What College Would Have Been Like For Our Parents

By Jessi Stickel on July 23, 2015

Being a college student isn’t as easy as it sounds. We have to worry about writing 20 page term papers, making sure we submit our assignments online in time, and don’t forget about the cost of college, books and laptops.

It is interesting to think about what college would have been like when your parents went to college (or when they would have gone to college) and how different it was. Most college students are between the ages of 18 and 25 depending on your major. That means most of today’s college students’ parents would have been in college in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Here are some major differences between the time our parents went to college and how college life is for us today.

Smartphones vs. Cell Phones

Let’s all take a minute to be thankful for technology rapidly advancing over the last decade or so. If we were in college in our parent’s generation, we would have had a cellphone that couldn’t text and barely had a screen on it. Now, cell phones barely have buttons on them, like the iPhone.

I’m sure our parents couldn’t even have imagined being able to access the internet through a cellphone. You would definitely have a lot more time to study in college back in the early ’90s.

Tablets vs. Notepads and Pens

Many students today use tablets to help them academically. Students use them to take notes in class, look up their questions on Google, or log in to see their current grades. We can also watch movies, use social networks, and play games on this small device.

If we were back in the ’80s and ’90s we would have had to write everything down. Email just developing, so we would have written letters to people and mailed them. We would have to entertain ourselves unlike today, especially since there was no such thing as apps or social networks of any kind.

Flat Screens vs. Televisions

In the last few years stores started promoting 3-D and curved televisions. You rarely see boxed television sets anymore. Most students have a flat screen T.V. either in their dorm room or apartment; however, if you were in college in the 1990s you would have been very lucky to have a television in your own room besides the living room since they were very expensive.

If you did have a television in your dorm room back then, you were just grateful for having a remote and not having to get up every time you wanted to change the channel. Another great difference between now and back then is the variety of television channels; there weren’t half as many channels in the ’80s and ’90s as there are now.

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Laptops vs. Stationary Computers

Laptops are really a must have in college today. Could you imagine if you could only write papers, check your grades, or do homework in one place all the time?

Well, that is how it was for our parents’ generation in college. There were no home computers. You would have to go to the computer lab to type your papers for class or use a typewriter. They also didn’t have things like Google in the early ’90s either, the majority of people and companies did not have access to internet at all. Back then college students had to look through an encyclopedia to find information.

Rompers vs. Overalls

Not only has the technology since the ’80s and ’90s changed, but the styles have shifted as well. Now college girls wear things like rompers that are hot in the fashion world right now.

If we were in college in our parents’ generation we would be walking around on campus with overalls (which are kind of coming back now) and jackets with shoulder pads. Even though Kelly and Donna rocked these outfits, I can’t say I’m disappointed the style has changed since then!

Flat Straight Hair vs. Puffy Bangs and Blown Out Hair

Hair was a big deal back in the ’80s and ’90s. Girls spent a lot of time on their hair teasing it and trying to get it as big and puffy as possible. Now in 2015 we look to all the popular celebrities for hair inspiration and their hair is both flat and straight and a lot of stars are starting to cut their long hair into a bob as well.

I think all of us girls are glad we didn’t have to puff our bangs up that high!

Kim Kardashian vs. Tiffani Amber Thiessen

In 2015 all you hear about in the media is Kim Kardashian. She is a huge sex symbol in today’s society.

However, in the early ’90s the “it girl” was “Saved by the Bell” (1989-1993) star Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Every college guy wanted to date “Kelly” from the hi show, and every girl wanted to be her.

Another major difference from the ’90s is that celebrity news wasn’t nearly as big then as it is now. Paparazzi wasn’t as crazy and pushy as they are now. People didn’t stalk their favorite celebrities back then because they couldn’t. There was no Tweeting or Instagramming to see what they are up to or every detail about them. Celebrities had a lot more privacy back then than they do today.

The Big Bang Theory vs. Beverly Hills 90210

Today “The Big Bang Theory” is a very popular show among college students.

But back in the ’90s the show that everyone was talking about was “Beverly Hills 90210″ (1990-2000) which was about high school students in Beverly Hills that eventually went to college as well.

2015 Chevy Corvette vs. 1990 Chevy Corvette

Something that hasn’t changed since our parents were in college is car preference. Now and then, a Corvette is a very popular sports car that many people dream of having. However, what has changed is the style of the Chevy Corvette.

Chevy definitely has made the 2015 Corvette look a lot sportier and a heck of a lot more expensive. A new 1990 Corvette was around $32,000 and now a new 2015 Corvette will set you back approximately $55,000.

Average Cost of Annual College Tuition

In 2012 the average cost of a year of college cost approximately $12,000 (2012-2013).

In 1990 the average cost of a year of college was approximately $5,000 (1990-1991). In a little over 20 years the average tuition in the United States has doubled the amount. This is one of the aspects that we students (and parents) wish hadn’t changed.

I think it is safe to say that college in our parents’ generation would have been a little bit more difficult without the technology we have today. However, we can all agree that having the tuition expense from the ’90s wouldn’t be too bad.

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