What a Typical First Semester Looks Like

Sarah Wilde

McKay Student Ambassador

Special Education (Severe/Profound Disabilities Emphasis)

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Welcome to your first semester at BYU! It can be overwhelming to jump into something new. To help you ease into this new adventure, here are some common things to expect your first semester.

GE Classes

During your first semester, you'll want to take some general education (or GE) credits. Here are some classes people often take their first year.

Writing 150

Writing 150 is the first-year writing class at BYU and is a required class. It is a prerequisite for a lot of other classes you will take throughout your time at BYU.

American Heritage

Taking the American Heritage class is the most common way to meet the American Heritage credit (although many people choose to take a different route). American Heritage has a wrap for being a really hard class, but let me tell you a secret. They design it that way on purpose. They make it hard to scare people! They want to make sure students are serious about their education, and taking a hard class is a good way to determine which students those are. Beat their challenge, and you'll be fine for the rest of your time at BYU.

Religion Cornerstone Credit

There are 4 required religion classes: Book of Mormon, Eternal Families, Christ and His Everlasting Gospel, and the Restoration. You will need to take all these classes while you are here, so take one your first semester! Religion classes are two credits each. Pay attention to which professor teaches which section of the class when you register; you just might recognize some of their names!

Program Prerequisites

Most programs have prerequisite courses you must take before applying to their majors. These required classes should be listed on the application. For more information about the prerequisite courses for the education programs, see our blog post here!

Campus Events

Between all your classes and homework, make sure to take time for fun things! There are so many campus wide events! To check out some events to attend this year, see our Bucket List blog post. Various departments will hold events for people in their programs too. If you want to be in the know for activities in the education department, join our email list here! Participating in various events around campus will help you get to know people with similar interests and will make your time here less stressful. It's not healthy to only do your schoolwork; do something fun!

YSA Wards

While church may be a little different at college, the gospel is still the same. There aren't any children or youth in YSA wards, and your Relief Society president might be 18! Because there are so many wards around here, you might be meeting in an auditorium classroom instead of a chapel. YSA is an adjustment! However, your Sunday School class will still be on the same Come, Follow Me lesson, your Elders Quorum class will still be on the same conference talks, and the sacrament prayers are the same as they always have been. You can still find ways to serve in your wards and magnify your callings and talents, even if that looks different than it did when you lived with your parents. Over time, you will connect with others and strengthen your testimony. Put it to the test!

Starting your first semester can be terrifying, but there are so many resources on campus, people who have your back, and a host of angels supporting you! You are doing great things, and the Lord will prepare a way for you to succeed (1 Nephi 3:7). The Lord will help you with your school work, your social life, and any other thing you may be struggling with. Good luck and have fun!

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