If you’re heading to Ann Arbor this fall, you need a college movication (movie-education, word courtesy of Pitch Perfect). Below are listed the five best movies to get you ready for this upcoming year at the best school in the USA. Not only do we have kick-ass academics, but we also have mind-blowing game days, Greek life, and an awesome mishmash of a million other activities, including tightrope walking (see the Diag on any given fall day). These movies are to prepare you not only for the studious aspects of school (we know you’ve already got that under control), but also for the other parts of college that make it the best four years of your life.
To get ready for…
1. Gamedays!
Hopefully we don’t need to tell you to wear wolverine stickers and dress in maize and blue tutus, but if you do plan on making it to the game you should probably know when to cheer and when to boo. To brush up on your football knowledge, watch any football movie from Friday Night Lights to Remember the Titans.
2. Sorority Life
Whether or not you want to join a sorority, you might as well learn a little bit about Greek life before heading to campus, especially because almost 20% of the undergraduate population at Michigan is involved. To get you pumped for rushing or just to understand a little bit about the Greek culture, watch Sydney White. It stars Amanda Bynes and follows her as she tries pledging a sorority to fulfill her mother’s legacy. Also, this is kind of cheating, but the television show Greek is also one of the funniest, if exaggerated, portrayals of Greek life. It talks about parties, school work, spring break, the struggle of finding a job, boyfriends, conflicting ambitions, etc.
3. Fraternity Life
Even if you choose not to join Greek life, odds are that you will end up at a fraternity party at least once in your four-year college career. While some fraternities are nothing like in the movies, some definitely bear a close resemblance to that stereotype. A personal favorite is Neighbors, not only because Dave Franco and Zac Efron are shirtless throughout the entire movie, but also because their frat has awesome parties and the guys do some very brotherhoody things. That’s what a fraternity is all about…right?
4. Non-Greek Organizations on Campus
While sometimes it can seem like Greek life is the biggest organization on campus, the University of Michigan has hundreds (yes, hundreds) of other organizations for students. We have a quidditch team, a squirrel feeding club, and, of course, a few a capella groups. What better movie to watch for this category than Pitch Perfect? Anna Kendrick is perfect and the movie shows a pretty realistic version of college, including ditching class, getting very involved in organizations that take over your life, and a little bit of romance.
5. The Crazy Parties
If you’ve watched any college movie, you’ve seen the crazy college parties. Unlike the very unrealistic high school movies with massive parties that never seem to happen in real life, the crazy college party is a norm at any big university (if you don’t believe us, see “I’m Shmacked”). In reality, there are too many good movies to give you a definitive answer for this category, but you really couldn’t go wrong with Animal House, Old School, or Project X. Caution: Don’t watch these movies right before bed. You will be too pumped to sleep.
Now that you’re all thoroughly psyched for Ann Arbor, let the countdown begin!