So here’s
the thing. I think I’m going to start all of my blog posts with that,
because... It seems to be appropriate. And what I always what to start typing.
So here’s the thing: BYU vs. BYU-Idaho. Typically when people find out I
transferred to BYU from BYU-Idaho, I get one of several questions. Options
including, “which school do you like better”, “why did you transfer”, and
finally, “did you always want to come to BYU and didn’t get in at first so you
went to BYU-Idaho hoping you could get in as a transfer?”. Ok, so that last one
wasn’t entirely true, but I do suspect that most people are secretly thinking
it.
The truth
is, I never wanted to go to BYU. All of the BYU-obsessed Mormons annoyed me. My
sister went to BYU-Idaho, I visited her frequently, and I loved the school. I’m
from a small town and loved the charm of Rexburg, even though I complained
about it incessantly. I really just felt like I should go to BYU. I fought it
and fought it and fought it some more, but obviously, this is where I ended up,
and I couldn’t be happier about it. It led me to my husband, a degree that I
love, and opportunity that I now recognize as invaluable.
That being
said, here’s my take on the whole, BYU vs. BYU-Idaho debate.
BYU-Idaho
BYU-Idaho
is an amazing school. I loved it. I love the spirit there. I loved that all of my classes started with a prayer.
In French and religion classes, we always sang hymns. I called all of my
professors “Brother” and “Sister”. Sure, the rules there were a little stricter
than they are at other church schools, but it was nice that when the occasional
rebellious student was pushing the rules I (usually) so faithfully followed, I
saw their ankles and not half their thigh. Now, my reasoning for being annoyed
with this doesn’t really have so much to do with the fact that the skirts or
shorts are immodest. My annoyance comes from my belief that when you agree to
do something, you should do it. Call me old fashioned, but I think it has
something to do with being raised to keep your commitments. Weird, I know. All
of that being said, I’ve had lots of friends graduate from BYU-Idaho who have
really struggled with finding jobs at all, and especially legitimate ones.
Granted, that could also have something to do with their chosen degrees,
because other friends who graduated from BYU-Idaho have gotten great jobs. So,
there’s that. Also! One more thing, I love that the teachers’ sole focus is on
the students. They teach classes and research isn’t included as a part of their
role as a teacher.
BYU
I love BYU.
I never imagined a school with so much opportunity. I’ve had amazing friends at
BYU, an amazing ward, and more fun than I realized college could be. There are
awesome events, clubs, and activities. Also, I really, really love that we have
a Jamba Juice on campus. In fact, it’s probably my favorite thing about campus
if I’m going to be honest. I love the football and basketball games. I love
that we have teams to rally behind and come together for and occasionally, all
be ashamed of together. I love my professors. There are however, things about
BYU that I can’t stand. The first, and in my opinion the worst, is the religion
classes. I’m going to make a fairly blanket statement here, but I do understand
that it depends on the professor. But.... As a general rule, the professors are
so set on the classes not being an “easy A” that they make them more academic
than spiritual. I firmly believe that a class can be both. I’ve experienced it.
I’m totally ok with it. I’ve had really challenging, testimony-building
experiences in my religion classes at BYU-Idaho. And, magically, there were no
tests in those classes. They were assignments that challenged me to dive deeper
into the scriptures and my testimony than I had before. AND I LOVED THEM. I
understand that you can’t grade someone on their testimony, but I also don’t
think that students should be expected to have PhD level knowledge of the
scriptures in basic religion classes. Ok, rant over. But, while I’m on the
topic of PhD’s, here’s my next rant: I understand that professors have worked
very hard to build their careers and earn their degrees and all of that. But I
also struggle with those who insist
you address them as “Doctor”. Or even “Professor” for that matter. I miss the
simple times at BYU-Idaho. Luckily I’ve had mostly really great professors,
several of whom even insist that they’re addressed by their first name- here’s
your shout out Liz!- and I like that. It’s still a little weird to me, but I
like it. Lastly, the competitiveness of BYU. I like it to a certain extent. But
the whole, GPA requirements for classes thing is the worst. I really, hate it.
I’d rant on it more, but my rants have tired me. But after all of these rants, I would like to
say that I will never regret deciding to come to BYU. I love the school, and
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities that it provides me.
And there
you have it. That’s my take on the whole BYU vs. BYU-Idaho debate. The end.
No comments:
Post a Comment