U is for University

So, it's 10:30 p.m. and I am just barely starting to write my U post. Things were pretty busy for me today. I spent the afternoon at the new City Creek shopping center in downtown Salt Lake. It was pretty awesome (and this is coming from someone who doesn't care much for shopping). The only part that was not awesome is that I spent a lot. But I had to have a cute outfit for Jamie's wedding this Saturday, right? It's not always easy when your body is in a constant state of change. As long as I'm pregnant or nursing, my body is going up or down in size. Oops, major digression from the subject at hand: my university/college experience.

When I was about to graduate from high school, I was directionless. I always knew college would happen, but I didn't know when or where or in what subject. So, I stalled a bit and decided to enroll in hairstyling college. My cousin Jen was going and because I wanted so much to be her roommate and because it just felt right (oh, and because I thought I'd be good at doing hair), I decided to head down to Cedar City and go too. It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. The roommates I met down there (Marci, Kristi, Kaycee) are still some of my favorite people in the world. I'd never take back the fun we had and the friendships we made. However, it was not my most responsible time, and I barely made it through hair school in one piece. Let me tell you, I did NOT fit in with that crowd. I'm pretty sure I was the least popular girl at that school. But when I walked out those doors, I loved every day of my life in Cedar City. Being able to work as a hairstylist ended up being a great way to pay for and graduate debt-free from what came next--real college.

Marci and me (the stuff we did for fun)

It seems like in Utah there are two groups of high school graduates of about equal size: those who desperately want to go to BYU . . . and those who don't want to come near it with a 39 1/2 mile pole. I used to fit into the second group. So, I did what many of those from that group do--apply to the University of Utah and Utah Valley University. I was accepted to both (because, seriously, everyone is) and was soooo close to going to the U of U. Then I met Jared, who was going to UVU, and you know, I liked him, so UVU it was.

UVU campus

While at UVU, I had so much fun, made incredible friends (more on that in another post), and was a really good student. The only problem was, I still couldn't decide on a major. UVU wasn't the most academically diverse school. After getting my associate degree there with a 4.0, I decided to apply for scholarships. UVU said they'd like to give me one, but they had "insufficient funds." BYU, on the other hand, offered me a full tuition scholarship. So, once again, fate seemed to make my decision for me. I married Jared about two weeks before starting BYU, so I fortunately didn't have to worry about curfews, having a male in my bedroom, and such.

Um, are you still reading? Sorry, this post is long and rambling. Well, anyway, at BYU, I changed my mind about a few different majors, couldn't decide, chose one, changed it, blah blah blah. Then I attended my first linguistics course and it was a perfect match. I loved the world of language it opened up to me. If you haven't taken linguistics courses, you have no idea what you're missing. I honestly believe that phonetics and other linguistic subjects should be required classes starting in sixth grade or earlier. It. Is. Beautiful. And no, it's not about grammar and correctness. In fact, true linguists frown upon grammar nazis. They know that right and wrong is arbitrary in the world of language and that all languages deserve equal respect. So, after a bunch of lovable classes with names like phonology and morphology and theoretical syntax, I graduated from BYU in Linguistics with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)--wordy enough for you? My only regret was that I graduated with a 3.9 GPA and not a 4.0. Awful, I know.

Me and Salena, one of my faves from BYU

So, all in all, I loved college. It was great. SO much better than high school, as I'm sure most people can attest. Oh, and you know what the best kept secret is? Go to hair school first, see how miserable it is, and then regular college afterwards will be a complete breeze, plus you'll be able to pay for it. You know what's too bad though? As much as I loved my degree, I'll never find a career that really lets me use it. Alas, doing what you love is great, but it doesn't always pay, does it?