for those who follow.

April 19, 2012

Dear Future FACS Student, 

I first off want to tell you that you are entering into the most wonderful major they have on campus.  This is an exciting time in your life and you are setting off on a journey that will impact your life, for the better…if you let it.  I want to tell you that you are going to have hard times and hard classes and that is not an easy journey.  But looking back, nearing the end of my schooling, I couldn’t be more grateful for the time I’ve spent here and all the incredible things I’ve learned. 

Here are a few things that I wish I would’ve learned earlier:

• You do YOUR best.  There will always be people in your classes that are smarter, study harder, and are just better students than you.  But don’t let this get you down.  It’s not about them; it’s about trying your best.  You don’t need to compare yourself to them.

• The “worst class of the major” is typically not as bad as it sounds.  Give it your all and you’ll end up loving it because this is your passion. 

• Talking about the things you learn in class is always cool – even if it means analyzing people’s clothes, talking about the way that food was made, or your opinion on the best practice to be a parent (even if you aren’t one yet). 

• Put everything that you have into your learning, but remember, that while you are here you are not only to learn about schoolwork.  This is a place to learn how to be a better person and to grow spiritually.  This is a time to learn how to love and serve other people, and sometimes that will mean putting them first before your schoolwork.  Just remember what President Monson said, “A person to be loved is more important than a problem to be solved.”  Sometimes that will be hard, but it will always be worth it. 

• Have fun, be involved, make some of the best friends of your whole life while here.  You are surrounded by AMAZING people – make them some of your closest friends. 

•  Study groups help.  A LOT. 

• Sometimes when it is the middle of midterms and you don’t see any hope and you think the semester is never going to end, just remember that you will make it through.  And one day, you will look back and be so grateful.  Look to those who have gone before you as a source of strength and remember that we are cheering for you, 100%.  You are being prepared by some of the best educators in the world. 

And when people tell you that your major is worthless and useless, know that there are others standing with you, to do everything we can to make a difference in this world. 

And YOU will make a difference.

Love and admiration, 

Ashley