Non-students are college-age and older youth who have had some college education but are not formal students or members of the labor force, are potentially creative individuals, and are attracted to academic environments. At Berkeley there are approximately 3,000 of these non-conformist college dropouts, 151 of whom volunteered to participate in a socio-psychological study by responding to an interview questionnaire and several psychological instruments. A random sample of 56 Berkeley students was used as a reference group. A comparison of study data reveals, along with contrasting personality differences, that the non-students' creative and intellectual dispositions are positively related to their vocational choices and that regular students tend to follow the dictates of family, school and society regarding their careers. The formation of the dropout subculture may have been precipitated by society's failure to accommodate their individual developmental needs by easing their transition into responsible adulthood. Social withdrawal is their answer to a rigidity in higher education offerings that conflicts with their intellectual and creative interests. Their alienation reflects an awareness of the low marketability, yet highly competitive nature in our society of the creative or fine arts, and the need for opportunity of expression in current academic structures. (WM)