Working with Generation Z in the College ProcessA STUDENT’S TRANSITION TO COLLEGE

SUZYN-ELAYNE SOLER

HARRIET L. WILKES HONORS COLLEGE

Definitions

Generation X (1965-1980)

The original Latch-key kids

Rebellious, anti-authority

Raised by parents going through highest divorce rates.

Raised “to come home when the streetlights come on”

13 Channels to satellite TV

Tech Boom to Bubble Burst to 9/11

Over-stretched, guilt-ridden parents

“Buddy-parents”

Generation Z (1995-present) Born with a cell phone in hand

Children of Gen X parents, now the generation with highest divorce rates.

Came of age, Post-9/11 with color coded terror threats

Inclined to “helping” professions—”I want to be a doctor”

Have a question? “Google It”

Want immediate answers, not creative problem-solvers, don’t wait for instructions, don’t ask questions

Over-indulged, can’t hear “no”

Anxiety

Disclaimer

This is a broad representation, not all young people fall neatly into these categories. What is being

presented is not an absolute, just food for thought.

Generation Z goes to College

1. KIDS DON’T WANT TO LEAVE HOME

1. Home is more comfortable

2. Home is where mom is

3. “I can’t eat that food”

2. THEIR PARENTS DON’T WANT THEM TO LEAVE HOME

1. “Buddy Parents”, don’t want to lose their friends, created co-dependent relationships

2. They know what goes on at college, and they don’t want their kids to have any part of that

3. STUDENTS HAVE LESS REAL-WORLD SKILLS

4. STUDENTS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ANXIETY

1. Fear of Failure: college is not optional

2. Test Anxiety

Theory # 1Fear

Theory # 2Over-Stimulated by Technology

Solutions…it starts at home

Solutions for Educators…

1. Gen X parents were taught “Study What You Love in College.”—Remind them.

2. Have outcomes, figures, statistics and income potential (couldn’t hurt).—They matter.

3. Think “outside the box,” i.e.: bridge programs, test optional colleges (CAUTION!! Admission is more challenging because of volume of applications received at test optional schools.)

4. Speak their language, but don’t dumb it down.—Lead by example. (Use proper punctuation and capitalization, correct shorthand and slang in inappropriate places.)

1. Instagram, SMS messages, Twitter, Facebook: If it’s essential that they hear the message, you need to deliver it where they will hear it.

5. Short messages (but not voicemail and not in cursive.)—You will be heard.

6. To reduce fear, highlight the good (safety statistics, good deeds, community engagement…)

7. Unplugged time: life is fine without regularly updating your status, reduce stress and anxiety levels.—Easier said that done

8. Say “no.”

Transition to College

Majors & Careers Pre-professional studies

Outcome driven

Cost of Attendance Financial Assistance

Shrewd consumers from a very young age

Academics Academic experience more important the qualitative

personal experiences previous generations valued

Parent/ Student Relationships Very close, very personal

Erosion of childhood: “They run our lives like lunatic ringmasters” (Enjeti)

Student/ Instructor Relationships

Transactional vs. Transformational

Communication Responsive vs. Non-responsive

Methods

Student Involvement Build that résumé, log those hours, make it count!

Current & Future Reputation Status, status…status

Mental Health & Stress Test Anxiety, ADHD

Safety/ Security It’s the real world in college

It’s a post 9/11 world: the only world they know

Research:

Dr. Larry FaermanInterim Dean of Students,Florida Atlantic University

(co-presenter on similar talk at SACAC Drive-in Workshop at FAU, February 2015)

NPR• ALL THINGS CONSIDERED “Teen

Texting Soars; Will Social Skills Suffer?”

By Jennifer Ludden

• “Children’s Experience of Place” By Roger Hart, 1979

• Invisibilia “A World With No Fear” By Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller

• TED Talk “Growing Up” By Jennifer Senior, April 2014

Internet Research• ADAA.org, Anxiety and Depression Association of

America: Test Anxiety

• APA.org, American Psychological Association: Childhood Revisited

• Heraldsun.com: “Generation Z Comes of Age”

• HowStuffWorks.com: “How Generation Z Works”

• Huffington Post: “Generation X’s Parenting Problem”

• KSL.com: “Parents Under Investigation for Letting Kinds Walk Home from Park Alone in Maryland”

• Learningsolutionsmag.com: “Dispatch from the Digital Frontier: Insights From and About Generation Z”

• NY Times: thechoiceblogs.nytimes.com: “Getting in Without the SAT”; well.blogs.nytimes.com: “Parenting Advice from ‘America’s Worst Mom”

Andrew TolesLicensed Mental Health Counselor

For your suggestions and professional input