Do you remember before you were in college? I know, it feels like so many things have happened since you started a brand-new, super exciting, fun and cool college life. But I want to take you back to a time when the only college lens you got was when you inserted yourself into any college TV show you could find. Now you’re finally here, living in your own main character, college girl era. Do you still watch some of those college shows now? I know I do, and let me tell you it’s CRAZY. Today I’m going to break down my master list of the college shows you know and love (or maybe haven’t heard of—but now you will) and share my takes on what they mean to me now, as a college girlie.
Felicity
Felicity is one of the OG college shows. To set the scene, the show starts with Felicity’s high school graduation day. She has it all planned out, she’s going to Stanford, she’s studying biology and now she has the high school diploma to go and do it. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping and Felicity sees her lover-boy crush Ben Covington and gets him to sign her yearbook. Now this is where it gets crazy…Felicity finds out that Ben is going to NYU and right then and there, in a split-second epiphany decides that she is going to follow him there. You heard it right, FELICITY CHANGED HER LIFE ASPIRATION FOR A BOY. So obviously her parents are like: “Girl, what are you doing??” But she has made up her mind and goes to NYC. There commences love triangles with her RA, friendships growing and changing, kind of sketch roommate drama, and ultimately figuring herself out.
College Hot Take: I actually started watching this show during my senior year of high school right after I got into Kenyon. I remember watching the first episode in my family’s basement, and my first thought was: “This is perfect.” And it totally was—I mean how cute is that entire plot (besides it being pretty freaking bizarre)? Looking back, there is a lot more depth to the show than just lover-boy this and that. It is about Felicity embarking on her first steps toward independence and growing along the way. Another really refreshing thing about this show is that it isn’t nonchalant at all. What I mean by that is that Felicity’s feelings are real. There isn’t unnecessary drama about friends, or school, or love, or sex. She is written as a real, vulnerable person who learns about herself the way all of us do. Is it dramatic? Of course, but it was 100% a great watch.
Sex Lives of College Girls
For some of you, this show came out when you were already in college. For me, season one came during (again) my senior year of high school. I am a HUGE Mindy Kaling fan, and she undoubtedly slayed this show. It takes place at an imaginary school called Essex College, where four roommates are starting their freshman year. In the suite, four very different girls are placed and form a tight knit group. From a first glance, there is Leighton, the preppy one, Whitney, the sporty one, Bela, the funny one, and Kimberly, the innocent one. All of the girls are completely different, but they form a unified group together as they start their freshman year. They learn about how they feel about relationships, sexuality, friendships, frat boys, and most importantly how to support one another. If you’re looking for a cute, relatable and funny college show, this will always be a #1 pick.
College Hot Take: The second season of SLOCG came out during my Thanksgiving break in 2022. Coincidentally, the girls were just coming back from their Thanksgiving break as freshman too. So I really felt like I was doing all of it with them. Listen, SLOCG is pretty dramatic and over the top at times, but it also has a lot of real things that can happen and do happen at college. Learning how to advocate for yourself, manage your time, make decisions on your own, and navigate friendships and relationships are a big part of the college experience. Personally, the most unrealistic part of the show was that they got to live in the biggest suite that I have ever seen during their freshman year. Like BFFR.
Greek
I need my Greek fans to rise up for the niche 2000s show that I am about to discuss. Greek is about, well you guessed it, Greek life at another made-up school known as Cyprus-Rhodes University. Rusty Cartwright arrives on move in day as a polymer science major, with the expectation to be BFFs with his roommate and everyone else on the honors engineering floor. What he doesn’t expect is to be rushing a fraternity, the always cool, everlasting, Kappa Kappa Tau’s. Yeah, Rusty’s life takes a pretty random turn when he decides to do that. Across campus, we meet Casey Cartwright, Rusty’s big sister, who is currently in a frenzy as she prepares her sorority for the perfect rush week. Banners hung, sisters sorted, Casey encompasses Little Miss “I Got This.” It’s a balancing act for both of the Cartwrights to journey through everything that college throws at them, but they always come out on the other side just fine.
College Hot Take: Greek is a show to binge-watch when you’re looking for a funny, lighthearted, drama-filled show. I loved watching the silly antics that the Cartwright’s and Co. had to figure out—from intramural sports, impressing a senator’s daughter, or even making beer explode out of a volcano. This was a comfort show of mine and still remains that way. The show emulates something a little different from the others, but it brings to light how universal the college experience can be. How the four years of college are a formative time, full of action and adventure and learning about who you are. Greek: Slay.
Gilmore Girls
You didn’t think I could talk about shows set in college without mentioning one of the BEST and all time coziest shows. I know what you’re thinking: “Um, Gilmore Girls isn’t set in college for most of it, and when it is Rory is the VILLAIN.” Take a breath, okay? For those of you who haven’t seen Gilmore Girls, maybe go watch it immediately. However, since you’re here reading this, I’ll give the backstory. This show is about Rory Gilmore, a smart, adorable, small-town girl, and her mother Lorelai Gilmore, a witty and fun mom. When Rory goes off to college, she faces some barriers. No longer is she in the safety net of her small town, Rory is now figuring out how to swim in a much bigger pond than she has ever had to face. She does this…kind of. She joins the newspaper, makes friends, works hard, but then she steals a boat with her boyfriend. Good effort, Rory! I shouldn’t say more about what happens because it gets frustrating and weird and most people wind up saying, “Rory what are you doing?” But she’s figuring it out, and that’s okay too.
College Hot Take: Rory, Rory, Rory. Here’s what I’ll say: College is this whole jumble of academics, extracurriculars, and social life all tied together in a bow. And sometimes that bow needs to get re-tied because it needs a recharge or it needs to get a twirl on the ends because something brand new is happening. I think this show nicely touches on the fact that the choices you make have impacts, but the most important thing is when you’re bracing for that impact you surround yourself with people who support you.
Ultimately, college TV shows are A LOT. They’re dramatic, action-filled, funny, and angsty all at the same time. Is that the reality of life in college on the day-today? No, definitely not. But is it possible? Yeah (mostly)! Things happen, people grow and learn and have fun. That’s what it’s all about.