JEREMY WECHSLER The ACE House, on 85 Home Avenue, is home to three of Wesleyan’s so-called "non-traditional" students.

Older Students Bring New Perspectives to Wesleyan By Rachel Kurlantzick Contributing Writer At the age of 23, most of us are either in graduate school or settling into a new job. For almost two dozen people, however, age 23 can be the beginning of their college experience at Wesleyan.

Wesleyan has a special designation for students who are 23 or older. The University deems them "non-traditional" students, and they are among us in classrooms and on campus.

"In other words someone who starts Wesleyan after the general age that typical students finish college [is considered non-traditional]", said Kim Reade, a 27 year-old student.

The so-called non-traditional students, sometimes referred to as Adults Continuing Education (ACE) students, are one of the most diverse groups on campus. They boast a huge range of ages and previous college experience, and they are all at different stages of life.

"There’s really no common thread, except that we’re all over 23," Reade said.

ACE students go through the same application process as regular students.

"Wes admits a small number of adult students, but they need the same criteria as frosh," said Bill Thompson, a 46 year-old ACE graduate student in the Earth and Environmental Studies Department. "They look at our high school transcripts, plus our job experience, and they look at each person individually."

Most ACE students are transfers who have already gone to another school for one or two years. The majority of the non-traditional students are from Connecticut "because adults tend to be tied down geographically," Thompson said.

A small number of the ACE students, about three to five per year, are Etherington scholars. These are graduates of Connecticut community colleges who are given scholarships to Wesleyan.

Some ACE students live off-campus, some are commuters, and some live on campus, in dorms, in Park Washington, or in the ACE House, which is located at 85 Home Ave. The ACE house is currently home to three ACE students: Kim Reade, Bill Thompson, and Adam Francis.

"It is not at all competitive to live here," Francis said. "Most people don’t even know about the house."

In addition to being a home, the house functions as a resource and support group for non-traditional students.

"Other ACE students come here to hang out, smoke and do homework. They come for lunch because they’re not on meal plans," Thompson said.

The house also provides a place for commuting students to go during the day if they are not able to drive home between classes.

"ACE is sort of an organization," Reade explained. As the ACE fellow, she is responsible for looking after the adult students, since they have different needs and interests than traditional Wesleyan students.

"They need different advice and referrals," Thompson said.

The ACE fellow changes every year. It is a position any ACE student can apply for. Whoever gets the job has the cost of their housing covered by the University.

The Wesleyan Student Assembly gives the ACE house money for events, and the ACE fellow coordinates a lunch and dinner each month for all of the non-traditional students.

"It’s very different coming back to school as an adult and it’s really nice to be able to sit and talk to other adult students. I’ve found the ACE house to be a very helpful supportive atmosphere, it’s like an instant group of friends," Thompson said.

When asked if they feel a part of the Wesleyan community, the ACE students explained that their college experience is very different from that of the traditional student. For the most part, they do not participate in the social life on campus.

"I’m at a very different place in my life than a 21 year-old is," Reade said. "When you’re younger, you want parties and a college lifestyle. At 27 you don’t want that anymore. It’s sort of like a ‘been there, done that’ feeling."

Adam Francis explained that although many people mistake him for a typical undergraduate, he sees "differences between myself and other students. I run out of steam for college partying and pranks."

Many ACE students have children, homes, and other commitments that typical Wesleyan students don’t need to worry about.

"The older you get, the more real life off-campus responsibilities you have," Thompson said. "The closer you are to traditional age, the more ACE students tend to assimilate into college life."

Although they are not usually active socialites on campus, ACE students do participate wholeheartedly in the Wesleyan academic community and feel very accepted in academic life on campus.

"My classmates accept me as just another student, the stigma of being older is something I place on myself, no one else places it on me," Francis said.

He doesn’t look at younger students as being immature or think less of them because "we’re all peers here."

Being an ACE student is a different sort of college experience. Francis described it as "a sort of second childhood. You have so many opportunities and it’s nice not to have the crushing reality of the real world in your life."

A common thread in the comments of all three ACE house residents was their appreciation for college after being in the workplace.

"I really appreciate being here now more than I ever did in the 70s. I took this for granted as a young person. Having been out in the world, I am so much more motivated and focused, and I love the intellectual freedom here, the classes, the professors, the atmosphere," Thompson said.