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Millenials Go to College by Neil Howe and William Strauss American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, 2003 $52 ($32 for AACRAO Members), 100 pages, softcover
Neil Howe and William Strauss wrote Millenniais Go to College as a follow-up to their year 2000 book,Millennial* Rising.The authors take previous research and forecasts, concerning the current generation of young people, and apply it specifically to the interests and concerns of college admission personnel, student affairs staff and faculty. The book makes a valuable contribution to our profession by summarizing facts about traditional-age collegians of today and through the next decade, and then explaining what these traits mean for higher education.
The authors accomplish their purpose well, though some of the conclusions they reach about the generation they have dubbed "the Millennials" may be far-fetched. For instance, knowing that Millennials value a well-balanced life, the authors predict that in the future law schools will establish a women's soccer league and business schools will put on musicals (87).
Howe and Strauss fall into generalizations and stereotypes throughout their book, but this may be unavoidable in this type of work. Millennials Go to College is shorter, more accessible and more readable than Millennials Rising. Its accessibility is largely due to a well-considered structure. The first half of the book spells out the authors' research regarding Millennials' characteristics ("Who They Are") and the second half spells out the implications of those traits ("What to Do"). While the content is clear, some sections are hard to read due to the typefaces, small font sizes and shadings used.
The book's foundation is the observation of past generational patterns showing that:
* "Each rising generation breaks with the young-adult generation" currently in place.
* The new generation "corrects for...