Welcome to college, Class of 2014! Beloit College has released its annual Mindset list. While it is important to note that this list does not wholly account for knowledge and experience, it does serve to capture a state of affairs--be it from popular culture, technology or political situation--within the lifespan of the traditional, incoming college student.
It certainly lends itself well to discussion and to reflection upon where we’ve been and where we may be heading.
And, for this incoming class of students, it may be worth noting that "library catalogs have always been online." Be sure to visit UW-Madison's online catalog, MadCat, to find those resources you need for amusement and academic purposes!
1 comment:
It seems to me that this year’s list really had to stretch. Like number 59: “By the time their folks might have noticed Coca Cola’s new Tab Clear, it was gone.” Or number 36: “Adhesive strips have always been available in varying skin tones.”
Really? Those are “cultural milestones?”
Of course, the very fact that most people who are entering college this year were born in the 1990's is enough to make me want to move to Florida and drive at 15 MPH in the left lane.
But there are two things on the list this year that gave me pause. This first is that, for this year’s college freshmen, Czechoslovakia has never existed. This doesn’t make me feel old as much as it makes me feel stupid; I had forgotten that it doesn’t exist anymore. (Kind of like when you can’t remember if certain celebrities are dead or alive.) There is still the Czech Republic, which I guess I kind of think about as being the same, only easier to spell.
The second thing is really telling: For the Class of 2014, Nirvana is a band that you hear on a classic oldies station. That not only makes me feel old, it would make the Class of 2002 feel old!
Post a Comment