From Coffee Free Campuses to Studying Around The World

Comparing Uni Experiences

As a student at Nottingham, it can sometimes be interesting to think about what life could be like at another university in the UK- I’ve grown used to going in the Trent Building every day for seminars, become accustomed to seeing the Downs change through the seasons from snowy in winter to flowery in spring, and I am far too attached to the mochas in Portland Coffee. But what if we extend our views beyond the UK, and consider other countries? I’ve taken a deep dive into one of America’s strictest religious universities and compared it to a new and upcoming university system.

First on my list: Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The first thing to be noted about BYU is that the Mormon faith is at its very core. Mormonism is a Christian denomination, and BYU is actually owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whilst researching what BYU has to offer, I soon found that its primary aim is to ‘assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life’, which already in itself indicates the role religion plays here.

Because BYU is privately owned by the Mormon Church, every student who attends has to agree to 8 principles; these include being honest and chaste, respecting others and using no vulgar language. This ‘Honour Code’ extends to clothing. For example, skirts, shorts and dresses have to be knee-length or lower, you cannot have a beard, and sleeveless or ‘form fitting’ tops are strictly banned too. After reading further, there is even a route to report students who’ve broken the Honour Code in any way. Violations are reviewed by an Honour Code Office, who decide on punishment, varying from a warning to complete dismissal from the University.

I was intrigued about two parts of BYU culture, one being coffee. As a Mormon-based university, students cannot drink coffee, tea or alcohol on campusfor the miniscule 1% of BYU students who are not Mormon, they may do so off campus. Given how many students at Nottingham enjoy a cup of coffee, this would be a complete culture shock. After all, how many of us need a morning cup of caffeine to boost our energy levels for the day ahead, or look forward to a hot drink to prevent that mid-afternoon slump? How seriously this rule is taken was shown in October 2022, when a Tik-

Tok went viral in which students were asked if they’d rather drink a cup of coffee or a cup of cooking oil. Of the 18 people in that video, 8 said cooking oil. Those who said ‘coffee’ looked very apprehensive; one student even said, in a cautious tone, ‘A cup of coffee and then repent later?’. The only exception to this is that other caffeinated beverages - including Coca Cola and Dr Pepper - have been sold on campus, since 2017, and are increasingly popular among students.

You might wonder why a non-Mormon would choose to study at BYU - given the strict rules. It’s the cost. The University charges undergrads part of the Church $6,496 a year and those outside the church $12,992 - this makes it much more affordable than other US institutions. New York University, for example, charges undergrads $60,438 a year. What was most compelling for me was BYU’s dating culture. Of the 35,000 students attending BYU, 23% of these students are married. This has attracted speculation and fascination on TikTok and YouTube, with many documenting their experiences in dating whilst studying there. The Mormon faith places a strong emphasis on not only settling down with a family, but doing so as quickly as possible; for some, it may be a matter of months dating another student before getting engaged. In a YouTube video from the University’s student magazine ‘The Universe’, students were asked what the typical dating time was before people became married. Answers ranged from 9 months, down to just 1 or 2 months. The time span seems to vary; one couple featured on TikTok shared that they’d dated for 6 months before marrying. Despite this intense dating culture being normalised, two professors have created their own podcast, titled ‘It’s Just Dinner’, to encourage BYU students to normalise casual dating and consider the potential implications of marrying so young. Even so, this type of romance is worlds away from how I see Nottingham.

For my second university destination, I chose Minerva University - which, when truly thinking about it, is actually a trick question because there is no set location for Minerva. I’d previously heard of this university system through the YouTuber Unjaded Jade, who’s recently graduated from this unique educational experience. In 2012 the Minerva Project was founded, with the aim of creating an innovative and revolutionary university model. Partnered with the Keck Graduate Institute, Minerva’s headquarters are based in San Francisco, which is where students stay in halls for first year. However, that is not the end of the story. Minerva’s selling point is the difference in learning, which stands apart from all other universities. Unlike Nottingham and BYU, as well as most other universities, Minerva’s degree programme is completely online. Not because of Covid-19, but be- cause that’s the chosen method of delivering content to students. Forget the humid and slightly-too-busy lecture theatres and seminar classrooms, all you need is your laptop and a desk to complete the degree. Minerva starts all students on what seems like a Liberal Arts-style degree, teaching transferable skills like problem-solving. Then, during your second year, you choose to specialise into what interests you the most.

If this sounds like a world away from the strictness of BYU or even the degree programmes at Nottingham, then you would definitely be correct. What’s more is that every student specialises where they study, as well as the specific content too. Semesters are spent abroad, with a variety of cities to choose from, including Seoul, Berlin, Buenos Aires and London. For those with a travel bug or desire to see the world, Minerva offers the chance to explore culture and meet like-minded students, whilst getting to study in a flexible and specialised manner. From watching Unjaded Jade on YouTube, I’ve been fascinated by her journey of studying across the world in Korea and Germany, gaining experience living independently whilst learning new cultures and getting to know different people in every setting.

Classes at Minerva are designed to encourage students to fully engage with content and get involved in discussions. Unlike BYU and Nottingham, where lectures are delivered to mostly silent students, Minerva lecturers will only speak for a few minutes at a time and expect students to share their own opinions and work. This ‘active learning’ process, which is designed to ensure information is fully absorbed and understood rather than just listened to, has been backed up by various studies. The man behind Minerva, Ben Nelson, is a strong advocate for the virtual classes, as the university uses a colour-coding system which tracks how engaged each student is by analysing how much they talk in class. Unlike BYU, a Minerva education will set you back, yearly tuition fees fluctuate but average around $20,000 - not including travel or accommodation costs.

BYU and Minerva can clearly be seen as controversial, for very different reasons. BYU’s successes could be overshadowed by its strict culture surrounding dating and living by the Honour Code; to those outside the university, BYU could appear to be offering a very alienating experience for young students. In comparison, those not studying by Minerva’s methods might see it as some kind of scam; after all, Minerva’s unconventional style of studying in multiple countries over a matter of years, as well as not having a singular campus where students can meet and get to know one another, might look and feel rather isolating. But from attendees such as Jade Bowler, nothing but positivity has been expressed for Minerva - perhaps this new mode of studying could increase in popularity. Every university experience is so different. From the sheer impact religion can have on studying at BYU, to the flexibility of Minerva and the emphasis it places on independence and travel, it’s clear that every student across the globe has such a unique time at university. And perhaps more should be done to highlight these differences, to open our eyes up to how big our world truly is.

- Holly Philpott