UVU v. BYU

In my last post I established that I am a terrible blogger. However, I would like to become a more frequent blogger now that I have set periods of time every day where I really do nothing but stare at a computer and wait for the phone to ring. In my last post I asked for suggestions of what to blog about. The masses thundered in with comments and I thought I would write about one of the suggested topics: How does UVU compare to BYU.
I transferred to UVU from BYU last January. When I did so, I expected people would see it as me transferring from a smart school to a dumb school. The reaction, however, has been quite different. Most people say, "Oh, UVU is a better school. I've heard that people like it there a lot better than BYU," and so far this has been true for me.

The two schools do have much in common:

• Campuses that are neither ugly nor pretty.
• Reasonable tuition.
• A very large student body.
• A very good education from excellent professors.
  
  

But there are definite differences:

• Freedom to grow a beard.
• Teachers drinking coffee in class.
• Students using writing workshops as a forum to confess discomfort with Mormonism.
• A more attractive student body.

Do I miss BYU? Partly. I miss the Bean Museum. I miss being familiar with the professors there and knowing who I should take for which classes.

I don't, however, miss the student body at BYU. I had a lot of friends at BYU, and there are definitely good people that go there, but a good portion of the student body seems to feel that they are better than the rest of the student body, both spiritually and intellectually. At UVU, I haven't felt like I don't belong in my classes like I did at BYU. Sure, there is always going to be at least one person in each class who will be the know-it-all, but it's a lot better than feeling like the entire class wants to prove that they are superior. At UVU, I feel like I fit in.

Overall, I'm very happy with my move to UVU. I feel like I'm getting my life back on track and things are beginning to feel normal again. The transfer means it will take me longer to graduate, but at least I have peace of mind now.