Freshman class of 2006

The Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list every year for their faculty to give them a sense of the mindset of that year's incoming freshmen. The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1984 and here are some of the items that made the list about them;


They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and do not know he had ever been shot.
Black Monday, 1987 is as insignificant to them as the Great Depression.

They were 9 when the Soviet Union broke apart and they don't remember the Cold War.

They have never feared a nuclear war.

Their lifetime has always included AIDS.

They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.

The compact disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.

They have always had an answering machine.

They cannot fathom not having a remote control.

Roller-skating has always been in-line.

Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.

They have never seen Larry Bird play.


The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as World War I, World War II or even the Civil War.

They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.

They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.

They never heard "Where's the beef," "I'd walk a mile for a Camel," or "de plane, de plane!"

The Titanic was found? They thought we always knew where it was.

Michael Jackson has always been white.

Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America and Alabama are places, not groups.

McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.

There has always been MTV.


For us in the real estate industry these people will be potential home buyers in the next few years. Most of these people do not read the newspaper and all of them are online, many have never had to deal with dial-up.