On Thursday and Friday, April 27th and 28th, BYU graduates shared words of advice to underclassmen as they attended their graduation ceremonies across campus.
According to Jaycee Jensen, a BYU student who graduated in music education, focusing on alleviating stress is an important part of navigating college life.
'Find something fun that you love to do like an extracurricular activity like choir or dance or bowling because that will help you relieve stress while you worry about other things,' Jensen said.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, participating in extracurricular activities builds teamwork, communication, relationships and a sense of belonging, all of which help students to develop socially and be successful in school.
Building relationships, especially with professors, is also an important part of the college experience according to Alexa Nguyen, a Theater and Media Arts graduate.
'Establish a really good relationship with your professors because they will continue to be your mentors after graduation, and they will connect you with alumni as well and that will help you have a better transition post-graduation,' Nguyen said.
Ethan Chan, an exercise and wellness graduate, believes the most important part of the college experiences is building personal relationships and taking care of your mental health.
'Take care of yourself mentally so you don’t burn out. Take breaks and don’t push yourself to the point where you are broken. Try to do something fun every week,' Chan said.
BYU offers lots of different activities each week that can help students take a break from the stress of school. Sports events, club activities and campus devotionals can all be found on the BYU events calendar.
According to Connor Nicholas, a music education graduate, learning to step back and take time out of your busy life is also an important part of getting through BYU.
'Learn to take time for yourself. It’s really easy to get caught up in the busyness of school and try to do everything you need to do but learn to take time for yourself and do something fun,' Nicholas said.
Hannah MIller, a elementary education graduate, believes that being a part of the BYU community is an important part of the college experience because it creates strong bonds that shape your experience at BYU.
'I think that one of the best things about BYU is the sense of community. I love going to sports games where everyone is cheering for the same cause. You start as strangers but by the end of the games you start to develop these friendships,' Miller said.
According to Miller, the college experience is unique to each student.
'Your college experience is what you make it. I realized that I couldn’t always stress about grades and instead I had to find the fun in my college experience. It’s all about balance,' Miller said.