Recent high school graduates are heading off to college for the first time this fall has never known life without the Internet.

Researchers who have studied survey data on college freshmen and high school seniors that goes back to the 1970s still don't know how constant access to technology is defining or shaping this born digital generation of students. But social scientists have identified key differences in the values and habits of today's undergrads that represent sharp breaks from the attitudes on college campuses of the past.

The data shows the current class of college students study less, are from wealthier families, volunteer more and are more concerned about their financial future than college students decades ago. Students today are also more likely to display narcissistic traits and believe they will be successful in the future, even as they also report higher levels of volunteering and concern for the environment than previous generations of college-aged kids.

They are also attending college at a time when more and more Americans from increasingly varied backgrounds are choosing to do so. As of 2010, 21 million people were enrolled in college, a 37 percent increase from just 10 years earlier. The class of 2017 will also be significantly more diverse and female than those of generations past: Women now almost make up nearly 60 percent of students on campus, and white students make up just 61 percent of undergrads now, compared to 83 percent in 1976.