The “Traditional” College Student: A Smaller and Smaller Minority and Its Implications for Diversity and Access Institutions

Abstract

What happens when a norm of behavior becomes the exception numerically, yet the social construction of that norm remains prominent? When such a situation occurs, those who do not conform to that norm tend to be marginalized despite their existence as the collective majority. Conceptually, they become, in essence, a marginalized majority. This report argues that it is exactly what has occurred for the majority of postsecondary students in the United States.