Should I send my kids to BYU???

For discussion of liberty, freedom, government and politics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Teancum-Old
captain of 100
Posts: 420
Location: San Diego, CA

Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Teancum-Old »

Continue this topic from another related thread (http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopi ... 19&t=16164) as suggested.

Should I send my kids to BYU or not??? :-\ With so many Skousen-haters and professors teaching socialism, as Verlan Andersen also believed, is BYU still a good choice? Yet General Authorities regularly speak there and give great firesides. So much good still comes from BYU. It seems to be a much better choice than sending kids to these other completely immoral schools. But of course, there will always be some bad apples praising the PTB and all...

Please explain you logic/reasoning. Also, if not BYU, then where??

User avatar
shadow
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 10542
Location: St. George

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by shadow »

Teancum wrote: if not BYU, then where??
Most of my education has been from the school of hard knocks. At either place the "no refunds" rule will apply #-o

GeeR
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1635

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by GeeR »

Send them to a technical school! With the way the economy is going the need will go to those who can make and build things with their hands and can contribute to man's material welfare. A liberal arts education is out and lawyers and other paper pushers are on their way out also.

User avatar
patriotsaint
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1459

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by patriotsaint »

I went to BYU and don't feel I was indoctrinated. By the time your kids are college age, they should be well grounded in correct principles and able to discern between truth and error for themselves. You won't find a perfect faculty at any university, so you should look at other factors when making a decision.

Some benefits of BYU off the top of my head:

A quality education that is well respected across the country (higher academic standards than average for admission and course work)
Grad schools like BYU degrees
High moral standards of dress and conduct
A student body that is mostly LDS (great for dating and other social necessities)
The opportunity to hear the prophets speak at devotionals etc.
Provo is a fun place to live when you're single (flyfishing, skiing, hiking, tons of good restaurants etc. More activities than I can list)

I'm sure you'll get some BYU haters sharing stories about all the substance abusers and fornicators they knew at BYU, but in my experience such characters are a tiny minority and easily avoided. I felt that BYU was a great place to attend school, but its not the only decent option out there.

User avatar
Teancum-Old
captain of 100
Posts: 420
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Teancum-Old »

My main worry about BYU is the tendency of some professors to be pro-socialist or anti-freedom, as discussed in the referenced thread. But then, I see so much good come out of BYU as well. My wife is currently taking online courses through BYU-I. The classes are loaded with spiritual guidance, something you simply cannot get at any public university/college.

Technical education may be ok, but if hard times are soon to be upon us, who will have the money to buy fancy electronic gadgets? Video games? Computers? The latest automotive bells and whistles?

Things will need to be built, but I think only those things that are really needed. Things that help with providing humans with the basics: food, clothing, shelter, and fuel.

will
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1134

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by will »

I had 16 credits remaining towards a degree in worthlessness, I see so many Graduating and they are working at Minimum wage because there are no jobs availiable in their "chosen Field". Many of the degree programs being offered at this time are good things to learn, however when it comes down to it you cannot find a job. A Trade may be an option. Something that they can and will find a job. I am now Welding. A skill that I can and I am using.

buffalo_girl
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 7017

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by buffalo_girl »

Have your children learn a vocational skill that will help them work their own way through university.

When students 'borrow' their way through school they become slaves to repaying those loans regardless of whether or not they have a job or a job that pays a livable income.

Music skills got one of our sons a FULL scholarship in the Masters Opera Program at Boston University. At that time, annual tuition was $36,000. In order to pay his living expenses he worked at a warehouse with a bunch of great 'working class' guys who loved to hear him sing, and at the Old North Church on Sunday where he sang in the choir.

I think young people are more careful about the direction they pursue at college when they are responsible for their expenses. Of course, they may need financial help through vocational training.

I would think there's a future in bio-diesel, always a need for good welders & farm equipment repair.

User avatar
patriotsaint
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1459

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by patriotsaint »

If you do go the vocational route, you might consider the electrical or mechanical (pipe fitting) fields. As workers in these fields retire, there are few young people that want to take their place. Most these days want an office job somewhere pushing paper.

