the Rumor is true about BYU

As some may or may not know I have decided to return to BYU for school and I'm changing my major to Elementary Education. I know that this may be a very large shock for many of you, as it still kindove is for me too haha, but it's what a little voice inside my head won't stop telling me to do.

Utah State has been my favorite university, hands down! When I first entered the Cache Valley for the first time it was the most overwhelming feeling of peace and assurance that "This is the place" I was to stay! The years spent there were irreplaceable. My first semesters living at old farm and getting involved with the Institute's Show Choir made me never want to come home -I was just having so much fun! The following year proved to do the same. I found my major in music therapy, met even more amazing friends, and I saw my future staying there and graduating. . . . . but then came the feeling that I was to serve a mission.

My biggest fear to serve a mission was leaving my major. It was already way hard for me and I thought there was No way in the world I could just take 18 months off. It truly was the only thing that kept me from the desire to serve, but then one day I had an experience that said "GO!" and "Go for it now!" When I thought of school I had a peace, I knew everything would work out. I wondered then if I would be returning to music therapy. . . .

In the last few months of my mission when my mother told me I needed to think about school, I had the most distinct feeling I'd be staying in the Provo area. I even wrote her and told her to reapply to BYU, which she didn't, but the thought was placed in my mind then. When I returned home I tried to ignore that feeling and immediately called my Teachers in the Music Therapy department up at Utah State and was working out everything to return to USU for the following fall semester. Then the feeling of Elementary Education came to my mind. "What is going on!?!?!" I was thinking with frustrations and "Where are these thoughts coming from!?!?!" -I knew very well where they were coming from but I have NEVER considered El Education or ever wanted to for that matter! My mother has always told me I would be a good teacher, and I was kindly complimented on my teaching skills as a missionary, but if I were to become a teacher I always had my heart set on going into Secondary Ed and in math (which was my major before Music Therapy).

Well I decided to go to USU and talk to the councilors about El Ed just to see what they say about it. I entered the valley and didn't have that familiar "You're home" feeling I had always felt before. I stepped on campus and felt so out of place it was almost heart breaking for me. I talked to past teachers who I love and adore and they kept asking, "You're coming back right??" and I wanted to say an honest yes and have it be true, but inside I felt so assured that I was not coming back. This sounds crazy, but it's really how I felt! When I went and met with the education councilor he was amazing. If anyone from Utah State reads this and goes into Education, have Chad Downs as your councilor. He's awesome!!! He did his research before I'd gotten there and set up my schedule and said, "You're on track to graduate in two years." "What!?!?" I was taken back! That's how much time music therapy would take. It felt so awesome talking to him and I knew then that I was changing my major. When he gave me a change of major form though it was really sad -I couldn't get myself to go change my major right then because I love music therapy so so so much too!

Anywyas, so I came home and applied to UVU and BYU. Now BYU had their deadline for applications February 2nd -yes I know completely ridiculous! I called them and said, "The deadline for fall is February 2nd?" "yes" was my reply, "Well I just returned from my mission and I was wondering if you work with return missionaries that miss the deadline." but my reply this time was, "We have returning missionaries all the time. We might look at your application and we might not." I just thanked her and decided I'd go on my faith of what I was feeling and not hearing. Haha! So I filled out the application I needed to, got my interviews with my Bishop and Stake President and then waited! UVU I learned is open enrollment so after I submitted my application I got my "Welcome to UVU email" haha I thought that was funny it came right after I submitted it. I visited both campuses and talked to councilors to determine my graduation plan, what credits transfered, and what everything would require. I had mixed feelings about UVU and at BYU I just felt a fear of them possibly not accepting me -I felt more inclined to going there, but didn't want to get my hopes up -so there was just fear.

It's funny, since BYU is my least favorite school I've ever attended, that I had so much fear and anticipation for the acceptance or rejection letter. I loved BYU Idaho and I loved Utah State, but I just didn't have a super great experience when I went to BYU before and so why I was feeling inclined to return really was as confusing to me as it may be to a lot of you. But the day came that an email was in my inbox that said something like, "A decision has been made on your application. Click this link to see what has been decided." Ahhhh! I was so scared. All I had to read was the first line to discover that I'd once again been accepted to BYU. Woohooo!!!

I visited the campus the next day to meet with councilors and get working on my graduation plan. I felt the familiar feeling again, "This is the place" and I knew I was where I was supposed to be. Now I know my brother Ben is quite upset with this decision (and that really is an understatement). A lot of things I haven't agreed with before too about BYU -like their religion classes being so hard and counting against my gpa, but recently I've got to thinking and read a talk (click that word to see the whole thing), I actually haven't read the whole talk, but enough to remember and realize that the most important thing to me in my life is my Savior Jesus Christ and the gospel. By putting the religion classes as important as my other classes it helps me to study and put a lot of focus and emphasis on my scriptures and the gospel as it does my other classes. Life gets so busy and school can become so stressful and when that happens I really do fall guilty to putting my scripture studying and gospel learning on a lesser level than my school classes that I have upcoming tests for. BYU helps in a way that other universities can't (well all the BYUs).

I know that there are many reasons to why I am going to BYU. Right now I truly can only think of a few, haha, but I know it's usually after the trial of our faith that we are given the witness of the why. But to Ben I say "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and Lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5)