By now most of us have started college, and we have already begun to feel the various stresses and annoyances of college piling up. College generally invokes memories of late nights, cramming and struggling to pass certain classes for most people. So why do college movies remain such a common genre for movie-makers then and now? College in movies and college in real life remain rather dissimilar. While these movies don't bare much similarities to real life, they make up for their differences with their portrayals of the excitement, passion and sadness of college life. They capture some of the overarching college experiences. and present it through stories that are new and exciting. These stories range several genres such as horror, comedy and romance, but they still manage to evoke powerful emotions and even nostalgia from all of us. That being said here are some college movies that manage to represent the American vision of college despite their age, forgotten actors or just absurd plot.

8. "Pitch Perfect" (2012)

I'm just going to warn you all right now that this is my list, so there will be some bias. This film is a heavy example of it. I couldn't even get through the first half of the movie the first time I watched it, and the only character I found even remotely likable was Rebel Wilson's. However, I know this movie is extremely appealing to a large portion of (female) college students, so not only did I include it in the list but I actually watched it in its entirety. For those of you who have successfully avoided any mention of this movie for four years, the plot essentially follows Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) a girl who doesn't want to go to college, but is forced to by her college professor father. Eventually the two make a deal that Beca can drop out of college and become a music producer if she stays in a club for a full year. This leads to her joining the a Capella group on campus, the Barden Bellas, with members such as Chole Beale (Brittney Snow), Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp), and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) who attempt to win the National a Capella competition at the end of the year. It's a cute romantic-comedy with a musical twist.

Recommended: If you liked "Fame" (1980/2009), you'll probably like this movie. However this is not foolproof, as I liked "Fame," but I did not like this movie.

7. "Urban Legend" (1998,2000,2005)

Urban legend is exactly how it sounds. Basically it's a group of college kids being picked off in a manner reminiscent of popular urban legends. It's an interesting twist on the slasher media with the usual entirely unknown cast. However if you watch "Degrassi" or other teenager dramas then you'll probably recognize some of these cast members. The plot essentially follows Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) and school newspaper journalist Paul Gardner (Jared Leto) as they investigate the murders plaguing their college staff and students. Their friends and acquaintances are picked off familiarly like slasher flicks before although with a new twists on the methods.It was definitely one of the funner films for me to watch in this list. If you love Jared Leto and want to see some films in his early career than this is definitely the movie to save for October.

Recommended: If you enjoy watching young adults being hunted and picked off such as in Sleepaway Camp (1983,1988,1989) or My Bloody Valentine (1981,2009) then you'll enjoy this.

6. "Van Wilder" (2002)

This is the quintessential Comedy Central movie. If you've seen this movie after it premiered, then chances are you saw it on this channel. It's charmingly disgusting with gaudy humor that you'd expect from a male centered romantic comedy. That being said this movie is rated R for a reason, so try to avoid an awkward movie viewing with your parents. Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is a seven year senior whose father finds out that he has done absolutely zero work to graduate, instead choosing to spend his time at the various parties around campus. His father cuts him off and by a chain of events he ended up being nearly expelled. Instead he offers to do a whole semester's worth of work and his new punishment is approved. Basically this romantic comedy follows his trials and tribulations about trying to mature and become a proper member of society. There is the added bonus of fellow co-stars Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson. Of course the best part is that this based on a true story though you reserve the right to decide how accurate these parties actually are.

Recommended: If "Deadpool" (2016) is literally your favorite movie right now then you're going to love sassy Ryan Reynolds in this film with the added bonus of it being young Ryan Reynolds as well.

5. "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003)

For those of you who do not remember the early 2000s, Julia Roberts was in nearly every film it seemed like. This film is one of the most notable ones that she made during this time. In fact she made $25 million dollars for her performance which is more than any other actress had made at the time. Essentially Katherine Ann Watson (Julia Roberts) is a young teacher in the '50s who is tasked with an art class at a private women's liberal arts college. She finds that the students already have the syllabus and textbook memorized and she clashes with the college over deviating from it. She also clashes with her students who only intend to stay in college until they're married. Then they leave their classes and expect their marks to remain unaffected. This movie is an interesting social commentary about the times with an amazing supporting cast consisting of Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Definitely a film that you'd watch in your Art Appreciation, American History or even Gender Studies class.

