5 Movies That Lied To Us About College

By Megan Sweet on February 18, 2015

Growing up we all saw movies that depicted college life, but just how accurate were they really? Sure we knew deep down they were just movies, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t get our hopes up for the future.

I’m not the only college student drowning in essays, avoiding my bank statements, and trying to balance studying with a social life. I often find myself wondering, did Elle Woods have to deal with this?  Here are five popular movies that flat out lied to us about college life.

image via http://ia.media-imdb.com

First lets talk about “Accepted,” you know the movie where Justin Long makes up his own university? Even though “South Harmon Institute of Technology” was a made-up school it’s still so much cooler than any real school out there.

The parties thrown at this fictional institution (literally) look like way more fun than any party you’ve probably ever stepped foot in. Another unrealistic aspect of this movie is that they study whatever they want and the students are the teachers. Sure sometimes I have to learn the material on my own (CEM 141, anyone?), but I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a “teacher.”

image via http://upload.wikimedia.org

Then there’s the classic “Legally Blonde” portraying Reese Witherspoon as a sorority girl who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School to win him back. To start off, I think any sorority girl can agree that Elle’s bedroom is WAY too nice for any sorority.

Although she is a smart and determined woman, most of the things she does wouldn’t slide in real life. Unfortunately having a pink scented resume probably won’t help you land an internship.

image via http://upload.wikimedia.org

“Neighbors,” a comedy starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Dave Franco, depicts frat life on a whole new level. Have you ever been to a Robert Dinero themed party? The only theme we get stuck with seems to be a highlighter party.

The ridiculousness of the frat parties may have been entertaining in the film, but in real life the cops would probably arrive within minutes. Can you imagine if a frat actually had an Efron-Franco level kegger? This would call for a visit from the police horses. Keep all your old white shirts handy because the highlighter theme isn’t going anywhere.

image via http://ia.media-imdb.com

A Capella looks like the best time ever in “Pitch Perfect,” but joining a club or organization isn’t always smooth sailing. May it be the Spartan Dischords or the Ski Club, with the 500+ organizations it can be hard to find your niche.

In reality it’s hard to find one group of people who share the same interests as you that you become best friends with instantly.

image via http://upload.wikimedia.org

Lastly, there’s “Monsters University.” Of course it’s an animated movie about monsters so it’s automatically unrealistic, but this movie still represents college life in a significant way.

Mike and Sully get kicked out for almost exposing the monster world to the humans. Our version of this would probably be getting kicked out for plagiarism, right? Either way the movie doesn’t talk about how much tuition money goes down the drain if you get kicked out of school.

Even though these movies predicted college life in a unrealistic way, I still love watching them and wishing I could have the fashion sense of Elle Woods–but on a college student budget.

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