College campuses are a melting pot of diversity filled with students from all walks of life, each with the same goal of graduating. However, nontraditional students may have trouble connecting with their campus community because of the age difference between them and their peers.
There are endless opportunities and activities designed for students to connect. Freshmen orientation, rushing sororities and fraternities and living in the dorms are memorable ways to meet lifelong friends from college.
As a nontraditional student, however, I never got to experience those college icebreaker activities. Coming from my own experience, many students who transfer from community college take a year or two off or work before attending college can find it hard to integrate themselves socially when they didn’t get the opportunity to participate in freshman activities.
During my first term at UO, I was lucky enough to meet two other nontraditional students my age — something I thought would be a lot harder to find. I asked them about their college experience so far and if there were any areas they felt like they missed out on.
Leilani Kane, a nontraditional student from Portland, talked about her choice to live in the dorms her first year at UO despite the age difference between her and her peers.
“I don’t regret going into the dorms because otherwise I wouldn’t have met my current roommate,” she said. Rather than having the traditional college experience at 18, Kane said she believes she is right where she is supposed to be.
“If I had been here as a traditional student, I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed it because I was so introverted and to myself that I would have been uncomfortable,” Kane said.
Kelly Delour, an architecture major living off campus, spoke about her desire — and hesitation — to get involved and participate in UO activities.
“There are some areas in school where I feel I do not belong or are hard to get involved with,” Delour said. “Many of the school sports, campus events and Greek life seem out of reach for me.”
Additionally, some nontraditional students may not feel the desire to get involved in the school outside of attending classes and turning in assignments, finding they struggle to relate with the younger students they are surrounded by. This is something I personally contemplated when preparing for UO.
I debated between pursuing a college experience where I involved myself as much as possible versus a few years at a college where I only participated academically. Ultimately, I made the decision to put myself out there and make the most of my two years at UO, not wanting to graduate with any regrets.
There is no age cap on the college experience, and nontraditional students should pursue the activities they are attracted to freely without worrying about whether they “belong” or not.
I encourage all college students to get involved in their schools socially and make the most of their time. College is only a few short years. Whether you are a traditional or nontraditional college student, my advice to you is the same: experience college without any regrets.

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Non-traditional students aren’t the average undergrad but are nevertheless still on the right path to pursuing their passions. Kelly DeLor is a fourth-year at the University of Oregon studying interior architecture. (Mary Grosswendt/Emerald)