September 18, 2023 — Born into a world of rapid change, the Class of 2027 is shaping tomorrow's landscape with its unique interests and digital fluency, redefining what it means to be a global citizen in the 21st century. To delve into the minds of the Class of 2027, the recently released Marist Mindset List provides a sense of the outlooks of incoming first-year students who are expected to graduate in 2027. The list takes readers through the overarching student perspectives of those mostly born in 2005, tackling topics from music to movies to global issues like climate change. 

The list is meant to serve as a “cultural compass” that celebrates accomplishments and tracks the challenges of each incoming college class. The goal is to spark meaningful conversations for students with their peers, professors, and parents as they shape their own worldview. The list helps connect generations, enabling reflection on the past while engaging with current students.

According to the list, the Class of 2027 loves podcasts, the resurgence of the TV show The Office, and study abroad opportunities. The incoming class is a group that consumes its news and video content mostly on social media channels like YouTube, and must face the implications of climate change and artificial intelligence. 

See a full breakdown of this year’s Marist Mindset List for the Class of 2027 here.

The annual Mindset List was created at Beloit College in Wisconsin to reflect the worldview of entering first-year students—and to help faculty understand and relate to the incoming classes. In 2019, the list moved to Marist, becoming the Marist Mindset List. Under the direction of Beloit alumnus and Marist Associate Professor of English Tommy Zurhellen, the list has become a collaborative effort with Marist faculty and students from different disciplines with diverse backgrounds each year.  

"We're so excited about this year's list because it introduces several items we haven't tracked before in the lives of our incoming students," Zurhellen said. "For example, this is the first class that's able to fully utilize AI sources like ChatGPT in their assignments over a full year. And most of the Class of 2027 was born in 2005, which marked the beginning of YouTube and Pandora — eighteen years later, online media sources like these have totally transformed the way these students see the world."

From left to right: Professors Tommy Zurhellen, Joyce Yu-Jean Lee, and Vanessa Lynn.

In addition to Zurhellen, other leaders on this year’s Marist Mindset team included Dr. Vanessa Lynn, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; and Dr. Joyce Yu-Jean Lee, Assistant Professor of Art and Digital Media.  

“As is the case with every year’s list, it helps us understand the societal pressures that our children and students are dealing with,” Dr. Lynn said. “This is crucial for parents and faculty, especially those who belong to older generations. However, we can also see that there are many things that different generations have in common, including mundane aspects of popular culture such as TV shows, but more importantly, issues like climate change.”