UAFS Students, 
God has a plan for your life!  He has led you here and he has you in his hands.  God wants you to be the best college student you can be.  Here at the beginning of a new semester, make the commitment to do the things that will add up to success.  

1. Study.  Don't put off studying.  Make the decision:  Yes, I will study.  Ask God to make it happen. Your part is to say "yes" to studying every day, then go to the library or another good place to study.  Sit upright when you study. Don't study in bed.  Bed is for sleeping.  When you study in bed, you are just confusing yourself.
2. Sleep.  Staying up late to do schoolwork pays diminishing returns.  (Economics majors, you know what that means!)  There comes a time when you will help yourself do better in your classes by sleeping at night.
3. Schedule your time.  Look ahead to see when papers and projects are due.  Schedule when you will work on them.  Don't put it off until the last minute.  Ask God to make your work count, that each hour spent adds up to a good paper and a good project.
4. Pray.  St. Benedict has a rule that says ora et labora.  That's latin for "pray and work".  When you do both, the results are amazing.  Pray every day.  Ask God to bless your efforts.  He will make things turn out better than you could plan for yourself.
5. Go to Mass once a week.  Yes, there is power in the sacrament of the Eucharist that will help you in college life. Through worship and the sacrament, put yourself in God's presence and he will bless you. If you are not Catholic, you are welcome to attend Mass to worship, or attend a Christian worship service at one of the many great churches in our area.
6. Say "no" to things that are not constructive.  You know what that means.  Ask God to give you the strength to say "no" to things that are negative in your life.  Surround yourself with positive friends that want the best for you.  You are in college for a reason, and partying is not it.  If you make a bad choice, God is there to help you recover and get back on track.  Remember, he will never leave you.  Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ!  There is power in the sacrament of Reconciliation.  We will help you with that.

We are praying for you!
Ora et labora