1. Music

The online music site Pandora launched in 2005, the year many incoming students were born. Now, thanks to the availability of older music on sites like Pandora and Spotify, incoming students are just as likely to be listening to Led Zeppelin as Lana del Rey or Lil’ Baby on their phones.

Leading Support: 

"Is Old Music Killing New Music?"
The Atlantic

 

2. Journalism

Dan Rather and Ted Koppel both retired in 2005, effectively ending the reign of network news programs as the primary way younger Americans get their news. Eighteen years later, the class of 2027 will get their news primarily from social media sites like Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok, according to the American Press Institute.

Leading Support: 

"The news consumption habits of 16- to 40-year-olds"
American Press Institute 

 

3. Environmental Science

Incoming students have always lived in a world visibly affected by climate change. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita brought unprecedented devastation to the southern United States, serving as warnings for extreme weather events which have become more frequent as ocean temperatures continue to rise.

Leading Support: 

"4 ways hurricanes are becoming more dangerous and why"
Environmental Defense Fund: Vital Signs

 

4. Film & Television

Youtube launched in 2005, the same year TV programs American Idol, CSI and Desperate Housewives were the most-watched. Eighteen years later, the class of 2027 will almost exclusively watch their video content on Youtube and similar sites online.

Leading Support: 

"A brief timeline of YouTube's history and its impact on the Internet"
Interesting Engineering

 

5. Education

The Class of 2027 will be the first to fully integrate ChatGPT or “Generative Pre-trained Transformer” into their college learning experience. ChatGPT will be “used by educational institutions to assist students with course material or answer general queries about university life more efficiently than before, which allows them to focus more time on other areas of importance like research projects or teaching activities instead of mundane administrative tasks”

Leading Support: 

"A Review of ChatGPT AI's Impact on Several Business Sectors"
Partners UniversalInternationalInnovationJournal (PUIIJ)

 

6. Media Studies

It has been said, “Gen Z’s active attention span is just 1.3 seconds.” But the Class of 2027 will engage in long-form content like books, video and podcasts that break through the noise of social media to capture their attention. For example, last year young-adult fiction sales increased by 31 percent in the United States while podcast listens increased by 62 percent.

Leading Support: 

"10 Social Media Trends to Follow in 2023"
Social Media Today

 

7. Games & Emerging Media

The Class of 2027 are interested in contemporary art that integrates video games or gamification to explore ideas of land, Indigeneity, the future body and counter-narratives to the dominant historical record. Hans Ulrich Obrist predicts, “Video games are to the 21st century what movies were to the 20th century, and novels to the 19th century. Today, it’s much easier for artists to develop their gaming environments.”

Leading Support: 

"7 Leading Curators Predict the Defining Art Trend of 2023"
Artsy

 

8. Study Abroad

For incoming students, studying abroad is increasingly appealing. Study abroad programs are using a post-pandemic world to reimagine global education experiences. Studying overseas might involve more hybrid or virtual opportunities to deliver courses and learn from different cultures.

Leading Support: 

"Where are the post-COVID opportunities for study abroad?"
University World News

 

9. Sports Communication

Incoming student athletes can now earn money with the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). Not all students will benefit from this, however; NIL is mostly prevalent in basketball, football, baseball and hockey. Critics are calling for regulations to provide guidelines to prevent favoring certain athletics programs over others. How will this change college sports in the years to come?

Leading Support: 

"Some College Athletes Cash In While Others Lose Out"
Inside Higher Ed

 

10. Cinema Studies

Incoming students often quote the TV show “The Office,” although the program ended its run in 2013. The characters are omnipresent in today's college culture and the show is now a cultural phenomenon thanks to its rebirth via Netflix and short-form streaming services.

Leading Support: 

"Why Is Gen Z Obsessed with The Office?"
Vanity Fair