’19 Kids And Counting’: Which Duggar Is Leaving Home For College?
A 19 Kids and Counting star is finally leaving home to go to college. This is a big first for the Duggar family, but some fans of their TLC reality series will be slightly disappointed when they learn which Duggar is flying the coop.
According to Starcasm, none of the Duggar girls are breaking free from their fundie family by attending a brick-and-mortar college (yet). Many 19 Kids and Counting fans would love to see Jana, Jinger or one of the other Duggar daughters experience an accountability buddy-free life at a college away from home, but Jim Bob and Michelle probably aren’t quite ready to let a female child chose this path. However, they are slightly loosening the tight hold that they have on their kids by allowing 20-year-old Joseph Duggar to attended classes at The Crown College of the Bible in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Jim Bob Duggar made the announcement about his son’s pursuit of higher learning on the Duggar Family Facebook page in a post celebrating Joseph Duggar’s 20th birthday.
“Joseph turned 20 on the 20th! He is such a great, diligent young man. He typically gets up early at 5 am and prays and studies his Bible for over an hour. Joseph has just started going to Crown Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He loves teaching and discipling young men, encouraging them to make wise choices in their lives. God is going to use Joseph in a mighty way to share His love and Bibleprinciples [sic] to today’s world! We are very pleased with his choices so far. We love you, son.”
Unfortunately, the 19 Kids and Counting star doesn’t have many options when it comes to choosing a career to pursue. According to Starcasm, Crown College isn’t a nationally accredited college, and students’ limited fields of study include “a Biblical Studies degree, as well as music programs.”
A commenter on the Free Jinger forum pointed out that Crown College has some pretty disturbing rules when it comes to dating, or at least it used to. According to an excerpt from a 2009-2010 student handbook published on the website Stuff Fundies Like, “Interracial dating must be approved in writing and verbally by the parents of both students.”
Dorm students also have to have a chaperone if they’re dating off-campus, so even though Joseph Duggar is leaving Arkansas for Tennessee, it sounds like the 19 Kids and Counting star will feel right at home in a place with strict rules that many people might find oppressive and outdated.
Crown College is just 30 minutes away from the home of the Duggars’ close friends, the Bates family. There’s some speculation that Joseph might be staying with them instead of in the Crown College dorms, and there’s even buzz that Joseph could be interested in courting a Bates daughter. Perhaps there’s a 19 Kids and Counting and Bringing Up Bates crossover show in the cards.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Michelle and Jim Bob recently praised Jana Duggar for being an accomplished pianist. Since crown college offers music programs, maybe her parents will consider letting her attend the school.
Do you think more 19 Kids and Counting stars will leave home to go to college now that Joseph Duggar has proved that it can be done?
[Image credits: Duggar Family Blog, TRACS.org]
