David_B

All fair enough advice. I was just asking here in case the legwork had already been done—I was able to find official sites put up by a couple countries explaining details of student visa rules for their citizens that included discussions of breaks in study, but it often makes a difference where you're coming from and I hadn't found anything directed toward US students, so I figured that if something was actually out there, why re-invent the wheel, you know? Anyway, in the end she'll probably go to a US school (if only 'cause there's more of them to choose from, and the process is simpler), but at this point it's early enough in the process that it's all about figuring out what the options are.

Right. And I know that every country has different requirements, but I can't find a place where they're nicely summarized. @Anatess—is there a list somewhere that you got those from? (As for why she can't just postpone college until after her mission, @Dravin, she'll be graduating high school at 17 and women can't start their missions until they're 19. It's still a delay of more than a year for some.)

So my oldest child is rapidly hurtling toward the college application process. Since we're residents of the United States, most of her search is concentrated in this country, but she's also looking into high-level anglophone institutions in other countries (e.g., U of Toronto, U of Melbourne, National University of Singapore, Trinity College Dublin, U of Hong Kong, and so on). She has also been focused, from an early age, on serving as a full-time missionary once she comes of age to do so. However, if she goes to college outside the United States, she'll be on a student visa. So: How possible would it be for her to take a break in her education to serve a mission? I've found a lot of advice on the internet (including in these fora) for students who are coming from other countries to the United States with such plans, but nothing for those who go the other direction. I suppose this makes sense, since that's the most likely direction (what the Brigham Young Universities and all), and the rules are probably different from country to country, but the question remains. Anybody with any experience/knowledge on this who can help someone who doesn't know where to look?

Anchorage (though that's 40% of the state's population, so odds were that that was going to be the answer anyway).

Just saying hi from Alaska, where it's been unseasonably warm the last couple days since Christmas, reaching as high as the freezing point. Quick rundown: Member of the church since baptism at age 8, but not born into the church (my parents joined after my birth); originally from the east coast; married (to another easterner, but she's an unambiguously lifelong member) with children still at home. I'll probably be lurking more than posting, but you'll see me popping in here and there.