“They want to fix the problems of people who have created them…environment, social justice, and human rights. They care deeply about social change that helps people, expands rights, and contributes to a more accepting, global society,” says Corey Seemiller, a leading expert on Generation Z who has worked in higher education for more than 20 years. Seemiller, also a professor at Ohio’s Wright State University, has also written several books on Gen Z.
But what about their parents? Who are they, exactly, and how do parents factor into the college decisions of this dynamic group? Let’s take a quick look at Gen Z, their parents, and how to work with them. We’ll also examine how the pandemic has affected the parent outreach strategies used by admission professionals.
According to the Pew Research Center, Generation Z, which comprises those born after 1996, represents a group of diverse individuals. Just 52 percent fit into the non-Hispanic white category (compared to 61 percent of millennials who identified as non-Hispanic white in 2002). One in four are Hispanic, 14 percent are Black, 6 percent are Asian, and 5 percent are another race or two or more races.
Plus, Gen Zers are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to be enrolled in college compared to generations that came before them. As of 2018, 57 percent of Gen Zers no longer in high school were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college, compared to 52 percent of millennials in 2003 and 43 percent of Generation X in 1987.
Furthermore, Gen Zers are more likely to have a college-educated parent compared to previous generations. As of 2019, 44 percent of Gen Zers ages 7 to 17 were living with a parent who had at least a bachelor’s degree, a difference of 11 percentage points compared to millennials at the same age (33 percent of them had a parent who attended college).
They’re the first social generation to have grown up with access to technology from a young age, often called “digital natives.” A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 95 percent of Gen Z individuals had access to a smartphone. Meanwhile, 45 percent of teens surveyed said they were online “almost constantly,” while 44 percent said they were online several times a day.
Gen Zers use Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, according to Insider Intelligence. TikTok, in particular, has more Gen Z users than Instagram and may surpass Snapchat.
There’s a downside to this dependence on technology, according to the same Pew Research findings. Gen Z has been commonly referred to as the “loneliest generation” due to their hours spent online, which builds feelings of isolation and depression as well as the comparison trap that social media cultivates. Ultimately, this generation may spend less time working on their social skills and building meaningful relationships with their peers. However, their time spent online also means that they are savvy consumers and look at their purchases through the lens of their values and personal preferences based on those values.
What does this all boil down to when it comes to making college decisions? Seemiller says that the biggest macro trend is that they want to improve society in ways that are social and progressive. She adds, “They want to pick good majors but they’re also recession kids, and that’s a very fine balance for them. They’re not going to work for minimum wage or struggle, so they’re balancing this idea of purpose and financial stability all at the same time, which can affect their major selection and college selection.”
Most members of Generation Z are children of Generation X. Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, experienced a series of crises that likely shaped the generation’s experiences, including the following: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Challenger disaster, the Jonestown mass suicide, the Watergate scandal, the Lockerbie flight bombing, the Three Mile Island meltdown, the Rodney King incident, the Iranian hostage crisis, stock market declines, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill, and Operation Desert Storm.
Furthermore, divorce rates spiked in the 1970s. In 1972, the divorce rate was four divorces for every 1,000 Americans and by 1976 it jumped to five divorces for every 1,000 Americans. In 1979, the rate was 5.3 per 1,000 and there were 1,193,062 divorces that year. Due to the divorce rate, Gen X became latchkey kids who craved security but who ultimately became autonomous, and they’re raising their children that way as well.
“As far as engagement, there is a shift from helicopter parents to parents as co-pilots,” says Seemiller.
She says that helicopter parents, who are overly involved or take an overprotective or excessive interest in the life of their child or children, have in the past been overly involved in their students’ selection of courses. Seemiller says that while some Gen X parents fall into that category, it’s not the best description of the dominant parent culture anymore. “The parents are co-pilots and students seek guidance from them.”
Seemiller says that a student might say, “Mom, I’m thinking about these two majors, and the parent says, ‘Well, what do you think?’” She indicates that in her studies on Gen X, she’s seeing a “coaching” angle with parents and that while parents are being kept informed, students are the ones driving the decision, at least more so than in the past.
“I noticed it in 2013 and that was the reason that sparked me to start my research. I noticed the parents were more hands-off and students were driving the bus. It’s been happening for a while.”
What caused it? That’s a complex question, according to Seemiller. “Young people are shaped by their influences and they carry those values with them. You can’t take a person out of the context,” she says.
For example, just like Gen X has been affected by their experiences, Gen Z has also been affected by certain worldwide events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, the Great Recession (and consequently, parents losing jobs), the Great Resignation, and more, which impacts how students think today.
Seemiller also says that Gen X parents were annoyed by the trophy generation. “They didn’t want to parent their kids in the same way. They didn’t yell at the coach if their kid didn’t get to play, they just said, ‘Go practice.’”
Tina Brooks, associate dean of admissions at Pomona College in Claremont, California, says it’s important to recognize that, by and large, parents of Gen Z students are coming from a place of concern for their kids.
