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Learn Something New Every Day: The Culture of High School

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Alyssa Schafer
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Katelyn Kivel
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WMU chapter.

I had a homework question for class, and I wanted all of you to read my answer. Think about what your high school was like, and enjoy. (Ps. This is my FAVORITE class ever. SOC 4220: Adolescent Socialization)
 
Name five separate adolescent status groups that were present at your high school.  As you list each one and rank them, please describe the main characteristics of each group in a sentence or two.  
 
High Status
Poms Team-The Poms team was a very selective, Varsity sport at my high school. These girls were all beautiful, had great clothes, got all the cute boys, and just smelled of money. They drove nice cars, had designer purses and their MySpaces had pictures of them doing fun things, going cool places, and really made spectators feel insignificant and excluded. They were perfect. (Hello the Plastics?) I still wonder how they ever won Homecoming Queen every. single. year.
Skaters-Aside from the select jocks that were popular, these boys had great style, great personality, and were just good to look at. Girls had crushes on them (and a lot of poms girls dated them) even though there weren’t the typical football playing type.
 
Middle Status
Average Kids-These people were nerds. Although you would think the nerds would have low status, they actually held a higher status than some others at my high school. They cared a lot about their grades, but still knew how to have a good time. They were much more inclusive and relatable than the high status students. They dressed nice, but were actually nice to you.
 
Low Status
Cheerleaders-For some reason the cheerleaders were mean, ugly, and overweight and NEVER won anything. They are the complete opposite of the Poms team girls.
ICP People-RUN! The ICP (Insane Clown Posse) people were scary. They had wild hair (Mohawks!), the chains everywhere including those weird big pants, and kept to themselves. They had piercings, tattoos, and were publicly involved in drugs. They were the people your parents to stay away from.
 
 
What was your high school culture like? I love learning about other people’s high school experience.
 
Until next time!
-Alyssa
 

Editor: Katelyn Kivel

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Katelyn Kivel is a senior at Western Michigan University studying Public Law with minors in Communications and Women's Studies. Kate took over WMU's branch of Her Campus in large part due to her background in journalism, having spent a year as Production Editor of St. Clair County Community College's Erie Square Gazette. Kate speaks English and Japanese and her WMU involvement includes being a Senator and former Senior Justice of the Western Student Association as well as President of WMU Anime Addicts and former Secretary of WMU's LBGT organization OUTspoken, and she is currently establishing the RSO President's Summit of Western Michigan University, an group composed of student organization presidents for cross-promotion and collaboration purposes. Her interests include reading and writing, both creative and not, as well as the more nerdy fringes of popular culture.