When I stepped onto campus, the buzz of Beverly Hills 90210 filled the air, and our dorm rooms were adorned with colorful tapestries and Absolut Vodka advertisements. Times have changed, and recently, Beloit College unveiled its “2019 Mindset List,” highlighting just how distinct today’s incoming freshmen are from our own college experience. Crafted annually by a professor and an administrator, this list captures the realities of a generation born in 1997, who have never known a world without certain iconic cultural references. For instance, they’ve grown up without the legacy of Princess Diana.
The cultural divide can be startling: my friend, who teaches first-year students, once handed out blank envelopes for students to mail home their final exams. To his surprise, none knew how to address an envelope!
Here’s a glimpse from the Beloit list about the class of 2019: they’ve never known a life without The Lion King, see emails as formal communication while texting is casual, and they’ve never even licked a postage stamp. They may be unaware of what Amoco used to sell, the historical status of Hong Kong, or that newspapers used to be printed in monochrome.
Reflecting on My Own College Days
Here are 13 things that today’s students likely won’t experience:
- Sprinting across campus to submit a paper by midnight.
- Checking out reserved materials at the library.
- Stressing about whether a midriff top was too revealing with low-rise jeans.
- Adjusting the TV antenna for better reception in the common area.
- Taking handwritten class notes.
- Searching for a pizza place in the Yellow Pages.
- Ordering pizza over the phone while completely relaxed.
- Navigating the library using a card catalog.
- Driving to campus with a paper map as your guide.
- Replacing a typewriter ribbon.
- Using a phone card or making a collect call.
- Filling out a withdrawal slip at the bank for cash.
- Communicating with a classmate by writing messages on her dorm door’s whiteboard.
Cultures evolve, and certain experiences fade away. We attended college without the constraints of chaperones at parties, and today’s students certainly won’t write papers on those bulky old Macintosh computers. Yet, I find it hard to believe they won’t bond over watching 90210 in their dorms or writing letters home, even in their wildest imaginings.
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Summary
As college life changes, certain experiences from our past are lost to the younger generation. From handwritten notes to the thrill of racing against deadlines, these moments are becoming relics. Yet, the essence of college camaraderie and exploration remains timeless, even if the methods differ.