I had such high hopes/expectations for this book. If you teach in higher education and interact with your students at all you already know most of what is in this book. If you are going into higher education and have not yet interacted with generation z then I could see how this book would be enlightening. I did get a few useful tidbits and there are plenty of references should anyone want to further explore any claims made. ( )

McKenzie's review describes my feelings about this book perfectly. Basically, it was a small study stretched way too think to become book-length. ( )

GENERATION Z GOES TO COLLEGE is based on the information gathered by the authors. They had 15 institutional partners and over a thousand student participants who filled out their survey. In addition they gathered the insight of colleagues and used the data of 295 other sources.

To me they appear to have their ducks in a row. They said all the things I'd want researchers to say and the book has plenty of references if one wants to dig in further. Most convincing of all to me was that the authors are aware of the limits of their study. Always a good sign.
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So who is Generation Z?
Definitions vary a bit but generally speaking the Z crowd includes those born between 1995 and 2012. My own children fall in this range and thus my interest in this book; particularly as our eldest is in high school.

The authors, I will add, were drawn to this study because of professional interest. They work with college students every day and their natural exposure, and decades of experience in Corey Seemiller's case, has made them aware that there is a sea-change coming and that the Z's are not at all like the Gen Xers and Yers.

SUMMARY
This book is fascinating. The authors are more than capable of drawing conclusions that offer insight in every generational group and it was interesting to see how the pivotal events of each cadre led them to being significantly different in philosophy and life style.

The writing is superb. Clear and easy to understand. This book is actually a quick read... or would be if you didn't have to sit back and think about the information.

I actually 'saw' the validity of their observations in my own kids. As an older mom I actually think it opened my eyes to some of the behavior I don't understand in my teens. That said, this is not a book for moms to use to understand their kids. GENERATION Z GOES TO COLLEGE is probably best suited for marketers, educators, and the curious.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND. A really interesting read.

~review copy
*note: I don't give star ratings to review copies. Seems best that way. (In the case of this book, if I did give stars it would get 5)