This week’s Campus Celebrity Dr. Katie Cruger said, “I think that we…get these ideas about what we want our career to be, and everyone does it, just based on the movies that we watch and the stories that we hear, the books that we read, and what sounds interesting to us.”
We decided to ask Chatham women what movie or TV show influenced their expectations for college the most.
Want to contribute? Email your answer to maraflanagan@hercampus.com with your name and year.
Kan (Amy) Chau, Class of 2015
“Gossip Girl makes college seem very eventful…in a bad way. But in Chatham, everyone is very nice. Not a lot of drama going on. I guess it’s because this is a women’s college.”
Casey-Lynn Deer, Class of 2015
“The movie that has influenced my perception of college would be She’s The Man. Even though Chatham is awesome, I thought Chatham would have parties and be lively. It’s safe to say that Chatham is not like that at all. I have never heard of anyone go to a party yet. Being a Freshman, I wanted to be in a lively atmosphere. But, Chatham’s girls are really to themselves and quiet!”
Sam Elbaz, Class of 2015
The show Undeclared really impacted my perception of college. The university in the show was largely anonymous, so the storylines concentrated more on relationships that students build throughout the year. The show really focused on a crazy, hung-over, co-ed experience one would have while at college, which is not exactly what Chatham is like. While being here, however, I have come to realize that I enjoy the fact that Chatham has only women and has a more studious atmosphere; I am still able to have those stereotypical crazy college moments, just in moderation.
Catherine Giles, Class of 2015
“I’ve never let TV or movies influence my thoughts. I know that each college experience is unique. That’s something that Chatham has always emphasized–uniqueness, diversity, and equality. I know that my wonderful college experience thus far would be different and far worse at another university.”
Stephanie Welling, Class of 2014
I grew up watching several shows dedicated to romanticizing young perceptions of college, but most of all I always wished college would be like Community. Of course, Community premiered in 2009, the fall semester after I graduated from high school; but somewhere between Fat Neil (“It’s called chillaxing! Duh!”) and Star-burns (“Star-burns doesn’t do very much. I guess fascinating people don’t grow shapes on their faces.”), I fell in love with the idea of a college being a big group of lovable misfits brought together by their pursuits of higher education. Chatham isn’t exactly Greendale Community College, but because it is a small school, you come to familiarize yourself with the various personalities roaming the campus. And while I’ll always hold out hope for a paintball episode, I know that Chatham is teeming with absurd and wonderful possibilities.
Onastasia Youssef, Class of 2014
“My first introduction to college was when I watched An Extremely Goofy Movie as a child. In this film, college was all about the large lecture halls, intense athletics, fraternity houses, and nearby clubs. It was a traditional co-ed public university. While my life at college has been the opposite – intimate classes, off-campus internships, an intellectual female-focused environment, and enjoyable hours at the library – I would not trade it for the world!”