Utah ( CNN ) -- I did n't really know what to expect when I got to Provo , Utah . I knew that many people here were followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , better known as the Mormons . And I was here to visit Brigham Young University -- also known as the Mormon university . Mitt Romney graduated from here in 1971 . I was visiting the school to find out how they viewed their famous alumnus , and if people would vote for him because he was of the same faith -- that report comes next week . For the moment , let me muse on my visit to BYU . I went to university in Leeds in the 1980s . It was a time of political ferment . Thatcherism was at its peak . We had demonstrations and sit-ins . The students ' union was a hotbed of political activism . Most big European schools were like that in those days , as we battled everything . Amtrak train : No better way to connect with U.S. voters . The campus of BYU is a world apart from my experience ; new buildings , manicured lawns , and plenty of flower beds to beautify the surroundings . And a student body that frankly looks nothing like the student ragamuffins of my own university days . The bell tower lets you know this is a religious-based institution . At 12 o'clock they ring out a selection of light hymns as part of the top-of-the-hour chimes . Meeting staff and students , I felt the differences almost immediately . The polite inquiry as to whether I 'd like `` a beverage '' had me checking myself before replying `` oh , coffee would be lovely . '' BYU follows a strict interpretation of the Mormon Code and caffeine is banned on the campus . Flustered , I could n't think of much else quickly enough besides `` oh , a water would be lovely . '' Iowa : A barometer for the swing states . The students here have a different air about them . Walking around the campus it looks as if they have all bought their preppy clothes from J.Crew , Gap or similar . Nothing wrong with that of course . Neat . Tidy . Oh , and everyone smiles . Smiling . The woman at the ice cream shop smiled . The guides showing me round the university smiled . The student who handed me Mormon literature smiled . It was hard to imagine any of these clean-cut youths suddenly bursting into a bout of obscenities as they stubbed a toe or dropped a plate . Colorado : Will frontier state call the election ? Respectable and respectful throughout is the best way to describe them , and for good reason : They have all signed the Honor Code . The code requires them to be , among other things , honest , true , chaste , benevolent and virtuous . There is a reminder on a poster at the bowling alley , which announced `` we follow the honor code '' and asked visitors to uphold standards of grooming and dress . When I suggested there was plenty of time in the future to uphold grooming and dress , and that surely student years were designed for rebellion , my host gave a `` we know what 's coming next '' tolerant look and , ever so politely , explained there were plenty of other schools for that , and this was a Mormon school for those who wanted to live the Mormon way of life . An Amish life : America without sound bites . Living the Mormon way of life is central to this school . At BYU there is a lot of hand holding ( between men and women only ) , with chaste kisses and long looks . I know that Mormon beliefs forbid pre-marital sex , but somehow I imagined that meant no relationships , and by extension , no physical contact . By now I was realizing I was the victim of my own preconceptions and prejudices about this faith and its worshippers . ' I 'm 92 ... of course I will vote ! ' And then the penny dropped . Having probably spent their youth in the minority -- depending on where they grew up -- for many BYU students this was the first time they were in the majority , the norm ! They need n't explain why they did n't drink alcohol , swear or want to wear ripped jeans with their butts hanging out . At BYU everyone knew why , and believed the same as they did . Far from being restricting , this homogeny was their freedom to be as they wanted to be . Honest Abe 's 19th century wisdom for 21st century problem . But there were moments when I wondered what sort of life experience these students would gain here . And I wondered , what it might be like for the person who discovered they were gay and wanted to explore their sexuality ; or the student who became pregnant or fell by the wayside and lapsed into drink or drugs . What would it be like for someone who felt like they did n't fit in ? I enjoyed my visit to BYU . My host was completely charming throughout and happy to take all my impertinent questions in good humor . What struck me most was this was a college which , on the face of it , looked so familiar and yet underneath was a world apart from any school I had seen before .
CNN 's Richard Quest is in Utah filming for the upcoming series American Quest . He says that he has been to all of the states and there are some things about each state that make it unique, but also have a lot of similarities with other places around the country. Richard Quest finds a campus a world apart from his university experience . And there are moments when he wonders what sort of life experience these students would gain .