For the first time, college freshmen have always been born in the new millenium. That’s right, they were born in the year 2000 except for maybe a handful.
That’s one of the things on the list of Beloit College’s Mindset List for the Class of 2022, the projected graduating year for all recent high school graduates entering college this year.
I always love to take a look at the list to give me an idea of how our newest batch of adults think, and things that they’ve never heard of or have always experienced. Some of the things on the list are things you don’t really think of. Here is a sample of the 60 items outlined in the list:
• Outer space has never been without human habitation.
• They have always been able to refer to Wikipedia.
• They have grown up afraid that a shooting could happen at their school, too.
• People loudly conversing with themselves in public are no longer thought to be talking to imaginary friends.
• Presidential candidates winning the popular vote and then losing the election are not unusual.
• Parents have always been watching Big Brother, and vice versa.
• The words veritas and horizon have always been joined together to form Verizon.
• The Tower of Pisa has always had a prop to keep it leaning.
• The Prius has always been on the road in the U.S.
• They never used a spit bowl in a dentist’s office.
All of these items are pretty funny, especially the one about people talking to themselves. True, growing up it was weird, but now we all know they’re just having a conversation using their Bluetooth devices. The Electoral College and the popular vote rarely agree anymore. And of course, the Prius has become a mainstay in our culture, although I don’t know anyone who owns one.
But one thing struck me was this one:
“They’ve grown up with stories about where their grandparents were on 11/22/63 and where their parents were on 9/11.”
Wow, that’s true. This year’s freshmen were 1 year old or less when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked. So they don’t remember any but a post 9/11 world. We’ve always been at war with terrorism. They’ll never be able to go meet their relatives at the airport gate. Instead, they might get arrested if they move to fast or too slow at an airport terminal.
They also only have seen the World Trade Center in movies and not in a current image. Of course, all that means is that time moves on. Granted, all they have to do is look it up on Wikipedia or watch the broadcasts on YouTube to figure out exactly what happened.
As the anniversary approaches, it’s probably a good time to make sure we remind ourselves along with teaching our children about that fateful day. It’s a day that our world changed
Contact Brent at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com.
