While starting uni can feel pretty damn daunting, like most other problems it can be remedied by binge-watching the right selection of TV shows and movies.

There’s nothing like a long line up of university-relevant entertainment to ease you into the wild world of uni life and to help with the transition from high school to tertiary education, we’ve rounded up a list of essential viewing.

Think of it like ‘required reading’ for your uni experience. So grab some snacks and hit the couch for a binge-watch.

#1 Gilmore Girls

Skip ahead to season four and kick things off with Rory’s first day at Yale.

There are plenty of things to learn from Rory’s college experience – like the fact that sharing living space with a variety of different housemates will mean compromise (looking at you Paris Gellar), there is such a thing as taking too many classes, and coffee is a god that we should all bow down to and it may be your lord and saviour during busy times at uni.

Also note that Rory decides to go to Yale, even though her dream was always Harvard, and she also ends up dropping out of uni before eventually making her way back to graduate. The takeaway? Things may not always work out the way you originally thought, but they will work out.

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#2 Ronny Chieng: International Student

You’ll be able to power through Ronny Chieng: International Student, the seven-part, semi-autobiographical series in which Chieng (comedian and senior correspondent on The Daily Show) plays a 19-year-old version of himself starting at a Melbourne university. The on-campus life Ronnie Chieng encounters is 100% classic Aussie culture so bonus points here for extra relevant content.

This series covers a lot of uni-life-related ground including culture clashes, binge drinking, uninspiring lecturers, communal living and of course, the noble quest to receive ‘special consideration’ for deadline extensions. It’s both informative and hilarious.

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#3 Everybody Wants Some

One of the greatest lessons from this film is that a whole lot of the fun of university happens before classes even start. That’s when the hype is real, the parties are fresh and everything is full of potential.

Everybody Wants Some!! is the spiritual sequel to Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and it’s all about letting the good times roll. It takes place over the last long weekend before beginning semester at a Texas college and all the new students are getting along, as the New York Times put it, like ‘fellow citizens in a republic of horniness.’

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#4 Legally Blonde

Everything you need to do to succeed at uni you can find in the montage where Elle buys a cute Macbook, hits the books, makes friends, and starts nailing her class participation. Also her resume was on perfumed pink paper, and if that’s not a winning strategy then I don’t know what is.

Elle didn’t let her rocky start stop her from dominating at uni and she also showed that good vibes and a positive attitude are always the way to go. Just pray that you get a powerful female professor full of wisdom and sass like Professor Stromwell and also double check party themes before committing to your bunny look.

Ultimately, the most important thing you can learn from Elle Woods is to back yourself – it’s a lesson that you can use in uni life and beyond.

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#5 Monsters University

Who isn’t a sucker for a Pixar film? It’s the perfect addition to any binge-watch list and luckily, Monsters University is absolutely packed full of relevant, entertaining and adorable content.

The main takeaways from watching Mike and Sully’s college experience are that the people you live with on campus will be around A LOT, and that teamwork really gets you places you won’t get alone. It’s classic Pixar, full of wonderfully wholesome life lessons.

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#6 The Social Network

While you may not expect to start up a multi-billion dollar company while at university, it’s probably best to watch The Social Network just in case.

You’ll see that the creation of Facebook out of a Harvard dorm didn’t come without casualties, so wise up on the politics of uni mates and business now before it’s too late.

What we learn from this film is that A) people can suck; B) you might come up with a surefire idea at uni; and C), protect your intellectual property so that (spoiler alert) you don’t get royally screwed over like those twins or Andrew Garfield’s character.

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#7 Community

Two words for you: group work. It’s pretty much unavoidable at uni so it’s best that you settle into Community and learn all you can about a bunch of misfits attempting to cooperate.

The show centres around a (rather useless) study group at a community college with a fair few characters being on the more ‘mature age’ end of the spectrum. What we learn is that uni can be a place to make unexpected friends and also take some kooky electives if that’s your jam.

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Feature Image: Community/NBC

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