Recommended: It's "Dead Poet Society" (1989) with a "Thelma & Louise" (2001) twist on it. 'Nuff said.

4. "Accepted" (2006)

This is probably my favorite film on the list. Of course that begs the question of why it isn't number one on this list. While I did say that this was my list, it's not completely biased. A lot of the humor in this film is the same stuff that you'd hear said on a middle school field trip. If you're looking for high brow content here, you're looking in the wrong place. Essentially the plot follows Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long) who, after being rejected from every single college he applied to, creates a college to be accepted by to avoid his father's wrath. He is helped by his best friends Sherman Schrader the third (Jonah Hill) and Rory Thayer (Maria Thayer). Together they create a fake university, fake acceptance letter and even a fake website. However the website automatically also accepts anyone who applies to the school through it. Bartleby decides that everyone deserves an education, and the rest of the movie follows his wacky antics as he tries to hide the fact that his University is a fake from the rest of the world and even the enrolled students. It's a laugh and it makes a great addition to any movie night.

Recommended: If you liked "Pineapple Express" (2008), "The Hangover" (2009)or literally any other film that feels like it was made while the director was high then this is the film for you.

3. "Good Will Hunting" (1997)

This is perhaps one of the best known of Robin William's films, and you could argue that this was his best work as an actor. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a mathematics genius who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is ashamed of his past, his neighborhood and even his friends. After Will and his friends get into a fight with a gang, he assaults a police officer in the process of resisting arrest. Instead of being sentenced to any jail time he is instead sentenced to work with mathematics professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) and to go see therapist Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Mr. Lambeau attempts to find jobs that are worthier of Will's intellect while Dr. Maguire attempts to work with him on his relationships with the people in his life. This is as much as I can give without giving away major plot points. This is an amazing film about abuse and class tensions that proves that not everything is about the degree or job at the end of the day.

Recommended: If you love "Good Morning Vietnam" (1987), "The Birdcage" (1996) or literally any other Robin Williams movie then you'll be sure to love this one as well.

2. National Lampoon's "Animal House" (1978)

This is a classic. This is the first thing that pops up when you say college film to most people over the age of forty. National Lampoon was a magazine that published various humorous stories over the years. "Animal House" is the movie adaptation of one of these stories. The two major characters are John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi) a seventh year senior with 0.0 GPA and Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson) a womanizer and the leader of the Delta house. The Delta house is a group of rather stupid men who are attempting to avoid their charter being revoked by Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) who hates them. The Dean is being aided by the snooty, preppy Omega house who view the vulgar Delta house as being beneath them. Essentially the Delta houses' failing grades and misbehavior leads to them being placed on probation, and the events of the film follow their attempts to avoid having their charter revoked. If you like this film then you'll have the other eleven National Lampoon films to watch as well.

Recommended: There are literally 12 National Lampoon movies. Twelve. I promise you that you've at least seen or heard of one of them, and this one will be just as enjoyable.

1. "Legally Blonde" (2003)

Finally we've reached the pinnacle of college films. "Legally Blonde" is a story of female empowerment and that intelligence can come in many different forms. Elle is such a great example that you don't need to be cruel or mean to be successful, and that true intelligence isn't just defined by numbers or equations known. As a college senior, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is completely in love with and ready to marry her boyfriend, Warner Huntington the Third (Matthew Davis). However, instead of proposing he breaks up with her saying that she is not the right kind of wife for his political career. She decides to show him that she is worthy to be his wife and follows him to Harvard Law. In the beginning, Elle ends up struggling through her classes at Harvard and is even more devastated to find out that Warner is already engaged to another classmate. It is during this time that Elle decides to prove to herself that she is worthy for herself. She studies hard and earns an internship with Callahan the university's most notable professor alongside Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), Warner's fiancee. The rest of the movie follows her as she works on a murder trial and tries to prove herself intellectually and morally time and time again. Though this is a romantic comedy, Elle Woods is a character that is defined by much more than the man that she is with. I believe that every freshman college student should watch this film just to learn the one crucial fact that is required for any form of success....

Reccomended: This movie is the child of "Clueless" (1995) and the mother of "Mean Girls" (2004), so watch this if you've see one or both of them and enjoyed them.