When it comes to teen movies, nothing feels more unrealistic than college decisions. Sure, “High School Musical” may have made you think our school would erupt into dance numbers during lunchtime, but it also had Troy and Gabriella getting accepted to Berkeley and Stanford — colleges that in real life would never accept either of them. As the coming months bring college decisions, let’s examine the on-screen admissions process. 

Take a look at Elle Evans, the star of Netflix’s “The Kissing Booth.” The target audience (the vast majority being teenage girls) are supposed to find her relatable — she’s clumsy, quirky and a hopeless romantic. Yet in the teaser for the third movie, she’s sipping a cocktail by a gigantic pool when she declines a call from Harvard. 

Yes, you heard me right: Elle hangs up on Harvard to tan by the pool. I can assure you (as can this equally-enraged Reddit thread) that she is nowhere near qualified to attend an Ivy League, never mind sending one to voicemail. To me, the scene was ripped straight from a horror movie. 

How the FAFSA did we get here? Well, while I’m no teen-movie historian, this trend seems to have emerged recently and rapidly. It’s kind of like TikTok: once it was on one screen, it became impossible to avoid. 

Look, I understand that these movies and TV shows are a far cry from reality. Some may argue that the acceptance into a fancy college is part of the magical escapism. Yet for an impressionable audience, this trend can be concerning. Again and again they see their favorite characters receive acceptance letters from colleges they could never realistically attend. Again and again, kids are told that getting into a top 20 school is something that should be obvious and expected. What happens when students don’t end up like their on-screen heroes? 

We need more media that’s unafraid to show the reality of the college process. It’s wonderful to see someone get into their dream school, but why does that dream need to be so limited? Give me a protagonist who falls in love with their local state school. I want to see a main character find their happily-ever-after with community college. 

Perhaps our college process isn’t quite like “High School Musical.” Yet, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fabulous.