Every year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of that year's incoming freshmen. Here is this year's list:

• The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1990.
• They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and do not know he had ever been shot.
• They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.
• Black Monday, 1987 is as insignificant to them as the Great Depression.
• They can really only remember one president before George W. Bush.
• They were 6 when the Soviet Union broke apart and they don't remember the Cold War.
• They have never feared a nuclear war.
• They don't remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• Tiananmen Square means nothing to them.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
• Atari predates the, as do vinyl albums.
• The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them because they've never seen a record player.
• They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.
• They may have never heard of an 8-track. The compact disc was introduced before they were born.
• As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 36 cents.
• They have always had voice mail.
• Most of them have never seen a television set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV. They have always had cable.
• There have always been VCR's, and they have no idea what Beta is.
• They cannot imagine not having a remote control.
• Roller-skating has always meant in-line for them.
• Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
• They can't remember seeing Michael Jordan play.
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
• The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as World War I, World War II or even the Civil War.
• They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
• They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
• They never heard "Where's the beef," "I'd walk a mile for a Camel," or "de plane, de plane!"
• The Titanic was found? They thought we always knew where it was.
• Michael Jackson has always been white.
• There has always been MTV.
• They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter nor do they remember ever seeing carbon paper.
  

For further information contact Beloit College at http://www.beloit.edu

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