Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,
How did you decide to go to BYU? Where else did you apply? How do you feel about your decision now?
BYU is seriously lacking in the advertisement-to-future-students department, and, while certainly not the most important aspect of a university, lack of advertisement does make getting excited about going to BYU a little harder. If you were in charge of sending brochures to high school students about why they should go to BYU, what would you include?
- Racked with Indecision
A:
Dear Racked,
How did you decide to go to BYU? My dad is a professor at BYU and two of my brothers had gone to BYU already and I never really wanted to go anywhere else. I knew that my tuition would be cheap, it would be close to home, my professors would start classes with a prayer, I could learn more about the scriptures and Church history, etc. Plus, mission prep counts for school credit? Yeah, I'm in.
Where else did you apply? I only applied to BYU. Like I mentioned in a previous answer, I had been rejected and a couple weeks later I got accepted and I haven't bothered to ask why I got rejected in the first place.
How do you feel about your decision now? I really enjoy BYU. There are, of course, things that I would like to see changed or improved, but overall I have enjoyed my experience. Although, I wish I would have taken my Freshman year a little more seriously so I could have a better GPA.
If you were in charge of sending brochures to high school students about why they should go to BYU, what would you include? I wouldn't send brochures to high school students, I would ask President Worthen to write a super awesome letter and I would have the marketing department create a video that we could send with the letter. I would highlight the safe environment, job placement, Tuesday devotionals, top rated faculty, and other eye popping statistics.
I understand that BYU isn't the best at advertising to future students, but they get so many applications that they probably feel like they don't really have to do much advertising.
Good luck on your decision!
-Sunday Night Banter
A:
Dear Racked,
When I first started college, I didn't think I wanted to go to BYU. I was attending a community college with plans to transfer after I had completed my associate's degree. The plan was to get my AS, work for a year, go on a mission, then finish my BS somewhere I could actually study my chosen major, and I think the primary contender was Texas Tech. I don't really remember how that plan ended up changing, but I ended up going to BYU as soon as I graduated, then going on a mission when I turned 19. I don't think I applied anywhere else, mostly because I knew I could get into BYU with my grades.
I'm still really glad I decided to come here. All complaints about Provo aside, I think BYU is a really great place to study. As some others have mentioned, I don't think BYU is very worried about recruiting new freshmen, since they already get applications for about twice as many students as they can admit each year.
-The Entomophagist
A:
Dear friend,
How did you decide to go to BYU? I flipped a coin. Kidding. You know how people always have the cheesy answer that "it just felt right?" I thought that was super cheesy until it happened to me. It really did, though. BYU has a unique atmosphere that encourages spirituality and intellectualism and, while sometimes that's hard, it was right for my situation. The people here are kind. The academics are a good mix of challenging and interesting. Despite some aspects about BYU that I don't quite understand, there is nowhere else I'd rather be.
Where else did you apply? I also applied to Westminster College and the University of Utah. Westminster was just because I liked the idea of going to a liberal arts college... there was absolutely no way I would ever be able to afford going there. The tuition is bizarrely expensive for a small college. Between BYU and the U, however, it really was a toss-up except for the aspects mentioned above.
How do you feel about your decision now? Sometimes I still get "what-ifs" about what could have been at the U, but I am so happy that I chose here. It's not the ideal university for every situation, but almost two years down the road, I can't imagine having chosen anywhere else. The opportunities BYU holds and the people I've met here (mostly the people) make me feel really lucky to be here, every day.
If you were in charge of sending brochures to high school students about why they should go to BYU, what would you include? Heh. For some reason when they put the "Stone Cold Sober" awards on the chocolate milk, it always makes me smile, so maybe that? I don't think that would encourage people to come here, though. Maybe a little more about campus life alongside our academic statistics? Academics at BYU are good, but campus atmosphere is an equally (if not more) important aspect of choosing a campus so maybe a little about what ours has to offer.
If your 'nym is any indication of how you're feeling, we've all been there. Making a decision about what college to go to is pretty dang important, and it's understandable to feel a little hesitation. I mean, you're spending the next four-ish years of your life there, learning about the career you want to do for the rest of your life. BYU's a wonderful university, but do a little research into areas that are important to you to make sure it's a good fit.
Good luck and happy college hunting!
-Van Goff
A:
Dear Indie Rack,
In the end, BYU was the only place I applied to. I had other options...sort of. When it was college application season, I was incredibly busy. I knew I wanted to apply to BYU, but I was also trying to decide if I wanted to fill out a special application that would be sent to multiple Ivy League schools like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. On one hand, it would save time because I wouldn't have to apply to each of those schools individually, but because it was a such a broad application, there was a lot of stuff I needed to get done for it, and I was already in the middle of a pretty stressful senior year.
So, in the end, I ditched the Ivy League schools and put all of my hopes on BYU. It was incredibly relieving when I got my acceptance letter/email/whatever it was.
Since then, I've been completely at peace with my decision. I have made some excellent friends and had some incredible experiences here at BYU, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.
-Frère Rubik would like to stress that just because he was thinking about applying to Harvard does not mean that he necessarily had a chance of getting in.
A:
Dear Racketeering,
How did you decide to go to BYU?
BYU was my first choice. It was cheaper than other options, my father and all my siblings were all graduates/currently attending, and it sent me far away from my hometown.
Where else did you apply?
Obligatory application to BYU-I. I also applied to the University of Kansas and my home state's public university.
How do you feel about your decision now?
I was grateful that I didn't go to college with everybody I went to high school with. I was able to start fresh and make new friends. Most importantly, I graduated without any debt, which is more than I can say for my high-school classmates who racked up tuition debts so they could stay close to home.
BYU definitely does not have an issue getting publicity throughout the Church. As it is, the acceptance rate is 53.5% (source), so more advertisement would most likely decrease the acceptance rate further. I believe that they give plenty of information to the incoming freshman class every year, so I think the school properly allocates its funds to other endeavors that are more important than publicizing the calendar for HumorU shows and the features that the Wilkinson Center offers.
If you need more excitement about going to BYU, just visit byu.edu and read over their New Student information. Or keep reading the Board, we make BYU fun!
-April Ludgate
A:
Dear Indecisive,
How did you decide to go to BYU? I can remember wanting to go to BYU since I was six years old. Funny story with this life-long goal to get here: When I was twelve or thirteen, I was walking with my siblings somewhere, and as a clever way to state my desire to go to BYU I proudly declared, "I want to be a cougar when I get older!" This was on a public street, by the way. Once they stopped laughing, my siblings explained to me what cougars were, and so what I had just really said. Anyways, by the time I was a senior in high school, this desire was still alive and well (to go to BYU, that is; not to be a cougar). As added incentive, all my siblings (excluding my oldest brother) had or were going here.
Where else did you apply? Well, I thought only applying to BYU wasn't very wise, so I also applied to the University of Utah. I only ever wanted to go BYU, though, so didn't bother applying for any scholarships for the U despite the numerous letters and emails they sent me telling me to.
How do you feel about your decision now? I feel so good about it. I love BYU, plus no other university has the exact same program that I'm majoring in. I've felt right about this particular decision for basically my entire life, and that feeling still hasn't gone away.
Honestly, as long as wherever you apply to has the types of programs you're interested in, I think you'll be fine. Also, deciding which college to go to isn't a permanent choice; you can always transfer later.
~Anathema
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