NATALIE CHURCH / Sroll
Colton Rodgers, a freshman from Kent, Wash., is one of many new students figuring out life at BYU-Idaho.

New students adjust to college life at BYU-I

Jamie Moon MOO05002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Around almost every corner, up every hill, in almost every building, new students can easily be differentiated from returning students. Some are confused, some are lost, but still the anticipation on campus is high.

“I love it up here. The spirit is so friendly and welcoming,” said Morgan Pedersen, a freshman from Winnemucca, Nev. “You feel so intimidated when you first walk onto campus ... but then people talk to you and are friendly, and suddenly you feel at home!”

Being on campus as a new freshman can be intimidating, but not as daunting as it may seem. There are many activities happening on campus to help new freshman become oriented.

“The social board invites students to come and participate. It introduces students to campus, as well as to other students,” said Emerson Jackson, social board director and a junior from Kennesaw, Ga.

Some freshmen say that college is nothing like what they were expecting.

“I actually thought that college would be harder. It is still pretty hard, but not like what I thought it would be,” said Kathryn Redd, a new freshman from Logan, Utah.

“The campus was really nice and people were really helpful. I was really nervous, but because people were really helpful it made it more relaxing,” Redd said.

This campus is more than just an academic classroom. Many experiences are available at BYU-I that are not available anywhere else.

Elder Henry B. Eyring said in a Sept. 2001 devotional that one of the greatest opportunities offered to students is that they are given a chance for academic education, but also the chance to get a spiritual education.

Faculty members are given the choice to start their classes with a prayer, thus inviting the Spirit to be present in the classroom. This is a new experience for most new freshmen, having come from public schools where the mention of a supreme being was not allowed.

Starting out with a prayer “created a good atmosphere. It reassured me that they are more than just teachers, and that you can turn to them for other things too,” said Shannon Christensen, a freshman from Lancaster, Calif.

“I thought it was awesome. It got you in the mood to actually listen. It was very different from high school,” said Michelle Hansen, a freshman from Clearfield, Utah.

So how are many new students feeling? “It is a good experience so far. BYU-I is a great place to start out college life,” Redd said.