Paul Leck, 18, a freshman from Brisbane, Australia, majoring in pre-law, has a problem with the way girls his age treat him.

He's cultured, well-traveled, intelligent and has a great sense of humor.

He's also a great conversationalist, until he gets to the part where he's asked where he served his mission.

Although Leck has been told he looks about 21 or 22, he's only 18.

"I tell women that I'm getting ready to go on my mission and their entire countenance changes," Leck said.

Leck said his problem of being treated differently from returned missionaries is a common one.

"There's a huge difference in the way we're (pre-missionaries) treated," Leck said. "I've actually seen girls physically turn their bodies and completely ignore you. It's a huge slap in the face."

Levi Larkin, 19, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nev., majoring in pre-med, agreed with Leck.

"If you're a pre-mish, they (BYU women) treat you like you owe them something," Larkin said.

Larkin's brother Sean Larkin, 21, a student from Las Vegas, served his mission in Italy and now lives in Deseret Towers with Levi.

He said he's noticed a difference in the way women treat his brother and Leck.

"There's such a caste system at BYU," Sean Larkin said. "There's some discrimination against RM's, but it's not as bad as what Paul and Levi get. They're treated like trash."

Larkin said he "thought it had a lot to do with the maturity level of the girl."

"With immaturity, you always see extremes," Larkin said. "More mature girls understand that they can have a relationship, even though it may not go anywhere. More immature people have no middle ground."

Other returned missionaries have different perspectives.

Danny Gunnell, 25, a senior from Dallas, majoring in psychology, said he didn't experience any major differences in how he was treated before his mission compared to after.

"I dated primarily freshmen when I lived on campus as a freshman," Gunnell said. "We were all in it to have fun and the women treated me well."

Gunnell said the only thing that changed after his mission was his will to have a long-term relationship.

"As long as there isn't a ton of pressure, girls are generally down with treating RM's well," Gunnell said.

Reid Peterson, 26, from Champaign, Ill., a student majoring in Aviation Science at Utah Valley State College, disagreed with Gunnell.

"I've noticed a big change," Peterson said. "Before my mission, girls treated me like I was just some insignificant guy who was just a player. When you're a pre-mish, nobody takes you seriously."

David Eberhard, 28, a senior from Boston, majoring in biochemistry, said the only prejudice he is experiencing is from younger girls because he's a returned missionary.

"They think of me as either there's something wrong with me, or that I automatically want to get married tomorrow," Eberhard said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 15 Mar 2002