Millennial Characteristics
The Millennials, also known as generation Y, are those born after 1982 (Atkinson, 2004).
Howe & Strauss (2000) paints a clear picture of Millennials in the book, Millennials Rising: The Next Generation. At 39%, this cohort is more ethnically diverse than either the Boomer or Generation X (Weston, 2006). Household income is higher, driven in large part by the fact that both parents are working. Families are smaller, with a median of one sibling and parents who waited until they were older to start having children. Millennial parents are also more educated. The percentage of parents holding a degree increased from 26% in 1973 to 42.5% in 1998 (Howe & Strauss, 2000). Millennials are unlike any previous generation of youth to hit the American scene in that they are more numerous and affluent, better educated and more ethnically diverse (Howe & Strauss, 2000). They demonstrate positive social habits that older Americans have often not associated with youth, such as habits of teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct. However, with all these positive attributes, the Millennials also have distinct negative attributes that impact their stressors and coping mechanisms, such as being over scheduled, heavily monitored, and pressured to excel academically (McGlynn, 2008).
High Achievement
The Millennials face a great deal of stress regarding their education. According to Howe and Strauss (2000), the Millennials are the first generation since 1945 to face a more stringent set of academic standards than the generation before it. Students know they have to succeed in high school if they want to get into college or university, a fact that is often reinforced by parents, the media, and the school system. Going to college is no longer reserved for the elite, it is the norm. Today 64% of women and 60% of men go to college after graduating from high school and 85% attend fulltime (NAS, 2006). Furthermore, Millennial students report the two greatest worries are grades and college admission compared to AIDS and violent crime 10 years ago or nuclear war 20 years ago (Howe & Strauss, 2000).
Millennials and Stress
Millennial students are challenged by the transition to college. The adaptation to a new social situation with the sudden loss of supervision or structure can leave one floundering (Missouri AHEAD, 2007). This sudden change removes most of their stress coping mechanisms they previously relied upon. Combine these challenges with the Millennial's search for identity, autonomy, and purpose, creates an incredible amount of pressure and stress (Donnelly et al, 2001).
Conclusions: Coping mechanisms and lifestyle habits currently employed by the millennial college students are not only ineffective for alleviating stress, but also putting these students at risk for low stress tolerance.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/College-Student-Journal/297135954.html
