Even the language that Non-Traditional students use are sometimes considered weird or strange even though what they are saying is politically correct. Such things may be as simple as calling a building on their campus by the full name that was given to it, where that, a traditional student may abbreviate the name to a much shorter version that is accepted (ex: Downing University Center would be called DUC). However if a Non-Traditional student used the abbreviation it could be considered as abnormal even though the Traditional student used the same abbreviation.
You may see a Traditional student go to parties, drink beer, and in their words get wild. This would be acceptable for them to do this, but if a Non-Traditional student did this, they would be considered a weirdo or freak. Our society tells us that its ok for a younger and in some cases, underage person to do this because they are in college and this is what people call being a normal college student is all about. But we would not accept a older person doing this. What a Non-Traditional student would see as abnormal, would be considered normal in this instance. .
A Non-Traditional student may not feel comfortable sitting in a class with all Traditional students because he or she may not feel that they have anything in common.
Even when a Non-Traditional student goes to an athletic event and has to sit in the student section, this can be very uncomfortable because they may not be looked upon as a student because of not looking like what a Traditional student is suppose to look like.
Even though a Non-Traditional student may be labeled abnormal, they still have advantages that a Traditional student does not have. Non-Traditional students have been out of school and in most cases have had to work for what they have got. This gives them life experience over the Traditional student. A Non-Traditional student very well may study harder, make better grades, and even enjoy college more than their counter part.
