Beloit College

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 them, as do vinyl albums and the Walkman.
  • 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 fathom 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 don'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, and they certainly never used carbon paper.

In two to four years these will be your new employees and co-workers, as well as many of your customers.

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

This item offered courtesy of Cathcart Institute, Inc.
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