Book excerpt: Among the distinctive characteristics of U.S. postsecondary education are access, choice, and variety. Students in this country have a diversity of choices as they seek college admission. The possibilities boggle the mind, especially as college administrators contemplate how to meet the service needs of diverse student populations with differing needs, abilities, and aspirations. It becomes an even greater challenge when one realizes that most institutions are confronted with students who fit into not one but several of these "life situation" categories. Thus, the challenge becomes one of how an institution should plan, program, and budget to meet the diverse and changing demands for services and resources. This challenge is faced by student affairs administrators regardless of the type of institution, but it is particularly demanding in a metropolitan university setting. A paucity of research is available about students who choose to attend metropolitan universities, and little opportunity exists for sharing ideas and expertise on how to meet the needs of these less-than-traditional students.