“They are often anxious about the cost and value of college, and they are seeking to fill gaps in their knowledge. There are also some pretty stark differences in the kinds of questions and concerns parents have, depending on whether or not they went to college, whether or not they went to college in the United States, and what kind of community they are coming from,” Brooks adds. She says admission folks need to be mindful of parent context to best address their concerns, whether it’s safety, debt, earning potential, or diversity on campus.
Brooks says she has tried to educate herself about the kinds of concerns that might be prevalent among different communities of parents. In the admission office at Pomona College in Claremont, California, staff offer multiple informational sessions just for parents (webinars mostly) and hit on different topics. “We’re doing a session in Spanish, for example, and we do sessions just for international parents. Involving parents of current students in our presentations, or campus partners from the career development office, financial aid, and student affairs, also helps us to address varied concerns,” she adds.
Brooks says, “They need transparency. They need information and answers to their questions. Providing forums for this is crucial.” She adds: “Meet them where they are. Not every parent is looking at websites. Maybe print information mailed to them or texting will reach different populations of parents. Colleges need to be upfront about costs, student debt, graduation rates, and more.”
Seemiller says that in terms of communication, Gen Zers like to communicate with bursts, videos, Tiktok, and Instagram. Parents like LinkedIn and Facebook groups—and she insists that email hasn’t died. Ultimately (and most admission professionals may already realize this), parents are not in the same spaces where their kids hang out.
Marguerite Raymo, school counselor at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Connecticut, has an evening program for sophomore students called the Sophomore Symposium. The symposium invites admission professionals to visit with students and their parents about building a transcript and résumé, how the colleges read applications, how to approach visiting colleges, as well as how to help students get to know themselves better.
“In the fall, we do a junior night and give them resources. We also meet individually with parents and the student during the spring of junior year and provide them with information and search tools and make suggestions,” Raymo adds. Raymo says her office conducts a lot of virtual meetings, including over the lunch hour or at other times during the day, which gives parents more flexibility.
Seemiller says it’s too early to understand the full effects of the pandemic. “…There’s a couple schools of thought. There are some that say, ‘Let’s go back to normal, (go back to) the good old days,’ and then there’s the other school of thought, ‘We’re still in COVID and there’s a risk.’” There are some institutions that are still wearing masks in the classrooms and some that don’t make masks a requirement at all.
Brooks says that anxieties have ratcheted up. “During the height of the pandemic, it seemed that parents and students pulled back a bit on looking widely at colleges. Staying closer to home was more appealing. Now it seems like students are more than ready to branch out,” says Brooks. “Parents are concerned about costs and have more concerns and questions about value. However, they also have a real concern for doing ‘the right thing’ and finding a place that can be supportive for their student, as mental health concerns became more of a talking point over the past few years.”
Dana Ponsky—independent college counselor, educational consultant, and owner of Dana Ponsky Consulting Service in Brooklyn, New York—believes that misinformation has exploded during the pandemic. Due to a lack of social interaction, parents relied on social media, and online parent groups in particular, because they couldn’t go to their schools’ counselors or go out with their friends, Ponsky says.
“Parents are trying to keep their kids’ head above water and their own head above water and trying to use social media to navigate an absolutely complicated process,” she says. Ponsky believes that’s why independent educational consultants have flourished amid the pandemic. In many families, misinformation—particularly from other parents with great intentions—has been negative for the student, the parent, and even their relationship.
Raymo, who has worked as a school counselor for over 30 years, has noticed that increasingly, parents are very focused on their students’ mental health. “Anxiety is very prevalent with the students. It’s about working with the parents to talk with them about how colleges support students and their needs. Some parents are very worried about their student going away.” She adds, “I recently came across a quote that is apt for how school counselors should approach all of the evolving college admissions landscape from Socrates: ‘The secret of change is to focus your energy not on fighting the past but on building the future.’”
Working with Gen Z involves understanding a wide variety of influences, including their shrewd pragmatism, propensity for doing the right thing, and their adherence to a digitally encapsulated world. Their parents require a different touch based on their tendency to put their kids squarely in the driver’s seat.
Seemiller says that, ultimately, not every group of parents will want the same things, which is why it’s imperative for colleges to ask them constantly what they want. She cautions colleges to stay away from large numbers of surveys. Seemiller says it may be more effective to come up with an advisory board rather than implementing a one-time transactional survey experience.
Overall, information about student safety, mental wellness, professional preparation, and the parental role in the admission process needs to come to the forefront, Ponsky says. She tells the parents she works with not to lose sight of where their kids will be happy, healthy, and successful.
“(School counseling has) changed a lot since I’ve started doing this. But it’s still incredibly rewarding and incredibly important,” Raymo says. She says that virtual meetings, which promote parents’ ease and comfort, are a benefit of COVID-19. “It’s sort of learning to go along with the changes, which are many, but there’s a lot of reward in the profession.”
Melissa Brock is a freelance writer and founder of collegemoneytips.com. She spent 12 years working in college admission.