BYU Master! (AKA Longest Post Ever)

Today I officially finished my education at BYU. To complete my journey to total, utter, and permanent zoobie-dom I even took Cannon to my final class with me. I must admit I didn’t finish with a bang; in fact, I should be proudly posting my worst grades ever at BYU this final semester (I know what you’re all saying, B’s and B+’s are not bad grades and you are correct). I truly wanted to finish strong, but I already have a job and they certainly aren’t offering me a raise for an A, just the degree please.

Actually, I’m pretty proud that I finished a 5 year program in 5 years. I took a couple summer courses and independent study courses along the way to get it done in time but it was 5 years nonetheless. I feel the average person usually takes 5 years or so just for the Bachelor’s degree; getting the Master’s degree in that time frame meant knowing early what I wanted to do and sticking to it the whole way, no “fun” classes or wasted classes along the way.

It’s a weird feeling that I won’t be going back to school potentially ever again. This is truly a life-changing moment, like finishing high school, coming home from the mission, getting married, etc. Like those other life changing events, I’m sure I’ll grow to appreciate it more and more as time passes. But enough of my sappiness, I’m doing a monster post tonight on my memories and review of my experience at BYU.

Friends Made-I’m counting good friends and not just acquaintances since I have about 100 of those from the Accounting program. Good friends made would total 3: Bo Holmstead, Cody Johnson, and David Ollmann. Bo was my roommate with Gerry and I at King Henry my first semester (more on that later). Cody and Dave were 2 of my group members in the Junior Core of the Accounting Program our first semester in the program. We’ve had multiple classes together over the course of the program and they both still have one semester left. I saw both of them today and wished them luck but I expect to be in contact with them in the foreseeable future.

Funnest Semester-Not even close my first semester Winter 2003. Roomed with Gerry at King Henry, Bo was our other roommate and we had 3 other guys at various stages. Highlights included kicking a kid we called Bones out of our apartment after he soaked a PS2 controller in water! Pretty much this was my one semester of college life before it became all business. Rachel and I were dating but I really only saw her on weekends. Weekdays involved going to school and work, then we would head back up to campus to study at night until about 10 pm and get all of our homework done, after which we head back home for serious Madden or NBA 2K3 on the PS2 until about 3 am every day. Somehow I could hang out like that every night, stay up until about the same hours with Rachel on the weekend nights, and still function with no problems. Why doesn’t that work now five years later when I’m trying to work the graveyard shift this final semester? Beats me.

Easiest Semester-Winter 2005 all classes at the BYU Salt Lake Center. Classes are just easier there to the point that the majority of people who take classes at the SL Center are actually Provo students who make the drive up just to get the easier class. Needless to say I had a lot of athletes in all of my classes. Even at BYU the almighty football player is not exempt from the easy road. I somehow got screwed with an A- in my Old Testament religion class ruining my only chance for a straight A semester at BYU.

Hardest Semester- Fall 2005. First semester of the Junior Core. I know I mentioned this final semester I will post my worst grades but that is truly more for a lack of effort than of degree of difficulty. My first semester of pure accounting all day everyday. I had religion classes at 7 am and then pure accounting from 8-11 every day. I worked all night as well (you’re only supposed to work 10 hours a week during this crucial year, I worked 35). The actual reason for the hardships were life happenings rather than the actual classes. We moved into our home the second weekend of class and spent the next month putting in the yard. To cap the semester Rachel broke her ankle December 8th 2005 right during my finals preparation. We had to board her up at her mom’s house for nearly a month while I was finishing up school.

Best Class- New Testament with Richard Holzapfel. All the religion classes at BYU are actually quite good (If you’re thinking high school seminary class you’re way off base). This class was absolutely stellar, Holzapfel is just a great orator who could explain difficult ideas in simplistic terms. It was a once a week night class and I looked forward to his lectures every week.
Secondary plus for all of my science classes. I HATE science but every time I took any type of science class the teacher was always SO enthusiastic about science you couldn’t help but kind of like it. I’ve never seen any teachers love their subject more than my science class teachers. Especially Geology with Dr. Harris, he would tell you about a rock and how “You’ll never be the same!” from seeing that rock. I still think about him when I look at the mountains and I took that class 3 years ago.

Worst Class-History with Farmer. First day of class he says, “I know you have to take this class and I have to teach this class so let’s just get through this together.” Yes it was s general, required class, but how are students supposed to respond to that type of approach? I’ll tell you my approach, “This teacher, and therefore this class, sucks!” Needless to say I checked out for the entire semester from Day 1 and pulled a B.

Class I Absolutely Waxed! -Calculus! Of all classes that is probably one most people wouldn’t exactly excel. Well, it was a core class to get into the Business School (precursor to the Accounting Program) and it was when virtually everyone I talked to at school would say to me, “What are you going to do when you don’t get into the Accounting major?” My approach was, “Screw every other class this semester! I passed the AP Calculus class in high school I can tax it this time through.” Well, I got 100% on my first test and went on to treat this class like my own red-headed stepchild. Far and away my most deserved A at BYU without any curve help or anything like that. Just straight up domination.

Testing- Reliving my 100% calculus test got me thinking about how I react to tests and learning in general. Let me explain that when I do homework or take a test and get a problem right I literally start screaming inside. I get SO PUMPED when I know I get an answer right I literally want to stand on my desk and scream “HELL YEAH!” In fact, it was a dream of mine to stand in a packed testing center and scream something such as that phrase and see the reaction spread like a wave across the giant room. I only got a couple 100% test scores at BYU I think 2 from Calculus and 2 from religion classes and that’s it. But if I get THAT PUMPED about every single problem imagine how I feel when I come out of the test and see that type of score (you are also free to imagine what goes on inside my head when my score is not so rosy :)) Yes I know I am a total nerd. I make no apologies for it, that’s why I’m an accountant!

**Note: It is my goal to not swear on my blog but I know of no other way to fully describe my emotions in this situation, I really am that pumped! So I apologize for failing to meet my goal. Hey come on, we all knew it would end someday***

#1 Lesson- You need to take risks beyond your comfort zone to truly grow. At the end of each semester professor’s wax poetic about growing both spiritually and secularly. Emphasis on spiritual growth at BYU is a given, but personal and professional growth is more of a surprise lesson. BYU has the deserved stigma of Happy Valley etc. but the truth is all of my professors have extensive national or international experience. None were people that grew up in Zion and stayed there forever; they all lived elsewhere at some point in their lives gaining real world “outside the bubble” experience. I write this as I comfortably sit in my room with my job locked up right here at home sweet home, but the lesson is not lost on me. I don’t think now is the time to leave Utah as I’ve already punished Rachel for five straight years and now she’ll have to get used to long hours and a growing family. However, I do feel a need to take advantage of future opportunities that will materialize to help us grow to our full potential as a family. That will definitely involve leaving our comfort zone and quite possibly involve leaving Utah. That certainly doesn’t mean we’ll never come back, but taking those types of opportunities will lead to a more fulfilled life. I’m writing this primarily for myself to remember this lesson when said opportunities arrive. Will we be pansies and just ride out our nice little life or will we take the leap? Only the future holds. As for now, to BYU, I AM OUT!!! (Yes, triple exclamation point!)