College life has been the subject of countless films and television shows. And while no two of these campuses are ever exactly alike, some of the movies and shows do a better job than others of accurately portraying the collegiate experience. However, students who have based their expectations on film and television will be in for some surprises. For incoming freshmen, here's a breakdown of how college life on the silver and small screens compares to life on the Hill.
One of television's smartest and most inventive shows, "Community," is set on a college campus. Unlike "Community," Tufts rarely hosts little meta-adventures filled with snappy one-liners, and problems at Tufts do not happen in self-contained, 30-minute spurts. But we have some great student-run comedy groups, so be sure to attend their performances. Odds are there'll be just as many one-liners in their acts as in an episode of "Community," if not more.
The television cult classic "Veronica Mars" (2004-2007) is one of the rare high school dramas whose characters graduate and move on to college. In season three, Veronica (Kristen Bell) matriculates in warm and sunny California, where she proceeds to solve mysteries and crimes in her spare time. There's the obvious weather disparity — seriously, bring some heavy coats, because it is going to be cold and dark from October to April. But we've got something that Veronica doesn't have in California: snow, and lots of it. That means great sledding on the President's Lawn.
On the big screen, "Animal House" (1978) is one of the most iconic films set on a college campus. Although people can recite lines from the cult film by heart, its keg-filled plotline is a far cry from life on the Tufts campus. If you expect the parties at Tufts to be as wild and crazy as "Animal House's" parties, you are in for a letdown.
Parties here tend towards the smaller side; they're less intense and tend to end by 2 a.m. most nights. On the upside, however, Tufts lacks the over-the-top preppy, pastel-wearing characters like Chip Diller (Kevin Bacon) — and it's probably better that way.
What about "A Beautiful Mind" (2001)? No dice there, either. Spoiler alert: You won't find troubled geniuses writing formulae on the walls of our libraries and to the woe of many a Tufts female, math majors here tend not to share Russell Crowe's gladiator build —for bodies like that, try the Daily's Arts Department.
Reese Witherspoon's popular comedy "Legally Blonde" (2001) portrays the college as all play and no work. Witherspoon's Elle Woods attends Harvard Law, one of the most competitive schools in the world, and with little preparation or effort she becomes its sweetheart and academic superstar. In sad contrast, Tufts freshmen should get ready for some late nights in the library followed by some early mornings during midterms and finals weeks.
By now, it's probably clear that few movies and shows have portrayed college in a way that matches most students' experiences here at Tufts. However, even for want of hot blonde detectives and crazy keggers, the experience on the Hill is far from a let-down.
And if you're at Tufts, you're probably too smart to envy these hackneyed depictions, anyway. So step away from the screens and go out and find everything Tufts does have to offer.
