4 Types of College Subcultures

College Search & Lists
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<p>In his 2000 book Beer and Circus, Murray Sperber outlines four enduring college subcultures first described in the late 50s and early 60s by sociologists Burton Clark and Martin Trow. They do stress that these are “types of subcultures and not types of students.” Perhaps a discussion of these could help clarify good fits in college searches.</p>

<p>COLLEGIATE: A world of football, Greek System, drinking, and campus amusements. Indifference to serious demands from the faculty for an involvement with issues and ideas. Pursuit of fun.</p>

<p>ACADEMIC: Identification with the intellectual concerns of the serious faculty members. Work hard, get the best grades, and let the world of ideas reach them. Pursuit of knowledge.</p>

<p>VOCATIONAL: An organization of courses and credits leading to graduation and a good job. Resistant to intellectual demands on them beyond what is required to pass the courses. Pursuit of a diploma.</p>

<p>REBEL: Deeply involved with ideas from the classroom and wider society of art, literature, and politics. Aggressive nonconformism, often a critical detachment from the college they attend and from its faculty. Pursuit of an identity.</p>

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<p>What is called “collegiate” above is better described as “party”.</p>

<p>“Rebel” may be in the opposite direction, where some dismiss the importance of art, literature, politics, and other liberal arts and sciences in favor of purely vocational or pre-professional education.</p>

<p>Some students may be in a combination of subcultures, e.g. academic + vocational, party + vocational, academic + rebel, etc…</p>

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<p>Many if not most schools have reps from each type.</p>

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<p>^^Yes, I was a combination of the first three! Studied engineering, made excellent grades, and partied a lot.</p>

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This is a great article. However, their fourth subcultural is labeled “nonconformist,” which is much broader (and of course less rebellious, literally) than “rebel,” tho it does incorporate rebel. Every entering student, every professor, should read this article!

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The REBEL subculture seems to have morphed, in many colleges, into an ACTIVIST subculture where the faculty is on board and promotes the “non-conformist” ideal. (Although if most of the campus is non-conformist I guess that would make them conformists)