Class of 2012 Mindset List

August 20, 2008 · Filed Under zeitgeist

For each of the past 11 years, Beloit College has released the “Mindset List” for that year’s incoming Freshman Class - i.e., the list of things that the kids in the class have always/never known. It’s always a fascinating read, guaranteed to fill you with amazement & consternation, as well as make you feel really, really old. This year’s list, for the Class of 2012, is no exception.

Of particular interest to me:

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.
The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
IBM has never made typewriters.
The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.

Fascinating stuff, both the things that kids can take for granted as “normal”, and how quickly we can assimilate changes & start to accept them as normal ourselves.

-ghp

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Tags: history, lists, pop culture