Life at BYU Skip to main content
International Student and Scholar Services

Life at BYU

Clubs at BYU

Get involved with other students on campus and meet people with your same interests or... learn something new!

BYU Events

From devotionals to sports events... take advantage of BYU activities and events offered!

Downtown Provo

Become familiar with local restaurants and activities in Provo! Get started with this Instagram page.

BYU Intramurals

Have a favorite sport? Want to play with friends or solo? BYU Intramurals is a great place to start!

Y Serve

Y Serve helps students get involved with learning and providing service to the community.

AND MORE!

Check out BYU's Campus Life page for even more ways to get to know BYU campus and other helpful information.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=

Helpful Information

  • Generalizations of American Culture

    Even though Americans come from diverse backgrounds, they share some basic beliefs which characterize our culture. Knowing of these basic beliefs can be very helpful as you live and interact with Americans at BYU. Keep in mind that these are generalizations and may or may not fit the circumstances or people that you encounter. The following information is an adaptation of appendix 5 of NAFSA's International Student Handbook: A guide to University Study in the U.S.A. published by AT&T™.

    • Individualism And Privacy — Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Americans is their devotion to individualism. It is important to be "your own person" and to stick up for your rights. Additionally, people highly value their privacy.
    • Equality — This American ideal is stated in our Declaration of Independence, "all men are created equal." America is known as the "land of opportunity." No matter what your position, with hard work and luck, you may rise to any height.
    • Informality — The idea of equality leads Americans to be fairly informal in their behavior and in their relationships with others.
    • The Future, Change and Progress — While history and traditions are respected, Americans believe that people can control their future, even their world, and make them both better through initiative and enterprise.
    • Time — You may hear the expression "time is money." Americans view time, as a limited resource to be saved or spent for useful purpose. Americans may get impatient with lines that move slowly in supermarkets, banks, etc. Americans will usually be on time for meetings and engagements and will keep a schedule of their activities and expect others to do the same. You should arrive exactly on time for meals and appointments with professors, doctors, and other professionals.
    • Achievement, Action, Work And Materialism — Americans are typically value accomplishing something that can be measured. Doing something is very important; even in leisure pursuits, Americans are very active.
    • Directness And Assertiveness — Americans generally consider it important to be very frank and direct in their dealings with others. It is thought not necessary to disguise their feelings; even if their words are not open, facial expressions may be revealing. Being honest is often seen to be more important than preserving harmony in interpersonal relationships.

  • At BYU you should expect to...

    • work very hard to complete your assignments and learn the required material
    • spend large amounts of time in the library studying
    • have frequent quizzes and tests
    • ask many, many questions in order to become familiar with your new surroundings and to learn your study material—asking questions is something "cool" and necessary
    • hear frequent references to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints both in and out of the classroom
    • experience very informal relationships between students and professors
    • find that Americans' ideas of friendship are different from your own
    • some Americans may be poorly informed about your country and are likely to ask you some silly questions about it
    • have some problems becoming accustomed to local food
    • be excited in your new surroundings initially but within weeks feel some homesickness and a sense of disconnect even to the point of wanting to return home—this will usually pass and things will get better

    If you have never before studied in the United States, expect to be surprised. Your images about life in the U.S. and BYU are most likely different.

  • Much of your experience here will depend upon your attitude. If you have never before studied in the United States, expect to be surprised. Your images about life in the U.S. and BYU are inevitably incomplete and likely distorted by the media.

    • Monitor your attitude and keep your outlook positive
    • Do not hesitate to ask questions and seek assistance when ever you feel a need

    Explore-get familiar with your new environment.

    Pay attention to how people interact.

    • How do they greet each other?
    • How do respond in a classroom setting with the professor and each other?
    • What are the general topics of conversation between friends?

    Be slow to judge between how things are here to how they are at home.

    • It is expected that many things will be different; different is not bad or good.
    • Talk to people about what you observe to gain a better understanding of what you see.

    Get Involved

  • No matter what type of assistance you need, BYU offers a lot of resources to students!

  • Once you and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident consider marriage, your immigration status for the purposes of leaving and entering the United States changes. You are no longer considered an F-1 non-immigrant but a prospective immigrant.

    After marriage, you must apply to adjust your status to permanent residency through USCIS to receive the benefits of residency which allow you to live and work in the U.S. while retaining citizenship in your home country. Link to government site explaining permanent residency through a family member--your spouse.

    • Requirements
      • The marriage must:
        • not have been entered into for the sole purpose of conferring permanent residence status on the alien,
        • be legally binding when performed and
        • be currently in effect.
    • Application Procedure
      • Obtain the required forms and documents as listed by USCIS on their Website at https://www.uscis.gov, click on “Green Card (Permanent Residence)”–center left menu, click on “Green Card Through Family, follow the link on the upper right for “Green Card Based Forms.” Currently the forms are:
        • I-130 Petition for Alien Relative $355,
        • I-131 Application for Travel Document (optional),
        • G-325A Biographic Information (one for you and for your spouse),
        • I-485 Adjustment of Status Application $1,010,
        • I-693 Medical Examination form (call 1-800-375-5283 for current list of doctors),
        • I-765 Application for Employment Authorization (optional),
        • I-864 Affidavit of Support–include copy of latest IRS form 1040 and copy of previous year’s W-2
      • For answers to questions or concerns, you should consult directly with USCIS officers (appointments made through the InfoPass Website, https://infopass.uscis.gov) or with an attorney knowledgeable in immigration law since the application process involves your immigrant status and International Services works with non-immigrant status.
      • Obtain checks or money orders for the $355 and $1,010 application fees
      • Obtain passport style photos as directed.

      • Mail your application in the order specified on the USCIS website to:

        • If sent through U.S. Postal Service:
          U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
          P.O. Box 805887
          Chicago, IL 60680-4120

        • If sent through non-U.S. Postal Service courier:

          U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
          Attn: FBASI
          131 South Dearborn – 3rd Floor
          Chicago, IL 60603-5520

      • Processing may take up to 14 months and involves interviews and providing biometrics. During this time you may work and travel outside the U.S. only if you have applied for and received the appropriate work and travel authorizations. These take approximately three months to process. note: During this time you become ineligible for non-immigrant (F-1) benefits like re-entry into the U.S. with a Form I-20 after a temporary absence from the country.
      • You are officially designated as a conditional permanent resident when a designating stamp is placed in your passport. Conditional permanent residency extends for two years.
      • Within 90 days before the two-year anniversary of being granted conditional residency, you must apply to have the conditions removed and to become a permanent legal resident; otherwise, your residency is automatically terminated. Legal permanent residency is granted for ten years and may be renewed multiple times. After a minimum of three years of legal permanent residency, you may apply to become a U.S. citizen. This process is called naturalization.

    NOTE: IT IS ILLEGAL TO LEAVE THE UNITED STATES AND RE-ENTER ON YOUR STUDENT VISA IF AT ANY TIME DURING YOUR STUDIES YOU INTEND TO APPLY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCY.