The last 6 months have been some of the best of my life.

Because of the ForCarol Scholarship I was able to have the unique and amazing opportunity to attend summer semester at BYU, an experience I highly recommend to all incoming freshmen to try at their schools. The money covered nearly all of my room and board expenses making my dream of attending summer semester a reality. Not only was I able to get a jump start at college, but I was able to do it in a smaller environment that made the transition from high school to college a lot less daunting.

I know most people will think I’m crazy for giving up all but 3 weeks of my summer to go to school, (I lost count of how many weird looks I got when I told people I was starting school on June 20th) but going to summer semester was the best decision I made about college, right after going to BYU of course. I’ve done more fun and crazy things in the last 6 months then I’ve done in my entire life including, mattress dominoes with all 40 something girls in my hall, swing dancing, a clown haunted house, ranked one of the scariest in the United States (it was terrifying), Milktoberfest (the Mormon way of celebrating Oktoberfest) and campus wide night games to name a few. I wouldn’t trade the memories and friends I made over summer for anything.

Now at the end of my first full semester, college is only getting better, and harder. I love all that going to a big college can bring from club nights to watching football games in a stadium packed with die hard Cougar fans. And while I may not have done as well as I had hoped academically this semester (what can I say Organic Chemistry is a monster), it’s so satisfying knowing that what I’m learning can be directly applied to what I want to do for the rest of my life.  

I know that my college experience, while different than most being at a religiously centered school, is still changing and challenging me in ways I never expected. Although I miss the small-town life of Tracy, California, mostly the warmth and lack of snow, I’m so grateful for the chance I have to expand and grow in a new and exciting place.