Soothing cinema

Dropping Off Your Freshman? *Cue Internal Scream* These College Movies Will Help You Cope

Your baby is going to be just fine.

by Simone R. Johnson
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Leaving your child at college can be a sad, exciting, and stressful experience all at once. So after you’ve gotten home, lean into your feelings with these college movies that’ll remind you that your kids will be A-OK.

New Line Cinema, On the Day, Warner Bros.

Monsters University | 2013

This prequel to Monsters Inc. does not disappoint. Monsters University follows the budding friendship of college-aged Mike and Sully and how they become the best scaring duo in the business. It’s a wild ride filled with frats, hard lessons, and new monsters!

Photo by Pixar - © 2012 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Mona Lisa Smile | 2003

An open-minded and free-spirited art professor, played by Julia Roberts, teaches at Wellesley College in the 1950s. There, she pushes her young female students to go beyond societal expectations and become something more.

Revolution Studios, Red Om Films

Legally Blonde | 2001

A sorority girl becomes a Harvard Law student to follow her condescending boyfriend. Throughout her journey, the pink-obsessed pupil discovers she wants more, smashing stereotypes about blondes and women along the way.

© 2001 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Drumline | 2002

A misguided young man finds inspiration in show-styled collegiate marching bands. He uses his drumming gift to take the band to new heights, but his mistrusting attitude makes his collegiate journey more difficult than he imagined.

Photo by Zade Rosenthal - © 2002 and TM Twentieth Century Fox

Pitch Perfect | 2012

A group of misfits band together to win a national acapella competition. Their journey is paved with hilarity, song covers, and embarrassing moments that'll make you love the world of acapella even more.

© 2012 - Universal Pictures

Life of the Party | 2018

After her husband leaves her, a lonely housewife (Melissa McCarthy) restarts her life by going back to college... with her daughter. Her liberating pivot reveals it’s never too late to try something new.

New Line Cinema, On the Day, Warner Bros.

An Extremely Goofy Movie | 2000

Max is off to college, and his father, Goofy, is coming with. In this sequel, Max learns to navigate his new adult life while trying to make space for his father in it. It’s a heartwarming animated gem that’ll show you the Goofy in you.

Walt Disney Pictures, Disney Television Animation, Disneytoon Studios

Dear White People | 2014

Racial tensions rise on an Ivy League campus where Black students' union leader, Sam, finds herself in the middle. As she and the other students balance their racial identities and communities, things eventually explode and expose everyone for who they are.

Ashley Beireis Nguyen, Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Admission | 2013

When an admissions counselor meets the son she gave up for adoption, she works with his favorite teacher to get him into Princeton. As decision day approaches for the Ivy League, she discovers what’s important to her and how to be herself.

Depth of Field, Photo by David Lee - Focus Features

Sydney White | 2007

Sydney is determined to pledge her mother’s sorority but is ousted by a mean girl who sabotages her at every turn. It’s a fun and modern retelling of Snow White that’s filled with aught nostalgia.

Morgan Creek Entertainment, SW7D Productions, Clifford Werber Productions