- The Pew Research Center recently published data on the expectations Americans put on themselves to reach certain life milestones (like landing a career, getting married, or buying a house, etc) by a specific age. I want to explore how this national mindset compares to the experience of students at Ole Miss. What timelines do Ole Miss students feel pressured to follow? Do they feel like they’re falling behind if they don’t hit certain milestones at a certain age? I want to dive into the internal and external pressures college students face to have their lives “figured out” by graduation, and how that pressure impacts their mental health, decision-making, and future plans. I think this would be good to write about now since the semester is almost over and it’s almost time for graduation.
- Possible sources:
- Ole Miss senior, academic advisor, someone from the counseling center, an Ole Miss freshman, a recent graduate
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/19/best-age-to-get-married-have-a-child-buy-a-home-and-retire-heres-what-americans-say/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/03/19/what-age-do-people-around-the-world-think-is-best-to-reach-major-life-milestones/