A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the quintessential college experience

27 Nov 2013

Yup, this is actually relevant, I swear. For high school seniors wondering what college will be like, look no further than The Peanuts. I don’t mean necessarily that in college you’ll be watching Charlie Brown and his friends (even though I still do). I’m saying that the impromptu experiences that the gang goes through is a good parallel to what you can expect from your higher education experience.

Lucy, Charlie Brown and the football
Roommates, professors, friends. All of them will do the same thing time after time, even if you expect them to change their behaviors. For example, after the tale of the harrowing C-, I decided to be proactive and revise the paper. Even though I expected my prof to appreciate my effort and raise my grade to at least a B, I received a new and improved C. Lucy will always pull the football out from under Charlie Brown. Professors and other college folks will always act the same way.

Peppermint Patty inviting herself over
As most students leave their doors open in dorms, it is not unusual for friends and neighbors to walk in uninvited. Which is fine, and can actually be fun. However, some of these people are annoying and won’t leave, no matter how much you try to kick them out. Definitely keep your door open, but always keep an eye out for Stage 5 clingers.

Snoopy and Woodstock stealing the show
There will always be that person who tries to sneak in a pet. Sometimes these pets are dogs that are cute and fun. Sometimes they are gross (or maybe I just have a personal aversion to hamsters and guinea pigs). And sometimes a person will bring in a wild animal. (Rumor has it that someone kept a possum during my sophomore year. I didn’t see it, but it also would not surprise me if that story were true). For your sake, I hope your dorm has a Snoopy and a not a Woodstock.

Improvised “meals”
The Peanuts throw together a Thanksgiving dinner comprised of buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans. I hope for your sake that your Thanksgiving dinner will involve real sustenance. However, that list of food is what you can expect in college. Even if your dining hall is spectacular, you will be poor and eating that kind of food. A lot.

Your friends are your family
At the end of the story, Sally and Charlie Brown invite everybody over to their grandmother’s house for a real dinner. Not only will you get food out of a visit from your friends’ families, you will probably also become a part of your their families. I went to a friend’s house for Easter, lived with her this past summer and will always consider her a part of my Naz family. College is your home away from home, so definitely share your family’s good food with your buddies.

Keep all of this in mind while you are feasting on delicious Thanksgiving dinners this year. Even if this list is a little scary, remember that Charlie Brown and co. usually have a good time. And they always learn something important. So, look forward to college and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as soon as possible.

Written by Rachel Montpelier. Rachel is a senior at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. and is the editorial assistant at NextStepU.