Reflecting on my college years, when shows like Beverly Hills 90210 dominated pop culture and dorm rooms were adorned with vibrant tapestries and Absolut Vodka posters, it’s clear how much has changed. Recently, Beloit College published its “2019 Mindset List,” an annual examination of the incoming freshman class’s cultural landscape, highlighting the stark contrasts between today’s students and those of us who came before. This year’s freshmen, born in 1997, have never experienced life with Princess Diana, showcasing just how different their world is.
The generational divide can be startling. For instance, my partner, a college professor, once distributed blank envelopes to his students for mailing home their final exams, only to discover that none of them knew how to address the envelopes themselves.
According to the Beloit list, the class of 2019 has never known a world without The Lion King, considers email a formal form of communication while viewing texting as casual, and has never had to lick a postage stamp. They may not be aware of the historical significance of Amoco, the fact that Hong Kong was once not under Chinese governance, or that newspapers used to be printed only in black and white.
Here’s my take on 13 things that today’s college students will likely never experience:
- Sprinting across campus to deliver a paper to a professor’s office by midnight on the due date.
- Checking out reserved materials from the library.
- Anxiously deciding if a crop top was too revealing or if low-rise jeans were acceptable.
- Tinkering with the television antenna to improve reception in the common area.
- Taking handwritten notes during lectures.
- Searching for a pizza place’s number in the yellow pages.
- Placing a phone order for pizza while feeling completely relaxed.
- Navigating the library’s card catalog system.
- Using a paper map to find their way to and from school.
- Replacing a typewriter ribbon.
- Using a phone card or making a collect call to connect with someone.
- Filling out a withdrawal slip at the bank for pocket money.
- Leaving notes for classmates on the whiteboard affixed to dorm room doors.
Cultural change is inevitable, and while we didn’t attend college with chaperoned mixers, today’s students won’t be composing papers on clunky old Macintosh computers. Yet, it’s hard to believe they won’t bond over 90210 reruns or write letters home, even in their wildest imaginations.
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In summary, the cultural landscape of college life has transformed dramatically over the years. From communication methods to the tools used for academic success, today’s students are navigating a very different world than we did.