Scholarship Essay

"Do you believe there's a generation gap? Describe the differences between your generation and others."

The world is a completely different place than it used too, and it has come very far in such a short amount of time. As the world changes, and advances, it means that a rift in generations was inevitable. Technology is incredibly different than it was for the generation prior to this one. Also, the mind-set is very different than it was for the older generations. The dress code is also significantly different. All of these aspects of today's generation cause the gap in generations to take place.
Technology is so different than the way it was in the previous generation. When the parents, and grandparents, of today's youth were young, themselves, there was no such thing as a cell phone, and computers were just becoming popular. Now, however, the youth relies almost completely on our cell phones to go through everyday life. There are even cell phones which have internet on them. Also, one can almost always walk into a home and expect to see at least one computer, and TVs in every room, with a person occupying their time with it. In the past, homes usually only had one TV, and the family was all gathered around, watching "I Love Lucy" or "Gilligan's Island," together. Also, my generation can not go on a road trip without a GPS system in our car, which makes the necessity for a paper map obsolete; other generations relied completely on them. Technology is one of , if not the biggest, contributors to the generation gap.
The mindset of my generation is also differs greatly from that of other generations. We seem to have everything right in front of us for the taking, and we don't need to do much to get it. The generations before us had to work for everything that they wanted. The majority of teenagers in our parents' generation had jobs. Because they worked for what they got, older generations were grateful for what they had, whereas we take it for granted. Lastly, the youth of previous generations were active in politics, and were willing to fight for what they believed to be right. Many people of my generation can not name the vice- president, and rarely know what is going on in the government, today. We are passive, and don't want to cause conflict, even for something we believe in. The mind set of my generation branches so far from the older generations, that it is hard to believe they raised us.
Lastly, the way my generation dresses is different from the way other generations have dressed. Other generations dressed conservatively, but today, we're showing more skin than ever. In my grandmother's generation, it was considered inappropriate to wear a skirt that did not go past the knees. Today, on the other hand, one rarely sees a skirt that does go past the knees. Also, the graphics that are pictured on shirts don't send off positive messages. The older generations were all about peace, and they weren't afraid to advertise that message with their clothing. The way my generation dresses is definitely different from older generations.
There is a generation gap that is clearly evident. It is there in the technological advancements that the world has made, and the bridges that society has crossed. Also, one can tell there is the chasm in generations by the in generations by the mindset of today's youth, and how it differs from older generations. Lastly, the way we dress varies greatly from that of our parents' generation. The changes in society, and the continuing advancements made the gap in generations possible, and it promises that the next generation will be even more different than this one.