Ohio University is saying goodbye to the class of 2026 seniors at the beginning of May, and they will be missed dearly.
As the seniors head into their new lives, feelings and strange emotions come back up that they may not have had since graduating high school years ago. While talking to others may be helpful, everyone knows that the best thing to do when having emotions about big life changes is to watch movies about them.
There have been a lot of great movies about graduation, both high school and college.
“Legally Blonde” is a classic movie about a girl going through law school after her boyfriend tells her that she can’t. Though it is outwardly comedic, Elle Woods does some incredibly difficult things, including getting a 179 on the LSAT and being accepted to Harvard Law. Elle fought to be taken seriously as a law student throughout the entire movie.
The end of the movie shows Elle graduating from Harvard and giving the commencement speech. She shows that while college is difficult, you learn so much while you’re in it, and you can do anything you want with the knowledge.
Another movie about a recent graduate is “The Devil Wears Prada.” While much more disheartening than “Legally Blonde,” it shows in great detail what can happen to a person when they’ve entered the workforce. It also shows students that they have to want to do what they’re doing, as well as question how far they’re willing to go for a job they really need.
Andy Sachs tries so hard to impress her boss, Miranda Priestly, that she changes everything about herself and pushes everyone she loves away. She wants to make it into the fashion magazine industry by starting as a personal assistant, but seriously questions her job’s morality and the jobs she will get if she continues to work in the industry.
Graduates must question these things as well as they apply.
While slightly sad at times, the movie does show you can get a job in the field you want in the end. Andy works for a journal after quitting her job at Runway, but her resume and reference from Miranda help her land a job at a journal doing what she loves.
There is give and take in every job, and networking is important. Sometimes, taking the job that isn’t a perfect fit with the end goal of the glass slipper of jobs is the only way to get to your dream.
On a more musical note, “Pitch Perfect 2” is a great example of someone graduating and trying to start their career. After showing Beca Mitchell starting college and facing the unknown, the main character must join the workforce and find her way once again.
Beca struggled to find her voice in music. As she grows up, it becomes increasingly more difficult for people to listen to her and her talents. There are so many people trying to work in the arts and in music that getting jobs and making it in the industry is difficult, something Beca realizes.
Beca and the Barden Bellas are such good examples of people trying to figure out who they are outside of college and their friends. Amidst the craziness of life, they inspire others to figure out what they want to do and how to do it. It’s discouraging when you aren’t able to get where you want, and this movie is a helpful example of that.
While not a college movie, “High School Musical 3” is both about graduation and a musical. It won’t bore you to see the characters you’ve fallen in love with for three movies grow up and go to college, or see where else they may want to go.
It may be helpful to remind yourself why you decided to go to college and how scary that was. Remembering the things you’ve accomplished in college will inspire you to do even better things after.
A final inspirational college movie goes to “The Social Network,” a movie about geniuses and the invention of Facebook. If Mark Zuckerberg can create a social platform that connects college students to other college students while he’s in college, then anyone can create their life goal once they’ve graduated.
There’s no graduation in the movie, but it still inspires people to do whatever they put their mind to at any age. Some people may say that you cannot make it big or become a billionaire based on the ideas you have, but this movie proves otherwise. Dream big, and believe in your product; then you will succeed.
These movies are there to inspire and help graduates move into the real world. There are many difficult things these students face; the moral of the story is that everything is possible if you put in effort.
