Church Schools, Institute and Your College of Choiceby Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger 24 Jun 2009 07:03 AM Recently I had the opportunity to return and visit BYU again. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend and graduate from BYU, but it has been about ten years since I visited campus. I also recently had a conversation with some friends who chose not to attend a church school. I've known people who love the atmosphere and people who chafed while attending. It is important to realize that the church school experience is not for everyone. It is important that students apply and attend where they will be the happiest. This may mean a church school, or it may mean staying closer to home. Students also may be looking to other great schools as their dream school. No matter where a student chooses to go there are programs and resources to help them along the way. The Institute program is one great resource for LDS students to utilize while in school. There are Institutes of Religion set up all across the country near most college campuses. People attending college and singles between 18 and 30 can take advantage of the classes, programs and activities that are put on by the Institute. College is a time of self-discovery. Many young adults struggle with their testimonies, but others stay strong and active in the church. The Institute program can continue to provide support to those who want to stay active, but feel that they may be the only ones with that desire. The religion classes that are offered can be a refreshing break and can offer peace during an otherwise difficult semester. You can find an Institute program here. Additionally you can learn more about the Institute programs here. In addition to the BYU, BYU-Idaho, and BYU-Hawaii, you may choose to attend the LDS Business School. There are private schools as well that are not affiliated with the church, but strive offer an environment based on LDS standards. Southern Virginia University is one. They are also trying to create a Nauvoo University. Related Articles: The Advantages of Participating in Institute Classes Young Men: College and a Mission A Website to Learn More About Church Schools Learn more about Miriam Caldwell  Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children. Relevantlds tags User Comments DavesD (5) 09 Aug 2009 02:17 PMSome years ago, while I was attending Utah State University, Elder Brockbank came and spoke to us in the Spectrum, and made it very clear that we, as good members of the church, needed to look outside of BYU and Utah for our education. There were MANY other good colleges and Universities, and they all have an Institute program that serves them. We would be remiss in our education and in our responsibilities as members of the church to not attend other schools, share the Gospel, and cultivate the talents of many other great teachers, mentors, professors, and others with specialties not found within the walls of BYU. I later served a mission in California (I was living in Colorado), and chose to attend a number of colleges in the San Diego area, ultimately completing my Bachelors degree at San Diego State University. It was the absolute best experience for me. With my initial University background at USU, my first major rival school was BYU. For that reason to start with, I was better suited for a different collegiate experience than BYU could offer. The Institute program at SDSU, Mesa College, Palomar College, and Miramar College, was superb, better than I could have ever hoped for had I stayed in Utah. For me, I took Elder Brockbank's charge, and put it into practice. There just simply will not be enough room at ANY and ALL of the BYU Campuses to handle ALL the LDS students. Expand your horizon's and see what more is out there. Community Tags college, Institutes of Religion, lds Discuss this article
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