These are some of my memories of being a BYU student. BYU is where I had my heart broken only to be fixed by the man of my dreams and where I lived completely on my own and without my twin sister for the first time. BYU is where I got a random kiss on Valentine's Day (a chocolate kiss, by the way) and where I learned how to cha-cha. BYU is where I got asked out on a date by someone who thought I was my twin and where I saw all of Provo from the top of the SWKT.
Ah, those were good days, even with the tests, tears, and trials that come with growing up.
It's only been about three months since graduation, but I already miss being a student at BYU (though I'm sure that will change once finals season comes again).
I always knew I wanted to be a BYU cougar, but I didn't know just how much I'd learn through becoming one. Besides the wealth of knowledge my classes gave me, here are some of the things I learned about being a college student at BYU:
1. Freshman 15 is a myth
I was so scared I was going to gain so much weight my first year of college, especially when I saw all the good food the Cannon Center cafeteria had to offer (and really, who can resist soft serve ice cream at every meal?). Luckily, I think stress of taking too many credits kept me from gaining too much weight as well as getting used to having to walk all over the vast campus, lost and looking for my classes.
2. People on campus are not crazy (usually)
One of the first things I noticed when I got to college was that there were a lot of people who talked to themselves. It kind of freaked me out and I had half a mind to run back home. Then I figured out that they were just talking on their phones via earbuds, something I had never seen before. I also noticed that people would just randomly break into song (even if they weren't not part of one of the singing groups). Since it was usually a hymn they were singing, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and decided they were heading to take a test and needed extra spirituality or had just taken a test and needed comfort.
3. Napping on campus is OK
On any given, sunny day, students on campus can be seen snatching some precious z's between classes. I vowed that I would never be one of those students who slept on campus. It just seemed sketchy and awkward. Then there's that Facebook page where students post sleeping pictures of each other. Not my thing. But as the semesters passed and I became increasingly more tired, the patches of soft grass became too tempting, and I gave in (several times) to its siren call.
4. You can get paid for eating food
I think this was the most important discovery I made at BYU. Just down the hall from where I worked in the Eyring Science Center is a Taste Panel place. Once I found out about it, I raced to my computer to join their email list. I got to eat chocolate chip cookies, cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, and other tasty food and they paid me for it! It's every college student's dream!
5. Joining an intramural team (or two or three. . . .) will give you a lust for The Shirt
I'm pretty sure that the BYU intramural T-shirt is the envy of all athletes on campus. My team and I came so close in wallyball (taking a disappointing second in the championship). Despite never getting my hands on a shirt, I enjoyed being able to keep playing the sports I loved and to meet lots of new friends.
6. You don't have to get bad grades when dating
Everyone I talked to on campus admitted that the semesters they were seriously dating someone or engaged ended up producing some of their worst grades. Luckily, my husband and I didn't experience that. In fact, the semesters we were dating and engaged were our best semesters at BYU. Maybe we're just nerds?
10. Being a nerd is pretty much required
Speaking of nerds, BYU is full of them (and I mean that in the best way possible since I am also a nerd). I was shocked the day I met someone who had not read Harry Potter, seen Lord of the Rings, or even knew about Star Wars. Not sure how they were accepted into BYU since it seems like those are requirements for admission. Even the professors were crazy about that nerdy stuff. My final project for my biology class was the create a creature with a habitat from Lord of the Rings. I felt a sort of camaraderie with the people I strolled campus with because, for the most part, we all had at least those nerdy loves in common.
I'm going to miss the quirks of being a BYU student. I don't think it's quite sunk in yet that I will never be a student again. And while part of me is jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of never entering the dreaded testing center again, another part of me is scared of entering the "real" world.
BYU taught me how to think, be independent, love, work through trials, and be happy, and I wouldn't trade my experience for anything (I mean, just look at this guy I found there! No, not Cosmo, the other guy).
