todd’s goal was just to have fun and relax his last semester.

“The best way to make friends and make the ‘BYU-I experience’ a good one is to just get involved,” Todd said. There are many ways and great resources that cater to most anyone’s interests. Students are able to be completely in charge of events with only a little help from the instructors.

“The BYU-Idaho resources are incredible. They provide opportunities for people to grow; they provide experience. You can’t find that anywhere else,” Todd said.

These students have found a way to survive college and will most likely succeed in the business world as well. Though Rexburg isn’t the liveliest town in the world, these students are able to entertain themselves in it. College can be fun and rewarding if it is given a chance.