Or, National Lampoon's Embracing Adulthood

“You know what I've learned in my seven years here at Coolidge, Timmy? I've learned that you can't treat every situation as a life or death matter. Because you'll die a lot of times. Write that down.”

Wise words. And although they were delivered by a man without pants, they are nonetheless words we would all do well to remember. Van Wilder, of National Lampoon's Van Wilder, is a student at the prestigious Coolidge College who finds himself in the second semester of his seventh year, with absolutely no intentions of leaving. Rather than devoting his time to academics, he spends his time befriending the student body and spearheading organizations and charities such as the Freshman Crisis Group, Save the Swim Team Speedo Spectacular, and the Bloated Beer Belly Bash to Battle Bulimia. He can galvanize the basketball team into overcoming a thirty-point deficit and winning a game, advise freshman on what to do if they feel a burning sensation when they urinate, and pose nude for art classes, but when his father refuses to pay for another semester and instead decides to “cut [his] losses,” Van finds that he must find time between his charities to find a way to pay for his tuition.

This is one of the central conflicts Van faces during the movie (one I myself can relate to). Though he is able to handle it in spectacular fashion – organizing tutoring sessions conducted by beautiful women and being paid to organize parties for the less popular – the struggle of having to pay for one's own tuition while at the same time being a student is a challenge that many young people face today. While the severity of Van's situation is undercut by the comedic way in which he solves, it is important to realize that Van does not allow this hardship to take away from his other, charitable endeavors, just as other working students shouldn't allow it to take away from their academic endeavors. 

Van's daily grind.

However, the larger conflict in Van's life comes to light when a reporter discovers that Van has been eighteen credits short of graduating for the past six semesters, and has been actively avoiding leaving Coolidge College. His inability or unwillingness to enter the real world, rather than his desire to stay and help out the school he loves, is what has been holding him back. This conflict, while not as outspoken as the first, is still central in many young students' lives. Many see life as really beginning after completing undergraduate education, and for many, the idea of that safety net being taken away and being thrust out into the real world is anathema. I myself would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious about what lays beyond my senior year, especially if I don't get accepted into a graduate program. But a wise man once said that you can't treat every situation as a life or death matter. Just as we all were able to survive the transition from high school to college, we will all survive the transition from college to whatever our post-graduation plans may be.