What is an underclassman?

[bigal40]

I did a search for underclassman deffinition and just about every other website gave one of two deffinitions,
1)an undergraduate who is not yet a senior

or

2)A student in the freshman or sophomore class at a secondary school or college.

 

[jagec]

Anyone shorter, dumber, and poorer than me is a member of the "under class".

 

[Juno]

so, i'm a 5th year in college and is senior an underclassman?

:Q

 

[nageov3t]

I'd consider underclassman an exclusively high-school term to refer to freshman and sophomores.

juniors/seniors = upperclassmen.

but it's a pointless distinction in college, where people graduate in 3 years, 5 years, etc and level is based more on credits under your belt than years served..

 

[gorcorps]

In HS it was fresh/soph. In college anybody not getting a degree at the end of the semester is an underclassman. For my schools anyway

 

[Eeezee]

It seems like they get shorter every year. Anyone else notice this? I feel like I'm three feet taller than the average freshman undergrad (I am a grad student)

Anyone lower than you is an underclassman. I've never used the term outside of high school though. There you simply go by Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, or Super Senior (or a Super Super Senior for those rare 6th-year graduates).

 

[aplefka]

Frosh/soph.

 

[Pegun]

My school only considers freshmen underclass...sophomore and above is upper class.....weird

 

[Turin39789]

the working poor

 

[Brainonska511]

In HS, it was Freshman and Sophomores, but at my college, it's just first years.

 

[CaptainGoodnight]

What dictionary did you use?

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/underclassman

a member of the freshman or sophomore class in a school or college