We’ve seen representations of university life in pop culture our whole lives, from Animal House to Monsters University. This, paired with the grounded and proven concept that mass media informs us and our psyches from a very young age, leads to a certain set of expectations, ones which are likely to never pay out.
It’s no wonder incoming York students often have a challenging first few weeks, as adjusting to the freedom of university life can be jarring, even damaging.
For students, familiarizing themselves with the surroundings and pacing of post-secondary life can be tough enough without the ideas and images of a thousand cultural representations of university floating through their brains.
Everyone wants their college experience to be like Accepted. Or Rudy. Or The Social Network. Or…you get it.
Many of the images impressed upon a student’s brain regarding university living are about the utmost of extremes: sports, extra-curricular clubs, parties, and dorm room life.
Everything is glorified aside from the lectures and work required. Recent high school grads and other new students can be overwhelmed by the years of advanced “research” through prime time television education, as it implies how best to enjoy the university experience; common misconceptions that can often rattle the brain.
“Everyone wants their college experience to be like Accepted. Or Rudy. Or The Social Network.”
Many new students come to university in search of an old school-inspired experience. This isn’t to say that such an experience doesn’t exist or is far out of reach at York, but rather that the impact of such films have impaired some students’ judgements regarding expectations of frosh week and the level of commitment required afterwards.
This is also not to say that a pop-culture level of excitement isn’t available or on tap while at school, but it’s more important to realize that a student studying for three hours a night after a full day of lectures doesn’t make for good television or an exciting narrative.
Narratives are the method by which we live our lives. If the story of us isn’t there, we try to frame it so it is. In the heightened, culture shock world of university, this need seems to become more and more present.
Fictional impressions of university life can be effective as escapism, a way to pull one out their fears of the unknown and very much inform the life of an unprepared but fully aware student who isn’t used to the workload and level of inspired discipline required to manage a weekly schedule of protracted and diverse collegiate involvement.
“Everyone would like to sing their way through university, à la Pitch Perfect, wouldn’t they?”
With myriad external activities and energized with newfound freedoms and independence, those living away from the family home for the first time will inevitably choose to indulge in transgression.
A rigorous timetable is just as important as social acclimatization, especially when frosh week gets shaken off and there’s actual work to be done.
Temper your exuberance and enthusiasm for extracurriculars with the ability to get the work done.
This is especially true of York, a predominantly suburban campus, somewhat disconnected from the lifestyles explored in urban campus communities.
For example, campuses in downtown Toronto or even the more small-town inspired environments of Guelph, Waterloo, or Sudbury bring their own quaintness or modernity with them, and are clearly different from the realities experienced at York.
As York is a self-contained city or community itself, its students are left to eat, shop, and live on campus and create their city for themselves.
Whether students are inspired by shows, such as Community, to jackknife their own education, being a savvy cultural critic and using positive deconstruction can aid in understanding the reality of student life.
Never has an incoming student population had more cultural materials to potentially lead them astray.
Diversions and distractions are half of school life, but as consumers of education at York, it is up to the student to get the most out of what they have.
There’s a lot to choose from at York. Choose wisely.
And don’t die.
Chris Stiebel
Contributor
