Dear New Students,
The following three paragraphes are my top 3 tips for academic success. The following topics are listed as the tips: study skills, spiritual prepareness, and being anxiously engaged in a good cause.
I recognize that each of you come with various skills and abilities and your first few semesters may be especially frightening. Study skills are my first recommendation to apply in your lifestyle here at school. They take priority over spiritual prepareness because BYUI specifies several habits that ensures success. A weblink to these skills is http://www.byui.edu/academic-support-centers/study-skills/study-tips. There is a more interactive website that I have seen, but I can’t find it at this time. The presentation of this link is not my preferred one, since it is a mainly bullet pointed list. I personally met with a study skill coach that taught them to me at the study skills center in the second floor of the library near the tutoring centers. There is a class that you can take, but I didn’t take it. A student just taught me them in several meetings in set well-organized lessons.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of life, and his atonement needs to be applied in life to be happy and successful. My bishop taught 5 principles, which he calls the “fab five,” that I would encourage you to continually ponder. The following principles are the “fab five:”
1. Praying; morning and night - Talk to him about the affections of your heart
2. Read the scriptures
3. Attend the temple - make it your North star, your guiding light, seeking to fulfill all your covenants (at least twice a month)
4. Attend all your meetings - your participation is not hypocritical, when you do.
5. Pay a full tithing
God is the Father of your spirit, and he desires your success and happiness. He has expressed his love and counsel by the mouths of many prophets; ancient and modern. I exhort you to ponder their words, developing a deep faith in them through prayer; then, act upon in. There is a stability that will be enjoyed in obedience. Ponder what is success and happiness. What does God have prepared for me? The greatest gift of God is eternal life, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is the source of direction to come unto Christ.
The attribute of being anxiously engaged in a good cause will be a greatest asset. There are so many opportunities at Brigham Young University – Idaho. I recommend that you seize as many as you see good. Being anxiously engaged entails problem solving, promptly following the spirit, and creativity.
I hope that your efforts are fruitful here. Thank you for taking your time for considering my advice.
Sincerely,
Alex Hicken
