preview

Characteristics Of College Students

Decent Essays

It seems as if all I did in high school was fantasize about what college would be like. College in the movies looks like a dream full of fun, partying, and freedom. Let me be the first to tell you, college is not what it seems to be. Many future college students have a false idea of what college is like due to untrustworthy sources, such as movies like Pitch Perfect or Legally Blonde, TV shows such as Zoey 101, and public narratives that make students feel obligated to attend college. The extravagant lifestyles of college students that is portrayed creates unrealistic expectations, which oncoming college students fall victim to. First generation college students have no exterior references to the college environment, so they ultimately rely on the media to create an idea. The movie industry has played one of the biggest roles in creating a stereotype for college students. Almost every year a new movie is released that revolves around college students living an extravagant lifestyle. For example, in Pitch Perfect (2012) the main character Beca Mitchell is forced to attend Barden University by her father, who is a professor at the University. Beca is soon forced to join a school club in return of being able to withdraw from school after a year. Beca reluctantly chose an all-female a Capella group named the Barden Bella’s. To begin, there is not one scene shot in the movie that actually takes place in a classroom. The cast is constantly partying, traveling to competitions, and practicing. In reality, a vast majority of time outside the classroom is spent studying or catching up on homework that has been procrastinated. A rule of thumb is for every hour you spend in class, spend two hours a week studying for it. I guess in the case of Pitch Perfect, if you don’t go to class, you don’t need to study for it. An example of a TV show would be Zoey 101. Main character, Zoey, attends college at P.C.A. along with her group of best friends. The cast in this show spends their time riding scooters around campus, hanging out in their luxurious dorm rooms, and anything not involving school work. From the large flat screen TVs, to the mini fridges, and abundant space in the dorm rooms, there are many false

Get Access