How Doing One Thing Might Help Your College Student

September 20, 2021September 23, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

College students are feeling more stress than ever before. Colleges are reporting higher use of counseling centers, students say they experience stress, and parents often hear it as they talk to their students. Stress is part of the college experience for many students. If your college student looks to you for help with general stress, feeling overwhelmed, or dealing with a specific problem, you might suggest they do just one thing.

No, there isn’t a magic bullet. But when your student doesn’t know what to do next, and you are not sure what to tell them, suggest that they stop and take a breath and then do one thing over the next twenty-four hours to make a difference. Just one. Not a whole plan, not a complete turn-around, not a comprehensive solution. Just one thing.

Your College Student: The New Beloit Mindset List — Class of 2016

March 16, 2017September 17, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

As parents of traditional college age children, we know that our children live in a different world. Intellectually, we know that the world changes — ever faster — and that our children have grown up with many different experiences than we’ve had. Sometimes, however, we forget — or just plain don’t realize — how different that world truly is.

Each year Beloit College releases The Beloit College Mindset List. Since the list was first published in 1998, in addition to providing college professors a chuckle, it has also proved to be an eye-opening look at ”the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college” that year. The list was originated by Beloit professor Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief as a reminder to faculty members that many references used in class might be outdated, but it has become a much more comprehensive look at the worldview of current college students.

We include here, for your consideration, amusement and possible consternation, a few of the items that are true for current college students in the class of 2016, most of whom were born in 1994. (You may view the entire lists, by year, at www.beloit.edu/mindset.) If you sometimes wonder why you feel as though you don’t know your college-age student, read on.