I've seen wages continue to climb in these fields and I think the demand for SKILLED labor will continue to increase. These two trades are tied closely to energy, and the demand for energy will continue to go up as long as the country doesn't implode...at which point your degree won't much matter. I work with many electricians in my current job that make 6 figures + a year. Yes, these men are managing projects, and not simply working as journeymen, but there is every bit as much earning potential in these trades as with a traditional paper-pusher degree.

User avatar
tsc
captain of 100
Posts: 406

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by tsc »

Only if you want them to break out in a rash - =))

User avatar
Jason
Master of Puppets
Posts: 18296

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Jason »

...personally I'd let the "kids" choose.....their education! BYU is good/bad as any others! Get out of it what you put into it!

User avatar
Rensai
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1340

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Rensai »

Mummy wrote:...personally I'd let the "kids" choose.....their education! BYU is good/bad as any others! Get out of it what you put into it!
Mummy is right. Let the kids choose. Personally, I started out at BYU-I and did not enjoy it at all, it felt like I was back in Jr. High. I ended up transferring out, but many others I know really enjoyed school there. Part of the problem for me might have been because my parents pushed me into that choice, whereas I chose the second school myself. By the time a kid is old enough for college, they better be responsible enough to research and choose their own school; if not, they'll fail anywhere.

User avatar
Jason
Master of Puppets
Posts: 18296

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Jason »

At UVSC (now UVU and just down the hill from BYU) class sizes rarely exceeded 30 students....
Last edited by Anonymous on February 18th, 2011, 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

waking
captain of 100
Posts: 458

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by waking »

I agree that you should let the kid choose, and that they kid should pay his/her own way. I was enrolled at a large college, but as time drew near, I knew I would just get lost in the crowd. I chose a smaller jr. college, and never regretted that. I earned a Assoc. degree, and transfered to UofU. I was thankful for the experience of the jr. college, so I didn't hesitate to "take on" some of the crazy beauracracies. Also, I think it is a good experience to get a more "open" point of view from a more liberal perspective, then you can more easily identify what falsehoods are being taught. At BYU, I think you are more likely to trust all of your professors, because they are teaching at "BYU"(if that makes sense). AT the UofU, I had no problem decoding the liberal jibberish.

pritchet1
captain of 1,000
Posts: 3600

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by pritchet1 »

I enjoyed my time at BYU-Provo. I took the time to attend the Tuesday devotionals, the evening firesides, the Army ROTC, the Hebrew Dance team and when I went back the following year to the LTM, I was not a stranger to the campus.

Did I go back after mission? No. I wish I had had the resources to do so, but I benefited from a "vocation" that got me through school and is my meat and potatoes today.

I still cherish my spiritual memories there - especially the time I spent with Cleon Skousen and his son at the Freeman Institute while I helped publish the Freeman Report.

Remember that an "education" is "supposed" to help us think.

What I most liked about BYU besides the prayers to start off most classes and the obvious religious bent on topics, was it was alcohol and tobacco-free.

User avatar
mattctr
captain of 100
Posts: 903

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by mattctr »

Mummy wrote:...personally I'd let the "kids" choose.....their education! BYU is good/bad as any others! Get out of it what you put into it!
And let the kids pay for it, too! Scholarships and/or work.

User avatar
AussieOi
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 6137
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by AussieOi »

Teancum wrote: Should I send my kids to BYU or not???
Are they 9 years old or something?
Last time I checked adults went to University
They are old enough to make up their own minds I'd hope.
Should I let my kids get married
Should I let my grandkids go on a mission, etc

wake up Bro, their call, not yours

pritchet1
captain of 1,000
Posts: 3600

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by pritchet1 »

It could have been reworded as a question of; " Should I 'allow' my kids to go to BYU (name location)?".

LDS Institutes at other universities and colleges are excellent places to learn as well.

