Animal House is easily one of the best-known Dartmouth media references of all time, but it's difficult to truly appreciate how much movies like "Animal House" have affected the way outsiders and students perceive our school. From helicopter parents asking tour guides if Dartmouth "really is like Animal House'" to our habit of partying four nights a week, the film will always reflect the nature of our school to a certain extent. But there are many other pop culture references to Dartmouth that also typecast our school accurately or not.
Many people are surprised to hear that Dartmouth has been referenced several times on The Simpsons. In an episode from the 11th season, a Christian singer laments her darkest days when she "was drinking like a Dartmouth boy." This stereotype reappeared later in the season when beer spokesman Duffman claimed that trick-pouring counts for course credit at Dartmouth. Although these references aren't predominent, it's hard to deny that they perpetuate the Animal House stereotype to a younger generation.
Even more prominent in the media is the image of Dartmouth as the conservative Ivy, a school for WASPs and good ol' boys. This stereotype is best portrayed by Stephen Colbert's fictional persona on The Colbert Report a hilariously misinformed right-wing pundit who calls Dartmouth his alma mater. As Colbert takes conservatism to the extreme, he also portrays Dartmouth as breeding ground of privilege and exclusivity. In an interview with Paul Glastris, a journalist who questions the legitimacy of college rankings and accuses them of being elitist, Colbert argues, "There is social mobility at Dartmouth you can go in as a plutocrat and leave as an oligarch." This image of our school is broadcasted to millions of viewers, even though most of them probably don't even know what "plutocrat" and "oligarch" means.
Although you may deny having ever watched Gossip Girl, I know you remember the over-the-top elitism in the first season, as Serena and her friends pondered which Ivy League schools would be lucky enough to receive their applications. The writers of the show assigned Ivies to characters based on matching personalities: While free-spirited Serena wanted Brown and snobbish overachiever Blair obsessed over Yale, Dartmouth was reserved for rich legacies rather than legitimately talented students. Nate Archibald (who also happens to be descended from the Vanderbilts on his mom's side no big deal) was pressured to apply to Dartmouth by his father (an alum), who is aptly nicknamed "The Captain." Actually, he was ordered to attend, as if his wealth and legacy status guaranteed acceptance. Everyone knows that Gossip Girl is absolutely ridiculous (that's what makes it so addictive), but its portrayal of Dartmouth further characterizes us as spoiled brats rather than hardworking and accomplished students.
I've saved the best and by that I mean the funniest and perhaps the most realistic reference for last. I'm referring to Superbad, the hugely successful 2007 comedy that captures the misadventures of three high school seniors, two of whom are slated to attend Dartmouth. While the film doesn't distinguish Dartmouth from its peer institutions, it most accurately depicts what many students here are like: smart, slightly nerdy kids who want to drink and get laid. Would-be '11s Evan and Fogell (better known to the world as McLovin) are genuinely nice but painfully awkward boys who hope to appear much cooler in college than they were in high school. Sound familiar?
A school like Dartmouth will always be referenced in popular culture, but unfortunately our school is often depicted as a home for rich, conservative alcoholics. This not-so-subtle caricature must be taken for just that an inaccurate parody that is proven false as soon as one looks around and realizes how amazing and diverse the Dartmouth community really is.
