“An Education” is a 2009 coming-of-age British film that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival last year and received critical acclaim. The movie stars actors Emma Thompson, Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan, who was a nominee in the Best Actress category of the Academy Awards this past year.

I had a chance to recently watch ”An Education.” What follows is my own review of this autobiographical memoir written by British author, Lynn Barber.

Like most high school seniors, the driving force behind all of Jenny Mellor’s actions is the dream of being accepted to her dream college: The University of Oxford. Jenny excels in all of her subjects, except Latin. Her father puts a lot of pressure on her to improve her Latin skills and earn a higher education so that she will do better than he did.

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Everyone knows how hard you are supposed to work in college in order to succeed. It is expected that you wake up for your 8:00 am class every morning; you sit in the front row of every class and interact with the professors; you read the chapter and supplemental materials before the class they are due for; when the professor asks for a volunteer, your hand is the first in the air.

Basically, if you want to succeed in college, you have to be a mega-nerd and dedicate yourself 115 percent to every class you take. Speaking of classes, you should probably enroll in 18 hours each semester so that you can graduate early.

Okay, so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration. But, to a degree, that is what college is: Alot of studying, reading, and research. If you do everything right, you might get an “A” in the class, or you might not.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if college was more about slacking off all day and partying all night? Well, if you want to escape for an hour or two and enjoy an alternative universe, check out our list of top five If Only College Really Was Like This movies.

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Imagine walking to class one morning and running into a camera crew following your favorite actress or actor. If you attended these schools, you might have seen a movie or two being filmed on campus. Hey, you even could have been one of those extras in the background! That’s worth writing home about, right?

Arizona State University – Jerry Maguire (1996)

Boston University – 21 (2008)

Bunker Hill Community College – Good Will Hunting (1997)

California State University-Long Beach - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Read the rest of this entry »

If we have anyone to blame for the stereotypical boozing, girl-chasing, trouble-bound picture we have of college fraternities, it’s Hollywood. Some of the funniest movies anyone can name have to do with college fraternities and life on campus. In most cases they almost paint a characture of what our own experiences were like on campus.

If you want to get in a college state of mind, or just want to kill two hours with some side-splitting comedy, definitely hit up your movie rental for some of these.

Animal House. Quite arguably making a tie for a number one position, Animal House is a fraternity classic. This 1978 hit starring John Belushi, Kevin Bacon, Tim Matheson and John Verney is a release from anything related to intellect or manners. It’s also hilarious. Read the rest of this entry »

Allow students to watch a XXX porn movie in the student union or risk budget cuts by the state. That was the dilemna facing University of Maryland this week after they’d elected to screen “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” in its student union. Students across the country have been attending screenings of the big-budget porn flick on campuses, but when Maryland State Senator Andy Harris heard about the busty event, he made moves to have it stopped, by threatening to suspend state funding (about $424 million).

“I am pleased to know that the university did the right thing and canceled this movie,” said Harris. “Students can’t light up a cigarette in the student union but can watch a hardcore XXX porn film. Occasional viewing of porn is more dangerous than occasionally lighting up a cigarette.”

No surprise that the film and the recent move at U of M are stirring debate, talks of the First Amendment, and whether or not colleges should be an advertising medium for such films. Following the movie at the university, a representative from Planned Parenthood was scheduled to discuss safe sex. In December, the movie was shown at UCLA, after which students held a Q&A with the filmmakers and grilled them about porn’s role in the exploitation of women. Read the rest of this entry »