Welcoming a New Generation to College: The Millennial Students

Journal of College Admission, Spring 2007 by Elam, Carol, Stratton, Terry, Gibson, Denise D

Introduction

High on any required reading list for college-level student affairs officers and high school counselors is Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss (2000). Experts on generational change in the United States, the authors contend that the current generation of college-age and pre-college-age students possesses many unique qualities that will both delight and challenge professionals working at various stages of the educational continuum.

Most scholars define a generation by a specific time period (e.g., 1943-1960) and shared experiences (e.g., World War II). Possessing a common history, members of a generation are influenced by people, places or events that become enduring social referents. As a result, members of a generation often develop shared values and behaviors (Lancaster and Stillman, 2002). Curiously, generations do not evolve linearly as extensions of preceding cohorts, but rather develop in a cyclical fashion-both complementing the dominant generation and filling the cultural vacuum left by their predecessors (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002). Further, as they develop, youthful members of a generation will explore the values of their elders-accepting some ideas, tweaking others and rejecting those with which they cannot identify (Coomes and DeBard, 2004).

According to Howe and Strauss (2000), members of five generations comprise the vast majority of the current U.S. population (with birth dates listed): the G.I. generation (1901-1924), the Silent generation (1925-1942), the Boom generation (19431960), Generation X (1961-1981), and the Millennial generation (1982-2002). This newest generational cohort, the Millennial, builds upon the values instilled by the Baby Boomers while also filling the cultural void left by the departing G.I. generation.

Most students enrolled in colleges and universities are members of the Generation X and Millennial groups-with the latter being the most recent enrollees. Using interviews, opinion surveys and focus groups of students and their student affairs officers, faculty and employers, social demographers have identified factors that influence and define members of these generations (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002). In addition, they have postulated a set of common beliefs and behaviors that distinguish Millennial students.

The Millennial Generation

As youths, Millennial students were influenced by a unique set of forces. They watched the unfolding of Desert Storm in Iraq-and the continual, "real time" media coverage it generated. From school shootings at Columbine High School (CO) and other locations, they experienced school lock-downs and increased security. Growing up, they heard presidential sound bites to "tear down this wall" and "read my lips," and have witnessed the initiation of impeachment proceedings against a sitting President. Through all of this, they felt the steady support of protective parents concerned about their safety, their schooling and their academic and extracurricular success (Coomes and DeBard, 2004; Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002; Murray, 1997; Woodard, Love, and Komives, 2000).

Growing up in this cultural environment has instilled in Millennial students a number of positive qualities. They are hardworking and have been socialized by supportive parents to be successful in life. They have engaged in numerous academic, extracurricular and service pursuits; in helping others and addressing social problems, they are thought to be both generous and practical (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Woodard, Love and Komives, 2000) Their hectic lives have accustomed them to structuring time, working from schedules and following rules (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002). Along with this structured lifestyle is the expectation that, as students, they will be required to complete some form of standardized testing to demonstrate appropriate educational achievement. As a result, they are used to being assessed, receiving focused feedback, and being goal-directed (Coomes and DeBard, 2004; Howe and Strauss, 2000). Having participated in group-projects at school, they are team-oriented, socially networked, and able to organize and mobilize (Coomes and DeBard, 2004; Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002) Lastly, given their access to and use of computers, pagers and cell phones, they have keenly mastered the ability to multitask (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2002).

Despite these positive qualities, Millennial students also present challenges to teachers, counselors and administrators at both the high school and collegiate levels. They are often exceedingly close to their parents, who assume participatory roles in their children's educational pursuits (Coomes and DeBard, 2004; Howe and Strauss, 2000; Murray, 1997). In this capacity, parents may serve as advisors and active advocates for their children-initiating interactions with educational faculty, staff and administrators. Perhaps because about one in five Millennial students has at least one parent who recently immigrated to the U.S., there are concerns that students of this generation may dismiss issues related to diversity, such as racism and discrimination, as less of a problem than in previous generations (Howe and Strauss, 2000; O'Reilly and Vella-Zarb, 2000).