This study explored the nature of "aesthetic experience" in a sample of urban community college students (N=170). The majority of students claimed to have had experiences of beauty, and that these experiences were important to their quality of life (95% and 72%, respectively). Strongest "depth of experience" ratings were given to "listening to music" followed by experiences provided by "natural environments" (sunsets, beaches, lakes, stargazing) and "visiting other countries and cultures." Lowest ratings were given to "playing," "designing or creating video games," and also to "creating graffiti or street art." Statistical differences within the sample involved place of birth: foreign-born students gave significantly higher overall "depth of experience" ratings than did native-born students. This effect was preserved when the question set was regrouped as "formal" (viewing art, sculpture, architecture) or "natural" (sunsets, stargazing) modalities of aesthetic experience, suggesting a generally greater sensitivity to, or willingness to acknowledge, occasions of aesthetic experiences on the part of the foreign-born students.