Distance Education

Becoming well-schooled in selecting out-of-state colleges for LDS students

The mother of five from West Jordan has a son who is a senior at Harvard and a daughter who is a sophomore at Columbia. Another daughter will graduate from MIT in June. And while having three children attend elite institutions of higher learning certainly sounds like an enviable position for a parent, it hasn't been without complications for Baker and her husband, Roger, who both attended the University of Utah.

"Even living away from home was foreign to us," Baker said. "We never anticipated when our children were growing up that they would go that far out of state."

Their first three college-age students have done just that, and the family's membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made for some unique challenges and learning experiences.

For LDS parents and students living in areas with high church membership, choosing a college located in an area without a significant LDS population is full of unknowns. It's a decision that requires consideration beyond the cost of textbooks and choice of laptop computer. Parents and students must take into account spiritual goals as well as academic aspirations and evaluate whether the institution and surrounding area can accommodate those needs. The necessary resources, however, are now more available than ever, and it's far from being an impossible course to pass.

WITH SON DARREN attending Harvard and daughter Brittany at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it could be reasoned that Linda Baker had all the knowledge and experience at her disposal to assure a smooth college experience for Stephanie, who decided to attend Columbia.

That was until Stephanie found a fiance.

"I had never bothered to ask the question if they had married housing for undergrads," Baker said.

Located in Manhattan, New York City, where living quarters are at a premium, Columbia guarantees campus housing for undergraduate students for all four years. There is, however, no housing provision for married undergraduate students. According to Baker, while there is campus housing available for married graduate students, the competition for those units is intense.

After appealing their case at various levels, Stephanie and her future husband, Jacob Summerhays, were told that the school would accommodate their request to live on campus next year as an undergraduate married couple — unusual by Columbia standards, but not for LDS college students.

It's far from a settled situation, however. The following year, when Jacob will have graduated and Stephanie will be a senior, is uncertain.

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