"You can go to BYU...but almost everyone there shares the same values. It's more of a real world environment here," he said, adding that Brigham Young University was his second college choice.

For the students from Utah and Redhair, who comes from "a fairly strong Mormon community" in Page, Arizona, life at Harvard provides a change of pace, but one they say they've adjusted to easily.

"I've found a Mormon community that I can hang out with. I haven't run into any problems," said Redhair, who cited his friendly relations with his Catholic, Protestant and atheist roommates.

"I don't really feel like I stick out in any way, but yet this is a very different environment from where I've grown up," Rich said.

Nair, who is originally from Bethesda, Maryland, said that Harvard wasn't all that different from home.

"I don't notice any big change, because there weren't too many Mormons where I lived," he said.

The missionary experience usually starts at the age of 19 for males and 21 for females, when they first apply for a mission.

"You're called to a certain mission by the President of the Church. You send in an application, and they assign you to one of the missions around the world," Nair said.

From there, according to Brinton, missionaries-to-be go to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah for two months of training, including learning a foreign language, if necessary.

The two-year mission can be a vastly different experience for different Mormons, depending on where they are assigned, according to Nair.

In a location with a strong Mormon presence, a missionary can expect more support in his or her proselytizing efforts. Other missionaries may have to do more legwork in seeking out converts.

Additionally, missionaries operating in a heavily Mormon area may be able to live with a Mormon family, while others will have to find their own housing.

The missionary program is entirely "self-supporting," according to Nair. Missionaries pay approximately $350 per month to a general mission fund; this money is then allocated according to the cost of living in the different countries.

"Obviously some missions are more expensive than others," said Brinton.

"It's actually a pretty inexpensive way to live for two years," Nair said.

Missionary activity is at the heart of the Church of Latter Day Saints, according to Brinton, who said that the Church currently has 9.4 million members worldwide, with the majority residing outside of the United States.

"It's the message of the church that we want to share what we know," he said.

Harvard's missionaries said that they're looking forward to contributing to this sharing.

"There's a lot of unknown about it, but I'm excited," Nair said.

"I think it's great," said Brinton, who will leave for the Missionary Training Center on May 29, just four days after his last final exam. "You can concentrate on religion 24 hours a day. There's probably no other time you can do that.