By Emma Jane Cooke
Normal People (2020)
Starting off with the most gut wrenching and stomach-turning choice, of course it is Normal People, created by Sally Rooney. Bonus points if you watched this when you were also filling out your CAO while Connell and Marianne were going to the debs. This show was the first of its kind in the way it depicted not only contemporary relationships in the digital age, but also within the Irish school system and how that follows them to college. Connell is the type of GAA head who would not even dare to look in Marianne’s way, that is until college starts and they’re in the same proximity again. Bonus points if you have also had the experience of the GAA heads acknowledging your existence only after they don’t have the lads over their shoulder. Not only is the depiction of the school and college experience a true depiction of Irish culture and society but is also a refreshing and honest portrayal of intimacy. This show is perfect if you’re considering your year abroad in Sweden or if you’re debating visiting your Italian villa with your evil little college boyfriend. In all honesty, there is a reason Normal People is first on the list, if you watch this at any point in your late teens/early twenties, it acts as a mental preparation for how tumultuous your small-town country life may turn out. Conversations with Friends (2022) is also another depiction of college life from Sally Rooney but Normal People takes the cake in that it not only centres around how the education system plays a role in the relationships but tackles themes of domestic abuse and depression while also balancing coming of age behaviours from school to college life.
Fresh Meat (2011-2016)
A much more lighthearted college programme, Fresh Meat is an essential watch no matter where you’re going in life. It captures the essence and grim reality of living in a student house that is seemingly universal for many college goers and their housemates. The culmination of characters that would never mesh on the outside is exactly what college does and it shows how it ends up forming unlikely bonds and friendships. It focuses on the heart of college living and is perfect for those who lack an attention span as there is also something happening with all of the characters. They are all going through their individual experiences giving multiple portrayals of how college can impact each person.
How To Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)
If you want to feel better about failing that exam or module, this show is perfect, because at least you didn’t murder anybody. It is an extreme dramatisation of how one may achieve their law degree but it also works if you want to romanticise some hard work and study motivation.
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
Who doesn’t get a bob in college and become an extremely annoying person? The college depiction is an interesting one as the American college experience in particular is portrayed an infinite amount of times throughout television and film. Rory Gilmore is depicted as a wholesome girl who rarely finds herself in any trouble, but college is a great opportunity in that she rebels and actually puts herself out there to mess up occasionally, which is what college is for. Her college journey is a tumultuous one in that at one point she actually takes a break from Yale and lives with her grandparents. This era of Rory can be described as one of her worst by fans, with the choice of Yale over Harvard being a popular discussion point. The perfect high school student is tested both in her personal and her education journey which makes the later seasons of Gilmore Girls feel much more grown up than the earlier seasons almost as if we are ageing up with Rory mentally.