Fact the world is evolving, back in those days people who where in the senior secondary schools where way bigger and has gone far in age, some could be above 20-30 years and some may even be parents who have given birth to like 2 children.
But the world today is now focused on the mind and what you can offer, barely the size of an individual, most 17 these days can even come up with solution that some 20's can't provide.
The younger generation are now smarter than before, in education, technology and in most cases business, they can easily have access to a place where the average 20 can't.