Why BYU?
August 26th, 2009 | 
Author: Church school is what you make it.
“Dude, I could get a hold of any drug I wanted there. I have friends who’ve gotten kicked out for stuff like that and worse,” was what she told me. I had been at a BYU for a semester and wasn’t even sure where someone could buy alcohol legally in town. It astounded me that my friend could say that, because she went to a BYU, too. Were there kids like that on my campus? At the Lord’s University?
Oh, yes, I’ve since come to find out. There’s no magic escape from sin or transgression in the world, not even at the Lord’s University. You’ll always find what you’re comfortable with.
People don’t go to BYU and become Peter and Molly. They go to BYU and continue doing the same things they did in high school. They find the same friends and uphold the same standards. Where my friend found a lot of the recreational users and less-chaste to hang with, I found mostly church-going, out-of-the-apartment-at-midnight types.
Before I came to BYU, I was sure that everyone would be a straight-A goody-goody who spends all their free time volunteering or doing homework. Sure, there are a few of those, but there were a few of those in the high schools I attended and in every stake I’ve belonged to. There are also people who smoke pot recreationally. I knew several of those personally in my wards and branches back home. But the majority at BYU is exactly like me: usually pretty good, with a few mistakes on their sheet. Some are better at daily scripture reading than I am, some are worse.
Whether or not you’ll like a Church school is completely up to you. College students can act any way they want; they’re famous for being loud about the fact. How you behave and who you choose hang out with makes all the difference in your happiness. If you hate listening to authority figures and you dislike people who respect them, you might have a hard time enjoying Church-run education.
BYU can be a wonderful place. I have had innumerable spiritual experiences, in and out of classrooms, with friends, with church leaders, even with professors. BYU has been great for me, and not just because we’re all expected to be good, rule-following zombies. My friends have personalities, flaws, and quirks. They’re real people, who’ve lived, sinned, repented, and have spent their whole lives being normal people trying to do right by God. You don’t get into BYU because you have no weaknesses. I would’ve failed if that had been the case.
I have had such a fantastic BYU experience because I’ve put in the effort to respect rules like the Honor Code, the Dress and Grooming standards, and Church guidelines. The things that set any BYU apart from secular schools are what have made me love attending a Church school so much. I love the freedom here.
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After a few weeks of being at BYU I remember a friend sharing his testimony one fast Sunday and including how he was so grateful that the women all dressed modestly, making it hard for us guys to think bad thoughts (not to say he was trying!). All of a sudden I realized everyone was modest and thought it was pretty cool. But regardless of where we are, I think we will all be happier if we make where we are a BYU. That is, learning, building healthy relationships, living standards the way the Lord wants us to can be done anywhere.
TWO pictures? You’ve really outdone yourself Bethany.
And the post is good too.
I attended BYU for 3 and a half years, and then completed my bachelors with another two years at Wayne State University.
I often say “two schools could not be more different”, but that is not exactly true.
I mean, they both have curriculums in English, some of the same clubs, like Campus Republicans and Democrats exist at both schools, the percentage of students who techically live on campus is probably fairly similar, and the total amount of clothing worn by the student body comes to about the same. Also, both schools have large numbers of Canadian students and have similar policies on academic integrity and against cheating.
The first obvious differences relate to academic integrity and cheating. Wayne State does not have a testing center. This may be because of fear of network cheating by informing other students of the test content, and other such rackets. I would like to believe that all students at BYU are honest and do not cheat or commit plagerism, but I know better. Still, my vague sense is that the rates are lower, and that there is not the structural cheating at BYU. Some may compare BYU wards to fraternities, but among many other things BYU wards do not keep files of past papers to facilitate cheating by current members.
I have realized that this comment will go way too long. So I will write a fuller exposition on my blog, so if you want to full story go there.
I must be an ignorant doofus. One thing I never ever did was cheat on a paper or exam. Gosh, I probably would have if I had known how widespread it was. Jk. Thanks, John. I look forwared to checking out your blog.
Me too! I will be checking back on your blog to see if you’ve posted about it yet. I’ve been considering attending BYU…
Cheating is lame. ‘Nough said.
Being in what will likely be my last semester at BYU, I’d have to say I agree with everything posted. I personally would’ve put a different spin on it, though. It is most definitely true that a church education is what you make of it, but I believe it to be less about opportunities to live the honor code and embody church standards, despite the obvious importance of such. I’ve personally found more meaning in the discovery that there are a great many ways to embody those standards. It would take a long post to explain that in depth, so I won’t here, but take that for what you will.
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