The Representation of College Lifestyles vs. Education in Accepted Steve Pink’s 2006 film Accepted starring Justin Long, describes the comical story of a recent high school graduate, Bartleby Gaines who was denied of acceptance from each college to which he applied. In lieu of these multiple rejections, Long’s character, Bartleby Gaines, decides to start his own college, the South Harmon Institute of Technology. He and his friends are accepted to South Harmon Institute of Technology (not surprising, right?), and to make Bartleby’s high expecting parents believe that this Institution is legit, he and his friends make a webpage, hire a dean, etc. Little did they know, this well-formed webpage drew hundreds of other acceptance-rejected college students to South Harmon’s door. Due to this growth in interest, Gaines decides to make South Harmon Institute of Technology a real college, one with classes and professors; as the film progresses, the viewer is taken on a journey through Gaines’ process of developing South Harmon. However through this comical depiction, Pink directs a film that represents college education in a way quite opposite than traditional. At South Harmon Institute, the education standards are low and misleading, and though the activities at this Institute are fun, the viewer sees the ideal image of education shown in a way much different than in the real world. It is evident that South Harmon’s population has a hard time balancing the stereotypical “college lifestyle” and an education. Initially, Pink shows an opposite representation of education by the Institute’s surrounding scene. As students in today’s society near their junior year of high school, they begin looking into colleges, into career options, into their futures. Parents encourage and attend college visits or tour days, mostly to ensure that the campus that their child is looking to attend is safe, legitimate, and will encourage four years of success. A normal campus like The University of West Georgia usually has a scenery such as trees, buildings, fields, walkways, stadium and buses. At the South Harmon Institute of Technology, the scene is quite different. The school is surrounded by s small skate park, pool, hang out areas, and things of that nature confined in the area of this small campus. So initially, upon the creation of this Institute, the viewer is introduced to a scene that promotes a different type of education before even being able to recognize the type of education that the film presents through the Institute’s instruction. Furthermore, the biggest misrepresentation of traditional education in the film comes from the classes held at South Harmon. The students at South Harmon are there because they had been rejected from all other colleges, right? Therefore, Gaines decides to allow students to teach themselves and each other, and to learn about anything they request. At one point in the film, Bartleby circles the
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Pink does an undoubtedly good job of representing how students get caught up in the traditional college lifestyle, and how this leads to missing out on an education. The director appeals to the college student viewer through this film, and even includes real things that happen on college campuses. Obviously, on normal college campuses, students neither teach themselves nor make their own subjects; however some do get caught up in the party scene, much like the students of South Harmon do. Just as Gaines, Schrader, Thayer, Glen and Holloway were all high school friends and students, we valued also our friends. We were able to spend time with them easily, we saw them every day, and we did not worry much about what friends we would not see when we graduated. Steve Pink also elaborates on this concept in his film. For the attendees of South Harmon Institute of Technology, much of it is about friendship. At this “college”, they are still able to value the fun evenings with friends, not worrying too much about what comes tomorrow. Now, not to say that in reality, no college student can value his friendships—that is absolutely possible and realistic. However, it is not as realistic as Pink depicts it in Accepted. In the film, the “friend” scene and “party” scene are extremely prevalent, whereas in reality, to gain a successful college education, actual classes and commitment must come before that. This depiction is another example of a serious misrepresentation in Pink’s
Pink does an undoubtedly good job of representing how students get caught up in the traditional college lifestyle, and how this leads to missing out on an education. The director appeals to the college student viewer through this film, and even includes real things that happen on college campuses. Obviously, on normal college campuses, students neither teach themselves nor make their own subjects; however some do get caught up in the party scene, much like the students of South Harmon do. Just as Gaines, Schrader, Thayer, Glen and Holloway were all high school friends and students, we valued also our friends. We were able to spend time with them easily, we saw them every day, and we did not worry much about what friends we would not see when we graduated. Steve Pink also elaborates on this concept in his film. For the attendees of South Harmon Institute of Technology, much of it is about friendship. At this “college”, they are still able to value the fun evenings with friends, not worrying too much about what comes tomorrow. Now, not to say that in reality, no college student can value his friendships—that is absolutely possible and realistic. However, it is not as realistic as Pink depicts it in Accepted. In the film, the “friend” scene and “party” scene are extremely prevalent, whereas in reality, to gain a successful college education, actual classes and commitment must come before that. This depiction is another example of a serious misrepresentation in Pink’s