TV Shows That Really Got What It Was Like To Scrape By As A Uni Student
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Sometimes you want to get home from uni and escape to worlds where group assignments, compulsory tutes, and malfunctioning library printers don’t exist. Han Solo never had to deal with paper jams!
There are times when you want to yell “same” at your television because it makes you feel a little less alone when making your way in the world as a student. And, when it comes to scraping by as a student, TV has it well and truly covered.
#1 Undeclared
A comedy series set at a fictional university in California is an essential watch if you’re new to uni or want to re-live those early days of campus life. The show follows Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel) during his first year of study and it covers jobs, parties, campus politics, one-night stands, and how tough – and sometimes awkward – it can be to make new friends.
Undeclared is one of the most underrated, short-lived shows of all time and was created by Judd Apatow before he became a film director and super producer. Funnily enough, Apatow created Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, and they were both cancelled after one season but went on to become cult TV shows. The cast is crazy good, too, look out for a lot of familiar faces early in their careers like Charlie Hunnam, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Amy Poehler, Kevin Hart, Busy Philipps and Will Ferrel.
#2 Felicity
Imagine finishing high school and running into your crush who mentions that it would have been cool if you could have got to know each other better. Suddenly, you change your study plans and follow them to their chosen university with hopes, dreams, and thirst. That’s the premise of Felicity, a show that takes its name from the titular character played by Keri Russell in a breakout role.
Co-created by blockbuster movie director, JJ Abrams, when he was making a name for himself in TV, it’s a show about the impulse decisions we make and the unexpected things that happen when we follow our hearts. There are love triangles, disappointments and a haircut decision that sent shockwaves through pop culture; many are still recovering, and support groups are available.
#3 Community
Nothing captures the madness of being thrown together with a group of random people at uni quite like Community. Set at the fictional Greendale Community College, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is a former hot-shot lawyer who must return to school after he’s caught in a lie about his law degree. At Greendale, he assembles a study group: Troy (Donald Glover), Abed (Danny Pudi), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), Britta (Gillian Jacobs), Annie (Alison Brie), and Pierce (Chevy Chase).
Initially, Winger plans to breeze his way through each class and use the study group to get close to Britta (he’s crushing hard), but they all end up becoming friends.
Community goes to hilarious extremes with its depiction of what happens on campus – the paintball episodes are unforgettable – but it perfectly sums up what it’s like to hang out in study rooms, survive eccentric lecturers, and split everything from food to rent with weirdo mates.
#4 Ronnie Chieng: International Student
We had to triple-check that this show wasn’t a documentary because it’s too real. It’s based on the real-life experiences of creator, writer, and star, Ronnie Chieng. He plays himself, a Malaysian student who has travelled to Australia to study law in Melbourne. Ronnie joins an AFL team, works for the campus co-op, tries to recover assignments from corrupt computers, joins a comedy revue, and crams for exams like no person has ever crammed before.
Oh, and he’s trying to make his mum proud.
It’s one of the best shows made about uni life in Australia. We just want to state again, though: this is not a documentary.
#5 Fresh Meat
If you want the uni share house experience, head to the UK for Fresh Meat. The show is set in a house shared by six students: Vod, Oregon, Josie, Kingsley, JP, and Howard. Most of them are “freshies” (translation: first year student) who fail to get on-campus accommodation and their only choice is to live with a bunch of randoms.
Fresh Meat covers a lot in four seasons including money woes, work/study balance, expulsion, trying to get good grades, partying and the battle for internships. It’s also the rare show set at a uni that accurately captures the pressures of exams.
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(Lead image: Community / NC)