As a former college student, I fondly remember a time when popular culture revolved around shows like Beverly Hills 90210, and our dorm rooms were adorned with vibrant tapestries and Absolut Vodka advertisements. Fast forward to today, and Beloit College has published its “2019 Mindset List,” showcasing the stark differences between the current freshman class and our generation. This annual compilation, created by an English professor and an administrator, highlights how much has changed since the students of today were born in 1997. For instance, they have no memory of Princess Diana, illustrating just how different their reality is compared to ours.
The cultural gap can be quite surprising. For example, my friend Jenna, who teaches college freshmen, once distributed blank envelopes for students to mail their final exams home, only to find that none of them knew how to address the envelopes themselves. Here are some notable differences identified in the Beloit list regarding the class of 2019: they have always lived in a world with The Lion King, consider email a formal mode of communication, and have never licked a postage stamp. They may not realize that Amoco once had a different identity, that Hong Kong has not always been a part of China, or that newspapers used to be printed in black and white.
Things Today’s Students Won’t Encounter
In reflecting on my own college experiences, I’ve compiled a list of things that today’s students won’t encounter:
- Sprinting across campus to submit a paper by midnight.
- Checking out reserved materials at the library.
- Debating whether a crop top is too revealing or jeans too low.
- Adjusting the TV antenna for better reception in common areas.
- Handwriting class notes in notebooks.
- Searching the yellow pages for the local pizza joint.
- Ordering pizza over the phone while inebriated.
- Navigating the library using a card catalog.
- Using a paper map to find their way to and from school.
- Changing the ribbon in a typewriter.
- Making collect calls or using phone cards.
- Visiting the bank to fill out withdrawal slips for cash.
- Communicating with classmates via messages on dorm room whiteboards.
Cultural shifts are inevitable, and many experiences will fade away. We attended college without chaperones at mixers, while today’s students won’t know the charm of using old Macintosh computers for their assignments. Still, I find it hard to believe they won’t connect over watching 90210 in their dorms or sending handwritten letters home.
For those considering alternative paths to parenthood, exploring at-home insemination options is an interesting avenue; check out our post about the at-home insemination kit for further information. Additionally, the Cryobaby Home Intracervical Insemination Syringe Kit Combo is a valuable resource for those looking for reliable solutions. For comprehensive insights into pregnancy and home insemination, Healthline offers excellent information.
In summary, while the experiences of today’s college students differ markedly from those of previous generations, the evolution of culture continues to shape how we connect and communicate.
Keyphrase: college experiences of past generations
Tags: [“home insemination kit”, “home insemination syringe”, “self insemination”]