What I didn't do at BYU

So now I've finished my undergraduate education. It feels . . . interesting. I don't feel a huge sense of "doneness" because I'm going to turn right around the Monday after graduation and continue my research, and then start grad school in the fall with teachers I already know, research I've already been doing for a couple of years, and even textbooks I've been trying to understand for the past decade. So it doesn't feel all that . . . climactic.

But still, it does feel good to be at least sort of done. Since I've reached an end of a chapter of my life, I just want to take a couple moments to reflect on the experience. In retrospect, perhaps I rushed through too quickly. But I've always been like that (I suppose to make up for being born 12 days late). Skipping grades, teaching myself classes in the summer, piling on the AP classes during the school year . . . so double majoring in math and electrical engineering in just 8 semesters (okay, with a spring and summer term) was nothing out of the ordinary for me. Furthermore, a lot of things that I didn't do were things I never considered doing, or didn't even want to do. Do I regret it? Not exactly. But it's interesting looking back at what BYU had to offer.

Here are a few things that I was never able to fit into my to-do list:

1) Study abroad. I'm beginning to regret this one, but for the first few years of college I just didn't care. Why go to Paris when you can Google images of the Eiffel Tower? Why go to Jerusalem when there are the maps and pictures at the back of the Bible? Why go to England when their beef isn't all that good? All of you who have traveled know how faulty my logic was, and I'm starting to realize that I should have taken advantage of these amazing opportunities. Alas. I try to live vicariously through other people's blogs.

2) Go to the Holi Festival of Colors. While this isn't a BYU sponsored event, a lot of BYU students go. The year I may not have been too busy (freshman year) I didn't go because I had a date with a guy later whose name I didn't know until 15 minutes before the date ended (it's a long story . . . basically we were coworkers but he never wore his nametag). And since then I've been too busy on the Saturday it's held. But ever since I read this: http://stuffbyupeoplelike.blogspot.com/2010/03/18-holi-festival-of-colors.html, I haven't felt too bad about missing it. Again, maybe I'm just too cynical, or maybe I'm just not too thrilled about getting chalk in my hair and staining my clothes. (I'm writing this post during finals week. Don't judge me too much.)

3) Do pretty much anything associated with Homecoming Week. In particular, the True Blue Football. Again, I'm not really into getting all colorful and staining my clothes. I'm sorry I'm so boring. :)

4) See any of the old movies in the library. I still feel bad about missing "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

5) Drive on the sidewalk. Ever since I almost got ran over by a police car going down the ramp (which I had previously thought a sidewalk) just south of the RB, I've wanted to drive a car on the sidewalks on campus. Just like the grounds crew. They say there's a $50.00 fine. I say that's a fair price for a thrill ride of a lifetime. But no, I haven't dared. I haven't even gotten so much as a parking ticket. And actually I'm okay with this one.

6) Buy bookstore fudge. I guess it's not too late now to get some.

By now you're probably thinking, what on earth did she do with her time? How could she have gone to BYU without doing these wonderful things?

Well, I guess here are some things I did.

1) Homework. Lots of it.

2) Take the bell tower class. It was a remarkable experience going up those 99 steps every day and playing the bells for all of Provo to hear (I was actually a little bit embarrassed to realize just how far the sound reached . . . I was hiking the Y one time and could hear the bells). And since it was springtime, the bell tower was surrounded by pink trees and green grass and ducklings and strollers . . . it was incredible.

3) Check a book out of the library. It took me 3 years, and it was a music book (as opposed to an actual novel), but I finally got the courage to check out a book and walk past those security guards with it.

3) Write a musical. Well, parts of one. Well, 4 songs plus a couple of scenes. Someday it will be produced. I have faith. At least some of my songs were used for a ward musical.

4) Get married. At the ripe old age of 19.

5) Get a Jamba Juice, go to the Varsity Theatre, go to International Cinema once, Light the Y, hike to Squaw Peak, throw pennies down the SWKT, chase ducks, go to football/basketball/volleyball games, publish a paper, submit a conference paper, go on a date to the library, witness a marriage proposal in the math lab, eat ice cream from the Creamery/Subzero/Malt Shoppe/Wendy's/Baskins&Robbins, attend Divine Comedy/Laugh out Loud/Humor U/ComedySportz, participate in DanceSport (and make it past the first round, just like BYU basketball in 2010), start the Honors Program, not finish the Honors Program, . . . and the list continues.

I guess I did more than I thought. Perhaps I took advantage of my BYU undergraduate experience after all.