When I informed my friends, peers and teachers my final decision to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, common responses included, “What? Where?” Face the facts; BYU is not very well-known. BYU may be nationally acknowledged here and there, but it could get a lot more name recognition and have more resources available if it were located in a higher populated area, such as Southern California.
I grew up in Southern California and have had many resources available to me. Just at an ordinary public school I was able to be a political advocate, meet students from all over the world, and visit museums to enrich my educational experience. The nation’s second most populated area, Southern California, is home to about 24 million people. Southern California offers many resources such as well-known companies, studios, museums. It is an area of prosperity and innovation. Another benefit is its mild climate and beautiful scenery.
BYU Southern California would be located in Orange County, about an hour from San Diego, and Los Angeles and approximately a 15 minute drive from the beach and Disneyland. The location would appeal to students because of it’s beautiful location and massive entertainment, shopping, and cultural venues. The location would aid to more name recognition because of surrounding colleges such as USC, UCLA, and UCSD. If located in Orange County, BYUSC could have more resources for example; film, television, and radio are widely used and available, especially in Los Angeles. A few hours from Mexico, students could be involved in international service projects often. With museums scattering the coast, the art program would have many more opportunities to see the work of others and display their own work. Also, many of the well-known firms are headquartered in Southern California. This would allow for easy networking opportunities for students interested in internships and careers from such firms.
Provo is a small city with little resources. College towns are great for little colleges but BYU has booming potential, we need to plant BYU into a place where it can grow and prosper.
Furthermore, as members of the church BYU students are given so much knowledge from student wards, and religion classes that would be able to grow with missionary opportunities. In Utah, there are few opportunities to share the gospel as everyone seems to know about the church. The best way my testimony is strengthened is by having it questioned by my peers and sharing my testimony and beliefs with them. At BYU in Provo, I feel it is not as easy to be an example when everyone around us are members of the church.
I suggest BYU be relocated or another BYU be built in Southern California because the resources and prestige it could have. BYU is bursting with students who want to change the world and make it a better place. From networking to missionary work, they will be much more likely to achieve this goal if BYU is allowed the resources and recognition available in Southern California.
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2 comments:
I would love it if they opened a BYU campus in southern California, and my wife would be even more happy. As a California native, she is not happy that she will be stuck in cold Utah for 2 more years after her own graduation while I finish my degree here! I thought the kairos of this topic was perfect, as it came in a week that was especially cold here in Provo!
You brought up this topic at a perfect time. There are so many people from California that attend BYU that your audience would love this idea. I personally would be sad if BYU moved because there wouldn’t be any skiing close by, but I could deal with it. Great job with this.
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