BLOGS
This season on Gossip Girl, Blair, Vanessa, and Dan began their college careers at New York University. But from the very moment Queen Waldorf stepped into her dorm room, something felt a little off. As a seasoned (and current) student of the behemoth private school, I like to think that I know a little more about NYU than the average bear, or television producer. Let's review the truth behind the gossip:
You Already Know Who Your Roommates Are Before Move-In Day
It would be completely impossible for Blair to not have known that psycho Georgina would be moving in with her. I knew who my roommates were two months ahead of time, but I only contacted one of them before move-in day -- a big mistake. If I had known that the one from Spokane was going to get mayonnaise on everything and that the other one was a cokehead, I would have asked for a switch ASAP.
The Dorm Rooms Are Quite Small and Decorated With Hospital-Type Furniture That You Are Forbidden to Remove
You're not allowed to take out any furniture already in your room. More importantly, you are not allowed to bring anything in -- unless you smuggle it in pieces. That's how we brought a TV stand into my room sophomore year, though I doubt that Blair's furniture is the kind that has to be assembled. And rarely have I seen a dorm room at NYU in which your bed is more than a few feet away from that of your roommate.
You're Not Allowed on the Roof of Any NYU Building
One episode featured a roof party at an NYU dorm where Dan ingratiated himself with his new classmates, much to Blair's chagrin. This could never be possible because the doors to the roofs in all buildings are sealed shut. Students have to save the rooftop parties for when they go to a friend's place on the Lower East Side.
What Every College Student Would Never Do
The November 9 episode featured a side plot in which Vanessa and Dan helped movie star Olivia (Hilary Duff) get some "real" college experience. After Dan magically pulled out a newspaper article featuring a list of "The 15 Things Every College Student Must Do Before Graduating," the trio embarked on a set of mini-adventures. Since they did not name all fifteen of those things, I'll just go ahead and dissect what was actually mentioned:
Get Sick After a Beer Pong Tournament at Bar None
Are you kidding? Bar None is one of the least appealing places in the East Village. The only people that go there are either way beyond college age and/or British tourists, and fights break out there nearly every night. Also, aren't these kids (or at least Olivia and Dan) supposed to be kinda rich? This is almost as bad as when I heard that Justin Timberlake was hanging out at the Village Pourhouse. And beer pong? Is this tenth grade?
Have Sex with Someone You Never Want to See Again
Okay, sure. If you can find sex at NYU, then go for it. Unfortunately, the only people having sex at NYU are those with significant others outside of NYU. And if you do somehow manage to hook up with a fellow NYU student, be aware that even at a university of 50,000-plus students, you will still see that person again.
Go to a Frat Party
You should never go to a frat party at NYU. There are only two frats to begin with, and all of the people in them are business majors. Do you like talking stocks and bonds? If so, then suit yourself -- both literally and figuratively, because rarely do I see a business major outside of a perfectly pressed Brooks Brothers suit.
Eat a Falafel at Mamoun's
Admittedly, the falafel is good there, but don't go too late or everyone in the place will be drunk. Also keep in mind that it's only $2.50 for a falafel, so Dan, Olivia and even Vanessa are too well-off to eat there, though I do like to think of Mamoun's as the great equalizer.
Do Some Fountain Yoga
Oh, I get it: NYU students are a bunch of hippy-dippy vegan yoga-heads, right? Anyone who would ever attempt contorting his or her body into yoga poses in the stagnant water of the Washington Square Park fountain may need a mental evaluation. Little kids pee in that thing all the time. Don't ever step in it.
And, finally,...wait for it...
Have a Threesome
Realistically, you should be happy if you can even get yourself in a twosome at NYU. The out-of-whack women-to-men ratio at the school leaves too many girls with too few guys to choose from. This leads to NYU women having to date around the city. Don't be surprised if you hear an NYU girl talking about "checking up on the market at the New York Stock Exchange." She's picking up dudes. Older dudes with cash.
Perhaps we will never know what other stupid things Olivia, Dan, and Vanessa partook in as they went down that list of 15, but chances are they were all just as silly. Stick with what (and where) you know best, Gossip Girl. There are already too many poseurs downtown as it is. XOXO.
For more about the reality behind the college fiction, check out the Gossip Girl coverage at All Things Fangirl.
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I too know about NYU, and this is very accurate and very funny.
So true. Of course, name any TV show that accurately depicts a real dorm experience. Rory Gilmore anyone?
Why no sex at NYU? That's sad. :(
There's sex to an extent...though it's not a good idea to get with someone in your classes or in your dorm. It's best to explore the options outside of NYU.
I get what she's saying.
Along those same lines, I could just be old but I'm still amazed that these kids can go into any bar they want and not get carded.
Wow, school in NY must suck, oh well, this is further evidence that the best "college experience schools" are University of Texas, University of Florida, and UC Berkley.
There are more than two frats here, and those are not the business frats. While you are sterotyping frats here a little differently than frats everywhere else in the US, you're still sterotyping them. Before you write about the Greek system, why not do some research in it because you're completely wrong.
Damn, Sam got his feelings hurt. Frats are for people who have to pay to have friends.
This has already been done, actually, at allthingsfangirl.com, for several weeks now. http://allthingsfangirl.blogspot.com/search/label/Gossip%20Girl
I went to NYU, and all of my boyfriends (and most of my random hookups) did not go there. There were a couple of guys that I went on dates with from school, but that's it. Most of my girlfriends didn't date NYU guys either. As for the frats...you don't go to NYU to join a frat.
Haha, girls at NYU don't have sex because all the guys are fags.
Oh man do I remember Gilmore Girls. I figured maybe Yale students just got bigger dorms since, well, it's Yale. But those were huge!
