13 years living in a "normal" environment. I went to grad school in a "normal" environment. (Actually, that's not true. I went to Utah. It was a freak fest ) Each environment has been great. Given what I have seen, I really don't think BYUs environment robbed me of a genuine college experience. I have pretty fond memories of the outstanding people I had the privilege to rub shoulders with at BYU. I've sat in classes with the traditional professors with their well coiffed beards and ivory tower views and obsession with the usual liberal pet projects. While they were great, I don't think I was robbed of anything meaningful by going to BYU. Professors are great whether they are LDS at BYU or secular elsewhere.