Nobody can argue against the notion that BYU has blessed many many LDS individuals and their families over the years: a world class education for a bargain basement price and the opportunity to interact (and marry?!) with LDS at every turn. It stands to reason that many former and current BYU students would have ended up at a much less prestigious university because of cost and would have interacted with many less LDS members because of typical college demographics at other schools. So again, BYU is a hugh blessing.

But I also wonder if BYU unintentionally distorts Mormons' view of college. If you are brought up with the single goal of going to BYU, are you mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with the alternatives: normal colleges that reflect society in terms of the percentage who are LDS? There are former and current BYU students who can hardly imagine going to college in the Gentile world, yet isn't that what most of America is like outside of Utah, Idaho, and southern Phoenix? There are LDS families who think every college in the US is a total rip off because compared to BYU they are. But that's because BYU is so far below the norm.

Finally, when you have a kid who goes to a university other than BYU like I do (my daughter was accepted to BYU but chose another school) you hope that some good smart LDS kids will be there but you wonder if they've all gone to BYU. Local universities and institutes suffer when everyone takes off for Provo.

I loved my time at BYU and am thankful for it. But i hope smart LDS kids can fit in at other schools too.