Our strategy was to keep our daughters at home and attend local community colleges and universities and participate in Institute. That kept costs down and provided a way to keep from getting too many gray hairs from premature aging on our part.

User avatar
Teancum-Old
captain of 100
Posts: 420
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Teancum-Old »

waking wrote:Also, I think it is a good experience to get a more "open" point of view from a more liberal perspective, then you can more easily identify what falsehoods are being taught. At BYU, I think you are more likely to trust all of your professors, because they are teaching at "BYU"(if that makes sense). AT the UofU, I had no problem decoding the liberal jibberish.
Good point waking. I think many people trust everything out of BYU because they believe the Church has already pre-approved all of its actions.
pritchet1 wrote: I enjoyed my time at BYU-Provo. I took the time to attend the Tuesday devotionals, the evening firesides
pritchet1 wrote:I still cherish my spiritual memories there
pritchet1 wrote:What I most liked about BYU besides the prayers to start off most classes and the obvious religious bent on topics, was it was alcohol and tobacco-free.
That's the thing, pritchet1, even though some (or many? :-s ) BYU professors may be on the liberal side, we do know that so many good things are available there that are simply not available to students at non-Church schools; exactly the things you mentioned.
AussieOi wrote:
Teancum wrote: Should I send my kids to BYU or not???
Are they 9 years old or something?
Last time I checked adults went to University
They are old enough to make up their own minds I'd hope.
Should I let my kids get married
Should I let my grandkids go on a mission, etc

wake up Bro, their call, not yours
I see where you're comming from AussieOi; I am definitely not planning to run their lives for them! Because I do plan to support them as I can through school (not to say they will be getting a free ride from Mom and Dad; they will work through college if they expect me to help out), they will have to choose a school that is on my approval list. ;) I don't plan to support any of my kids through college if they pick a school known for partying and smut. So yes, AussieOi, it is their call, but if I don't approve, they will be on their own. :D
pritchet1 wrote:It could have been reworded as a question of; " Should I 'allow' my kids to go to BYU (name location)?".

LDS Institutes at other universities and colleges are excellent places to learn as well.

Our strategy was to keep our daughters at home and attend local community colleges and universities and participate in Institute. That kept costs down and provided a way to keep from getting too many gray hairs from premature aging on our part.
I mostly agree pritchet1! My wife and I would like to keep from getting too many gray hairs as well! The only thing I was considering was ALLOWING BYU as an option after local community college. You know, basically the last 2 years on the way to a bachelor's degree.

User avatar
Teancum-Old
captain of 100
Posts: 420
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by Teancum-Old »

buffalo_girl wrote:Have your children learn a vocational skill that will help them work their own way through university.

When students 'borrow' their way through school they become slaves to repaying those loans regardless of whether or not they have a job or a job that pays a livable income.

I think young people are more careful about the direction they pursue at college when they are responsible for their expenses. Of course, they may need financial help through vocational training.
Great advice buffalo_girl! Never thought about getting them into a vocation first. Great idea, especially now when it appears paper-pushers are falling out of demand.

My plan is definitely to get my kids to work through college. But I was thinking I would support them as well, AS LONG AS they were doing their part (working themselves). Are you suggesting kids pay for all of their university once they have a vocation with no more help from Mom and Dad?

User avatar
MercynGrace
captain of 100
Posts: 894

Re: Should I send my kids to BYU???

Post by MercynGrace »

I loved the Y but I only went for my first two years of undergrad. After my mission, I finished up at a small local school thousands of miles from Mormon HQ.

My "college experience" at BYU was wonderful but I learned so much more at the small school where my profs had time to sit and talk for hours and where their ideas were at such odds with my background. I was forced to think about all of my ideas and that helped me develop a healthy level of skepticism that has served me well.

I used to think I'd encourage my kids to go to BYU but more recently, I'm thinking I'll encourage them to attend small schools closer to home. I'm trying to raise them to be strong and independent - not to rely on any institution or individual for their own salvation and I think you develop more strength walking into the wind than with it. But that's just my feeling based on my personal experiences.

Post Reply