Students walk to Devotional dressed up, with scriptures in hand. Crossing the quad, they greet each other and smile. Blue and white colors are flying, but this isn't Cougar territory, it's Viking.
Welcome to BYU-Idaho.
Differences abound between BYU and BYU-I, but so do misconceptions. Despite the variations, however, transitioning from rural Idaho to metropolitan Utah isn't as hard as many might think.
'I liked the campus better, how it was smaller,' said Kyle Woodbury, who transferred to BYU from BYU-I in fall semester 2002. 'I knew a lot more people and there were more activities because there was so much more interaction between students.'
Woodbury, a junior from Boise, Idaho, majoring in construction management, said BYU-I and BYU are definitely different.
BYU-Idaho, formerly known as Ricks College, enrolls 11,000 students in a town of 20,000. The small town setting adds to the closeness of students and the sociality of the campus.
BYU enrolls close to 30,000 students, and Provo's population is over 100,000. The size difference between the two areas is a welcome change for some, but it cuts down on socialization.
A phenomenon that is prevalent at BYU-I is students walking around and knocking on doors to meet people. This activity is foreign to many BYU students.
'It's not weird to say hi to people or knock doors and meet people at BYU-Idaho, whereas here that's weird,' Woodbury said.
The sociality of the campuses is noted as a major difference between the two schools, and that difference could be a reflection of campus size and proximity of students to each other.
'Everybody lives within a square mile of each other at BYU-Idaho,' Woodbury said. 'There are so many people at BYU that it is hard.'
Kristin Robinson, a junior majoring in humanities from Jacksonville, Fla., transferred from BYU-I this semester. She said it was easier to get to know people at BYU-I.
'I feel like at BYU-Idaho, more people knew you,' Robinson said. 'At BYU, you are a lot more anonymous. It's easier to meet people at BYU-Idaho because it is smaller.'
The social life at BYU-I may be touted as better than BYU, but Robinson said she has found that BYU isn't as anti-social as people at BYU-I perceive.
'It hasn't been as social as BYU-Idaho, but it has been more social than I thought it would be,' she said. 'I've met a good amount of people here, in my classes and other places.'
Meeting people is advice Robinson gives to any transfer student.
'My advice is to put yourself out there,' she said. 'You definitely have to put yourself out here more to meet people, but it's possible, and there are great people here.'
BYU-Idaho strives to maintain what they term the 'Spirit of Ricks,' and Robinson said that spirit is created by the students.
'The Spirit of Ricks is created by the caliber of people there,' Robinson said. 'The way President Bednar chooses to run the school adds to the spirit as well. The devotionals are very spiritual, but I really can't explain it. It is just something that you feel.'
The student body at both universities is strikingly similar, though a vast difference exists in size.
Since the change to BYU-Idaho from Ricks College, the percentage of married students enrolled in classes has increased. The number now stands at 21percent, compared with 26 percent of BYU students who have tied the knot.
All 50 states are represented at each university, and students from a host of countries around the world attend both BYU and BYU-I.
A facet of BYU that many BYU-I transfers like better is the more lenient honor code.
Kimmy Howington, a senior majoring in theater education, from Raleigh, N.C., transferred to BYU winter semester 2002. She said she likes the honor code at BYU.
'It was weird at first, but pleasantly weird,' Howington said. 'The first week my roommate left at midnight to go somewhere, and I thought, 'What? It's curfew.' Then I got really excited because I got to go with her.'
Robinson said she sometimes had a problem with the rules at BYU-I.
'Sometimes I thought it was a little extreme,' Robinson said. 'At BYU, I feel, it's more about you and your desires instead of someone forcing rules on you.'
Although the honor code at BYU-I is stricter than BYU, Robinson said it was a part of the experience.
'I definitely think the honor code at BYU-Idaho is part of the environment,' Robinson said.
Howington said she didn't have a problem with the rules at BYU-I.
'It was just what you did,' she said. 'It wasn't a problem because it was everybody's rule; you weren't the only one with a curfew.'
An aspect of the honor code that differs between schools is the dress and grooming standards. Hats, shorts, flip-flops and even capris are prohibited at BYU-I.
'I personally didn't have a problem with the rules at BYU-I,' Woodbury said. 'But now that I am here, I kind of like it. I wear a hat more than my fair share of the time.'
The honor code is something students are required to sign at both schools, and Woodbury said they should know what they are getting into.
'The friends that I had all agreed - if you want to come here, follow the rules,' Woodbury said. 'Don't bad-mouth the rules because you knew about them before you came.'
Transferring from BYU-I to BYU is unique for each person, but Robinson said academically it wasn't extremely dissimilar.
'I feel as far as academics, it's not harder,' Robinson said. 'BYU is just more demanding and they push you more.'
Many transfer students are apprehensive of the large, difficult classes BYU is rumored to have and the impersonal relationships between professors and students. Robinson said she found that to be false.
'People said it was going to be so hard at BYU,' Robinson said. 'It's been hard, but it hasn't been incredibly hard. My classes have been very intimate, I know all my teachers and I've talked to them.'
Woodbury said the large classes haven't deterred him from developing a relationship with his professors.
'I like the teachers better here,' Woodbury said. 'I've been able to talk to the teachers more and I feel closer with the teachers here.'
Robinson said an aspect of BYU she values is the myriad of opportunities it gives students.
Many students at BYU intern at various organizations, and some majors even require an internship for graduation.
'There are more opportunities at BYU for internships and study abroad programs,' Robinson said. 'There are more things for you to do working-wise and opportunity-wise because it's a bigger place with bigger options.'
BYU has its draw, and some say it is a step up from BYU-I, but the BYU-I experience is something hard to forget.
'I'm more attached to BYU-I because of the people that are up there still,' Robinson said. 'I can't ever divorce it. A part of me will always be there because it was such a big part of my life.'
Howington said she didn't have a hard time making the transition from Viking to Cougar, but transfer students have to keep an open mind.
'You have to be positive about it,' Howington said. 'The hardest thing for people transitioning is that they loved BYU-I and didn't want to leave. They expect it to be the same, but if you expect it to be different and you're open to the changes, then it will be a great transition.'
As BYU-I transitions to a four-year university, more parallels to BYU will be established.
'I think eventually BYU-I will get to the point where you'll be able to have the same opportunities as you would at BYU, through time,' Robinson said. 'They are definitely well on their way.'