University. A time in your life when you leave behind everything you know to move to a new city, live with new people and, essentially, finally become an adult. These three or four years are some of the most influential in your life, and many describe them as the best. So why are there hardly any films about university?
Films about high school are everywhere. In all honesty, it makes little sense to me why some of these movies aren’t set in universities, where the characters would actually be old enough to be doing half the things that seem to happen in films set in high school and where the scope for all these antics is endless.
University is an experience like no other. It can be hard, lonely, exciting, and the chance to make friends for life. Here are some of the best movies about university, and why I think they sum up the experience perfectly.
Pitch Perfect
So singing aside, in my opinion Pitch Perfect contains one of the most accurate portrayals of the university experience I’ve seen in a film. When Becca (the main character) arrives at Barden University, she feels like a fish out of water. No matter how hard she tries to act like it doesn’t bother her, she remains isolated from her peers and her roommate. It is only when she joins an a capella society (not through choice) that Becca starts to embrace the joys of university life.
While I may not be into a capella, I am heavily involved with student media at my university. So I know what it’s like to have the best time of my life in one of the nerdiest societies on campus. The way Becca is happiest surrounded by her friends, doing something she finds completely cringe-worthy yet ridiculously enjoyable, is something I can relate to immensely.
That, in my opinion, is one of the best things about university. You find your people there, people who you can surround yourself with and feel good about who you are and what you are interested in. It doesn’t matter how cool you are. Things like that don’t really enter your radar at university like they did at high school. What matters is having fun.
I also love this movie for it’s opening scene at the university’s welcome fair. Dodging overzealous society stalls trying to recruit you must be a universal experience.
22 Jump Street
The sequel to 21 Jump Street, this movie sees main characters Schmidt and Jenko attend college as undercover cops trying to bust a large-scale drug operation. While this is an extremely unique situation, the experience the duo has at the university can be relatable to anyone struggling to fit in when they arrive.
Jenko immediately finds his group of people. He joins the football team, becomes friends with frat brothers and is highly regarded on campus. Meanwhile, Schmidt struggles to settle in and finds it difficult to watch his friend flourish somewhere he feels so lost. This comedy contains humour in the same vein as the first movie, and always has me in fits of laughter. But it also features poignant moments that most university-goers experience at least once in their first couple of months.
The Social Network
This movie tells the story of the origins of Facebook, the life of Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, and the Vinklevoss twins at Harvard University, as well as the resulting lawsuits.
The film received eight nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards and won three. They were Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing. Plus, it has Andrew Garfield in it, so it is automatically worth the watch.
Legally Blonde
One of the most iconic movies of the early 2000s, Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, a fashionable young woman who gets into Harvard Law School and works hard to prove that she has what it takes to make it as a successful lawyer. Essentially, Elle graduates having done brilliantly at college while remaining true to herself. She defies stereotypes by proving that stylish, feminine women don’t have to change who they are in order to succeed in a previously male-dominated industry.
See also: Five emotions to expect in your final year of university