Class of 2011 Heads Back To Campus Wielding More Connections, Concern and Consumer Clout

The largest college class in history (students ages 18-30) has evolved in three key areas: communication modality, purchase behavior, and concern over world issues. First and most operative distinction, technology has taken students out of the dorm room and morphed communication into mobile rapid fire exchanges fraught with 'pokes' and alerts. Four short years ago, being "wired" referred to an over-caffeinated all-nighter, and friends met up on the quad without the option of today's "online" student union. "Friending" your professor may not seem the proper student-teacher etiquette to the old brigade but for today's class, it's the most efficient way to get the grade.

"The distinct comparisons we've seen from the 2003 study will have considerable impact on how groups eager to attract the attention of this ever-growing and powerful consumer group should be reaching them," stated Dana Markow, VP research, Harris Interactive. "Perpetual advancements in technology have had notable impact on students' daily conduct and as we head into an election year, we're seeing a class that's assuming more control over their future."

We're Faster Than You
New digital offerings have revolutionized the way students are communicating and navigating campus life. Today's quad is a flurry of mobile activity, and you'd be hard pressed to find a student without at least one mobile gadget on hand allowing for 24/7 communication and entertainment.

Now-a-days, cell phone ownership seems to be a requisite for college students, with close to all students (93%) reporting they own one. In just four years, ownership has seen an almost 15 point increase. Today, with the use of blogs and social networking sites serving as the modern forum for a young persons' daily documentation, it's no surprise that digital camera ownership has just about doubled since 2003. Today, 64% of students report owning one and 16% cite intention to purchase this year.

While in 2003, a mere 17% of students owned MP3 players, and the iPod was not yet a staple, today, students roam the quad to the beat of myriad audio experiences-with more than half (58%) owning one.

Allowing for much of this perpetual connectedness, is a campus gone wired. Just four years ago, "wireless" was not part of the campus vernacular, with only 14% of campuses reporting full capability. Today, that figure has doubled. Just about one-third (28.9%) of campuses now offer blanket coverage and almost two-thirds claim to have a wireless strategy plan in place . Demand for mobility is also expressed via the annual decline of desktop ownership in favor of laptops. With a 21 point increase of laptop ownership in the last two years alone (63% today vs. 42% in 2005), the dorm desktop appears as "old-school" as the word processor did in the '90's.

We're Bigger Than You
A notable change since 2003 is the number of students matriculating. With more students (ages 18-30) attending college than ever before, this year's class marks the largest in U.S. history, with a 14% increase as 13.3 million students head back to campus. And, they're toting back a hefty - and record - $198 Billion in consumer spending power. That's an impressive 31% increase since '03. In just four years, this group's annual discretionary spending has seen a significant increase, with current figures rising to $48 billion -- up a whopping $15 Billion!

These students are also earning their keep. Three-quarters of students now report employment during the year.

Girl power persists apace, as female continue to dominate campus in head count. This year,