Bethany Stover '06 and Sabrina Jankowski '05
They are optimistic, high achievers who are savvy about technology. They are confident, pressured and team oriented. They are extremely focused on grades and performance and believe it is cool to be smart, and now they are walking the halls of higher education.
Born between 1982 and 1995, the oldest of these 80 million “Millennials” are now graduating from college. Also called “Echo Boomers,” they are the offspring of the Baby Boomer generation and they make up almost a third of the United States population.
Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising and Millennials Go to College, describe seven prevalent personality traits, maintaining that these students are special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured and achieving.
“College life in the Millennial era will be dynamic, energizing and inspiring,” according to Howe and Strauss. “Students will use their drive and energy to help transform and improve not only the campus, but the surrounding community and even the nation through volunteerism and service. Millennials are already the most achievement-oriented collegians in our nation’s history.”
Alma College’s Millennials fit the picture of Howe’s and Strauss’s description, as they walk and talk with their cell phones, know better than their professors how to use technology, often overextend themselves with work and activities and excel in what they do. Alma College is well suited to their needs, according to Dr. Karen Klumpp, interim vice president for enrollment. “Alma is student centered, not by mandate, but by practice,” she said.
“Alma blends traditional values with cutting-edge technologies,” Klumpp said. “We combine a protective environment with the opportunity to expand beyond it.” Students are encouraged and given opportunities to extend their learning with study abroad and in service projects such as Alternative Spring Break trips to help the homeless and people with HIV/AIDS.
Perhaps the most unusual characteristic of the Millennials is their relationship with their parents, especially their mothers. “The major thing we notice is their desire to stay connected with their parents and that parents share that desire,” said Dr. Patricia Chase, director of the Alma College Center for Student Development.
Josh Brehm '07, Derek Chamberlain '08,
and James Edington '05
When these children grew up, their days were highly scheduled and sheltered, as their parents drove them daily to lessons and practices in buckled car seats and “baby on board” signs in the back window. They are used to listening to what their parents say, and what was once considered to be overbearing behavior now makes them feel special.
Many parents of this generation want to continue to protect their students and to participate in their college education as much as possible. Strauss counsels: “The number one thing to realize with the Millennials is that as a whole they reflect much more parental perfectionism than any generation in living memory. Colleges and universities should know that they are not just getting a kid, but they are also getting a parent.”
That is not news to Chase, who gets two or three e-mails a day from parents concerned that their student isn’t adjusting well or hasn’t made friends. Because grades are mailed to them (unless students request otherwise), parents are aware when academics suffer, and they want to help. However, because of strong parental influence, many Millennials have not learned how to think for themselves nor have they developed critical thinking skills, she said. Many call or e-mail their parents four or five times a day. “They are very bright, experienced and well traveled,” Chase said, “but their adolescence has been extended.”
Chase’s job entails encouraging students and their parents to understand the importance of transition from home life to successful maturity. “Our goal is to move them from initial dependence, through independence to interdependence within the larger community,” she said.
Letters sent home before students arrive on campus and on-campus orientation for both parents and students begin the process. “We try to give them realistic expectations,” Chase said. Throughout the year, more letters are sent home to explain to parents the developmental stages that their children are experiencing and to advise parents on how to give their children advice about alcohol and other college-life problems.
“We prepare parents for that first ‘C’ or other disappointment and help them understand that experiencing something uncomfortable leads to growth,” she said. In addition, when a parent expresses concern, the Center staff, as well as the Student Life Office, the Chaplain and/or advisor, offers help without making the student feel like he or she has been pinpointed. “Students often believe they are doing the work alone,” Chase said, “and since success breeds success, they are able to do more for themselves.”
Parents also are directed to the College's Web site for parents. That section includes information about the Parent Advisory Board, which leads the Parent Association, and directs mom and dad to an online Parent Kit. The site includes testimonials by other parents, students and alumni and gives advice on academic success, belonging, direction, letting go, paying the bills, resources and technology.
How will history cast the Millennials? Strengths of this unusual generation already have become known. Violent crime and teen pregnancy are down. Young people are engaged in community service and believe everyone is part of community. They see themselves as successful and believe in building up, not tearing down.
“With Millennials rising,” Howe and Strauss write, “America needs to start thinking bigger. Test them. Challenge them. Put difficult tasks before them and have faith that they can do themselves and their nation proud. Lead them. Love them.”
– Judy Scott
