By Doug Kaufman
Freshman males at BYU are taught that reading 'Preach My Gospel,' the scriptures and attending a missionary-preparation class will prepare them to be missionaries, but many fail to practice other simple habits.
Some faculty members are concerned with the habits freshman males form and how those habits filter into their missionary experience.
Bryce Bunting, new student coordinator, said, 'If you mess around your first year, chances are you could run into some problems both on the mission and when you return to school.'
Bunting said many freshman males fail to see the relationship between studying and social habits in their first academic year and mission discipline.
'A lot of these freshmen have the mindset to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we go on a mission,' said Steve Turley, associate dean in undergraduate education for freshmen 'One thing that needs to be learned is setting your own schedule.'
Many committees, classes and activities are built around helping these freshmen avoid the pitfalls that can inhibit their missionary progress.
Robbie Wilkins, an Economics major, considers himself a victim to these pitfalls.
'I was on my own for the first time and I made a lot of friends so my only objective was entertainment,' Wilkins said. 'I wish I took more advantage of BYU''s resources so that the beginning of my mission would not have been a constant struggle to discipline myself to study and buckle down.'
Brad Wilcox, author of 'Raising Ourselves to the Bar,' and second counselor of the BYU 4th Stake presidency said playing video games too much can be a problem.
'Excessive video games are justified with the thought that it improves hand-eye coordination,' Wilcox said. 'I''m more interested in hand-eye coordination that consists of shaking hands and looking people in the eye. You can''t do that playing video games,' Wilcox said. 'Freshmen seem unmotivated to develop people skills.'
Russ Osguthorpe, area authority, missionary prep instructor and recently returned mission president from South Dakota, expressed similar sentiments.
'Excessive iPods, texting and cell phones insulates us from people we don''t know,' Osguthorpe said.
Osguthorpe recently conducted a class survey, and found that 90 percent of his students said the most important activity to socially prepare them for the mission is increasing the number of conversations they initiate.
Getting Ready
Faculty developed a checklist for how freshmen males can better prepare for their missions. The top 10 are:
1. Initiate communication with people. Limit the time iPods and cell phones consume interaction time.
2. Do not go home or travel every weekend. This will allow a freshman to magnify his call in the student ward.
3. Actually do home teaching.
4. Get eight hours of sleep.
5. Turn off the TV.
6. Take advantage of forums.
7. Make a schedule and stick with it.
8. Do the class reading. Do not coast.
9. Accompany the missionaries on appointments.
10. Introduce yourself to one new person a day.