Reflections from Tanya W.
I had a goal: keep moving forward in my college degree.
I also had a reality: summer was already spoken for. Travel plans, work shifts, and just enough sunshine to make sitting in a classroom feel like a missed opportunity.
At first, it felt like an either-or situation. Progress or flexibility. School or summer.
Then I found BYU Independent Study—and suddenly, it wasn’t a trade-off anymore.
Learning That Moves With You
Instead of trying to bend my life around a rigid schedule, I finally had something that bent with me. Courses were fully online and self-paced, which meant I could log in whenever I had a pocket of time:
- Waiting at the airport during a delay
- Sneaking in study time between work shifts
- Turning a quiet Saturday morning into something productive
It felt less like “going to school” and more like carrying it with me—like a backpack I could open whenever I was ready.
Not Your Typical Coursework
One of the biggest surprises? These courses didn’t feel like a slog.
Instead of endless pages of reading, I found a mix of:
- Short, engaging videos
- Practice quizzes that actually helped things stick
- Interactive elements (yes, even games) that made learning feel less like a chore
It kept my brain awake—and honestly, sometimes even curious (which is rare for summer studying).
Progress Without Pressure
There’s something different about learning when you’re not racing a clock. With the flexibility to move at my own pace, I could slow down when I needed to really understand something—and speed up when I was in the zone.
No stress about falling behind. No guilt about living life.
Just steady progress, one small window of time at a time.
The Best of Both Worlds
So yes, I still soaked up the summer—sun, travel, work, ice cream runs, all of it. But I also kept moving forward toward my degree.
And that’s the magic of it.
Whether you’re catching a breeze outside or catching a flight across the country, there’s a way to keep learning without putting your life on pause.
This summer, school didn’t compete with my plans—it fit right inside them.