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Meet the millennials Baby boomers' children head off to college Archived article from Sep 22, 2003 By Carla Cantor They're called the millennials, and they are the most numerous, affluent and ethnically diverse generation to date, producing the largest college enrollments in U.S. history. The new wave of students, who arrived on campus this month, are likely to be achievement-oriented, risk-averse and used to hovering "helicopter" parents keeping tabs on their every move. That's the thesis, at least, of Neil Howe and William Strauss, co-authors of "Millennials Go To College: Strategies for a New Generation on Campus — Recruiting and Admissions, Student Life, and the Classroom." Their 100-page handbook, published by the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and LifeCourse Associates (Howe's Washington, D.C. consulting firm) is designed to help college administrators anticipate how the new millennial generation is changing and will continue to change college life. This demographic group — the children of baby boomers and the largest group since the boomers — is accustomed to sophisticated digital technology and choice, and they know their power as consumers, Howe says. After all, these were the "babies on board" of the mid-80s and the soccer-mommed kids of the '90s, children who have been catered to since birth with Gap Kids, Nickelodeon and Sports Illustrated for Kids. "But," Howe says, "These post Gen-Xers – broadly defined as 6-25 year olds (the first wave of millennials are in graduate school or first jobs) — are also socially conscious, volunteering in their communities and taking on service-learning projects at school." According to Howe and Strauss, millennials demonstrate some key traits. They are:
"The millennials are attracted to big name universities, long traditions and a tight sense of community," Howe says. And good news for parents and administrators: They're "straighter" than their boomer parents were at their age. Not that these kids are goody-two shoes, but rates of pregnancy and abortion on campuses are half of what they were in the early 1980s, Howe says. Alcohol consumption and tobacco use are also down, he adds. Joan Carbone, associate dean for student services at Rutgers College, agrees that students today differ from students 20, or even 10 years ago." Disruptive, disorderly behavior on campus has decreased significantly over the last two decades," she says. "My experience in student life tells me that the students held the closest, those most restricted at home, were the ones who went wild at college," says Carbone, who began her career in Rutgers' student services in 1980 as an assistant dean for residence life. "Parents today have better relationships, are not as restrictive and are more understanding of their sons and daughters, so students who come to college are not as desperate to get away from Mom and Dad as they used to be." Nevertheless, watchful parents are a consumer group in themselves. The huge increase in parental involvement prompted student services this year to establish a "Parent's Office" for parents of students who live on campus. The office is staffed to accept calls from parents and deliver information to parent e-mail boxes that helps keep them in the loop of campus happenings while assuaging their separation anxiety. "Parents want to be part of their child's life but don't want to interfere," Carbone says. "We want to help them feel connected so they won't have to hover." Carbone believes that the baby-boomer parents have done a good job of preparing students for independence, teaching them social decision-making and to respect curfews, rules and authority, in general. Years ago, she says, "Kids got into trouble and the biggest threat we could make was ‘we're calling your parents.' Now, the first thing kids say is ‘I need to call my parents' — and, I think, that's good." On the other hand, says Carbone, the parent of an 18-year-old, "We may have done too much — sitting down with our kids to plan their schedules, calling the school if they don't get the residence hall room they wanted." Therein lies a contradiction, she says. "We've allowed them independence, but we're still out there supporting them 110 percent. The separation isn't there. This generation may have a rude awakening when they get out into the world."
Erin Moseley
Last Book Read: "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown Parents: Lynn and Jim Moseley
My little girl is leaving for college — it's a bittersweet moment. I'll miss her," says Erin's mom, Lynn, a regional director with the U.S. Department of Labor. She and Erin are close; they talk about everything from boys to clothes to politics. The family watches favorite TV shows together — "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" — and has similar tastes in music. Erin and Dad share a love of Simon and Garfunkel. By contrast, Lynn can't remember ever having had a conversation with her parents about anything really meaningful. "They seemed so old-fashioned." Jim, the owner of a limousine company, believes that the strong, supportive relationships many kids enjoy with their parents today enable them to strive ahead and think toward the future. "I grew up in a strict family and enlisted in the Army at 18. I never thought about what I wanted to do with my life," Jim says. "I feel good about Erin. She has a good head on her shoulders and the moxie to get ahead."
— Carla Cantor
Lynn-Cassandre and Lydie-Danielle Samedi
Lynn-Cassandre and Lydie-Danielle are identical twins: they dress differently, but their outlook, values, and academic and social interests are similar. "What goes for me, goes for her," Lynn said. Or did Lydie say that?
Last book read: "Two Suns in the Sky" by Miriam Bat-Ami (Lynn-Cassandre) "Fleeced" by Carol Higgins Clark (Lydie-Danielle) Parents: Joseph and Emily Samedi Joseph, who emigrated to this country from Haiti in 1982, always told his girls — the twins have a 14-year-old sister, Lunie — anything is possible with a good education. "They are gifted children," says dad, who works as a presser at a Morris County dry cleaner. "America will give them a chance to become doctors, or anything they want." Emily, an insurance claims examiner in New York City, who was also born in Haiti, echoes her husband's feelings. "Even if I had money to give them, education is better. What you have in your brain, no one can take away." The girls and their parents share values, goals and ideals. "My parents' emphasis on education was something we never questioned. When it was time to study, I always said yes, okay, I know," says Lynn-Cassandre. The family realizes how lucky they are. "I know kids who don't get along that well with their parents, and that's sad," says Lydie-Danielle. "If you don't have your family to back you up, what do you have?" — Carla Cantor
Tom Radtke
Last book read: "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien and a romance novel his girlfriend dared him to read Father: Steve Radtke Dad's advice for Tom: find a passion and pursue it. "If you don't love something, you'll never be good at it," says Steve, 53, who began working on his Ph.D. at New Jersey Institute of Technology this year after being laid off from a software development company. Six years ago, Steve married a second time. "Tom is in the middle between an older brother and my wife's daughter. They're all good kids, although Tom let us down a few months ago. We went away and he had a party we weren't expecting; but that's really the worst I can remember." Steve's parenting style is much less authoritarian than that of his parents. "I try to invite Tom to be an adult, to counsel rather than discipline." As a teenager, Steve felt alienated — something he doesn't wish for his son. "After all, I was 18 in 1968 when thousands had died in Vietnam. My parents represented a different set of values from mine." Happily, he says, "My kids and I share a surprising amount. For example, I'll be in the car and all of a sudden one of them will put on a tune by Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater or the Beatles. My parents listened to Perry Como and Ethel Merman, music that took me a lot longer to appreciate." — Carla Cantor
Lynn Martin
Last book read: "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel
Mother: Linda Smith Linda Smith, 47, who has an associate's degree from Camden County College, hopes her daughter gains independence and a quality education at Rutgers. The fact that Mom lives close to campus made move-in day extremely manageable. Lynn's computer, with mom's technical assistance, may have been the first installed in the dorm. "Times are different now, everything is digital and the world moves fast. I hope Rutgers–Camden provides Lynn with access to the latest technology and gives her the skills to help set the pace," she says. "And I know she'll be safe here. I've met with the chief of police twice during orientation." — Cathy Karmilowicz
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For questions or comments about this site, contact Greg Trevor Last Updated: May 30, 2006 © 2012 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved. 
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Close to their parents
