It’s 2020 and our incoming freshman class likely grew up very differently than us. Often referred to as Gen Z or iGen, students born around 2001 are the most ethnically diverse generation in American history. Below are some of the realities of our 3,400 incoming students this academic year.
- The primary use of a phone has always been to take pictures.
- Most of them will rent, not buy, their course textbooks.
- Airline passengers have always had to take off their shoes to pass through security.
- They have grown up with “search algorithms” that know what they want before they do.
- They are on track to graduate college in 2023, the same year as Sasha Obama.
- They were born the same year that the Apple iPod was released.
Our students may be expecting a college experience that is different than ours (bring on the advising chatbots, 3D campus tours, and virtual reality in the classroom).
