If you want a master-class in how a college recruiting visit should go, take a trip up to Utah State. They will look you up beforehand (they often recognize you and will call you by name during the tour); they'll offer tickets to sporting events; give you vouchers for free Aggie Ice Cream at their creamery; they'll feed you in their central buffet-style cafeteria after your tour; they'll walk you all over campus, show you just about anything you want to see, discuss housing options, talk with you about unique USU traditions, and facilitate meetings with counselors (or even faculty, if your HS grades and ACT are high enough to be worth everyone's time).

BYU's tours, on the other hand, are disinterested drive-bys in a golf cart.

BYU knows that there are more people who would like to go to BYU than there are spots at BYU—and they take advantage of that throughout the college experience. That same "If you don't like it, you can leave" attitude is pretty prevalent across campus.

For some people, the pros of the BYU experience outweigh those (and other) cons.

But if I had to choose again, I would have gone to USU.