The dorms on Veronica Mars were also a little outrageous. I love this article; there are so many times in tv shows set in college that make me want to scream.
It's a school of 50,000 students. I think it's safe to say that people's experiences probably varied widely.
...um...this is like an exact copy of the "dave and muse correct gossip girl" series on all things fangirl. not cool.
http://allthingsfangirl.blogspot.com/search/label/Gossip%20Girl
To EruditeChick and Laura - stop posting links to your lame-ass blog that nobody reads. You guys are just jealous because you will never be able to write anything as remotely good as this blog entry.
Hahaha. Allthingsfangirl is waay cooler.
Hey Althea, I'm someone who reads that lame-ass blog, and it's one of my favorites. If you actually read their GG posts you'd see that not only are they hilarious & comprehensive...and have been up every single week for 8 weeks...but that this article is almost an exact copy.
It's a show - not a documentary. Did you really think it was going to be a reflection of your experience? Apartments are bigger, jobs are often better, people are prettier on TV and in movies. Why in the world is this surprising? Of all shows, it should be understood that GG is heightened reality. And what is with the stale stereotypes and judgmental prose? From the sound of this writing, I'm guessing the author isn't far out of college.
How accurate was Felicity when it was kicking around? I remember letting at a loud 'WOW' when I saw the size of Felicity and Meaghan's double room.
So if you have a lot of money you can't eat at cheap places? What the what?
This is the dumbest article I have ever read. I feel like I need to write omg, ttyl, lol, lmfao for the rest of the year to make myself feel a little smarter. Journalism at its best. Fyi rich people and celebs love to slum it with the average folks once in a while. I know because my name is brad pitt.I love the village pourhouse and barnone and falafel and sex.
It's true about the furniture thing.
Sounds like the writer couldn't get laid in college...sad.
I didn't go to college in New York but I did play beer pong at a bar, have a three-some (one party of which I never want to see again), have definetly climbed in public fountains (but no yoga) and eaten falafel at a hole-in-the-wall gyro place. They do seem like fairly typical college things.
And as for dorm size: it's impossible to actually film in a real dorm, there isn't enough room for the equiptment so they have to make the rooms bigger.
Obviously nothing about this show is realistic. Do you think New York bars serve martinis to 16-year-olds all the time? Or that many 18-year-olds own hotels?
Ha! I was at NYU when the earth was still cooling (the '80s), and much of what the current student says was true then too. I still miss Mamoun's. There were two necessities of the '80s that are no longer valid: hang out at CBGB (sob) and get a haircut downstairs at Astor Hair.
I grew up near Washington Square (NYU home base)and knew people who went to NYU. According to a friend of mine, her cousin's room was tiny and consisted of a mattress and a desk. Also, as someone pointed out, you go into the fountain at your own risk. Little kids aren't the only ones who use it for a bathroom. The only guys we ever met there (I mean in the park, not NYU) were drug dealers, and we got away fast. And I agree with Anthony - Felicity's room was a nice creation, but nowhere near reality.
Megg, Rory Gilmore's dorm was the first thing that popped into my head. What's true of NYU is true of most colleges. Dorm rooms are tiny, bland and generic. Of course TV makes everything look better but Rory lived in a frikkin mansion her freshman year!
to be fair: in my dorm at a public school in Florida, we could have some of our own furniture (hot plates, however, were forbidden). Besides, Blair is rich and I would expect any rich kid to get away with whatever they want even in real life. Also, Dan Humphrey is not rich. He grew up way less off than the kids around. Despite being in a more middle class family, his parents sacraficed so that his sister and he could go to the private school in the UES that the rich kids went to. Even though his poor dad is now married to the rich Lily Van der Woodsen, that doesn't necessarily mean Dan is getting a bigger allowance these days. Plus he's all pretentious and hipster, which means he prides himself in not being like the rich kids. So it makes sense that he would go to cheap places for fun and food. I will say that all three characters are under 21, so how they got to drink in a bar in beyond me, unless the tv bartenders do not care about getting shut down.
Showing my age here, but the Gossip Girls is doing an even worse job of portraying my alma mater than Felicity did. All I remember of college, was classes, working 30 hours a week to pay for college and internships.
To Sam: I was in a sorority, and many of the stereotypes of frats are true. If you feel bad about that, then don't read about it.
Laura - why would you come here and shit on someone else's article? I just read the other one - they have a similar topic, but otherwise, they are nothing alike.
Becky - I was just upset that my fav blog has been doing this coverage for weeks and already talked about all this stuff. but then tv without pity actually linked to all things fangirl, so i'm cool now. haha if they are classy enough to do that, i have no problem :)
what a BS article. If you are going to believe these stereotypes about nyu, then lets also consider some descriptions that could characterize Heather. She definitely sounds socially inept: can't get along with roomates. Two Bagger: can't meet some one from the opposite sex at one of the biggest schools. Oblivious: nyu has it's fair share of orgies, but two baggers are usually not allowed, they happen too often for only the most socially inept to not realize. Stuck up: b/c someone is from Spokane or comparable places, they are not worth knowing. Quaker: "OMG rules must not be broken, dorm roofs are forbidden", believe me you can get up there, also my friends (you make them if you don't move out ASAP) and I all had futons at weinstein. Does not go out much and probablly thinks meat packing is the only "appealing" place: she thinks ppl go to Bar None/Pourhouse to meet JT or because they are super hip places. How would she know what type of crowd is always at bar none and there are fights every night if she never goes there? I'm sure pourhouse apologizes for not being as posh as Butter. Again, two bagger: she says "Unfortunately, the only people having sex at NYU are those with significant others outside of NYU," talking about one of the most liberal schools here folks, step into any bar near NYU and you'll see people getting it on.
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