College life has been portrayed in a variety of ways. Some people focus on parties and the fun aspects of college. Others mention the hard work and studying that each college student experiences. Movies and TV shows portray college life in different ways, and they are not always accurate.
They dramatize things and add details to make it more interesting to watch. College is never completely accurately represented, but some movies and TV shows do a better job than others.
I ranked five movies that take place in college settings from least to most accurate.
“The Waterboy”
This movie stars Adam Sandler as he plays Bobby Boucher Jr., a 31-year-old water boy for a college football team and ends up becoming the star of the team. This movie is by far the least accurate to real college life.
Boucher did not graduate high school, but the coach of the football team forges his transcripts so he can play. The forgery is discovered and Boucher is only allowed to continue on the team if he passes a test. Considering Boucher had never had a day of real schooling, him passing the test is almost impossible, especially considering the short time frame he does it in. But somehow, he does. Also, forgery such as that would have gotten the coach and program in much more trouble.
The only accurate point is they play football, a common college sport. The game also gets a lot of hype which is usual for football above all other sports in American colleges.
I like this movie as a comedy, and it is funny in a stupid way. Nothing in it can be taken seriously, including the way it portrays college.
“Pitch Perfect“
“Pitch Perfect” is a comedy about an a cappella singing group called the Barden Bellas. They compete against other schools to become the national champions.
This movie is not very accurate to real college life. First off, they are never studying for class. Each girl on the team is entirely focused on the Bellas, spending several hours a day on rehearsal. The only time they mention class is at the beginning before the main character, Beca, joins the Bellas.
It is accurate in the way there is an activity fair, like club rush at Utah Tech, at the beginning of the movie. Beca also stays in a dorm with a roommate she doesn’t get along with well. This is a common issue many college students face.
This movie is a good watch as long as you are not expecting to see students in a realistic college setting. It is almost too cheesy at times, but it is hilarious and worth the watch.
“Monster’s University“
“Monster’s University” is a must-watch for any fans of Pixar. This is a prequel to “Monster’s Inc.,” showing Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan’s—Sully’s—life in college before they were friends.
This movie is surprisingly accurate to real college. The monsters are seen studying and attending classes. There are also sororities and fraternities in the movie. While those aren’t present at Utah Tech, they are a part of other colleges. They attend parties, stay in dorms and there is even a school activities fair in the beginning.
The reason it is not the most accurate on this list is because it is not a traditional college, and monsters are the students. The whole premise of the show is the “scare” program and a huge competition between different fraternities and sororities to find out which is the scariest. This is obviously not a realistic scenario for a real life college.
This movie was one of my childhood favorites. It is very well-made, and is the perfect prequel to the iconic “Monster’s Inc.”
“Legally Blonde“
This movie, starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, takes place at Harvard University. It is about a girl who goes to college to impress her ex-boyfriend and get him to take her back.
This movie is very similar to college in real life. Classes are shown with teachers that are harder than others. The social interactions and parties are realistic. There are relationship struggles between her and her ex and then with a different guy she meets there. There are also friendship struggles. She has a girl that she meets who hates her at first, but then they become good friends.
The unrealistic aspect of this is how Woods got into college. She was a fashion major who all of a sudden got into Harvard Law. It is not an impossible scenario, but it is unlikely.
I love this movie. Elle Woods is a great example of dedication and hard work. She not only passed but conquered law school, even though she had little to no experience before attending Harvard Law.
“Gilmore Girls“
“Gilmore Girls” is the most like college in reality. Rory Gilmore, in the show, goes to Yale University.
The show showcases struggles college students face such as homesickness. Rory is very close to her mom, Lorelei. Soon after she is dropped off, she calls her mom homesick. The show also shows struggles with relationships and coursework with Rory that has a lot of boy drama and stress with schoolwork.
Rory also joins the school newspaper. It is a very time-consuming and professional organization. This is similar to my own experience with Sun News. The news may not be physically printed anymore, but it still goes through a similar process as the show.
There is not much inaccuracy within “Gilmore Girls” and college besides dramatizing things like movies and TV shows tend to do.
Gilmore Girls is a great on-screen example of college life. This show, beyond the accuracy, is funny and touching. It is my comfort show, and I can watch it over and over again without getting bored.
There are hundreds of high school movies out there, but college movies, in comparison, are underrepresented. Considering the smaller amount of representation, the fact that there are less accurate options is understandable.
College movies and TV shows deserve more accurate representation. We, as college students, need more media that we can intimately relate to instead of loosely relating to the options we have.
