6,192 at BYU celebrate graduation

Acknowledging one purpose of education is to learn to avoid mistakes, BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, a member of the Quorums of Seventy, said individuals can learn significant lessons from mistakes. But a truly educated person never repeats the same mistake and avoids foolish mistakes without ever personally experiencing them.

"We do not need to make most mistakes ourselves to learn critical lessons of life. If we, like Mormon, are 'quick to observe,' we will be able to steer our way clear of major errors and poor judgments."

Also speaking Thursday were Dee Allsop, BYU Alumni Association president, and graduate Joseph R. Nance. College convocations continue through today.

BYU graduation by the numbers

General statistics of Brigham Young University's April 2009 graduating class

Number of graduates

 6,192 total

 4,455 for April 2009

 1,737 for December 2008

Breakdown of degrees

 5,315 bachelor's degrees

 690 master's degrees

 187 doctoral degrees

Gender

 53.1 percent male

 46.9 perfect female

Average ages

 25.3 years — average age of all graduates

 24.9 years — bachelor's degree

 28.2 years — master's degree

 32.7 years — doctoral degree

 75 years — age of oldest graduate

State/country of origin

 49 states

 Five U.S. territories

 74 foreign countries

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