If you are anything like me, a million different things pop into your head on the topic of college. It’s very normal to feel excited, nervous, happy, motivated, stressed and anything in between. Not a single quote sums up college better than this opening one by Charles Dickens in “A Tale of Two Cities” in which he infamously writes, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While written many years ago, the quote still applies to the joys and struggles that college can cause because let’s face it: college is simultaneously the most interesting and stressful time of your life. But you might be wondering, why should I care about Dickens? Well, to be fair that’s up to you… but Dickens is a classic writer and one that Rory Gilmore gets assigned to read in the popular TV show “Gilmore Girls.” Rory is an avid lover of reading and finds comfort in the written word. While reading might not be your cup of tea, surely watching a TV show can be a good alternative.
As you might’ve guessed, Rory Gilmore is the star of “Gilmore Girls” in which she navigates life, but most importantly, navigates college. Yale is Rory’s Ivy League school of choice, and while she is a college student, she goes through all sorts of situations, some negative and most positive. So I thought, what better way of dealing with the stress of college than to watch some TV? While it’s not super productive for school, one must think of this list as a little self-help guide to help get them through college.
The first episode that must be watched about Rory Gilmore’s college years is hands down, “The Lorelai’s First Day at Yale.” This episode is very important because it shows the whole process of Rory moving into her first Yale dorm with the help of her bad-ass mom Lorelai. Rory gets understandably stressed out during all of this and her mom is there to the rescue. So I’d recommend watching this episode if you are going to start college or watch it if you’re not a freshman and if you are just feeling nostalgic. Or heck, watch it for the times you are missing your mom, and then just let Lorelai be your TV mom for 45 minutes.
Jumping ahead a season, the next episode that you need to watch is “You Jump, I Jump Jack.” In this episode, Rory Gilmore gets a chance to hang out with a secret college group at Yale known as the Life and Death Brigade, in which they do crazy stuff to feel alive. Rory is obviously intrigued by this and she is invited by another member, Logan Huntzberger. While there as a journalist, Rory refuses to partake in the big Life and Death Brigade event, but with some convincing, Logan causes her to change her mind. So she takes a risk and ends up having a lot of (ill-advised) fun, but fun nonetheless. So watch this episode when you need a bit of a push to try something new or step outside of your comfort zone. College is a time to have fun, so what have you got to lose? (And by something new, I do not mean jumping off some random scaffolding as Rory did, please do something on the ground).
Another worthwhile episode is “To Live and Let Diorama,” which actually takes place in Rory’s hometown of Stars Hollow. Rory goes back home for a visit and she spends time with two of her good friends. However, the time back in town isn’t all that happy because all of them are having issues in their dating lives, some worse than others. So I recommend watching this episode when you are having issues in the dating department. Because let’s face it, dating as a college student isn’t always fun.
Moving ahead to the following season, another good episode is “Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” which focuses on Rory’s campus job at her school’s newspaper. Rory comes into the office one night only to discover that most, if not all of the people there, have quit their positions. This is bad news because unfortunately an issue of the paper still needs to be finished. So with a looming deadline, Rory had to ask for help, and she managed to get the paper done. So I recommend watching this particular episode when you are feeling overwhelmed with an assignment. Or watch this when you get assigned a group project and are feeling stressed out, which is quite inevitable.
The fifth and final episode that you should watch is “Unto a Beach,” which takes place at Rory’s College Graduation from Yale. In this episode, a lot of things happen to Rory, but mostly stress about graduating and becoming a part of the real world. So I’d recommend watching this episode if you feel like you are losing your sense of direction in college. Just watch this episode and remind yourself that all of the work you put in during college will be worth it because you will get to graduation and be able to start a new chapter of your life.
Although this list is only 5 episodes long, all of these episodes are good to watch while in college. College is a super stressful time, but also one that can shape you into the person you want to become. So feel free to watch only the episode that you want or watch them all. Either way, I’d suggest having some tissues nearby while watching because “Gilmore Girls” is notorious for causing laughing fits and the occasional ugly cry as well.
Episodes listed: Season 4 Episode 2, Season 5 Episode 7, Season 5 Episode 18, Season 6 Episode 13, and Season 7 Episode 21