<p>I'm currently in the process of applying to some American colleges. My only problem is: I'm considerably older than the usual undergraduate student: I'm twenty, i.e. I will be 21 when college starts. Is that a problem? I mean, I don't care about being the oldest in my class per se, but I don't want people to look at me like "what's this guy doing here?". I just don't want it to be weird.
Also, I was wondering if my age might (negatively) affect my admission. Do colleges care about the age of applicants, are there any limits?</p>
<p>There are numerous reasons why I'm older than the average applicant: First, high school takes longer where I'm from (Switzerland), most people graduate at the age of 18 or 19 (some even at 20). Second, I went to a private school afterwards (not a college/university) to get a diploma in audio engineering, something I'm extremely interested in. I've always considered this to be only the first step of my education after high schools. But since the school is not accredited, I'm a little worried that those studies might be held against me (because they are not "educational enough"). And last but not least, I worked during those two years, both to finance the school and to save some money for college. So it's not like I've hung around for two years.</p>
<p>So, what do you guys think? Do I still have a chance or am I too old? If you were an admission officer, would you admit me or deride me?</p>