What you see on TV isn't always as what it really is in real life. I guess that's why we all have these misconceptions about what life would be like in middle school, high school, and college. But some of the shows that focus on school can be pretty creative with how they show how things are done. Here are some shows that deal with people in school but with a few quirks.

Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
     Ned Bigby's guide isn't just for him and his middle school friends but for anyone at school who needs to survive as these tips tackle things like popularity, sports, homework, projects.

Zoey 101
     Pacific Coast Academy was once an all boys' boarding school until they decided to start letting girls in. It's hard enough trying to fit in a normal school but how about a school where the boys are used to ruling the campus?

Glee
     An unlikely group of students that sing about the theme of the week at their glee club at the same time try figure out what they want to do with their life after high school.

Pretty Little Liars
     Who is 'A'? I don't know and neither do Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily, the girls that are the victims of A's schemes. They just want to experience high school without the weird feeling that their dead friend coming back from the dead to haunt them.

90210
     Annie and Dixon move to Beverly Hills and together with their friends, go through high school and experience their fair share of boyfriends, girlfriends, love triangles, pregnancies, addictions, heartbreaks, blackmails to say a few.

Community
     A lawyer who later finds out his bachelor's degree is fake and goes back to school to get a real one. Along the way, he befriends a millionaire, a pop-culture obsessed film student, a former prescription drug addict, a former high school football star, a former Spanish-teacher-turned-student, and a single mom all while trying to pursue a girl who's figuring out how to get her life back on track.

Greek
     A group of college students that are trying to get through life in university as well as finding their place and living the the Greek system.

-Ana Matti
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     High school will make you crazy. It doesn’t matter if you’re caught up in all the drama or not, because at some point you will be dealing with your own personal issues.  I myself have experienced arguments and incidents with other people, but the biggest problem I had to face was me.
     When you’re a teenager, it’s hard to not feel like shit about yourself sometimes. There will come a point wherein you just have to sit and think about what you want to do or who you want to be, but oftentimes you’re stuck with no definite answer. On top of that, you have to face different kinds of relationship problems. Enemies, friends, parents, crushes, teachers --- you have to deal with them all, and sometimes you just want someone or something that you can really relate to for you not to feel alone in the process. 

     So this is the part where I say that MTV’s Awkward might just help you cope with high school, because it kind of did for me. Despite all the issues about sex and love (both of which I do not have any experience with), it is the only show that I can truly connect with. You might say that it’s just another typical show about high school, and it actually is when you think about it, but you’ll be surprised when you find yourself relating to almost all of the characters on the show. And yes, that even includes the guidance counselor, Valerie Marks.

     I personally love Jenna Hamilton. What I like about her character is that she acknowledges the fact that she has flaws and growing up means making a lot of mistakes in the process. You get to see her screw things up and it’s hard not to get frustrated with her decisions, but then that just makes me admire her even more. Her naive personality makes it easier for us to be reminded that she’s just a teenager. She’s allowed to be young and confused about life. 

     As for the other characters, they’re all very relatable as well. From Matty McKibben’s family issues to Sadie Saxton’s insecurities, there’s a bit of us in everyone. We get to see a glimpse of how the rest of them are just as broken as Jenna and I think that’s one of the best things about the show; that Jenna’s not the only one who has to deal with big problems. 

    I really recommend that you watch this show if you haven’t. It’s funny, dramatic, and almost true to life. Awkward is one of the most enjoyable shows out there, so better check it out!

- Reign Gonzales
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