The Online NewsHour: Generation Next | The Demographic | The Movement Toward Community Colleges | PBS: "'People are looking at community colleges very differently, as a viable option to move on,' said Roberta Peruggi, president of Kingsborough Community College. 'If you don't know what you want to do, go to a community college and you'll figure it out.'

To young people who feel the intense pressure of choosing a career path, community colleges can offer a reprieve with a less-taxing educational environment.

At Kingsborough, the past nine years have seen a shift in its student population toward younger students, with close to a 10 percent increase in the proportion of students under 25 years old.

In recent years, states including Virginia and California have predicted exponential growth in the number of full-time students -- usually younger than 25 and without other commitments -- at their community colleges.

According to Peruggi, the shift in the student population comes from an influx of children in immigrant families; around 80 percent of students are the first generation of their families to attend college."