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Prior to freshman move-in day, prospective students have some kind of vision of what the college experience will hold. These expectations are often painted wildly, filled out by details represented in the entertainment industry’s depiction of campus life.
If you have not already seen it, “Neighbors,” depicts the wild and hectic life of an off-campus fraternity house through the eyes of the next door neighbor's, two fairly new parents along with their six month year old baby. The fraternity brothers and parents wage a war in an ultimate power struggle after one too many loud and sleepless nights. The chaos prompts the parents to call in a noise complaint to the police.
Flicks such as “Neighbors” incorrectly displays the life of a college student by placing emphasis on the student’s extracurricular activities rather than the academia. Extracurriculars and socializing after hours definitely make up a large part of many students’ time here at the Hall, but do not, and should not, take precedence over schoolwork.
Another stark difference between the movie’s depiction and realty at the Hall is the budget of the average college student. The frat house belonging to “Delta Psi Beta” is outrageously furnished with ornate memorabilia, expensive knick-knacks and an insane amount of high quality light fixtures and sound systems.
Fundraising for the fraternity seems to go a little too smoothly as one quick day of sales allows them to not only pay for expensive water damages, but also affords them a hot tub which spans the entire lawn.
At least at the Hall, Greek life does not seem to pull in amounts of cash as extensive as in the flick. Fundraising associated with Greek Life at the Hall also seems to be more focused on accumulating money to benefit different charities or organizations rather than for personal gain.
The fear of what lies beyond the four years at college resonates throughout the movie and in real life too. Graduating, entering the competitive job search of today’s world and unofficially identifying as a grownup creates fear in the hearts of all who are reminded by the passing of Halloween that yet another semester is almost over, and graduation day is coming closer. Luckily, the career center provides many supportive resources in the task of networking and job hunting.
One things for sure, no matter how many movies and television shows a person watches to prepare for higher education, learning how to survive away from home is all about experiencing it for yourself.
Kelly Zarnowski can be reached at kelly.zarnowski@student.shu.edu.
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