The most realistic and ridiculous movies about college

Hollywood either hits the nail on the head or misses the mark

Movies about college belong in a category of their own. They glamorize the partying and the drinking, showing scenes of people hanging off of roofs with red solo cups in hand. They take every aspect of college to the extreme.

A lot of movies leave out the studying, the stress, and what a normal day in the life of a student looks like. These movies capture college with a frightening level of accuracy and show us the college experience we sometimes wish we had.

Orange County

I haven’t run into many people who have seen this, and to be honest it’s such a shame. The story follows a high school senior who dreams of getting into Stanford to study writing so he can escape his gold digging mom, druggie brother, and workaholic dad in Orange County, California.

When his guidance counselor accidentally sends the wrong transcript under his name to Stanford, Shaun gets rejected. Determined that Stanford is his only shot at success, Shaun goes to extreme measures to gain acceptance into his dream school, including accidentally getting the dean of Stanford high. You can’t help but admire his determination and laugh at all of the ridiculous obstacles that pop up.

Starter For 10

When Brian ventures out of his seaside childhood home to take a shot at higher education he gets more than he bargained for. Right off the bat he falls for two girls, the glamorous Alice and the edgy Rebecca. Despite his love for education, Brian finds himself in foreign territory away at school without his boyhood friends at his side.

We all think that college is going to be some sort of life changing fairy tale, but in reality it means dealing with obnoxious roommates, getting your heart broken, losing touch with old friends, and falling flat on your face when you want to succeed the most. This film doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to illustrating some of the sticky situations college kids get themselves into.

Animal House

This one is an uncontested classic. The movie served to mold what a lot of people think it means to be a member of a fraternity, but I’ve got bad news for you—it probably isn’t as much fun as John Belushi makes it look.

Animal House is what we all wish college could be—full of wild antics and even wilder parties. Who can forget the iconic homecoming parade scene where the Deltas wreak havoc and go on to be successful dudes? Or when Otis Day and the Knights play a gig in the frat house? Unfortunately, Animal House is the only time a toga party has ever looked impressive because the ones in real life are lackluster if we’re being honest.

Accepted

I’m a little disappointed that my five years of college hasn’t entirely consisted of classes I made up on my own. Accepted is the movie that shows what college would be like if we all had our say as to what we learned and what kind of things we had to enjoy on campus, like a gigantic bouncy house 24/7 for example.

Phony university story line aside, Accepted just goes to show that college isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. It also teaches us that there is no right or wrong way to better yourself. Maybe if more colleges modeled themselves after the South Harmon Institute of Technology we wouldn’t mind going to class.

Old School

I imagine that this is how a lot of people feel about ten years after they graduate from college when they’re settled down with jobs and families. This movie plays out a lot like a fantasy of what it would be like to go back for a second round of college in your 30’s or 40’s.

No, Snoop Dogg will never play a concert in your back yard and you will probably never have a KY wrestling match in your basement. Maybe you’ll go streaking through the quad though. In theory it sounds like a lot of fun, but sometimes you have to know when to grow up and move on with your life.

The House Bunny

This is one of the less far-fetched movies on this list, but a former playboy bunny will never be the house mom of your sorority. With confidence I can say that it does semi-accurately depict some of the stereotypes within Greek life.

For what it’s worth this movie is an uplifting story about coming to realize that being yourself is more important than trying to fit into some mold of what people think you’re supposed to be. What’s disguised as a silly story ends up having a good deal of depth. Who cares what other people think?

Whether you plan on using your four years in college to party your ass off or network with the right people you can definitely take some inspiration and pointers from these movies.

 

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