Navigating Freshman Year: Television Shows That Capture the College Experience
The transition from high school to college is a significant life event, filled with new experiences, challenges, and opportunities for growth. As incoming freshmen navigate unfamiliar schedules, new social dynamics, and the pressure of balancing academics with personal well-being, television shows can offer both entertainment and a sense of connection. While TV shows are fictional, on occasion they do a great job of portraying real life scenarios. These shows can provide valuable insights into the college experience, offering laughter, comfort, and a sense of camaraderie as viewers navigate this exciting new chapter.
Community: Embracing Diversity and Unexpected Friendships
"Community," a sitcom created by Dan Harmon, premiered on NBC in 2009, offering a humorous and heartwarming look at life at Greendale Community College, a fictional institution in Colorado. The show centers on a diverse group of students, each with their own unique quirks and aspirations, who come together through a study group formed by disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale). Jeff, suspended from his law firm after it was discovered he lied about his degree from Columbia, finds himself with no choice but to go back to school at Greendale Community College. Jeff proclaims himself to be a “board-certified tutor” and starts a study group to impress a girl.
The characters in "Community" are relatable and represent the types of people you actually meet in college. The study group includes a socially-challenged film student with an unhealthy obsession for pop culture, a boisterous single mother hoping to start her own business, a millionaire who enrolled in school just to keep himself busy, and an injured athlete who lost his scholarship and must now attend community college.
Each episode is named after a fictional college course, such as “The Politics of Human Sexuality,” “The Psychology of Letting Go,” and “Geography of Human Conflict.” Harmon is clearly obsessed with pop culture as every episode has a reference to movies, TV shows and video games. The best thing about the show is its sentimentality. The characters are relatable and represent the types of people you actually meet in college.
"Community" portrays college as a melting pot of diverse individuals with specific tastes and interests. Just like in the show, college freshmen can find themselves forming friendships with people they never expected to meet. With its strong character development as a foundation, every episode is a new adventure with valuable lessons to learn.
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Undeclared: Capturing the Awkwardness and Freedom of Freshman Year
For fans of "Freaks and Geeks," "Undeclared" is a must-watch. This 2001 sitcom, created by Judd Apatow, an executive producer for "Freaks and Geeks," follows a group of college freshmen attending the fictional University of Northeastern California. The show stars Steve Karp (Jay Baruchel) as an awkward high school graduate who wants to change his reputation as the “school dork” with a fresh start in college.
"Undeclared" does a solid job of capturing the freedoms of college and the awkwardness that comes with the transition into adulthood. The characters are portrayed so authentically that they could honestly be some of your best friends. It centers around the usual main themes of freshmen year of college: exploring sexuality, contemplating life, working the social scene and falling in love for the first time. The show authentically depicts the exploration of sexuality, the contemplation of life's big questions, the navigation of the social scene, and the experience of falling in love for the first time.
Greek: Navigating the Complexities of Fraternity and Sorority Life
For those interested in fraternity and sorority life, "Greek" offers a glimpse into this unique aspect of the college experience. This comedy-drama TV series, which aired on ABC in 2007, focuses on students at a fictional Ohio university who must navigate the school's Greek life. Featuring three fictional fraternities and a fictional sorority, "Greek" has the obvious college mix of family, humor, life lessons and moral dilemmas.
"Greek" accurately portrays the complicated relationships and situations faced in college. Every character makes a fair share of mistakes, but learns to grow and develop, as we all do in our first years of independence. The show explores the complexities of relationships, the challenges of personal growth, and the moral dilemmas that students face as they navigate their newfound independence.
Felicity: Taking Risks and Discovering Independence
"Felicity," a drama series produced by J.J. Abrams that aired on The WB in 1998, tells the story of Felicity Porter (Keri Russell), who spontaneously changes her college plans to attend University of New York (based on NYU) instead of Stanford in order to pursue a boy she was secretly in love with during high school.
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While at first it may seem like Felicity would be another sappy, over-romanticized teen drama, the show ends up being so much more than that. While we hope no woman would change her college plans and move all the way across the country for a boy, the series is a lot more relatable than one might think after reading its description. By depicting the development of a young woman who takes a huge risk in her life for the idea of love, Felicity develops into an intriguing exploration of learning to be independent and learn what we really want out of life, lessons that many of us are still attempting learn ourselves.
"Felicity" gives insight into what college life is like outside the classrooms or the dining hall. It is a strong and believable story of a young person transitioning into adulthood and going through the heartbreak and triumphs that come with boys, relationships, friends and finding out what type of person you’re going to be. The show offers a relatable portrayal of a young woman's journey into adulthood, exploring the heartbreaks, triumphs, and self-discovery that come with navigating relationships, friendships, and personal identity.
Overcompensating: Relatable "Canon Events"
Overcompensating is a comedy-drama series following the life of Benny, a closeted former football star from Idaho who’s entering his first year at Yates University, grappling with sexuality, fraternities and friendships. Watching Benny experience the first-year “canon events” like hunting for a fake ID, awkward pre-games, Halloweekend and complicated crushes made for a hilarious opportunity to reminisce on my own. My favorite plotline, and perhaps the most relatable from the show, was Benny’s best-friendship-turned-raging codependency with Carmen, an English major he meets during orientation. Carmen and Benny’s friendship withstands the strongest tests freshman year throws at them, from misinterpreting their platonic love as romantic to not being able to eat at the dining hall without the other around (canon event: eating at the dining hall alone anxiety).
The Sex Lives of College Girls: Navigating Relationships and Classes
The Sex Lives of College Girls is ideal to watch with a group of girl-friends, whether it be your roommate, podmates, suitemates, etc., and makes for a relatable watch as you follow four unlikely suitemates navigate the Essex College campus. Whitney, a soccer prodigy, Bela, an aspiring comedian, Kimberly, the self proclaimed “next RBG” and Leighton, a closeted sorority girl, come together to experience losing their virginities, relationships, and, on top of it all, balancing classes. I fondly remember watching this show before entering college and using it as a reference point for what freshman year might look like.
Honorable Mentions:
- "Pitch Perfect": This movie shows the importance of teamwork, self-expression and making lifelong connections through shared passions. The movie connects with a student who is new to campus life or just learning to balance work and play.
- "Accepted": This movie is all about embracing oneself and finding belonging, even if it’s not what everyone expects.
- "Legally Blonde": This movie is a celebration of determination, self-discovery and challenging expectations.
Read also: Washington University Admissions Guide
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