We've just moved in the remainder of new college students at CCU, the first portion having come in last week for early fall classes. And as usual, I have some opinionated, unscientifically derived notions of what's true about this year's class.
First, they're bringing less stuff to the dorms. Gone are the massive collections of CDs. Big TVs are few. Big stereos are nonexistent. Big computers are gone too. This seems to do, in part, with the way that electronics are getting smaller (laptops are the norm now) and the internet is providing more entertainment options. But it also seems that students are not as anxious to have lots of possessions around them. Maybe they're mildly less materialistic than the norm.
Second, a large number of them are making last-minute decisions to go to CCU. In the past, I have decried last-minute applicants as directionless slackers who choose CCU because it's available, safe and cheap. This year I've revised my estimate. The typical late applicant is a good student who was already accepted at another place, usually a state university, and over the summer began thinking seriously about a life of service instead of a "career." For some, it happened at a conference like CIY. So I now like late applicants.
Third, students seem less interested in living off campus than they did a few years ago. That may be because we've improved campus life, or because we've insisted on following our own rules. Or it may be that students have a better estimate of the real costs and inconveniences of living off campus. Any way you look at it, though, they're here among us at 2700 Glenway.
Fourth, the likelihood that a student has packed massive supplies of fattening snacks is directly proportional to the hefty proportions of his or her parents.
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