It has been 5 years since I graduated from the B-School at BYU. Time flies! In these 5 years can’t imagine the personal and professional accomplishments that were only possible with an education from BYU. While a lot has changed since entering corporate America, there is one constant, a question that I will continue to answer in the years to come – Why BYU?
It is in fact an intriguing question, one that arises out of disbelief from some who are locked-in a preconceived notion that BYU supports only the LDS Community. For others, it is a question arising out of curiosity. Hence, most folks (including fellow BYU alumni) consider their right to ask a non-LDS student the question in some flavor. Of course, my response has been consistent all these years but it has certainly evolved from the time I was a student at BYU to a working professional. I want to take this opportunity to highlight the evolution of my answer and what makes BYU so precious to me.
As a student, my class mates and even professors asked me this question. At that time, I saw BYU as a place that is culturally very similar to India. People at BYU are family focused, have a fear of GOD, want to do the right thing, live a balanced life, bear children, respect the blessings of everyday life and those are some similar traits found in most Indians. Additionally, the fact that BYU’s policies and honor code strictly enforced the rejection of artificial stimulators like caffeine, tobacco and alcohol provided me with a perspective that was propagated by my parents while growing up in India. No doubt the school’s consistent reputation as an academic center of excellence with world renowned faculty was always a reason to choose BYU.
When I started my professional career in Corporate America, I was flooded with questions about BYU from my colleagues, seniors and recruiters. Sometimes I was amazed how much curiosity BYU draws. I highlighted the hard working nature of BYU students, the quality and clarity in their concepts, the focus on living a balanced life and of course the reputation that the school carries as a consistent performer in school rankings and ratings by independent agencies. The sheer number of students recruited by Big 4 accounting / consulting firms from BYU was a yard stick to measure the quality of the education.
Now after years of association with BYU, I am successfully working on living the mission of BYU "to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life". It has been a rewarding feeling to gain respect at the work place, live a good life and enjoy the learning from BYU.
