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If you were born between the late 90s and early 2010s, you’re a Gen Zer (most university students are part of this generation). Everything from growing up in the digital age to living through a pandemic as a child, teen, or young adult has influenced this generation’s values and personality, leading to some unique qualities. Here are a few to think about as you start planning for the future.

1. Serious About Work–Life Balance

Gen Zers are unwilling to dedicate their lives to work. They are refusing to do unpaid overtime and rejecting the hustle culture. Their idea of success is achieving a healthy work–life balance. In addition, they’re looking to gain specific experiences from work. Many value having a mentor and appreciate the chance to train others. They also like to work with clients and customers. Both of these things suggest that Gen Zers appreciate knowledge sharing and collaborative work.

2. Gamers

Although there have been plenty of gamers in previous generations, Gen Zers are different. For one thing, they like gaming to interact with others — it’s a social experience more than a chance to relax. Gen Z’s interest in the metaverse is also different from other generations, with the main focus being spending time with friends in a virtual environment and meeting new people.

3. Financially Driven

It’s likely that seeing the struggles Millennials have faced with their finances has led Gen Z to pay more attention to money. A greater proportion of Gen Zers say they want to save money than do members of other generations. Many are unsure about the best way to budget and control their spending. Although they expect banks to provide them with advice, more than half say financial institutions are falling short.

4. Passionate About Traveling

Gen Z has been bitten by the travel bug. After Millennials, Gen Z is the generation most likely to have traveled or to have purchased a vacation in the last six months. Gen Zers are using trips to recover from schoolwork and exams or to take a break from work.

5. Social Media Is for Inspiration and Information

There are many reasons why people use social media, but the main drivers for Gen Z are inspiration and information. They use platforms to inspire them about where they could travel to next, learn about trends, and find answers to their questions. Other generations tend to use search engines for these things.

6. Nostalgic

Perhaps nostalgic is not quite the right word, since it’s decades Gen Zers weren’t even alive to see what they’re passionate about. Yet, their appreciation for historical trends is a unique quality of this generation. This is apparent in their music tastes and fashion choices like low-rise jeans and claw clips. In addition, more Gen Zers say they prefer to think about the past over the future than do members of other generations.

A major distinction between Gen Z and the generations that came before is that Gen Zers are asking more from life. For example, many students are not satisfied with traditional dorm rooms and are instead living in apartments in student communities. Foundry Lofts offers Brock University off-campus housing with everything Gen Z students could want, including a games room, movie theater, fireside lounge, and study spaces. Book a tour to see how living here will enhance your university experience.