The College Fix

Internet memes that satirize aspects of higher education and university life have been growing in popularity, prompting news articles about them. From Inside Higher Ed:

About two weeks ago, there was an outbreak among college students. And as with all student-led communication trends, the recent meme craze has left onlookers to figure out how they should react. Some entrepreneurs have attempted to opportunistically fan the flames, while university officials have largely kept their distance.

Many students have replicated the popular “Shit Girls Say” meme in reference to their own campus (e.g. “Shit USC Girls Say,”“Sh*t Wesleyan Students Say,”“Shit uOttawa Says!”). Others have posted variations on another meme where a student or professor — of philosophy, of law, of women’s studies — juxtaposes the warped perceptions of her discipline from various perspectives, including her own, with the mundane reality. …

But the meme that has gained the most traction of late is the simplest: plain white text superimposed on a portrait of some recognizable character. Some of the characters are famous in their own right, such as Willy Wonka, Boromir from Lord of the Rings, and The Most Interesting Man in the World from the popular Dos Equis ad campaign. Others owe their celebrity to meme culture itself, such as “Uber Frosh,”“Senior Freshman,” and “Lazy College Senior.”

Aside from these types, the propagators of this meme send up rival schools, university administrators, Greek life, local eateries, sanctimonious classmates, absent-minded professors and countless other targets. Other examples simply reference campus landmarks, personalities and phenomena — to the apparent delight of those who recognize them.

The Huffington Post has a slideshow of the best college memes.

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