Over time, education has evolved, and so has college learning. The experience millennials have endured, comes in stark contrast to what older generations went through. The cost and environment differ significantly from what existed at the time of the millennial’s parents.

So what differences exist between college life for millennials and that of the older generation? The differences prove diverse, and these range from the financial cost of learning, diverse dating pool, social media, among many others. Below, some of the main differences between the college of yesteryears and the one millennials experience. 

Differences of College Life between Millennials and Previous Generations

• A large student population. More students attend college during the millennials era compared to previous generations. Research shows that college-educated millennials with a bachelor’s degree rank at 40% of twenty-five to twenty-nine years by 2016. In comparison to 32% of Gen-Xers of 2000 and only 26% of the baby boomer generation of 1985.The higher education demand has increased significantly since 1985 with NBC News reporting a duplication of the student population from 1970 to 2009. Further, Vedder, a researcher, opines that the reward graduates get from college grew from 1985 to 2000 then leveled off.
• Costlier college for millennials compared to the cost endured by previous generations. The cost of college tuition has significantly increased since 1980. Research shows that the tuition cost since 1980 to 2018 has increased by 213% for public colleges, after adjusting the cost for inflation. The private colleges also experienced an increase of 129% within the same period when you adjust for inflation.
• Extra competitive for millennials compared to older generations. The increase in demand for college education by students has increased the complexity of getting into college. For instance, Columbia University’s acceptance rate in 2014 stood at 65%. It proves a drop off of about 7% compared to previous generations.
• Costly college textbooks. Similar to the increased cost of tuition, the cost of textbooks in college has also increased exponentially. Studies show an increase of 812% in terms of costs. The increase in the cost of a college textbook has contributed to the emergence and popularity of e-books.
• College proves extra technologically advanced. The age of millennials, see a lot of laptops and other mobile devices dominate college learning compared to yesteryears. However, such devices also contribute to much significant distraction.
• Higher student percentage partaking in online learning. Advancement in technology has promoted a larger student enrolment into online learning, especially for courses that permit this mode. Such a scenario contrasts with what happened in earlier generations.
• A more diverse student population for millennials compared to previous generations. The demographic constitution of college students has evolved significantly from yesteryears. Chegg, an education tech company stipulated a minority student enrolment of 42% compared to 15% in previous years of the 1970s. Females account for almost half of the student population, with students also proving much older.
• Students prove less religious when it comes to the millennials college dispensation compared to older generations. For instance, the proportion of students without any identification with a religion exponentially increased to about 25% from 16% in 2005 to 2014.
• Millennial college students prove extra stressed presently, unlike previous generations. For instance, surveys conclude that millennials proving stressed increased by about 10% by 2015.

Conclusion

The college situation for millennials has increased significantly compared to previous generations, such as that of our parents