If colleges are all about diversity then why are older students rare?

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Simply Illustrious

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I go to a community college, best decision ever. There are different types of people all over the world in my class room of different ethnicity, races, ages, martial status, etc.
My question is generally geared towards private schools. Doesn't diversity include age? I mean how diverse is a class of 18 year olds that just came out of high school even if they are of different racial backgrounds?

I'm one of the youngest students in all my classes and I think it's cool to hear from adult students who actually have real world experiences, businesses, families, etc.

My friends out in private school ridicule me when I tell them I go to community college and have people in their 40s in my class, it's an abstract thought to them.

Is it because colleges want them young and inexperience? They want traditional college age students?
 
Older students are more often seen at community colleges than private ones due to economic reasons. They have houses, cars, kids, or other huge expenses, so they just can't afford to throw away 10s of thousands of dollars on tuition at a private university, when they can take the same classes at a community college and only spend a fraction of that amount.
 
Don't listen to boatload over here.

I graduated from USC, first generation of a low income background, yeah that's right I'm a product of low performing ghetto public schools and immigrant parents.

You are saying this because of what your friends have told you? My experience was that USC was the most diverse and culturally rich environment I've ever seen. People of many ages from all walks of life. But yes freshman classes are full of 18 year olds fresh from high school, but that's what they are, freshman classes, you still have a much greater range of ages as you move up, and especially in grad school.

Most of the older students usually are transfers from community college though, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, however, you really need to let go of that mentality. What about the wealth of knowledge and experience that professors can provide?

If you don't like it what are you gonna do about it? Stick with an A.A. degree?
 
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it's because private colleges are EXPENSIVE and most of the kids going there either have rich parents or scholarships. community colleges are a lot more flexible, cheaper, local. that's why they're "community."
 
Private colleges are expensive, whereas community colleges are generally relatively cheap. Many older students will have family obligations that make it impossible for them to go to a private school.
 
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