Size Matters

I graduated from BYU's law school in 2009. I have a fancy diploma to prove it. Well, it's not as fancy as it could be. Since I graduated, BYU has upped the fanciness factor of their diplomas. Mine is 8 1/2 x 11 inches, the same size as my undergraduate diploma, or a typical sheet of computer paper for that matter. Nathaniel, who graduated three years later, bears a diploma that is a whopping 11 x 14 inches. Apparently someone decided that BYU Law grads who graduated after 2009 deserve diplomas just as big and stately as law graduates at pretty much every other university.

This is good for Nathaniel, I guess, who doesn't have to resort to bigger matting to look like he actually graduated from law school. But it's a little lame for me. I'm not sure where our degrees will find a home, but if it's in the same room it won't look like we have an equivalent education. I imagine that we will have a house someday with an office where our diplomas are framed, and an acquaintance asks for a tour. And I'll say, "This is the office, and here are our diplomas." And all eyes will immediately go to the biggest one, and they will admire all of Nathaniel's accomplishments. And if I point out that we have identical degrees from identical universities, I will look like the poor insecure kid who doesn't get enough attention and lives her life pointing out her good qualities to anyone who will listen.

This imaginary scenario worried me until last week when Nathaniel got a piece of mail from BYU, with the words "MINI DIPLOMA ENCLOSED" stamped in red. Sure enough, enclosed was a diploma the size of a credit card. So now I know what is going on the wall of our imaginary office:

By the way, congrats Nathaniel. I am very proud of you.